Harvard Summer Program in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cultural and Spanish language immersion in Argentina’s historic capital
Faculty: Johanna Damgaard Liander
(8 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
Dates: June 28–August 1, 2008
Application deadline: March 3
Cost: $5,500
Buenos Aires, Argentina’s cosmopolitan capital and one of the largest metropolises in the Americas, has for generations enticed and entranced observers. Founded in 1536 as the City of the Most Holy Trinity and Port of Saint Mary of the Fair Winds, or Buenos Aires for short, it was a sleepy Spanish colonial capital until Argentine independence in the early nineteenth century. By 1880 it was Argentina’s capital, the center of rapid economic expansion, the destination for waves of immigrants, and the heart of a vibrant culture. One writer has called the Buenos Aires that emerged “the most beautiful, sophisticated, and civilized city in Latin America,” while countless others have described it as “the Paris of South America” or “New York in Spanish.”
Home to such diverse figures as Jorge Luis Borges, Carlos Gardel, Eva Perón, and Maradona, Buenos Aires provides students with a fascinating setting for complete immersion in the Spanish language and Latin American culture. Students live with Argentine families in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, near the Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social, where their classes are held. Lectures by distinguished Argentine scholars and artists as well as numerous excursions in and around Buenos Aires are included.
Course of Study
SPAN S-Dx Study Abroad in Buenos Aires: Latin American Culture and Spanish Language
Johanna Damgaard Liander
This is a second-year-level course in Spanish language and Latin American culture, with a focus on Argentina. The goal of the course is to move students toward fluency in Spanish quickly using Spanish grammar review and language instruction. This language work is combined with an in-depth study of the culture and character of Buenos Aires through history, music, literature, and ethnography, focusing on four periods: second half of the nineteenth century, the 1920s, the 1960s and 1970s, and contemporary Buenos Aires. Students study Buenos Aires in the greater context of Argentina by comparing the city to the provinces. By participating in language sessions, instructional excursions, and film screenings; listening to popular music; and viewing art and photography, participants expand and strengthen their linguistic skills and learn about the history, language, and culture of Buenos Aires.
The course provides students with numerous occasions to speak Spanish with native speakers from diverse backgrounds. In class, students compare levels of formality in both written and spoken language. They become familiar with the vast and fascinating lexicon of Argentine Spanish and develop their written and spoken academic Spanish. Students attain an advanced linguistic level by the end of the course.
Morning sessions integrate language instruction with cultural materials and readings. Afternoon and evening sessions include lectures and conversations with scholars and artists, and a retracing of Borges’ Buenos Aires. Afternoons and evenings also include visits to museums, tango classes and shows, La Recoleta cemetery, the Teatro Colón, San Telmo, La Boca, El Tigre, and San Isidro. All afternoon and evening sessions are directly related to classroom study and assignments, and provide students greater exposure to the cultural life of the city. Additional weekend excursions enhance students’ understanding of the richness and diversity of Argentine culture. These include visits to San Antonio de Areco in the province of Buenos Aires, where students can visit the Pampas and experience the life of the Gauchos, and to Colonia, Uruguay, a colonial city just across the Río de la Plata, founded first by the Portuguese and later by the Spaniards.
Prerequisites: Harvard students must have completed either Spanish A, Spanish Bab, or the Harvard University placement test. Other students must have completed one year or one accelerated semester of college-level Spanish.
Course Credit
For Harvard College students, this program counts as two half-year courses (4 credits each) of degree credit and as two half-year courses toward the foreign language citation, and it satisfies the Foreign Cultures Core requirement.
Transfer credit. Harvard Summer School courses and credits are accepted toward degrees at most colleges and universities. Since degree requirements vary among schools, students are advised to obtain transfer credit approval from their home institutions before registering for Harvard Summer School courses.
Faculty
Johanna Damgaard Liander, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University. Liander is the undergraduate advisor in Spanish and has taught at Harvard for 20 years. She received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Harvard.
Application
Students must be at least 18 years old to apply. The application materials, outlined below, are due March 3:
- an application form (download* form)
- official transcripts (sent directly from schools to the address below; unofficial copies not accepted)
- a $50 nonrefundable application fee
- a supplementary statement describing coursework in Spanish, travel experience abroad (not a prerequisite), and interest in the program
Applications should be addressed as follows:
Nicole García
Office of International Programs
University Hall, Ground Floor South
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Students are notified of admission decisions by mid-March.
Cost
The cost of the program is $5,500, plus a nonrefundable $50 application fee. In addition, students are responsible for a health insurance fee (approximately $150; waived if students have US insurance that provides coverage outside the United States) and for transportation to and from Buenos Aires. The program fee covers the following:
- tuition
- room, breakfast, and dinner
- course materials
- excursions (including meals when appropriate)
Payment Deadlines
For admitted students, a nonrefundable deposit of $550 must be received by April 15 to secure a place in the program. Payment in full is due by May 15. A $100 late fee will be charged for payments received after this date.
Funding
Harvard College students are eligible for scholarships through the Harvard Office for International Programs (OIP). Students may consult the OIP website’s money page or contact the OIP for details. To apply for a study abroad scholarship through OIP, you will need to provide information about the program’s budget. Download* the program budget.
The Harvard College Financial Aid Office summer study webpage also provides information about assistance.
Other Harvard students may be eligible for financial assistance through their Harvard financial aid offices. Students enrolled at other institutions should consult their respective financial aid offices.
Accommodations
Students are placed in homes with local families where they have the best chance to experience life in Argentina and to speak Spanish. Each student lives in a home chosen by the experienced staff of Buenos Aires Homestay. Families live in Palermo, a residential neighborhood in the center of Buenos Aires. Classes are held at the Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social, also located in Palermo.
Additional Information
Contact Johanna Damgaard Liander, jliander@fas.harvard.edu; (617) 495-5895; fax (617) 496-4682.
Students with disabilities should contact the disability services coordinator as soon as possible: (617) 495-0977, (617) 495-9419 (TTY), or disabilities@dcemail.harvard.edu. Request-for-accommodation forms and supporting diagnostic documentation must be submitted by April 25. More information about disability services, including request forms and guidelines for documentation, will be online by early February 2008.
Students applying for admission to Harvard’s study abroad programs should understand that although the University provides reasonable assistance and support to facilitate the participation of qualified students in its programs (including students with disabilities and health impairments), some of our programs are located in parts of the world where accommodations may not be readily available. Students are encouraged to be forthcoming with the disability services coordinator about any specific needs and functional limitations so that the Summer School can collaborate with those students in a way that fosters their safe participation and allows them to fully appreciate any barriers that they may face, depending on the location and rigors of the particular program.
Harvard Summer School is aware of the risks associated with international travel. Should the US Department of State issue a travel warning for any of the countries in which a study abroad program is planned, the program in that country may be canceled.
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