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SUNY Brockport in Cuernavaca, Mexico
During the past twenty years, more than 6,000 students have participated in Brockport's study abroad programs. The Office of International Education at Brockport seeks to offer a wide variety of opportunities for study in other nations to a wide variety of students. The programs we sponsor are designed to be academically challenging, efficiently administered and reasonably priced.
ABOUT THE SUNY BROCKPORT CUERNAVACA PROGRAM
The SUNY semester in Cuernavaca is one of the oldest and most successful
American college or university programs in Mexico. This program
is an intensive immersion experience in Spanish Language and Latin American
Studies. The language component is designed to enable students, at beginning
to advanced levels of proficiency, to achieve speaking fluency in a relatively
short time. The Latin American Studies component is designed to provide
a meaningful context for the participant to understand Latin American
society, history and culture. Both components are aimed at enabling the
student to experience, appreciate and study life in a culture other than
her/his own. The emphasis of the instruction is on individual attention
to conversational fluency in the language and meaningful acculturation
to a Latin American society; it is therefore particularly valuable for
students whose career opportunities will be enhanced by fluency in Spanish.
Students majoring in social work, criminal justice, community health,
and international business are as frequently participants as Spanish majors.
A full-time resident director who is a member of Brockport's faculty is
in residence in Cuernavaca throughout the duration of the program.
CUERNAVACA
"Cuernavaca is a resort city and capital of the state of Morelos,
75 kilometers (50 miles) south of Mexico City. Its near-perfect
climate has attracted vacationers since the days of the Aztec emperors.
Today its narrow streets host a strange mix of local residents, Mexican
vacationers, tour bus temporaries, international jet-setters, and Hollywood
stars. Filming conditions are so agreeable that the valley of Morelos
has become a center for the US film industry. In the 1960s Cuernavaca
was discovered by North American and European students attracted by the
language schools specializing in Spanish for foreigners. Such schools
have proliferated in recent years making Cuernavaca perhaps the best place
in the world to study Spanish." (from James J. Horn, Cuernavaca, A Guide
for Students and Tourists, 1984, p. 3)
THE HOST INSTITUTION
The SUNY Cuernavaca program is conducted at the Center for Bilingual Multicultural
Studies (El Centro Bilingue), the best of Cuernavaca's several language
institutes. El Centro is a small private institute that is housed
in a building that was formerly an hotel. It specializes in teaching
Spanish to non-native speakers. The Institute's student body comes
from all parts of the United States, from Canada, Australia, and various
European countries. Total enrollment ranges from as few as 25 to
as many as 200 students at one time, with an average student body of 80
to 100. The school's classroom and administrative buildings are
arranged around a lovely tropical garden and swimming pool. There
is a small cafeteria and language lab on the school's grounds.
CURRICULUM AND CLASS SCHEDULE
The SUNY Cuernavaca program is a 15 credit hour, upper division (i.e.,
junior/senior level) program. A participant in the Cuernavaca program
can normally expect to earn up to nine credit hours in Spanish and six
credit hours in Latin American Studes. The program is fifteen weeks
in duration; there is a one-week mid-semester vacation during which participants
are encouraged to travel and explore this exciting part of Mexico on their
own. The instructional schedule is composed of the following three
elements (which are organized into a six-hour program which meets daily,
Monday through Thursday, for twelve weeks):
1. ESPANOL
The first part of the Spanish component of the program consists of daily
intensive grammar and conversation practice in small group sessions.
Students are placed in groups of one to five students organized according
to their previous language experience. The program allows for up
to 34 of these groups and therefore 34 different language-ability levels.
Some groups have only one or two students and none are larger than five
students. Instructors are native Spanish speakers who are rotated
periodically to expose students to different voice tones and accents.
Espanol classes meet for 3 hours daily.
2. CONFERENCIA
The second component of the Spanish language instruction consists of a
daily one-hour large group lecture/discussion session. These sessions
are designed to improve the students' listening skills and expand their
vocabulary and dictation-taking skills while treating topics on contemporary
Latin America. Conferencia meet daily Monday through Thursday.
The conferencia on Fridays are usually devoted to Latin American popular
songs and are led by a professional musician and recording artist.
The conferencia and espanol sessions comprise the program's primary instruction in Spanish, and, depending on the participant's entry-level ability and progress in this course work, up to nine credit hours in Spanish are awarded at either the 100 and 200 (beginning) level, the 200-300 level (intermediate) level or the 300 (advanced) level. Credits in Spanish that are earned in Brockport's Cuernavaca program are awarded "as equivalent to" course work done on the Brockport campus. Grades for work done at Cuernavaca are reported on student's transcripts as equivalent to specific Spanish language courses taught at Brockport. Weekly quizzes allow the Resident Director (a member of Brockport's faculty in full-time residence in Cuernavaca) to monitor the participants' progress and allow students to advance through various levels of individual instruction groups.
3. LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
In addition to Spanish language courses, participants must elect two
three-credit Latin American Studies courses from among the following:
Mexican Culture and Society (offered both semesters), Historical Survey
of Mexico (offered both semesters), Economic Development in Latin America
(spring semester only), U.S.-Latin American Relations (spring semester
only), Introduction to Spanish-American Literature (offered both semesters),
Spanish Conversation and Composition (fall semester only), Intermediate
Spanish Conversation and Composition (fall semester only), Spanish-American
Civilization (fall semester only), Spanish for Business (fall semester
only), Spanish-American Short Stories (fall semester only), Spanish-American
Novel (fall semester only).
NOTE: Since staffing determines availability of courses, not all of the courses listed above will be offered each semester. However, at least six courses from this list will be offered in every semester.
Instruction in Latin American Studies takes place in two-hour large group (15-20 students) lecture/discussion sessions conducted primarily in Spanish. (At least one of the courses offered in the first half of the semester is conducted in such a way to enable students whose language proficiency is at the "beginning" level to participate fully). These classes meet Monday-Thursday, for six weeks. Normally a student will be expected to complete one of these Latin American Studies courses prior to the mid-semester break and another in the last half of the semester. These courses are all upper division (junior/senior level) courses. In addition to formal classroom instruction, the field trip and essay elements of the Latin American Studies program enable participants to explore the surrounding environs of this historic and scenic area of Mexico in a carefully structured manner.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Most students travel extensively on weekends and during the mid-term
break. Popular destinations are Acapulco, Oaxaca, Mexico City, and
the Yucatan Peninsula. In addition, inexpensive or free parties
and extracurricular programs are offered at El Centro on a regular basis.
HOUSING
El Centro has no dormitories or housing accommodations, but a full-time
housing coordinator places students with Mexican families and supervises
the quality of family services. Students are required to spend the
first half of the term in housing with a Mexican family through El Centro's
homestay program. (The resident director will grant exceptions only
in unusual circumstances.) This experience provides rapid language
immersion and enriching cultural experiences. Families charge $18
to $20 daily depending on single or double occupancy and variations in
household luxuries. All provide three meals daily and families that
are located further than walking distance from the school provide transportation.
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
Fall semester: Early September to mid-December, 15 weeks. Application
deadline is April 15 but late applicants considered through the summer
when space is available.
Spring semester: Late January to early May, 15 weeks. Application deadline
is Nov. 15; call regarding late applications.
Summer Session: Mid-July to mid-August, 5 weeks. The Summer Session program
is not offered every year. Inquiries should be directed to the Office
of International Education, SUNY College at Brockport.
COSTS
We estimate that the total cost of one semester's participation in the
SUNY Cuernavaca Program is approximately $4,500. This includes round-trip
air transportation (from New York), local travel in Mexico, room and board,
textbooks and New York State resident in-state tuition costs. Tuition
for non-New York State residents is approximately $1,500 more per semester
than in-state tuition.
TO APPLY
Application forms are available from SUNY Offices of International
Education or by writing to:
The Office of International Education
Rakov Center for Student Services
SUNY College at Brockport
Brockport, New York 14420
PHONE: (716) 395-2119
FAX: (716) 395-2606
The Office of International Education encourages participation in its overseas programs by women, minorities, veterans, and the physically handicapped.
Information contained in this brochure is accurate at the time of publication but it is based on conditions over which SUNY Brockport has no control--rates of exchange, housing costs and availability of courses. Therefore this information is subject to change without notice.
FEATURES OF THE BROCKPORT CUERNAVACA PROGRAM
Location: Cuernavaca, a resort, has one of the most perfect climates on earth. Mexico City is only fifty miles from Cuernavaca.
Support: The Brockport Cuernavaca Program has a full-time SUNY faculty member asigned as the program's resident director. Participants do not "get lost in the shuffle," in Cuernavaca.
Quality of Instruction: Participants receive highly individualized attention. Classes consist of (at most) five students; instruction is by experienced language teachers.
Transfer of Credit: Credit hours earned in Brockport's Cuernavaca program are awarded directly by SUNY Brockport, so participants do not have to "broker" the credits earned abroad (as they frequently have to do for overseas programs which are sponored by non-US and/or non-educational organizations).
Housing: Students live with Mexican host families in above-average houses near the school.
Cost: The Brockport Cuernavaca Program is one of the lowest cost overseas academic programs anywhere.
