SIT Study Abroad Ecuador: Development, Politics, and Languages
Study indigenous concepts of sustainability as it intersects with biological diversity, culture, and quality of life in Ecuador.
WHY ECUADOR?
Living in Ecuador, you will experience a multilingual and multiethnic nation that is also one of the America’s most biologically diverse countries. Here, you’ll study development as well as alternatives grounded in indigenous worldviews that call for respect of natural resources. Two homestays will deepen your understanding of both urban and rural life and culture in Ecuador.
On excursions to the threatened Intag Forest Reserve and the Galápagos Islands you will observe the conflict between development and natural resource preservation. You will also visit the Upper Amazon, where you will experience direct exposure to political ecology and socio-linguistic issues regarding this highly diverse but threatened region.
You’ll explore how Spanish and indigenous languages are used to reinforce and reinvent power relationships as you consider how intercultural and inter-ethnic relations are shaped. You will learn basic Quichua and develop your Spanish language skills through classroom instruction, homestays, excursions, and cultural immersion.
Please visit the SIT Study Abroad website for details on the program highlights and details of coursework, educational excursions, and housing.
MONEY MATTERS
SIT is an all-inclusively priced study abroad program – including academics costs, excursions, accommodations and meals, airport transfers, and health insurance. Be sure to discuss how study abroad costs are handled at your school with your study abroad advisor and read the website for more specific information.
SCHOLARSHIPS
SIT has awarded an average of over $1.3 million in scholarships and grants to SIT Study Abroad students in the past three years. All scholarships and grants are need-based. Awards generally range from $500 to $5,000.
CONTACT SIT STUDY ABROAD
· Visit our website: studyabroad.sit.edu
· Request more information or email us: studyabroad@sit.edu
· Call an admissions counselor: 888-272-7881
· Contact a former student.
· Apply to SIT
Academic Program
The program begins with a week of orientation conducted by the program director in Quito. The academic program is conducted in Spanish and consists of:
- Languages in Contact: Spanish, Quichua, and Other Languages in Ecuador (0.75 Pomona credit)
- Spanish for the Social Sciences (0.75 Pomona credit)
- Paradigms of Development and Political Discourse in Ecuador (0.75 Pomona credit)
- Research Methods and Ethics (0.75 Pomona credits)
- Independent Study Project (ISP; 1.0 Pomona Credit)
There is no CR/NC option on this program.
Living Arrangements
Students live in homestays with Ecuadorian families for four weeks near Quito in Los Chillos Valley, and four weeks in urban Quito. Other accommodations during the program include hostels, private homes or small hotels.
Number of Students
SIT enrolls approximately 20-25 students, selected from a national pool.
Host Institution
School for International Training (SIT)
Faculty Liaison
Grace Davila-Lopez
Eligibility
- Three recent semesters of college-level Spanish (Spanish 33) or equivalent and the ability to follow coursework in Spanish.
Students are expected to enroll in a Spanish course the semester prior to the term abroad.
Travel Advisories
