Program Information | Course Information | W&M Faculty | Dates | Deadlines | Program Fees | Eligibility | Handbooks
APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Palugo Farm, where students will be housed and learn, is surrounded by majestic Andean volcanoes. The farm is home to a diverse and complex ecosystem of people, plants, and animals alike. For over 40 years, the farm has been cultivating a healthy and productive environment fostering a reciprocal relationship between people and the environment on which we live.
What to Expect:
With the farm as a base camp students will start their days getting accustomed to the farm rhythms. Students will engage with their surroundings through a combination of academic lectures and hands-on experience. Students should expect to participate in farm life and be prepared for basic accommodations and limited access to wifi.
Program Information:
Students will study and live in an outdoor adventure and sustainability school based on an Organic certified farm on the outskirts of Quito, Ecuador. This program aims to reinforce the social and environmental responsibility of participants through the creation of community and outdoor experiences. This program will offer experiential learning opportunities to students with the objective of focusing on sustainability. Each week will have 4 days of classes and activities at the farm and 3 days of visits to different communities and places. Some excursions could include: Quito Old Colonial Town, San Clemente community, Otavalo Indigenous Market, Ashanga Project, Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve and Papallacta hot springs. Some of these outings may involve hiking and bike riding.
Course Information:
Students on the Ecuador program earn 6 credits.
Courses:
HISP XXX: Spanish for Cultural Immersion (3 credits)
Anticipated: ENSP 249: Living on Earth (3 credits)
Course descriptions:
HISP XXX: The purpose of HISP XXX is to give students the tools to learn about real-life and culture in the Spanish-speaking countries, in this case Ecuador and to develop skills like listening, speaking, writing or reading while working at the farm or visiting surrounding communities. You will have the opportunity to hear the variation of Ecuadorian Spanish depending on the settings that you will be at. This is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the language and the indigenous and mestizo cultures of Ecuador.
ENSP 249: “Living on Earth” is a multi-faceted and interdisciplinary course which brings to life questions of our current global situation through studying our impact on the planet through learning first-hand about permaculture and cultural studies. Students will learn about regenerative agricultural systems and practice resilient community-scale food systems on Palugo Farm, semester basecamp in Ecuador. This course encompasses Agriculture, Natural History, Ecology, Geography, and finally Anthropology. By visiting various ecosystems as well as an ancient highland indigenous community in the heart of the Andes students will learn the tools for restoring Earth natural cycles.
As you learn about the day to day in the farm you will be learning and/or reviewing vocabulary and grammar structures that will help you communicate with the people living around you. The design of this course is based on a daily contact with Spanish speakers and your assignments will vary according to your level.
We are aware that because there is no Spanish requirement this is a multilevel Spanish course. Therefore the activities and assignments in the class, even though they are connected to the activities that Nahual has prepared for you, will be different according to your level of Spanish.
Beginners class: The focus will be on basic grammar structures and vocabulary needed for daily communication in the farm and the surrounding communities.
Intermediate level: This level will focus on learning more advanced grammar structures that will help sustain a small conversations telling stories orally or written and sharing experiences with the people you have daily contact with.
Advanced level: This level will focus in learning about topics, like politics, agriculture and history of Ecuador and connecting them to the daily experience and interactions through a conversational setting. You will have access to newspapers and other authentic materials to base your learning. It will be encourage to keep a journal at all levels which will help develop writing skills.
Courses are taught by William & Mary faculty. Grades will appear on W&M transcript and will be included in GPA calculations.
W&M Program Director: Paulina Carrion, Hispanic Language House Advisor, Teaching Professor of Hispanic Studies
Term:
Arrival date: May 26, 2024
Departure date: June 16, 2024
Deadlines:
Priority Deadline ($75*): December 4, 2023 -- extended until February 1, 2024
Deposit ($700): March 8, 2024
Final Payment: April 1, 2024
*Application fee information:
The application fee ($75) is due by the deadline and should be paid online at the GEO Marketplace Store. Whoever is making the payment will need student 93#, email, and phone number. The application fee is refundable in the event that you are not accepted into the program or the program is canceled by W&M.
Program Fees:
2024 program fee: $6,300
Reves Summer Scholarships are available for this program.
Program Features:
All meals
Ground transportation to/from Quito airport
CISI insurance
Housing
Internship on Sustainable organic farm
Excursions to other communities
W&M credits taught by W&M faculty
Fulfills COLL 300
Eligibility:
- Students must be an active W&M undergraduate student in good standing, not on academic or disciplinary probation during time abroad, and eligible to take classes at the W&M Williamsburg campus to study abroad.
- Students currently on-campus must successfully complete 1 credit spring course.
- For more information about eligibility, please visit our Policies that Affect You page.
Handbook:
Click to view the
Summer Abroad Handbook 2024
