Loyola University Chicago

Track II: USFQ Program

Late August to Late December (Fall Semester)

IES Summer Program

Program Focus

The IES Quito program offers a rigorous semester and full-year undergraduate curriculum in Spanish. It partners with three universities: the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) where IES has classrooms and offices, the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador (PUCE) where IES students can enroll in courses to supplement the IES curriculum and join in local student activities, and with the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) where IES students are directly enrolled, full-time, in university courses.

Students enroll in the IES Area Studies and Language Program or the Universidad San Francisco de Quito Program. The IES Area Studies and Language Program focuses on Ecuador's ecological and ethnic diversity, and the challenges of development. Students take an IES core course, Spanish language courses at PUCE, and area study courses at IES, or at PUCE or FLACSO. Students choose a core course in Anthropology/Sociology, Environmental Studies, or Political Economics that begins intensively before regular IES and university classes but continues throughout the semester. 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 who are will known professors at IES partner universities, field experience complements classroom activities and enhances students. cultural integration, language acquisition, and intercultural competence; field study is incorporated in to all coursework, and internships and service learning are a significant part of the overall curriculum.

The Universidad San Francisco de Quito Program is a full time, direct enrollment program. Students take all of their courses at USFQ in Spanish, and a wide variety of course options are available.

Partner Universities

The Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador (PUCE)

The Universidad Catolica is the oldest private university in Quito and is located in a lively section near the downtown area. Known for its diverse student body, PUCE offers opportunities for study in Architecture, Natural and Physical Sciences, Business, Education, Theology, Humanities, Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Engineering, Communications, and Social Work. In addition to its regular courses, the University offers many extension classes, popular with both international students and Ecuadorian students, that focus on Latin American studies. Students are allowed to participate in any course in any department provided that they meet the discipline and language prerequisites. A language placement exam will be administered upon arrival. The University's active extracurricular program includes clubs for mountain climbing, soccer, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, theater, and chorus. The University also involves students in service projects in Quito and outlying villages.

Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO)

FLACSO is an international graduate school devoted to the Social Sciences. It offers a number of courses appropriate for undergraduates that are open to IES students who meet language and discipline prerequisites. Founded by UNESCO, it is one of ten FLACSOs in Latin America. The second largest after FLACSO Mexico City, FLACSO Quito enrolls 200 students, most from Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Bolivia in master's- and doctorate-level courses. A multinational faculty, many with experience teaching at other FLACSOs as well, emphasizes interdisciplinary studies, drawing from Anthropology, Economics, Gender Issues, Public Policy, Political Science, Indigenous Studies, and Environmental Studies, as well as a Unique program that studies political violence. IES students at FLACSO also enroll in IES courses and may participate in internships or service learning. Four semesters of Spanish or the equivalent are required for enrollment.

Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)

USFQ's modern campus is located in an attractive suburb about 40 minutes by car or bus from central Quito. USFQ, which follows the U.S. academic calendar, is a secular university organized along the lines of a U.S. liberal arts college. It offers a wide variety of programs in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering, Business, Communications, Theater, Fine Arts, Health Sciences, Architecture, and Agriculture. USFQ takes particular pride in its Environmental Studies offerings. The faculty includes the highest proportion of Ph.D.s in Ecuador, many with U.S. training. Classrooms are well equipped with audiovisual equipment, and computer access is the best in Ecuador. An active extracurricular program includes sports teams, a mountain climbing club, and community service. USFQ has a small branch campus in the Galapagos Islands and a research station in Tiputini in the Amazon region, both of which are attractive destinations for students of Environmental Studies. Courses available depend on students. language proficiency. IES student at USFQ take all of their courses at the University. Six semesters of Spanish are required to participate in the USFQ Program.

Eligibility

The City of Quito

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. The majority of Ecuadorians are mestizos, people with a mixture of indigenous and European ancestry. 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. The groups inhabit a country the size of Colorado with the environmental mega diversity of a much larger country. Four eco-regions--the Amazon basin, the high Andes, the coastal plain, and the Galapagos 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.

Course Information

The IES Area Studies and Language Program

IES Course Offerings

Students take an IES core course, a Spanish-language course at PUCE, and area studies courses at IES, PUCE, and/or FLACSO. Courses offered by IES have characteristics of both U.S. and Latin American university courses, without being identical to either. IES courses have syllabi with required and recommended readings, and require a midterm evaluation and final exam, oral presentations, and/or written term papers. Students are expected to come to class prepared, having determined on their own which items from the reading lists they should read and/or research for the topic of the class session. This requires more self-discipline an independent study than students may be accustomed to. Listed below are short descriptions of each course; complete IES syllabi are available by visiting the IES website at www.IESabroad.org or by contacting your IES Representative. The following general policies apply to the level of IES courses: 200 level denotes general interest or survey courses with no prerequisites; 300 level denotes courses that assume some background in the field and may have specific prerequisites; 400 level denotes courses that assume a substantial background in the field, usually have specific prerequisites, may be restricted to majors in the field, or require permission of the instructor to register. Most courses are 3-credit semester hours. All courses are taught in Spanish.

IES Core Courses

Each IES Area Studies and Language Program student must take at least one IES core course.

Internships and Service Learning

(For students enrolled in the IES/ PUCE/ FLACSO program) Students choose an internship or service learning emphasis related to their core course.

Internship (IN395 Internship Seminar) - Students accepted into the internship program enroll in this academic seminar, which introduces interns to the legal, social, and cultural aspects of the Ecuadorian work environment. An appropriate departmental designation will be assigned to the above course number based on the field of the internship. May be repeated for credit with approval of the home school. Approval by the home school is required, and internships are only offered for credit.

Service Learning (SO395 Service Learning Seminar) - Students accepted into the service learning program enroll in this seminar that focuses on Ecuadorian society. Students use this seminar to build an academic framework for their 60 hours of community-based learning.

Additional IES Courses

These courses are primarily intended for students with four to five semesters of Spanish who may be limited in the university courses they can elect because of their level of language proficiency.

- SP 320 Andean Literature In The 19th And 20th Centuries
- SP 322 Popular Arts Of The Andes

Spanish Language Courses at PUCE

Area Studies and Language Program students study Spanish at PUCE. PUCE Spanish classes run in six-week sessions throughout the year. The language placement exam is administered after the end of a 13 day orientation period. Classes in the six-week sessions meet three hours per day from Monday to Friday. The university offers a Diploma de Aptitud to advanced students who pass a proficiency exam at the end of the semester. This diploma is only offered in Ecuador and Costa Rica, and certifies that students are qualified to work professionally in Spanish-language settings.

Area Studies Courses at PUCE - Qualified students can take courses at La Catolica in Architecture, Arts and Humanities, Business Administration, Economics, Education, Engineering, Linguistics, Natural Sciences, Philosophy, Theology, Religion, Psychology, Social Sciences, and Spanish Language and Literature. The fall IES semester ends in December while the university semester continues until February. IES Fall students are therefore limited to those university courses in which the professor is willing to allow early completion of course work. The Faculty of Communication, Linguistics, and Literature offers a selection of cultural courses as cursos abiertos that are popular with international students. Fall students can complete these courses in December. Recent courses of interest to IES students offered at PUCE include:

Andean Ethnohistory
Economic History of Ecuador
History of Ecuador in the 19th century
History of Science
Latin American Sociology
Latin American Thought
Literature of Ecuador
Philosophy of Being
Protected Areas of Ecuador
Psychology of the Personality
Rural Anthropology
Social and Political Change in Ecuador

Area Studies Courses at FLACSO - Qualified students can take cursos abiertos at FLACSO in a number of disciplines. FLACSO courses are offered in eight-week cycles and meet six hours per week. Courses are normally offered in the following departments:

Political Science
International Relations
Anthropology
Public Policy
Gender Studies
Economics
Business Management
Communication

The Universidad San Francisco De Quito (USFQ) Program

IES students at USFQ take all of their courses at the USFQ. All students are required to take a Spanish language course. The university has adopted a U.S. academic calendar with semesters running from September to December and January to May. Listed below are some of the numerous university subjects in which IES students may enroll. Specific course listings and titles are available through the USFQ website at www.USFQ.edu.ec.

SP 315 University Workshop - Required seminar before USFQ courses begin. Research and writing in Spanish for university courses. (1 credit)

USFQ Course Offerings

Architecture
Business Administration
Economics
Fine Arts
Hotel Administration and Tourism
International Relations and Political Science
Liberal Arts
Life Science
Communications
Education
Engineering
History
Information Science
Literature
Mathematics
Physical Sciences
Premedical and Natural Sciences
Psychology
Spanish Language
Social Service Internship for credit

Types of Accommodation

Home Stays

In Quito, students live in private homes with families or senoras; all accommodations are screened and approved by the IES Quito staff. Homestay hosts provide students with three meals a daily, seven days a week, one of which may be a sack lunch. Calendar-year students enrolled in the Semester I - Semester II sequence and full-year students enrolled in the Semester II - Semester I sequence are responsible for their housing and meals during breaks. All admitted students must complete a housing questionnaire on which they are encouraged to list their preferences and special needs. Special requests will be accommodated to the extent possible but cannot be guaranteed.

Independent Housing

Students who have lived abroad before or who have friends or family in Quito may wish to arrange their own housing. However, IES strongly encourages students to participate in housing located by IES and accepts no responsibility for other arrangements. Upon acceptance, students who elect to arrange their own housing must notify the IES Chicago office no later than the deadline listed on the Independent Housing Form for their program.

Program Costs and Financial Aid Transfer

For Semester/Full Year Programs:

IES tuition, plus IES room and board costs and IES health insurance.

The following forms of aid may transfer: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal PLUS Loans, IL Monetary Award Program Grant (MAP), Alternative Loans, IES scholarships and need-based grants (for which students must apply).

For Summer Programs:

Students pay IES tuition ($4,680 for summer 2008), room and board ($1,490 for summer 2008), health insurance ($80 for summer 2008), airfare and other miscellaneous expenses are not included in the tuition. Check with a study abroad advisor and a financial aid advisor for information about financial aid transfer.

Additional Loyola Study Abroad Fees

$1000 for semester and full year programs, $500 for summer programs