Location:
Required GPA:
Spanish requirement:
Length of program:
Application deadline:
University web site:

Program advisor:

San Cristóbal, Chiapas
3.0 (4.0 scale)
4 semesters of university-level Spanish or equivalent
May-July (8 weeks)
April 1
http://www.unach.mx/
http://sureste.ciesas.edu.mx/
Emily Keene

What the Social Reality and Change program has to offer
• Study in a charming, relaxed and artistic area of Mexico

• Relevant, exciting courses: Advanced Spanish, Social Reality and Change, and Mayan Language (optional)
• Perfect for students who want to analyze the history, politics, social problems, economic development and religious realities in modern Mexico
• Academic field excursions that complement classroom study
• An intensive research project completes each student's summer curriculum

Student events and field excursions
• Local indigenous communities
• Nature reserves

• Archaeological sites
• Smaller cities in the region
• Social events include walking tour of San Cristóbal, visits to museums and theaters, and organized social activities

Volunteer opportunities
• Work with local children
• Environment and sustainable development programs
• Recycling programs
• Fiesta organization
• Cultural and national heritage preservation programs

• Women's associations

Housing
• Host family housing is arranged by IFSA-Butler
• IFSA-Butler houses only one student per family
• Program fee includes two meals per day

Academics
• Program is designed exclusively for IFSA-Butler students
• Program includes a mandatory Spanish course (4 U.S. semester credit hours)
• All coursework is in Spanish
• Language courses taught at Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, a renowned regional university
• Optional Mayan languages course (3 U.S. semester credit hours) includes instruction in Zotzil and Celtal
• Students will earn 7 or 10 U.S. semester credit hours

Social Reality and Change
• Worth 3 U.S. semester credit hours
• Taught at Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS), a cutting-edge research institution
• A different aspect of Social Reality and Change is taught each week by a specialist at CIESAS:

• Social and Economic History
• Linguistics
• Anthropology, Ethnicity, and Religion
• Anthropology and Political Studies
• Environment and Society
• Medical Anthropology and Public Health
• Demographics; Culture and Ideology
• Latin American Studies