Puebla, Mexico: Entre dos Mundos/Between Two Worlds | Nauatl and Spanish languages, cultures, and histories

*** Virtual Drop In Advising/Final Info Session: Monday, March 11, 4-5 p.m. Register here! ***

Summary

In this immersive program, students will explore Mexican history, culture, and language (Nauatl and Spanish) while taking a core major course in the Berkeley Spanish Language Department. Students will live and study in the beautiful, historic and vibrant city of Puebla, with extended excursions to nearby towns and cultural sites including Cholula, the Teotihuacan Pyramids, and Mexico City. Students will increase their Spanish language proficiency while engaging with key texts from Mexican history that deal with Spanish invasion and colonization, and understand how contemporary Mexican and Chicano writers identify (with) their country/ies. In addition, students will study Nauatl language and culture (the official language of the ancient Mexican-Aztec empire) which is still spoken by 1.5 million people today. This language study will allow students to comprehend cultural, historic, and linguistic intersections between both civilizations. The program will also include an exploration of social practices of present day communities in Mexico and interactions with Nauatl language, Nauatl speakers, and culture.
 

Note: each student accepted into the program in 2024 will receive a $1,000 scholarship! 

Highlights include:

• -Progress through the Spanish Major and Minor through the coursework offered and increasing your Spanish language speaking and writing proficiency
• -Visit important and historical sites in the cities of Cholula, Puebla and Mexico City
• -Field trips and excursions to places like the Teotihuacan pyramids and more to better analyze and judge syncretism in architecture, religion, language, and cuisine
   

Dates:

Program Dates:

• June 22 – July 29, 2024

Dates are subject to change.

Courses:

During the program, you will be enrolled automatically in two courses for a total of 6 UC Berkeley units:

• Spanish 25: Reading & Analysis of Literary Texts (3 units) +
• Spanish 123: Mexican History, Language, and Culture (3 units) 

Units: 6 units

Language of Instruction: Spanish and English

Requirements Satisfied by this Program:

• Spanish 25 satisfies Arts and Literature L&S Breadth
• Program Participation satisfies L&S International Studies Breadth
• Additional Breadths TBA
• Major/minor credit in the Spanish Department: Spanish 25 is a course required for anyone wishing to major or minor in Spanish, including heritage speakers. 
• Consult with your college/major advisor to see which degree requirements this course may fulfill.

Note: Requirements above must be satisfied through full participation (all courses must be completed with C-/P or better)

Eligibility:

• At least one year of college coursework completed by the start of the program
• 2.0 GPA or higher
• Must be 18+ years old at the time of application
• Spanish Language Proficiency: In order to take this course, students must have taken Spanish 4, Spanish 22, or have received a score of 5 on the AP (Advanced Placement) exam or 7 on the IB exam. 
• May not be on academic probation or under censure for student misconduct at any point from application review to the end of your program.
  
   

Housing:

• In Puebla, students will live in fully equipped apartments called suites with other participants on the program only. Students will live 2 student per room. Each suite has 4 rooms with two showers and 2 w.c.'s per apartment. The dorms are in the middle of a vibrant neighborhood that caters to students.
• Note that because of in-country policies, Students will be paired with roommates based on the “Sex” listed on a student’s passport. Gender inclusive housing is not yet available at this time.
   

Food:

• Breakfast and lunch are provided daily in the program.
• Students will receive recommendations for other meals.

Application:

Application opens February 1, 2024

• Space is limited and applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis
• Deadline to apply is March 13, 2024

Courses

During the program, you will be enrolled automatically in two courses for a total of 6 UC Berkeley units:

• Spanish 25: Reading & Analysis of Literary Texts (3 units) +
• Spanish 123: Mexican History, Language, and Culture (3 units) 
   

Course: Spanish 25

Title: Reading & Analysis of Literary Texts

Instructor: Arturo Dávila S.

Units: 3 units

Prerequisites: Spanish 4, Spanish 22, or equivalent

In order to take this course, students must have taken Spanish 4, Spanish 22, or have received a score of 5 on the AP (Advanced Placement) exam or 7 on the IB exam.

Description: This is a bridge course between lower and upper division coursework in Spanish. In addition to exposing you to the principles and techniques of literary analysis, the course will continue to develop your speaking, aural comprehension, writing, and reading comprehension skills. It will improve your written and verbal communication and increase your vocabulary.After the completion of Spanish 25, you may begin taking the required upper-division courses to obtain a major or minor in Spanish language and culture.

Note: Spanish 25 is a course required for anyone wishing to major or minor in Spanish, including heritage speakers. 
 

Course: Spanish 123

Title: Mexican History, Language, and Culture

Instructor: Arturo Dávila S. & Local Instructor Ofelia Cruz Morales

Units: 3 units

Prerequisites: same as above

Description: This course offers a look into Mexican civilization and culture through the centuries and the presentation of different cultural expressions: history, literature, cinema, poetry, painting, native languages, etc. We explore the idea of a circularity in history based on a diachronic and synchronic approach to the different stages of the construction, destruction and reconstruction of Mexico. W We will also present an introduction to Nauatl language through  texts and primary sources with interactions with contemporary Nauatl speakers.. The objective of the course is to develop new ways of reading and interpreting Mexican identity as well as its artistic and cultural expressions. Likewise, to redefine that identity composed of three complex worldviews, the pre-Hispanic, the Hispanic, and the contemporary North American, in continuous intersection, that integrates the syncretic cultural mosaic that we call Mexico.

 

Requirements Satisfied by this Program:

• Spanish 25 satisfies Arts and Literature L&S Breadth
• Program Participation satisfies L&S International Studies Breadth
• Additional Breadths TBA
• Major/minor credit in the Spanish Department: Spanish 25 is a course required for anyone wishing to major or minor in Spanish, including heritage speakers. 
• Consult with your college/major advisor to see which degree requirements this course may fulfill.

Note: Requirements above must be satisfied through full participation (all courses must be completed with C-/P or better)

Course Enrollment

Note: Summer Abroad staff will enroll you in courses after your acceptance to the program. Please make sure there are no active blocks on your student account that may impact your course enrollment.

Costs 2024: each student accepted into the program in 2024 will receive a $1,000 scholarship! 

Tuition and Program Fee

The fees to participate in this program are broken down into 1) tuition and 2) program fees, which are applied to your student billing account as follows:

Fees are subject to change. All non-Berkeley  students must pay an additional Document Management Fee of $68.

Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses

In addition to the fees outlined above, Berkeley Study Abroad has estimated costs for out-of-pocket expenses. These amounts are used to calculate financial aid packages for eligible students. Actual expenses will vary depending on your lifestyle and spending habits.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available for Berkeley students who are enrolled in at least 6 units during the summer.  Students can request a financial aid package estimate to understand what their individual financial aid package will look like. We recommend all financial aid eligible students request a financial aid estimate.

​​Requesting a financial aid package estimate: If you wish to receive a financial aid package estimate, please fill out this form (CalNet Authentication required). You will receive an email with your financial aid estimate (please allow a minimum of one week for response).

If you have a specific question about a study abroad financial aid issue you are encountering, please email TravelAid@berkeley.edu. Please do not email to request a financial aid estimate, these requests should be made using the form above. 

All other students should contact the financial aid office at their home institution for more information.

Explanation of Fees

Tuition is based on a per unit cost:

• The UC undergraduate student rate is $419 per unit
• The visiting student rate for all non-UC participants is $595 per unit

The program fee includes* the following items:

• Housing while on the program (See summary page for more details on housing and meals)
• On-site orientation activities
• Travel insurance to cover accident/sickness medical coverage, emergency medical evacuation, security extraction, and other travel assistance services
• Other program-related costs including fees for museum entry, group transportation, etc.
• The $300 deposit. If accepted to the program, the $300 deposit will be applied towards your program fee. If you are waitlisted or denied admission to the program, your deposit will be refunded. If you request to withdraw your application prior to an admission decision being issued, or cancel your participation after being accepted to the program, the deposit remains charged to your account. 

*The list of items included in the program fee is not all-inclusive and is subject to change.

The following items are excluded from the program fee and included in the Out of Pocket expenses estimate:

• International airfare
• Personal expenses (souvenirs, routine medical expenses, toiletries, etc.)
• Course materials (textbooks and readers). Contact instructor for clarification.
• Other travel expenses (passport, visa, etc.)
• Meals
• Commuting costs for daily travel to and from classes

* The pre-departure orientation is mandatory and takes place on the UC Berkeley campus. If you are not on campus during this time, we will schedule a meeting via phone or Zoom.

† Students should plan to fly to/arrive in Mexico City, Mexico on June 22, 2024. The program will provide a program bus for students from Mexico City to Puebla on June 22 and all students should check into the program in Mexico City on June 22. The program will then travel back to Mexico City at the end of the program and students are expected to check out of program housing in Mexico City on July 29, 2024. Students who arrive early or depart after the last day may do so, but they are responsible for arranging their accommodations outside of the program end date.

All dates are subject to change.

Program Director: Arturo Davila

La Tinusa Books, Director
Latinx Cultural Center @ Laney College, Coordinator

Email: orutra@berkeley.edu

Blog: https://laney.edu/modern_languages/faculty-spanish/blog-arturo-davila/

ARTURO DÁVILA S. is Chair of the Department of Modern Languages at Laney College in Oakland, California. He specializes in contemporary Latin American poetry and Colonial Literature (the conquest of Mexico). He is poet laureate in Spain and Mexico where he won the following prizes for his books: La ciudad dormida (“Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz'' Prize, México, 1995), Catulinarias ("Antonio Machado" Prize, Spain, 1998), Poemas para ser leídos en el Metro (“Juan Ramón Jiménez” Prize, Spain, 2003), La cuerda floja (“Nicolás Guillén” Prize, Caribbean Philosophical Association -CPA, 2015). Some other publications include, Alfonso Reyes entre nosotros (UANL, 2010), an extensive prologue on poems by the same author, Homero en Cuernavaca (2014), the anthology La Tinusa. Poetas latinoamericanos in the USA (Aldus-Secretaría de Cultura, 2016), Sátiras (Hiperión, Spain, 2017), and more recently Tantos troncos truncus (Casa Vacía, 2020), and También garganta el mar (Casa Vacía, 2023). He has published many scholarly and journalistic articles on global Hispanic-Latin American literature and cultural production. At present he is compiling a second anthology of 21st century Latin American poets living in the United States and doing research on pre-Hispanic codices and re-visions of the conquest of Mexico.