Peru Faculty-Led Immersion Academics

Eligibility

To apply, you must be a currently enrolled, degree-seeking, undergraduate UW-Eau Claire student. You need to be in good academic, conduct and financial standing. You also need to have a cumulative GPA of 2.3. You must maintain enrollment and continue to meet the academic standing and GPA requirements the semester prior to departure. You may apply as a first-year student, but must have at least sophomore standing by the time the program begins. All students must have taken ES 385 before participation in this program or an equivalent R2 approved course. Please discuss course substitution with Dr. Eric Torres (torresed@uwec.edu). Basic Spanish communication skills are encouraged. 

The program open to all students, though it is designed to 1) support the preparation and development of teacher education majors in all areas of specialization who want to provide leadership for global competence education in their schools or district and lead collaboration across disciplines and practices that will benefit students, and 2) to develop a network of global scholars and collaborative global partners in Peru.

For students who need to fulfill the 6-week immersion requirement, an extension of your stay is a possibility. You must declare your intention with due anticipation.

Course Information

This program in Peru is associated with two courses:

• During the spring semester before travel, students will take ES 495 (Directed Studies/Qualitative Research and Global Learning) for 1 credit.
• During the fall semester after travel, students will take ES 495 (Directed Studies/Global Scholar), a 1-credit course to prepare dissemination materials and present results to large audiences.

Liberal Education/General Education Requirements

For students in catalog years 2016-17 and later, this program fulfills the Responsibility Outcome 2 (R2): Global Perspectives requirement upon completion of all course assignments. 

For students in catalog years through 2015-16, this program fulfills 3 credits of the Foreign Culture requirement upon successful program completion (students earning a B.A., B.F.A. or B.M degree in the College of Arts & Sciences cannot use study abroad to fulfill their foreign language/foreign culture requirement. See the university catalog for details).

Academic Calendar

The tentative program dates are June 1 – June 29, 2019. These dates are still tentative, do not book flights until after orientation in March.

During the first week of the program, UWEC students will collaborate with Peruvian education major students at PUCP for a full-time seminar and forum style course.  This will be a chance to interact in an academic setting with Peruvian counterparts and form pre-professional relationships.  The second week includes fieldwork in Chaclacayo (two hours east of Lima, by car), where students will be embedded in the publicly funded, secondary and International Baccalaureate Organization accredited boarding school Colegio Mayor Secundario Presidente del Peru-COAR Lima. UWEC students will continue collaboration with PUCP education majors to develop their own global competence through being a teacher’s aid, ethnographic observation, interviews, critical reflection, and narrative inquiry. 
 
During the third week, the group will travel to Lambayeque (one hour north of Lima, by plane), to be embedded in the publicly funded, secondary and International Baccalaureate Organization accredited boarding school Colegio de Alto Rendimiento-COAR Lambayeque. Activities will be similar to the field work of the second week. Finally, the last week of the program takes place back in Lima for a debriefing and forum. Students will have a chance to reflect and translate their fieldwork experiences and increased awareness of race, culture, power, and identity into effective teaching practices.