Embedded Spring: Community-Engaged Education in Yucatán
The Program
Community-Engaged Education in Yucatán
In collaboration with the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatan, we will explore multiple ways that education operates en comunidad. The semester-long course focuses on learning from and with community. We will engage in community-based language learning programming in New Jersey and Yucatán. The program includes virtual exchanges and the opportunity to travel to Mexico in March 2023 during spring break, and to welcome and host our partners in April 2023 when they visit Rutgers.
Program Locations
Mexico
Merida
Mérida, the vibrant capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, has a rich Mayan and colonial heritage. The city’s focal point is Plaza de la Independencia, bordered by the fortresslike Mérida Cathedral and white limestone Iglesia de la Tercera Orden, both colonial-era churches built using relics from ancient Mayan temples.
Mexico
Valladolid
Valladolid (or Saki in Maya) is a city located in the eastern part of the Mexican state of Yucatán.
Academics
Objectives
- Learn from and with university, K-12 and community partners
- Participate in multiple Mexican cultures and contexts, especially in informal and formal education settings
- Consider the impact of pre-Colombian, colonial and contemporary influences on Mexican and US society
- Reflect on how your experience in Mexico may influence your community-engaged and professional practices
- Build relationships and develop the disposition and skills to become a welcoming host
Requirements
- Active participation in local and global community-engaged programming
- Virtual exchanges and travel to Mexico
- Observe and analyze the multlingual landscapes of New Jersey and Yucatán
- Engage in translanguaging approaches to storytelling
- Daily reflections and journaling
- Final written reflection on Community-Engaged Education in New Jersey and Yucatán
Housing and Meals
Students will be housed in double rooms. Breakfast and one meal per excursion is included. Students are responsible for all other meals.
Financial Information
Program Costs
| All students | |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate (1 credit) | $2,640 |
| Graduate (no credit) | $2,640 |
Program Cost includes:
- Housing
- Some meals
- Excursions
- Administrative Fees
- Emergency Medical Access Abroad
- * Tuition for the 1 credit course is not included. Each student will be charged by their respective school according to their enrollment rate (part-time, online, full-time)
Out-of-Pocket Costs
| Airfare | $800 |
| Some food | $60 |
| Personal Expenses | $100 |
| Total | $960.00 |
Out-of-Pocket Cost includes:
The above costs are estimations and represent the known out-of-pocket costs students encounter during their time abroad.
Some of these expenses will be paid for prior to going abroad, such as an airline ticket, while some of these expenses, such as meals and personal expenses, will be paid in-country as part of your daily expenses. As you plan, you will need to budget these costs and spend wisely throughout your time abroad.
Faculty Leaders
Dr. Mary Curran is Director of Local-Global Partnerships and Professor of Practice in Language Education at Rutgers Graduate School of Education. At Rutgers, she prepares future English as a second language and world language teachers and researchers. She has published her research in top journals such as Journal of Teacher Education, Foreign Language Annals, Theory into Practice, and TESOL Quarterly. Her recent work focuses on a K-5 community-engaged, anti-racist education curriculum development project. Together with Nilufer Guler, she is the co-editor of Rowman and Littlefield's Global Teacher Education Book Series. For several years, she has traveled with students to Yucatán, México focused on community-engaged language learning, partnering with the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. She also engages in virtual exchange projects with colleagues at the Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango focused on issues of culture and identity.