JAN 409 - Globalized Mexico

Dates: January 1 - January 27, 2024

Instructor: Alvaro Ramirez

Email: aramirez@stmarys-ca.edu 

Course Fee: $2800 *All expenses included: airfare, lodging, transportation, food, excursions, etc. The only remaining expenses will be souvenirs and food in airports. Travel shot costs will depend on individual insurance coverage.

Course Description: In this course, students will focus on the socio-cultural and political changes that have occurred in Mexico in the new millennium, which have put in doubt the national project initiated by the Mexican Revolution. Students will analyze these transformations as they travel to visit ancient Teotihuacan, the colonial city of Puebla, and the postmodern metropolis of Mexico City,  where they’ll visit the Museum of National Anthropology and Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul. The base city is Cuernavaca where students will attend classes at Universidad Internacional Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. During the first two hours of each day, Prof. Ramírez will lead seminar-type discussions in English. We will discuss the post-revolutionary politics that helped to define the national project and its nationalism that created a Mexican identity that had its heyday during the mid-twentieth century and has lately been transformed by the forces of globalization in both in urban and rural areas. We will specifically focus on Mexican identity during the NAFTA years; the cultural transformation of rural communities, in particular traditional indigenous groups. From 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. all students will attend language courses according to their level. Once a week, students volunteer at a nearby school where they will work with indigenous children. With the exception of two afternoon trips, excursions will take place on weekends. All students will be housed in pairs with Mexican families who provide room and board. Four meetings scheduled prior to leaving on the trip are considered part of the course.

Prerequisites & Notes

•  Students who enroll in this course must be in good academic standing at the time of enrollment.
• Attendance at pre-registration meeting; 
• Permission of the instructor

Information Sessions: 

 *Failure to attend Health & Safety Orientations will result in immediate drop from the course, and once registered all course fees are non-refundable. 

Credits: 3