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The Summer Program in Puebla, México - 2009
2007 Puebla Group 2008 Puebla Group
The WSU Summer Program in Puebla provides an excellent opportunity for students, teachers and other interested individuals to study the Spanish language, to gain the invaluable experience of living in another country and to earn college credit toward a degree or teacher certification. Students in the program spend six weeks in Puebla -- either in the Hotel Colonial, or in a private home with a Mexican family, or both. During their stay they attend daily conversation, reading, pronunciation or grammar classes taught by Wichita State faculty and local Mexican conversation directors and professors. There are also ample opportunities for students to visit nearby points of interest, including México City in the interior and Veracruz on the coast. Now in its thirty-ninth year, this well-organized and well-established program allows people of all ages to enjoy a unique and rewarding educational experience.
The City of Puebla
Puebla is located in a beautiful valley surrounded by three volcanoes (Popocatépetl, Ixtaccíhuatl and Matlalcuéyetl). A city of 2,000,000 + inhabitants, it combines the advantages of a metropolitan area (theater, concerts, stores with a broad selection of merchandise) with small-town charm and simplicity. It retains much of its colonial architecture and pace of life and is considered the most Spanish city of New Spain. Many of the old handicrafts are still practiced in Puebla, such as making the typical Talavera tile and pottery and working in onyx. The year-round temperature is ideal, and the altitude (7,200 feet) is not great enough to cause difficulties for most people.
Six credit hours from the following courses are included in the program fees. Additional credit hours may be taken for an additional fee. Six credit hours is the minimum enrollment.
220 - Intermediate Spanish Grammar and Composition
Professor Akrabova 3 hours credit
225 - Spanish Conversation I
Conversation with Puebla escorts during
visits to places of interest in the city.
Professor Myers 2 hours credit
325 - Spanish Conversation II
Conversation with Puebla escorts during
visits to places of interest in the city.
Professor Myers 2 hours credit
515A - Spanish Phonetics
Study of how the sounds of Spanish are produced.
Daily pronunciation drill sessions.
Professor Myers 1 hour credit
525 - Spanish Conversation III
Conversation with Puebla escorts during
visits to places of interest in the city.
Professor Myers 2 hours credit
526 - Advanced Grammar and Composition
Professor Akrabova 3 hours credit
623E - Seminar in Generation of 1898
Professor Myers 3 hours credit
623C - Seminar in Spanish-American Culture
Study of and on-site visits to historic sites in Mexico
Professor Gijón-Berrios 2 hours credit
805 - Directed Readings
Staff 1-4 hours credit
A unique feature of the WSU Summer Program in Puebla is the effort we make to put you in contact with the people of Puebla. We do not expect you to assume the full responsibility for getting acquainted with poblanos, something which is very difficult for most foreigners to accomplish.
Rather, we bring the poblanos to you during your conversation class. We have two types of local conversation instructors: acompañantes and directores de conversación. The acompañantes escort you to places of interest and talk to you in Spanish for an hour and a half each day. Afterwards, the directores de conversación eat lunch with you while conversing with you in Spanish for another full hour. What better classroom could you have than the city of Puebla shown and explained to you by the poblanos themselves? Do your best to participate and watch your improvement as the days go by.
Dates for the WSU Summer Program in Puebla, México for 2009 will be from:
Monday, June 22 until Friday, July 31, 2009
The program director and faculty will arrive in Puebla on Saturday, June 20 and will leave on Saturday, August 1. You are strongly encouraged to arrive before the first day of classes, Monday, the 22nd.
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Dr. Eunice Doman Myers is director of WSU's Summer Program in Puebla and Associate Dean of Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She publishes on numerous Spanish writers, especially Rosa Montero and Rosa Chacel. Other research interests include comtemporary Spanish prose fiction and women writers of Spain and Latin America. Dr. Myers has received five teaching awards at WSU.
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Dr. Maria Akrabova is graduate coordinator in Spanish at Wichita State. Her research interests include contemporary Spanish-American narrative (novel and short story) and women writers of Spain and Latin AMerica, especially Carmen Boullosa and Laura Restrepo. Dr. Akrabova is a recipient of the Mortar Board Teaching Award.
Raymundo Gijón Berrios is a Professor and Head of the English Department of the Preparatoria Popular "Emiliano Zapata" of the University of Puebla. He has been a member of the Puebla Program faculty for over twenty years.
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico (similar to New York, New York, USA). It is about 85 miles southeast of Mexico City and can be reached by car, airplane, or bus. We chose Puebla for our summer program because it seems to embody all that is best in Mexican cities. Located in a cool mountain valley, it is a city of some 2,000,000+ inhabitants having all of the conveniences and advantages of modern urban and suburban areas while maintaining its small-town charm and simplicity. It retains much of its colonial architecture and pace of life with a twenty square block downtown area protected by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee. Considered the most Spanish city of New Spain, the year-round temperature is ideal, and the altitude (7,200 feet) is not great enough to cause difficulties for most people. Many old arts and crafts are still practiced in Puebla, such as making typical Talavera tile and pottery and working in onyx.
Our operations base in Puebla is the Hotel Colonial in the heart of the city, which is just one block from the zócalo, or main square.
la iglesia de la Compañía
Travel to and from México is your responsibility and is not included in the program fees. Please see the detailed information about Air Travel to Puebla with the group from Wichita.
There are direct flights from Houston daily to Puebla's Huejotzingo airport. The Puebla airport is located on the outskirts of Puebla in Huejotzingo - about a forty-five minute taxi ride from downtown Puebla where we will be staying.
Flights connect from all major U.S. hub cities with Mexico City and are generally the most convenient and economical option for students. Bus service from the Mexico City airport is very inexpensive (less than the cab fare from Huejotzingo to Puebla) and buses leave right from the airport. The WSU faculty will arrive and depart through Mexico City and there will be a charter bus available for students who travel with us.
There are also a growing number of bus lines that have departures from various U.S. cities with a variety of destinations in northern Mexico. Once in the country, you will find that the Mexican bus system is extremely efficient, punctual, and clean. If arriving by bus, your final destination should be the CAPU in Puebla.
Participants can also drive from the U.S., but be advised that Mexican auto insurance, six weeks of parking fees, and local mordidas generally make driving the most expensive option.
Three semesters of college Spanish or their equivalent are prerequisite to the courses at the 200-300 level. Four semesters of college Spanish or their equivalent are prerequisite to the courses at the 500-600 level. Graduate standing is prerequisite to all 800 level courses. In order to receive credit, undergraduates must be admitted to Wichita State University, and those desiring graduate credit must be admitted to graduate standing in our Graduate School.
If you are currently enrolled at WSU or have been admitted to WSU or to our Graduate School previously, there is no problem—unless you have attended some other school since then.
Those of you who are currently enrolled as undergraduates elsewhere (and plan to transfer this credit back to your school) need to complete the Application for Admission to WSU. You will be admitted as a Guest Student, and no transcripts are necessary since you will not be receiving a degree from WSU. (Follow the link at the left for further information.)
Those of you who want graduate credit (and have not been admitted to our Graduate School) need to write to us for an Application for Admission to the Graduate School.
The program fee for 2009 will be $3,450.00 for undergraduates and $3,795.00 for graduate students and is due by May 15th. It covers room and board in the Hotel Colonial or a private home, fees for six credit hours at Wichita State University (the minimum); and an administrative and activity fee, which includes excursions to the pyramids at Teotihuacán on the outskirts of Mexico City and a weekend trip to Oaxaca. Travel to and from Mexico is not included in the program fee. Fees for credit hours in excess of six hours will be collected in Puebla at the rate of $161.75 per credit hour for undergraduate credit and $223.65 per credit hour for graduate credit.
Deadlines
A $100.00 deposit is due by April 1st.
Balance is due by May 15th.
Additional costs
The following expenses are not include in the program costs and will vary according to each individual:
Books / Extra meals / Transportation to Puebla / Airport Buses / Ground Transportation and entrance fees / Optional trip to Veracruz / Independant Travel within Mexico / Film and developing / Laundry / Shopping / Dining and entertainment / Communication
For further information about this year's Summer Program, contact:
Dra. Eunice Doman Myers
Puebla Summer Program Director
at:
WSU Puebla Summer Program
Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dean's Office
1845 Fairmount
Wichita, KS 67260-0005
Voice: (316) 978-6659
FAX: (316) 978-3234
Or by electronic mail: eunice.myers@wichita.edu
How much can I expect to improve my Spanish?
How hard are you willing to work? We will provide a conversationally based academic curriculum and ample opportunity for you to progress towards your goal of fluency. Students of all levels make huge strides in fluency each summer.
How much Spanish do I need to have studied before I go?
Three semesters of college Spanish or their equivalent are prerequisite to the courses at the 200-300 level. Four semesters of college Spanish or their equivalent are prerequisite to the courses at the 500-600 level; graduate standing is prerequisite to all 800 level courses.
I know a lot of Spanish but do not feel as strongly about my conversational abilities. Is this program for me?
Yes! Each summer present and future Spanish teachers as well as graduate students study with WSU in Puebla with the goal of honing their grammatical and conversational abilities.
I do not know a lot of Spanish but really want to "jumpstart" my study of the language. Is this program for me?
Yes! As long as you meet the prerequisites for the courses you plan to enroll in, you will be able to take advantage of the unique opportunity that our program provides. Each summer we have a very diverse group. Intermediate and advanced students make tremendous progress in six weeks time.
I am a high school, middle school, or grade school teacher looking for continuing education credit. Is this program for me?
Yes! Each summer there are participants earning WSU credit towards re-certification and licensure requirements. Again, as long as you meet the prerequisites for the courses you plan on receiving credit for, credit taken at the appropriate level will be earned.
I am a non-traditional or non-WSU student. What is make-up of the group?
Each summer is unique. Wichita State University has a very diverse non-traditional student body which is reflected in each summer's group. Tipically the group is comprised of about two thirds WSU students and one third students from elsewhere. About two thirds of the entire group are traditional college age students and the remaining third are non-traditional students.
What are the housing arrangements?
You may live either with a Mexican family (two to a room) for three or six weeks, or in the Hotel Colonial (two or three to a room) for three or six weeks.
Are the homes close to classes?
Most of the homes are not located near the Hotel, and most participants plan on taking a taxi or a city bus to get to the hotel for classes, although some don’t mind a 20-30 minute walk some days.
What's included?
The fee which you will pay includes room and board for 40 days starting with the evening meal on Sunday, June 15th, and ending with the noon meal on Friday, July 25th. It also includes six hours tuition at Wichita State and the trips to Teotihuacán and San Miguel de Allende / Guanajuato.
Those of you who choose to live in a private home will have some extra expenses for travel to and from the Hotel every class day.
What is the weather like in Puebla?
Puebla has a very moderate climate year round. In the summer, the high for the day is around seventy-five eighty degrees and the evening temperature drops to about sixty. It usually rains each afternoon - some summers are wetter than others - and then things cool off. After all, at 7,200 feet, the sun is rather strong!