Winter Interim in Merida, Mexico
MEX 360 is designed to give students a full immersion experience. Students will live with a Mexican family and have their three meals a day with them. Monday through Friday the students will have class 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. The course is structured like a conversation class. Each student will be assigned different cultural readings and will present on their readings every day and direct discussion on their topics. There will also be grammar and vocabulary review. From 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. students will prepare their presentations for the next day and then head home for the midday meal with their families. In the afternoons and weekend students will visit cities, Mayan ruins, art and history museums, take a Mexican cooking class, and much more. The time on the Yucatan Peninsula culminates with a tour of the ancient city of Chichen Itza, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and ends with the last day in Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean Sea. In this course students will further develop their speaking and aural comprehension skills as well as increase their vocabulary and grammar through daily reading and writing assignments.
December 26, 2024 – January 11, 2025
Where You’ll Go
*Specific dates and activities are subject to change*
Dec 26: Arriving at Mérida
Dec 27: (9:00am – 11:50am) Unidad 1: Las familias y las comunidades. Noticias de periódicos (12:00pm – 1:00pm) Tarea en parejas. (Evening) Visita al Centro de Mérida
Dec 28: (9:00am – 11:50am) Unidad 2: La ciencia y la tecnología. Noticias de periódicos (12:00pm – 1:00pm) Tarea en parejas. (Evening) Taller de chocolate
Dec 29: Excursion to Excursion to Uxmal, Santa Elena and Cenote de Pebá
Dec 30: Excursion to Cuzamá (Cenotes)
Dec 31: Excursion to Dzibichaltun, Cena de Fin de Año
Jan 1: Excursion to Celestum
Jan 2: (9:00 – 11:50am) Unidad 3: La belleza y la estética. Noticias de periódicos (12:00pm – 1:00pm) Tarea en parejas. (Evening) Serenata de Santa Lucía
Jan 3: (9:00am – 11:50am) Unidad 4: La vida contemporánea. Noticias de periódicos (12:00pm – 1:00pm) Tarea en parejas. (Evening) Taller de tortilla
Jan 4: (9:00am – 11:50am) Unidad 5: Los dedafíos mundiales. Noticias de periódicos (12:00pm – 1:00pm) Tarea en parejas (Evening) Visita al Museo Maya
Jan 5: (9:00 – 11:50am) Unidad 6: Las identidades personales y públicas. Noticias[…] (12:00pm – 1:00pm) Tarea en parejas. (Evening) Clase de salsa
Jan 6: Excursion to Izama
Jan 7: Excursion to Chichen Itzá-Cenote Iki
Jan 8: (9:00am – 11:50am) Presentación final: (Mérida, Celestum, Izamal, Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Dzibichaltun) (12:00pm – 1:00pm) Ensayo final.
Jan 9: Departing for Playa del Carmen
Jan 10: Excursion to Tulum
Jan 11: Return home from Cancun airport
What You’ll Study
Program Name: Yucatan and Mexican Culture
Course Number: MEX 360
Credits: 3.0
Term & Dates: Winter Interim, December 26, 2024-January 11, 2025
Pre-Requisites: SPAN 202 – Spanish Grammar & Composition
Degree Fulfillments: Satisfies LSP Intercultural Competency Requirements
Click HERE for full course syllabus
Course Readings:
- Draggett, Parthena, Cole Conlin, Max Ehrsam and Elizabeth Millán. Temas. AP Spanish Language and Culture. Boston: Vistas Higher Learning, 2014.
Your Instructor
Danion Doman
Classical and Modern Languages Department Chair
ddoman@truman.edu McClain 310
A bit about Dr. Doman…
B.A., Brigham Young University,
M.A., University of Kansas,
Ph.D. University of Colorado
Research Interests: Ecological Criticism; Ecocriticism of Spanish-American literature; Birds in literature; the New World Tropics.
Professor Doman enjoys teaching Spanish literature, culture, and language, and his current research involves exploring the connections between literature and the environment. He has spent time abroad in Spain, Costa Rica, Chile, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, and Mexico, and likes to daydream about future hiking and bird watching trips to Latin America and Spain.
MEX 360 Program Note: You must have completed SPAN 202 prior to the beginning the program.
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Early Application Deadline: October 5, 2024
Students who wish to be considered for Foundation Scholarships will need to complete ALL OF the steps outlined below before October 5, 2024. Truman awards more than $90,000 in Foundation Scholarships for Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs in individual awards ranging from $1,000-$4,000. Foundation Scholarships will be announced by October 12, and students will have until October 26 to either accept or decline any award. Deposits made before the early deadline of October 5 will be refundable until October 26 regardless of whether an award is received.
Regular Application Deadline: Rolling until October 26, 2024
Admissions for this program are rolling, but we encourage students to complete ALL OF the application steps outlined below as soon as possible, and no later than October 26, in order to secure a place in the program. All deposits made after October 26 will be non-refundable unless the program is cancelled. The first payment (confirmation payment) is due October 26 and is non-refundable unless the program is cancelled. The final payment is due November 9, 2024 and also non-refundable unless the program is cancelled.
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How to Apply
Apply through TruView. Go to TruView > Tools > Student > Registration Tool > Apply to Study Abroad > Application > Term > Applying for Faculty-Led Program. TruView Applications for this program will open at the start of Fall semester. Students applying for faculty-led programs will be automatically considered for Foundation scholarships when they complete their TruView Study Abroad application by their program’s deadline. The application will ask for responses to several short-answer questions, passport information, two emergency contacts, and your acceptance of an assumption of risk and release form and media waivers.
Complete Your Registration Agreement. At the time of application, you must complete your registration agreement for the program term through TruView.
Submit Additional Materials If Required. After submitting your application, you may be contacted by the Instructor or the Study Abroad Office with a supplemental application document to complete and return. In some cases, an in-person interview may also be required.
Pay the Truman Cashier a $200 deposit. Once you have been accepted into this program, you will need to immediately pay the Truman cashier a $200 deposit in order to secure your spot in the program. You may also pay online by going to: TruView > Student > Student Finances & Employment > Student Account Suite > Then follow the steps: Click “Deposits” at the top of the page, Select the term, Select a deposit payment method, “Continue” Choose a payment method.