Study abroad with CIRMA in Antigua, Guatemala

A message from Dr. Jennifer Casolo, Academic Coordinator for CIRMA -University of Arizona Study Abroad

With our Spring semester 2013 deadline fast approaching, I am writing with an appeal for your support for  CIRMA, el Centro de Investigaciones Regionales de Mesoamérica, in Antigua, Guatemala.  All you need to do is make your students and Study Abroad Office aware of the unique dual role that our Study Abroad Program  with the University of Arizona plays.

CIRMA is a Guatemalan non-profit foundations dedicated to preserving national historical memory, and to carrying out and promoting the high quality training and research of leaders in Mesoamerican social science.   CIRMAs institutional resources and activities contribute to the development of critical thought and the practice of constructive dialogue with the goal of promoting a more just and tolerant society.   CIRMA´s comprehensive social science collection includes: one of the largest Social Science Libraries of its genre in the region. The collection houses national and international publications about Central America, especially of the 19^th, 20^th and 21^st centuries and is used extensively by national and international scholars. The Historical Archive with over 7,500,000 documents that rescue Guatemala’s history from the 16^th Century to the present. The largest Photographic Archive in Guatemala with over 1,000,000 photos documenting Guatemalan history from 1850 to the present.

The University of Arizona Study Abroad Program at CIRMA in Antigua, Guatemala not only provides students with a transformational pedagogical experience based on the inseparability of theory and practice, and the opportunity to intern at CIRMA working to conserve and catalog our growing collection and/or to intern in a variety of service-learning outreach programs in the area, but it provides vital economic support to CIRMAs social science library, historical archives and fototeca.

The CIRMA/University of Arizona Study Abroad Program offers fully accredited Spring and Fall semester programs as well as a 6 wk intensive Summer semester. In addition to University of Arizona students CIRMA-U of A has helped transform the lives of students from a wide array of universities and colleges across the United States and Canada such as Yale University, University of North Dakota,  Skidmore College, and Fort Lewis College.

Please help us to continue our dual mission of sustaining the valuable work of  preserving the historical memory of the past  and educating US and Central American thinkers of tomorrow.  Forward the following to prospective students and check to see if your Study Abroad Office accepts our program.  

CIRMA-University of Arizona Study Abroad Program in Antigua, Guatemala

Deepen your understanding of the social, historical and political dynamics of Guatemala and Central America and learn Spanish while living in a fascinating colonial town. The semester programs and six-week summer intensive program provide undergraduate, honors and graduate college credits from the University of Arizona and are open to students from any university. The program includes courses such as:  Mesoamerican Archaeology, Maya-Kaq’chikel, History of Central American Revolutions, Narratives of Identity and Nation in Guatemala, Biodiversity, Climate Change and the political ecology  of “Disaster” in Central America, Globalization, Development and the Making of Modern Guatemala, and Spanish Language and Literature 

All the courses are taught by knowledgeable scholars either from Central America or with a long history in the region and are designed to promote an understanding of Central America based on the inseparability of theory and everyday practice. Formal classes are complemented by field trips to archaeological sites such as Tikal and communities seeking to recover and or preserve collective historical memory such as Rio Negro. Studies also include a colloquium series that introduces students to key public figures, artists, and analysts. Students have access to CIRMA's unique documentary and photographic collections and the option of interning (for credit) with one of CIRMA’s research archives and library, or with social outreach programs in areas such as health, sustainable agriculture, and child and infant services. Homestay and optional one-on-one exchanges with a Guatemalan university students complement the learning experience.

For more information check out the program at www.studyabroad.arizona.edu and/or www.cirma.org.gt or write Academic Coordinator Jennifer Casolo, jcasolo@cirma.org.gt or University of Arizona Study Abroad Coordinator, Jill Calderón, jcaldero@email.arizona.edu.