Social Justice, Identity, and Language in Oaxaca:
Summer study abroad for heritage speakers
Social Justice, Identity, and Language in Oaxaca: 4-week summer study abroad for heritage Spanish speakers
Program dates: June 29 - July 26, 2025
Applications due: February 28, 2025
Answer this short survey to be on our list and receive updates.
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Live Zoom information sessions: Dates TBA in January 2025
See here for a list of scholarships.
Check out our video on YouTube!
This program is for heritage Spanish speakers -- bilinguals who have been in contact with Spanish through their homes. It allows you to complete your language requirement or take courses in your major/minor in a diverse environment.
If you've been to Mexico but not to Oaxaca: IT IS DIFFERENT in its history, geography, culture, crafts and food, and vibrant indigenous presence!
All courses respect and build on heritage speakers' varieties of Spanish, and focus critically on issues of bilingualism and social justice such as these:
What is the history of the region of Oaxaca, and why is it the Mexican state with the 2nd largest number of individuals leaving to seek work in the United States?
What messages are currently seen around the city via the dynamic Oaxacan street art scene?
What are some similarities between U.S. Latinx Spanish-speakers and speakers of the 16 different indigenous languages in Oaxaca related to language, identity, and social justice?
What unique positionalities (such as "Ni de aquí, ni de allá") are invoked when a person is seen as "Mexican" (or "Ecuadorian," "Dominican," "Puerto Rican," "Guatemalan", etc.) in the U.S., but they are seen as "American" in Latin America?
No matter what your major, this program will increase your formal written and spoken Spanish. It is especially well-suited for students majoring in Spanish, Latin American & Latinx studies, education, health sciences/medicine, urban and rural development, linguistics/bilingualism, arts and architecture, tourism, communication, law & public policy, and sociology.
* Spanish courses are taught by UIC faculty, including national expert on Spanish as a heritage language, Dr. Kim Potowski.
* The Oaxacan Culture course is taught by local staff.
We take field trips most Saturdays to local sites of archaeological and cultural interest, including World Heritage site Monte Albán and visits with local communities.
This is our new video, and here is our prior video made in 2013 - while several program components have changed since then, the different views of Oaxaca and the filmed conversations with students’ parents are still relevant today.
You can also "Like" our Facebook page!
Frequently Asked Questions
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June 29-July 26, 2025.
Students are welcome to arrive earlier and/or leave later making their own housing arrangements.
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If 8-9 students go = $5,400 each
If 10-11 students go = $5,000 each
If 12+ students go = $4,600This 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.
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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.
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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 EtnobotánicoFriday:
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.
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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 321 Spanish for Health Personnel II (3 credits)
SPAN 363: Spanish in Society (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.
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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!
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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.
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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.”
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Yes, there are some additional steps. Please see this website.
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Even if you already graduated, you may enroll as a “non-degree seeking” UIC student.
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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.ukMayra Huerta: mayrahu1122@gmail.com
Annabel Torres: torresannabel343@gmail.com
Her mom's email: magodelrey@yahoo.comBelem Medina: belmed91@gmail.com
Maritza Castillo: maritza_silverio@yahoo.com
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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.
