VCU Summer in Peru

  Peru

• Cusco: 
Cusco

Term: Summer 
Dates: May 27 - June 22 2010

Description: The Office of International Education and the School of the Arts at VCU are pleased to announce the summer program in Peru. Participants will travel to Lima for a short visit and on to Cuzco for an extended visual exploration of the countryside and culture of the highlands of Peru. The program will include visits to museums to explore ancient, colonial and contemporary art, as well as visits to ancient ruins and colonial sites. Of particular importance will be the group's participation in the Festival of Corpus Christi in Cuzco. An optional four-day hiking and camping trip along the Inca Trail will expose students to the biological and cultural diversity of that region of the country culminating at Machu Picchu.

* March 1: deadline for turning in copy of passport and International Student ID card (ISIC) if participating in the Inca trail. Anyone who does not turn in a copy of their passport and ISIC card by March 1 may not be able to secure a spot on the Inca trail.

Course and credit options: 6 undergraduate or graduate VCU credits

Participants can choose two of the following three-credit courses offered by the Department of Painting and Printmaking, instructed by Javier Tapia; Department of Photography and Film and Department of English, instructed by Scott DuPre Mills; and Art History, instructed by Michael Panbehchi.

* Painting and Printmaking: PAPR 324 Intermediate Drawing; PAPR 421 Advanced Drawing; SCPT 491 Drawing, Works on Paper; SCPT 591 Drawing, Works on Paper; PAPR 621 Graduate Drawing

A peripatetic investigation of direct observation, on-site drawing. Emphasis will be placed on the development of a suite of drawings in which on-site references become spinal elements in multimedia two-dimensional constructions. Documentation of your daily activities will be maintained in an illustrated diary or journal.

* Photography and Film: PHTO 491 Videography and Photography; SCPT 491 Video and Photographic Art I; SCPT 591 Video and Photographic Art II

A course of study for still- and moving-image media to include video, film and photography. The program will allow students to work independently and experiment with attention to light, subject matter and point of view with assistance from individual instruction. Professor Mills will also lead students on additional walks and hikes that are of particular interest to photographers and video and filmmakers. Students are required to bring all equipment needed including cameras (video and or still), tape and film (one tape 1 hour, multiple memory cards or 24 exp of film per day is recommended), rechargeable batteries (extra batteries are recommended), battery charger (for video and digital cameras) and an AC-power converter (220v to U.S. 110v). A wide-angle lens is highly recommended. Inexpensive wide angle lens adaptors are required for students shooting video. Tripods are optional and in some instances may not be recommended for hikes. Flexible "mini tripods" are recommended. A comfortable, durable, rugged camera bag is important as the nature in Peru differ environments that include moisture, dust and vibration. It is essential to have lens cleaning capacities.

* Art History: ARTH 489 Advanced Art History in Peru

Art and architecture of Inca and Colonial Peru: an in-depth study of visual culture in the Andes, c. 1500-1800. Lectures held throughout the duration of your stay in Peru will be supplemented with visits to art and archaeology museums in Lima and Cuzco. The course will focus on the Inca, the dominant empire in the Andes prior to the Spanish conquest, as well as the colonial culture that emerged under Spanish rule in the 16th through 18th centuries. Each student will be required to complete a series of assigned readings and a workbook, which must be submitted to the instructor at the end of the course.

* English: ENGL 391 Blogging in Peru

Students will be required to keep a blog, or Web log, during their time in Peru, which will document their experiences using written text and a variety of multi-media (photography, videos, links, etc.). Through the blog, students will reflect on their impressions of Peruvian culture. Students will be required to maintain regular entries in their blogs (for a total of 25 substantive entries), which will be reviewed by the professor during and at the end of the program.

Bloggers will dialogue with one another and with the professor (who will also be blogging) by reading one another's blogs and posting comments/feedback. Readings, such as articles, will also be assigned and students will be asked to post their responses to the readings on the blog.

Drawing courses are conducted by Javier Tapia, who has been a professor of painting and printmaking at VCU for more than 20 years and has been leading the trip to Peru for the past 12. A native of Peru, Tapia has extensive knowledge of the area and the culture.

English, photography, film and videography courses are led by Scott DuPre Mills, award-winning filmmaker, photographer and multimedia artist. Mills is the founder and director of the VCU International Student Film Festival and is currently working on his Ph.D. with VCUs new Media, Art and Text program. He holds a BFA in Sculpture and a MFA in Photography and Film. Scott screened his ongoing documentary film VCU in PERU in Cusco in 2004 and has been an instructor with the study abroad program in Peru since 2003.

Art history courses are conducted by Michael Panbehchi, an instructor of Art History and Spanish. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree at VCU in Art History.

Highlights: The program begins in Lima, Peru, where students will spend three days visiting museums and cathedrals. The group will then begin a three-day trip to the Urubamba valley to visit Inca ruins and the Maras salt mines. The participants will then head to Cuzco for 15 days punctuated by the amazing Corpus Christi Festival and an optional four-day trek on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. After leaving Cuzco, the group will travel to Ica for a variety of activities including a boat tour of the Ballestas Islands. After returning to Lima, those who are participating in the Spanish language program will stay for two weeks in Lima while the rest of the group only stays in Lima for one day prior to returning to the U.S.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: USD3,030

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants.

Application Process Involves:

• Essay
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Transcript

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home