IES: Semester/Year in Quito

  Ecuador

• Quito: 
Quito

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer 

Description: Founded in 2005, the IES Quito program offers a rigorous semester, academic year, and calendar year undergraduate curriculum in Spanish, and the opportunity to experience the country's diverse environment and exciting culture. IES Quito offers two program options: the IES Area Studies and Language Program and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito Direct Enrollment Program

The IES Quito program partners with three universities -- Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLASCO) , and the Universidad San Franciso de Quito (USFQ). The IES Quito Center is located at FLASCO in a new, modern building and includes classrooms, staff offices and computer and library facilities.

IES Area Studies & Language Program
The IES Area Studies and Language Program focuses on Ecuador's ecological and ethnic diversity, and the challenges of development. With this program you will take:

-an IES core course
-Spanish language courses at PUCE
-area studies courses at IES, PUCE or FLACSO.

You will choose a core course in Anthropology/Sociology, Environmental Studies, or Political Economics. Area studies courses from a wide range of disciplines are available at PUCE, FLACSO, and/or IES.

IES courses are taught in Spanish by native Spanish-speaking faculty, all of whom are well-known professors at IES partner universities. Field study complements classroom activities and enhances students' cultural integration, language acquisition, and intercultural competence. Internships and service learning are a significant part of the overall curriculum.

Highlights: Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is a vibrant, modern city with roots in the Incan Empire and Colonial Spain. The country is characterized by diversity--of people, language, and environment.

A third of the population is wholly indigenous, belonging to 12 distinct ethnic groups that speak 18 distinct languages, while 10 percent of the country's population is descended from African slaves. Four eco-regions--the Amazon basin, the high Andes, the coastal plain, and the Galápagos Islands--offer a wealth of flora and fauna that attract biologists, botanists, and environmentalists from around the world. Although Quito is only 22 miles from the equator, the city's high altitude ensures "eternal spring" temperatures throughout the year--the perfect destination for a semester or academic year abroad.

Cost in US$: Inquire for more info.

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to World Wide Participants.

Participants Travel to Ecuador Independently