Study Abroad

CLACX works with Vanderbilt’s Global Education Office to provide study abroad opportunities for students that complement and enhance their coursework on campus. Students can choose to study abroad for a semester or the academic year from a variety of programs and sites. Vanderbilt administers semester and AY programs in collaboration with the Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad (CASA), as well as Maymesters that provide a shorter study abroad experience. Vanderbilt students may also choose to study abroad through programs administered by CIEE/CIDE. In collaboration with Tulane University, CLACX supports FLAS-approved intensive language programs for the study of K’iche’ Mayan or Portuguese.

Portuguese Language and Brazilian Culture – São Paulo

This six-week program caters to graduate and undergraduate students who wish to achieve a high level of Portuguese fluency through immersion in Brazilian language and culture. With language classes at the intermediate and advanced levels, it allows students to study with Brazilian faculty while living with local families or college students in the hip São Paulo neighborhood of Perdizes. Participants enroll in two courses: one language course and one content course on contemporary Brazilian society taught in Portuguese. Outside of the classroom, they explore São Paulo and its surroundings through organized excursions to museums, landmarks, and historic sites, and set off on personal adventures with friends and roommates. Visit the program webpage for more information.

This program qualifies as a FLAS-approved program with 140 contact hours of language instruction. It is available to students seeking credit in intermediate and advanced Portuguese levels only. This course meets all requirements for Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships. If you plan to apply for a FLAS Fellowship, view CLACX Summer Awards information here.

Mayan Language Institute in K’iche’ and Kaqchikel – Guatemala

The Mayan Language Institute is a six-week program to train students in either Kaqchikel or K’iche’ Maya, two of the most widely-spoken Mayan languages in Guatemala today. Thanks to the collaboration between US faculty and Maya teachers, participants can study at the beginning, intermediate, or advanced levels of either language. The program’s highly individualized classes combine language immersion activities, lectures, one-on-one conversations, guest speakers and cultural excursions. The intensive nature of these classes, combined with students’ daily immersion in Maya communities, enables them to enhance their language skills rapidly while experiencing Indigenous cultures firsthand. Students enrolled in Kaqchikel Maya will spend 6 weeks at the PLFM campus in Antigua. Students enrolled in K’iche’ Maya will spend 1 week at the PLFM campus before relocating to Nahualá, a small city in the highlands of Sololá, for the final 5 weeks of the program. Visit the program webpage for more detailed information.

Semester and AY Programs Administered by Vanderbilt

CASA Buenos Aires

This program provides undergraduate students the opportunity for full immersion in Argentine culture and the Spanish language in Buenos Aires, the sophisticated and cosmopolitan “Paris of South America.” After an extensive orientation, students take CASA’s Pro-Seminar course as well as university courses with local Argentine students, completed at one or more of four top local universities: Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Universidad de San Andrés, and Universidad Nacional de las Artes. Courses are available across a wide range of fields (sample courses linked here), and all courses are taught in Spanish. Students will be immersed in Spanish through daily interaction with their homestay family and their Argentine classmates, as well as beyond the classroom. The program includes day trips, cultural visits, and longer excursions to Santiago, Chile.

Students wishing to enroll in CASA Buenos Aires must have completed SPAN 3303, or four or more other SPAN courses at the 3000-level. Applicants must have SPAN 3303 on their transcript to receive credit toward the Literature distribution of the Spanish major/minor. Students should be sure to check the external section of their Vanderbilt transcript to verify any transfer or AP credit on their record. Students should consult the Undergraduate Course Catalogue for details and limitations. Contact the GEO advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Spanish María Paz Pintane with questions.

Opportunities for non-credit internships and volunteer work are available, and include community and grassroots organizations, cultural, health, and environmental institutions, and international agencies. Students can also undertake a research project focused on the topic of Historical Memory.

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CASA Chile – Santiago

This program provides undergraduate students the opportunity for full immersion in Chilean culture and the Spanish language in Santiago, the political, cultural, and economic center of Chile. After an extensive orientation, students take CASA’s Pro-Seminar course, as well as 3 to 4 local university courses with Chilean students, completed at one or more of three top local universities: Universidad de Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Universidad Diego Portales. Courses are available across a wide range of fields (course catalogs linked here), and all courses are taught in Spanish. Students will be immersed in Spanish through daily interaction with their homestay family and their Chilean classmates, as well as beyond the classroom. The program includes day trips and longer excursions both in Santiago and beyond. Opportunities for non-credit internships and volunteer work are available in fields including education, health, finance, government, and human rights. Students also have the opportunity to undertake a CASA research project focused on the topic of Historical Memory.

Students wishing to enroll in CASA Santiago, Chile must have completed SPAN 3303, or four or more other SPAN courses at the 3000-level. Applicants must have SPAN 3303 on their transcript in order to receive credit toward the Literature distribution of the Spanish major/minor. Students should be sure to check the external section of their Vanderbilt transcript to verify any transfer or AP credit on their record. Students should consult the Undergraduate Course Catalogue for details and limitations. Contact the GEO advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Spanish with questions.

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CASA Cuba (Havana)

The goals of this immersive Spanish language program is to improve students’ oral and written skills; to facilitate students’ knowledge of contemporary Cuba and the Caribbean region; to provide students with the opportunity to access two of Cuba’s leading institutions of higher learning: the University of Havana, and Casa de Las Américas (the Cuban government’s premier research institution). Students have the option of a semester or academic year abroad.

Students will enroll in up to four courses, all of which are taught in Spanish. It is recommended that students take a combination of courses: two offered through CASA Cuba and two direct-enrollment courses through the University of Havana. At the University of Havana, students are encouraged to enroll in courses at the Faculty of Arts and Letters or the Faculty of Philosophy and History. However, with permission from the University of Havana, enrollment is possible in departments and faculties beyond these two.

Courses will be complemented throughout the semester with special seminars and guest lectures by respected experts from key research centers. In addition, interested students will be encouraged to carry out focused research projects that will engage them with recognized Cuban disciplinary experts and connect them with local archives, museums, and key cultural organizations.

In addition to the academic program, the CASA Cuba study center will arrange special topics-based lectures, exhibitions, recitals, and field visits to expose students to the tremendous cultural mosaic of the country.

Students wishing to enroll in CASA Cuba must have completed SPAN 3303, or four or more other SPAN courses at the 3000-level. Applicants must have SPAN 3303 on their transcript in order to receive credit toward the Literature distribution of the Spanish major/minor. Students should be sure to check the external section of their Vanderbilt transcript to verify any transfer or AP credit on their record. Students should consult the Undergraduate Course Catalogue for details and limitations. Contact the GEO advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Spanish with questions.

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About CASA

The Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad (CASA) is a partnership of Ivy Plus universities including Vanderbilt. CASA is a consortium of leading universities including Vanderbilt University, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University and the University of Pennsylvania. CASA focuses on offering high-quality study abroad opportunities in select locations around the world. GEO offers this program in conjunction with Vanderbilt’s Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies.

Maymesters
SPAN 3330: Cultural Studies in the Andes (Cuzco, Machu Picchu and Lima)

CIEE/CIDE
Program sites include Argentina (Buenos Aires), Brazil (Sao Paulo), Chile (Santiago; Valparaíso), and Dominican Republic (Santiago de los Caballeros). See the GEO website for more information on these programs.