June 29-July 26, 2025.

Students are welcome to arrive earlier and/or leave later making their own housing arrangements.

Approximately $3,700.

This includes tuition, housing and food (3 meals per day), airport pickup, orientation, all Saturday trips, and cultural workshops.

• This is less expensive than taking 2 classes on the UIC campus.

• ALL FINANCIAL AID that you qualify for at UIC is applicable to this program.

• Most students do NOT pay the entire amount! There are many scholarships and other financial aid available. See here for a list. Act now so you don’t miss any deadlines.

Not included: Airfare (as low as $400... check out https://www.kiwi.com), mandatory international health insurance ($27) and spending money.

All students live with a host family, usually with at least one other student from our program. The homes are no more than a 15 minute walk from school. You will have a private bedroom. Some students have a private bathroom, others share a bathroom with one other student. You will have three meals every day. Families are good about accommodating dietary and allergy needs (food, pets, etc).

As you can see in our video, past students have formed close lasting bonds with their Oaxacan families and several have returned to visit them! You/your parents may contact the host family before your arrival to get to know them.

Monday:
9:00-1:00 Spanish class.
1:00-4:00 Eat at home; free time.
4:00-6:00 workshop or cultural activity.

Tuesday:
9:00-1:00 Spanish class.
1:00-4:00 Eat at home; free time.
4:00-6:00 "Intercambio" with a Oaxacan college student.

Wednesday:
9:00-1:00 Spanish class.
1:00-4:00 Eat at home; free time.
4:00-6:00 workshop or cultural activity.

Thursday:
All day activity, for example El Jardín Etnobotánico

Friday:
9:00-1:00 Spanish class.
1:00-4:00 Eat at home; free time.

Saturday:
9:00-3:00 Field trip to sites such as Monte Albán, Teotitlán del Valle,Mitla, Hierve el agua, etc.

Sunday: FREE DAY.

All students take two (2) courses for a total of 6 or 7 UIC credit hours (depending on the coursework):

One (1) Spanish course based on placement:

SPAN 114: Spanish for Heritage Speakers II (4 credits)

SPAN 202: Spanish Grammar (3 credits)

SPAN 204: Advanced Composition (3 credits)

SPAN 363: Spanish in Society (3 credits)

Coming soon: SPAN Spanish for Health Personnel I or SPAN 321 Spanish for Health Personnel II (3 credits)

SPAN 375: Current Topics in Hispanic Studies (Independent Study). 3 credits - see description below.

One (1) Mexican culture course taken by everyone:

SPAN 360 (can count as LALS 399). Much of the course consists of guided field trips.

YES, all courses count toward a Spanish major/minor (except SPAN 114, which fulfills the UIC foreign language requirement). You may contact the UIC LAS Spanish advisor Meg LaLonde (mlalonde@uic.edu) if you have any questions about this.

SPAN 360 can receive credit for LALS 399, please speak to an LALS advisor in advance.

Other Departments may award credit for one or more of these courses as well, so be sure to ask your advisor!

If you are eligible for this course, you will carry out a research project that is related to some aspect of Oaxacan culture and life. This could be at a hospital, in an elementary school, about a local indigenous language, or some other relevant topic. This is carried out with the close assistance of the program director, UIC professor Kim Potowski.

Past research topics completed by Oaxaca summer study abroad students:

Muxes: A student on the 2022 program read and viewed documentaries about muxes, made contacts with members of the Oaxacan muxe community, and interviewed several of them about their experiences. We were all invited to their parade and ‘vela’ (giant party) in August!

Access to healthcare: Only for students with some basic medical training. In 2017, one of our students volunteered at the local Red Cross and assisted walk-in doctors and nurses with patient care. She also completed a research project about the Mexican healthcare system and the different degrees of access afforded to members of society.

Community museums: What happens when the federal government comes to your town and wants to remove your ancestor’s artifacts to display them in a national museum? In 2022, one of our students researched how several Oaxacan communities have created their own museums to prevent this. She got to visit stakeholders at several museums and interview an INAH professor who helped form 24 community museums.

Women in ‘usos y costumbres’: In 2019, a student interviewed members of a local indigenous community to learn about how women’s income from selling woven crafts has changed their traditionally limited roles within the indigenous ‘usos y costumbres’ governance system. His paper was accepted at the Latin American Studies Association conference.

Diabetes treatment in Zapotec communities. A student on our 2023 program presented her research on this topic at the annual conference of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science.

Email Dr. Potowski at kimpotow@uic.edu to discuss what topic you might study.

Faculty in the UIC Study Abroad Office, in the UIC Spanish Department, and at school in Oaxaca are committed to creating rewarding, inclusive, and safe experiences for all of our students. One of our 2022 participants said this:

“I think Oaxaca in particular is special in that it provides safe spaces for queer expression, and in some instances even centers it. Learning about the muxe community contributed to my decision to go. Many of the other students on the trip were in the LGBTQ+ community, too, so I felt very comfortable and empowered to talk about how these issues intersected with our cultural and family backgrounds.”

Yes, there are some additional steps. Please see this website.

Even if you already graduated, you may enroll as a “non-degree seeking” UIC student.

Of course! In addition to emailing the program director, Professor Potowski (kimpotow@uic.edu) with any questions, and attending our Zoom informational sessions, you can email the following students and they will be happy to answer your questions. Some of them can also put your parents in touch with their parents.

Lilia Grajeda-Rojas liligrajedarojas@nevada.unr.edu

Shani O’Neill
so17259@essex.ac.uk

Mayra Huerta: mayrahu1122@gmail.com

Annabel Torres: torresannabel343@gmail.com  
Her mom's email: magodelrey@yahoo.com 

Belem Medina: belmed91@gmail.com

Maritza Castillo: maritza_silverio@yahoo.com

The first step is to complete a short online session called "First Steps" See here for information.

Applications are due February 28, 2025. Applications will be available at the UIC Study Abroad Oaxaca website

If you are a non-UIC student, the process is a bit different, so please email kimpotow@uic.edu right away to be added to the list.