Cuernavaca, Mexico
Maymester Study Tour in Mexico
“Comparative Urban and Social Policy, Planning, and Administration: the US-Mexico Experience”
SUPA offers graduate and undergraduate students a “study tour” to Mexico City, Cuernavaca, and neighboring urban areas to study urban social needs and service delivery, planning, and public administration in the comparative context of the US and Mexico experience.
See photos of Cuernavaca, Mexico
What:
Includes intensive Spanish instruction, lectures and a report. Students select from report topics that focus on urban planning and public administration or social needs and service-delivery systems, and how those issues in Mexico compare with similar issues in the US. Report presentations are made at UTA after the tour.
Students will earn three UTA credit hours for the two week Maymester course and receive Spanish instruction at the Universidad International.
Who:
Both graduate and undergraduate students from all disciplines.
Graduates enroll in URPA 5391.
Undergraduates enroll in URPA 4391.
Professors Maria Martinez-Cosio and Norma Benavides Cole jointly teach the courses. Both are fluent in Spanish and have traveled extensively in Mexico.
When:
Maymester 2006 – From May 14 to May 27, 2006
Where:
Taught in Cuernavaca, at the Center for Bilingual Multicultural Studies, and in other places of cultural, historical, and scholarly interest in Mexico.
Cuernavaca is a residential city, of approximately 500,000, located about 50 miles south of Mexico City. It is the capital city of the Mexican state of Morelos. Cuernavaca’s built environment, which is composed of a rich mix of pre-Hispanic and colonial ruins amid a contemporary urban fabric, offers a challenging opportunity for study of urban life.
How:
By air to Mexico City; then by bus to Cuernavaca.
Cost:
The approximate cost of the trip, including tuition, fees, language classes, air and bus transportation from Mexico City, lodging, and meals, is approximately $2,215 for graduate students and $2,115 for undergraduate students. The cited costs do not include optional local transportation and travel excursions or spending money.
Accommodations:
Students will stay with a Mexican family.
Typical Weekday Schedule
| Time | Topic | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 8-10:50 am | Intensive Spanish-language training 1 | Cuernavaca, Center for Bilingual Multicultural Studies |
| 11-12 pm | Conversational Spanish | Cuernavaca, Center for Bilingual Multicultural Studies |
| 12:10-2:00 pm | Additional Spanish grammar or lectures on social policy, planning, and public administration issues 2 | Cuernavaca, Center for Bilingual Multicultural Studies |
| Afternoons | Field trips to social-service, planning, and administrative agencies | Local agencies |
1 Upon satisfactory completion of the language training, students will receive a certificate of language competency from the Center for Bilingual Multicultural Studies. Students in some majors may apply this training toward their degree’s language requirement. Students should consult with their program advisors, in advance, to determine their eligibility for this option.
2 Topics will include transportation, environment, housing, migration, health and social services, regional government, intergovernmental relations, urban planning and design, and public administration.