Harvard Summer Program in Sucre, Bolivia
*** THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR 2008 ***
Language, history, and cultural study in La Ciudad Blanca
Faculty: Gary Urton, Diana Sorensen, and Thomas Cummins
(8 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
Dates: July 7–August 8, 2008
Application deadline: March 3
Cost: $5,500
When the central Andean nation of Bolivia gained independence from Spain in 1825, Sucre became its capital. Today the vibrant city, located 9,200 feet above sea level in a temperate valley, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Known as the City with Four Names, Sucre is also called Chuquisaca, La Plata, and Charcas and is commonly referred to by its quarter of a million inhabitants as La Ciudad Blanca (the White City) in reference to the distinctive whitewashed walls of the many colonial-era buildings in the heart of the city. These include the University of San Francisco Xavier, which is one of the oldest universities in the Americas, having been founded in 1625. Sucre was the seat of residence of the Spanish colonial administrators who oversaw the great silver mine located outside the nearby city of Potosí. Today Sucre is surrounded by indigenous Aymara- and Quechua-speaking communities whose artisans produce native crafts, particularly weavings.
The program offers an intensive exploration of the Spanish language and Bolivian culture, with the opportunity to study Aymara or Quechua. One course focuses on the history, art, literature, and culture of Sucre and neighboring communities in central Bolivia. Another course delves into Andean/Bolivian anthropology, archaeology, and colonial and contemporary art and literature. Students visit the weaving communities of Tarabuco, Candelaria, and Potolo and the mining city of Potosí. Small teams of students participate in internships with local and national cultural institutions, governmental agencies, and international development projects.
Course of Study
Students enroll in both of the following courses.
LAST S-100 Study Abroad in Sucre, Bolivia: Quechua and Aymara Communities of the Central Andes—500–2000 CE
Gary Urton
The region known today as central Bolivia, in the area of Sucre, was a crossroads of peoples and influences emanating from numerous Pre-Columbian societies, beginning with the civilization of Tiwanaku whose capital was located on the altiplano, south of Lake Titicaca. This region was conquered by the Inkas a scant half century before the European invasion in the mid-sixteenth century. This course traces social, political, and cultural developments in the Sucre region from Pre-Columbian times through the Spanish colonial era (1540s to 1825) down to the tumultuous events of the formation of Bolivia as an independent nation-state of Andean Latin America. The course ends with lectures, readings, and field trips centering on issues concerning contested meanings and representations of identity and community among Quechua, Aymara, and Spanish-speaking populations in and around Sucre. Readings and lectures are in English and Spanish.
Prerequisites: at least two years of college-level Spanish or the equivalent
LAST S-101 Study Abroad in Sucre, Bolivia: Latin American Art and Culture—A Situated Perspective: Sucre, Bolivia, and the Andean Nations
Diana Sorensen and Thomas Cummins
How does Sucre offer a productive site for thinking about local and regional questions in the present and past? It is a fascinating city with an important colonial past whose traces live on in its churches, archives, museums, beautifully preserved colonial architecture, and complex cultural traditions. This course explores literary and artistic materials that help us understand how this town came about and its place in the Andean region as represented in a variety of cultural practices, both visual and textual. Sucre also helps us think about the region it belongs to and the complex relationships of ethnicity, gender, class, and politics that make it such an intriguing place in the twenty-first century, when Bolivia is reinventing itself as an indigenous nation.
Prerequisites: at least two years of college-level Spanish or the equivalent
Course Credit
For Harvard College students, this program counts as two half courses (8 credits) of Harvard College degree credit.
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
Thomas B. F. Cummins, Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Pre-Columbian and Colonial Art History, Chair of the Department of the History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University
Diana Sorensen, James F. Rothenberg Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, Professor of Comparative Literature, and Dean for the Humanities, Harvard University
Gary Urton, Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Pre-Columbian Studies, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University
Application
Students must be at least 18 years old to apply. The application materials, outlined below, are due March 3:
- an application 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, especially in Andean Latin America (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 may be interviewed after submitting their applications.
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), independent excursions, and for transportation to and from Bolivia. The program fee covers the following:
- tuition
- room and board
- field trips
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 stay in shared, dormitory-style accommodations at the Casa Kolping overlooking Sucre. All rooms are double studios. There is a restaurant/cafe on the premises.
Additional Information
Contact Nicole Garcia, ngarcia@fas.harvard.edu; (617) 495-4587; fax (617) 496-2563.
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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