Oaxaca Study Exchange: December 2009
December PA 529 Oaxaca Field Studies
2009 Preliminary Program Planning
(undergraduates register for Public Administration 410, 4 credits)
NOTE: Students not registered for Fall, 2009, may travel now and
register for PA 529 or PA 410 in Winter, 2010. Plan to participate in
the orientation sessions as listed below.
Place: Oaxaca is now the leading place of origin for Mexican immigrants
to the Pacific Northwest. It is known for its cultural and environmental
diversity, rich heritage, and artistic traditions. Spanish spoken in
Oaxaca is clear and reasonably slow.
Theme: Oaxaca Field Studies addresses migration from Mexico to the
United States by exploring conditions and circumstances which lead
Mexicans to search for employment and opportunity in the Pacific
Northwest. We are interested in how the relationships between the public
and services such health, education, public safety, or family support in
Mexico affect the ways in which immigrants approach such services in the
United States as their experiences act as a filter or lens structuring
expectations, fears, and aspirations.
Travel: Officially our program in Oaxaca will run Saturday December
12th, through Thursday, December 24th. This assumes you will travel no
later than the night of the 11th or early morning on the 12th. For
those of you who for employment or other reasons cannot travel until the
13th please let me know. If you wish to stay in Oaxaca, go to the beach,
or make other travel arrangements beyond the 24th please let me know so
we can help you plan and calculate costs. Each individual is responsible
for making his or her own arrangements on getting to Oaxaca; we do not
create a group travel package. However, you may find it more comfortable
to identify one or more other members of the group whose plans are
similar and travel together. Buy your tickets now to avoid rising
prices. There are essentially two options:
Fly to Oaxaca: You can fly from Portland to Oaxaca on Continental with
a change of planes in Houston, or on several airlines with a change of
planes in Mexico City. Or you can fly to LA and pick up a Mexicana
flight to Oaxaca which stops in Mexico City. It is also possible to fly
to Mexico City on several different airlines and pick up one of 8-10
flights daily from Mexico City to Oaxaca.
Fly to Mexico City, Bus Mexico City-Oaxaca: You can fly to Mexico
City, then take a 10-minute taxi ride to the bus station serving
southeast Mexico for a 6-hour bus trip to Oaxaca on first-class buses
over good highways. Buses leave almost every hour between 7 a.m. and 1
am. And it is easy to take the bus from Oaxaca back to the Mexico City
airport. This is quite easy and I can give you step-by-step directions.
In general the fly-bus combination saves around $100-150 over flying
directly to Oaxaca. Occasionally one can find a combination airfare
which reduces the travel cost to roughly what one pays for the bus; that
is infrequent and probably not likely during the high travel season.
Those of you who might want some time in Mexico City prior to or after
the program, or who are thinking about working in some beach time, might
want to weigh this option. I can give you the name of a reasonable,
comfortable hotel in Mexico City.
Homestay: In Oaxaca you will stay in the home of a middle-class family
and take your meals with them. In Oaxaca the main meal of the day is
between 2 and 3 pm, followed by a siesta or rest. You will have your own
bedroom and usually be one student per household but located within a
few blocks of other students. Your hosts may have some limited
understanding of English but generally do not speak it.
Language: We use the Amigos del Sol Language School for Spanish
classes. You will be grouped according to skill levels in small groups.
Our program gives priority to oral use and comprehension. This generally
means 2 sessions per afternoon of 80-85 minutes.
On any program approximately 50 percent of the participants do not speak
Spanish. We want you to make some progress with Spanish and with
cross-cultural communication as you may use 3 credits from PA 529 toward
your skills requirement.
Site and Agency visits: Most mornings will be given over to site and
agency visits with non-profit or governmental organizations. These may
range from a juvenile detention center or community health program to a
food bank, human rights monitor, or family services center. Most will
be in the city of Oaxaca but some will be outside, and usually we make
use of the weekend during the middle of the program to spend two days in
a rural community typical of those sending migrants to the Pacific
Northwest. When necessary we translate for students who do not speak
Spanish.
Finances: The tuition for three or four credits is standard Portland
State tuition. Transportation may cost from $550 to $600 depending on
airline ticket prices and whether you fly all the way to Oaxaca or take
the bus from Mexico City. The cost of the program besides tuition and
transportation is $995. This includes your lodging and meals, local
program transportation, entrance fees and honoraria, language classes,
and other local program costs. Portland State University adds
approximately $350 in various fees. Generally financial aid covers this
program.
Other Planning: At our next session I will give a handbook on preparing
for Oaxaca to anyone who has not received one. Our textbooks should be
in the Bookstore under PA 529. The university has a standard medical
evacuation insurance it requires of all students going abroad and will
bill your accounts directly. You may receive other communications from
the Director of International Education. Remember you need a valid US
passport to enter Mexico and return to the United States. Extra days
with host families usually may be added at $25.00 per day. I may be able
to make suggestions if you plan other travel.
We have initial orientations Sunday, October 25th, and Sunday, November
15th, at 4 p.m. in Neuberger Hall 209. I will make sure the room is
unlocked and available.
For more information contact Professor Jack Corbett at corbettj@pdx.edu,
Urban 670G, or at 503-725-8226.
2009 Preliminary Program Planning
(undergraduates register for Public Administration 410, 4 credits)
NOTE: Students not registered for Fall, 2009, may travel now and
register for PA 529 or PA 410 in Winter, 2010. Plan to participate in
the orientation sessions as listed below.
Place: Oaxaca is now the leading place of origin for Mexican immigrants
to the Pacific Northwest. It is known for its cultural and environmental
diversity, rich heritage, and artistic traditions. Spanish spoken in
Oaxaca is clear and reasonably slow.
Theme: Oaxaca Field Studies addresses migration from Mexico to the
United States by exploring conditions and circumstances which lead
Mexicans to search for employment and opportunity in the Pacific
Northwest. We are interested in how the relationships between the public
and services such health, education, public safety, or family support in
Mexico affect the ways in which immigrants approach such services in the
United States as their experiences act as a filter or lens structuring
expectations, fears, and aspirations.
Travel: Officially our program in Oaxaca will run Saturday December
12th, through Thursday, December 24th. This assumes you will travel no
later than the night of the 11th or early morning on the 12th. For
those of you who for employment or other reasons cannot travel until the
13th please let me know. If you wish to stay in Oaxaca, go to the beach,
or make other travel arrangements beyond the 24th please let me know so
we can help you plan and calculate costs. Each individual is responsible
for making his or her own arrangements on getting to Oaxaca; we do not
create a group travel package. However, you may find it more comfortable
to identify one or more other members of the group whose plans are
similar and travel together. Buy your tickets now to avoid rising
prices. There are essentially two options:
Fly to Oaxaca: You can fly from Portland to Oaxaca on Continental with
a change of planes in Houston, or on several airlines with a change of
planes in Mexico City. Or you can fly to LA and pick up a Mexicana
flight to Oaxaca which stops in Mexico City. It is also possible to fly
to Mexico City on several different airlines and pick up one of 8-10
flights daily from Mexico City to Oaxaca.
Fly to Mexico City, Bus Mexico City-Oaxaca: You can fly to Mexico
City, then take a 10-minute taxi ride to the bus station serving
southeast Mexico for a 6-hour bus trip to Oaxaca on first-class buses
over good highways. Buses leave almost every hour between 7 a.m. and 1
am. And it is easy to take the bus from Oaxaca back to the Mexico City
airport. This is quite easy and I can give you step-by-step directions.
In general the fly-bus combination saves around $100-150 over flying
directly to Oaxaca. Occasionally one can find a combination airfare
which reduces the travel cost to roughly what one pays for the bus; that
is infrequent and probably not likely during the high travel season.
Those of you who might want some time in Mexico City prior to or after
the program, or who are thinking about working in some beach time, might
want to weigh this option. I can give you the name of a reasonable,
comfortable hotel in Mexico City.
Homestay: In Oaxaca you will stay in the home of a middle-class family
and take your meals with them. In Oaxaca the main meal of the day is
between 2 and 3 pm, followed by a siesta or rest. You will have your own
bedroom and usually be one student per household but located within a
few blocks of other students. Your hosts may have some limited
understanding of English but generally do not speak it.
Language: We use the Amigos del Sol Language School for Spanish
classes. You will be grouped according to skill levels in small groups.
Our program gives priority to oral use and comprehension. This generally
means 2 sessions per afternoon of 80-85 minutes.
On any program approximately 50 percent of the participants do not speak
Spanish. We want you to make some progress with Spanish and with
cross-cultural communication as you may use 3 credits from PA 529 toward
your skills requirement.
Site and Agency visits: Most mornings will be given over to site and
agency visits with non-profit or governmental organizations. These may
range from a juvenile detention center or community health program to a
food bank, human rights monitor, or family services center. Most will
be in the city of Oaxaca but some will be outside, and usually we make
use of the weekend during the middle of the program to spend two days in
a rural community typical of those sending migrants to the Pacific
Northwest. When necessary we translate for students who do not speak
Spanish.
Finances: The tuition for three or four credits is standard Portland
State tuition. Transportation may cost from $550 to $600 depending on
airline ticket prices and whether you fly all the way to Oaxaca or take
the bus from Mexico City. The cost of the program besides tuition and
transportation is $995. This includes your lodging and meals, local
program transportation, entrance fees and honoraria, language classes,
and other local program costs. Portland State University adds
approximately $350 in various fees. Generally financial aid covers this
program.
Other Planning: At our next session I will give a handbook on preparing
for Oaxaca to anyone who has not received one. Our textbooks should be
in the Bookstore under PA 529. The university has a standard medical
evacuation insurance it requires of all students going abroad and will
bill your accounts directly. You may receive other communications from
the Director of International Education. Remember you need a valid US
passport to enter Mexico and return to the United States. Extra days
with host families usually may be added at $25.00 per day. I may be able
to make suggestions if you plan other travel.
We have initial orientations Sunday, October 25th, and Sunday, November
15th, at 4 p.m. in Neuberger Hall 209. I will make sure the room is
unlocked and available.
For more information contact Professor Jack Corbett at corbettj@pdx.edu,
Urban 670G, or at 503-725-8226.
posted by Kim at
11:59 AM
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