1. Each student, as part of the required course, works at a site relevant to the student’s personal and professional interests, such as museums, schools, medical facilities, social organizations, the city government, or a business, etc. This means that the students’ learning and development are achieved through a personally determined experience and involvement in sites where they are immersed in local culture and where their language skills can improve dramatically.

2. All students are placed in homestays with families who have hosted Centre students for many years. Each homestay is handpicked by our on-site coordinator and matches the needs and preferences of students selected for the program. Students have access to modern bathroom and kitchen facilities and generally have their own bedroom. Mérida students universally regard this comfortable living arrangement as one of the things that make this program uniquely attractive. Their spoken language improves dramatically, and they come to regard their homestay family as a second family. Out of respect for the homestay families, students have a 2:00 a.m. curfew.

3. The Centre-planned and paid-for excursions around the Yucatan peninsula and to another area of Latin America are highlights of the program.

4. The American dollar goes much further in Mérida than it does in the U.S. Because the airfare to Mérida is much less than it is to other Centre sites, and because Centre spends about $1300 per student on Centre excursions, students have found this program to be a great value.

The Fall 2020 program begins Saturday, September 5, and concludes thirteen weeks later on Saturday, December 5. The director will meet you at the Mérida airport (or at the hotel, if you come by bus from Cancun) when you arrive on September 5 and will arrange for your transportation back to the airport to make your return flight. The best time for visitors will be determined by the director. If you arrive early or stay late, you are responsible for finding and paying for a place to stay. The director or coordinator will be happy to provide advice on where to stay. You should not ask your homestay families to stay with them after the program officially ends. To keep or students safe, our Centre in Merida for the fall has been deferred until the spring of 2021. Thank you for your understanding.

The Spring 2021 program begins on Saturday, February 6, and concludes thirteen weeks later on Saturday, May 8. The director will meet you at the Mérida airport when you arrive on February 6 and will arrange for your transportation back to the airport to make your return flight. The best time for visitors will be determined by the director. If you arrive early or stay late, you are responsible for finding and paying for a place to stay. The director or coordinator will be happy to provide advice on where to stay. You should not ask your homestay families to stay with them after the program officially ends.

The same as studying in Danville, plus a $$375 deposit (surcharge/emergency fund/carbon offset) and the $25 Travel Medicine Fee for a total of $400 due 16 March 2020. Flights to the abroad site are also the responsibility of the student. All pre-departure meetings, including the travel medicine meeting held each semester, are mandatory. If you have significant financial need, you may also qualify for additional funding from the Center for Global Citizenship.

In Mérida, students live with carefully selected Mexican families who have a longstanding relationship with Centre. Each homestay is handpicked by our on-site coordinator and is matched according to the needs and preferences of students selected for the program. Students have access to modern bathroom and kitchen facilities and generally have their own bedroom. This arrangement has proven to be a highlight for Centre students in Mérida during the past few years. You will come to regard your homestay family as a second family.

The Fall 2020/Spring 2021 program will be directed by Professor Genny Ballard, Professor of Spanish. 

All students will take:

Mexico Responds to the COVID-19 Pandemic (LAS 220)

This interdisciplinary course will provide students the opportunity to learn firsthand from Mexican professionals about the response to the Global Pandemic. Students will meet experts in education, political science, economics, the arts and healthcare. With the help of these experts, students will learn how Mexico plans to evaluate public health responses, monitor the effects on air pollution and other environmental factors, as well as plan for the economic downturn. Students will meet local small business owners, athletes, artisans, performers, and members of indigenous communities to understand how they have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.  Students will learn about crisis management by talking to front line workers in several fields  as they plan how to move forward.  Taught by Professor Genny Ballard.

All students will also take a Spanish course at the appropriate level. Spanish majors may take a course in both language and literature. Below are the tentative options:

* Note: It is possible for Spanish majors to take two Spanish courses in addition to the required course; they may not take three.

Spanish Fundamentals (SPA 110)
Spanish 120
Intermediate Spanish (SPA 210/220)
Advanced Spanish Conversation (SPA 240)
Introduction to Literary Analysis (SPA 250)
Spanish American Culture (SPA 271)

In addition students will take two of the following courses:

1. Ancient Maya Culture (ANT 451)
Students will learn the principles and processes behind the development of universal high culture, using the example of the ancient Maya. The course traces the cultural development of the Maya prior to the conquest by Europeans in the 16th century. Taught by Prof. Fernanda Suarez.

2. Human Ecology in the Yucatan (ENS 251)
What do humans need to live in a sustainable manner for generations to come? How do the actions of the human species limit this potential? This course will focus on the sustained needs for human population: food and fiber, shelter, water, and waste disposal. Students will consider how technology and the services of natural ecosystems collaborate to provide these services in the Yucatan and compare them to strategies used elsewhere. Taught by Prof. Eduardo Galicia.

3. Merida’s Economy: Past, Present and Future (ECO 253/323).
Merida is the cultural and financial capital of the Yucatan state. In this course, students will be introduced to Merida’s political, cultural, and economic history in order to understand the present state of Merida’s economy. Students will compare and contrast the economies of Merida and Mexico and analyze their economic and development challenges. Prerequisite: None for 253; ECO 110 for 323. Taught by Prof. Francisco Hernández.

4. Critical approaches to Music, Art, and Dance of Mexico (SPA 371).
Students in this course will study the ways the arts are developed and influenced by both traditions and economic factors.  We will discuss the arts with local artists learning about impact of elements such as of race, gender, politics, history, popular culture, and digital culture, on the arts. This course uses active modes of learning, dancing, painting, lecture, reading, student writing, student presentations and fieldwork such as conversations and presentations with locals in an international context. Prerequisite SPA 220 or equivalent level.

The Universidad Marista de Merida, with a student population of about 2,225, was founded in 1996 and is part of the Marist brotherhood congregation, a Catholic order founded in 1817 in France.

If you wish to apply to the Marista program, you must be independent and have advanced proficiency in Spanish speaking, comprehension, reading, and writing. All courses at Marista are taught in Spanish. Students applying to this immersion programs will also be vetted by our Spanish faculty.

Because the number of slots in the immersion programs are limited, you should apply at the same time to the Centre-in-the-Yucatan program in case you are not selected for the immersion program.

The fall 2020 program dates will be announced soon but will most likely begin in mid-August and conclude in mid-December. For spring 2021 Specific dates TBA shortly. To keep our students safe the fall semester has been cancelled due to Covid-19. Dates for our spring 2021 semester will be available later this fall. 

The same as studying in Danville, plus a $$375 deposit (surcharge/emergency fund/carbon offset) a $25 travel medicine fee due 16 March 2020. Flights to the abroad site are also the responsibility of the student. All pre-departure meetings, including the travel medicine meeting held each semester, are mandatory. If you have significant financial need, you may also qualify for additional funding from the Center for Global Citizenship.

As part of the Marista program, students live in a house with other international students or apartments.

• Students must be independent and have very advanced Spanish speaking, comprehension, reading, and writing skills since all courses are taught in Spanish. Students applying to the immersion program will also be vetted by our Spanish faculty.
• The application process will be discussed during the two campus-wide informational meetings on November 8 and January 8. Students will apply online using Centre Online Forms.
• Applications for 20120 are due no later than noon, February 11, 2020.
• Students must pay the non-refundable study abroad surcharge of $375 and $25 Travel Medicine fee by March 16 to reserve their spot.