Dominican Republic: Santiago-Liberal Arts
Eligibility: A 2.75 GPA. Four semesters of college-level Spanish or equivalent, including one semester immediately preceding participation required. 3.0 GPA in Spanish language courses required.
Dates: Fall: Mid-August – Mid-December; Spring: Early January – Late April.
Location: Santiago, with a population of over 700,000.
Program Structure: Santiago, Dominican Republic: Liberal Arts is a hybrid program. The high-intermediate level Spanish program is run by the Council for International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Students enroll in a range of courses taught exclusively for CIEE students by faculty from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), electives in the Courses for Foreigners department with other international students at the PUCMM, and regular PUCMM courses alongside Dominican students. The program incorporates service projects each semester, normally in the rural countryside outside of Santiago. Students have participated in non-credit community service projects in areas such as community development, education, health and construction.
Academic Program:
Spanish Language Course ~ 4 credits
Contemporary D.R.: Political and Socioeconomic Processes ~ 3 credits
Elective Course ~ 3 credits
Elective Course ~ 3 credits
Elective Course ~ 3 credits
Total Oxy Credits: 16
All students take a language placement exam upon arrival in Santiago. Based on the results of the placement test, students are placed into one of three levels. All students enroll in Spanish Language at the appropriate level, plus the core course, “Contemporary Dominican Republic: Political and Socioeconomic Processes.”
In addition, students select three elective courses, as follows. Students in Level I enroll in three electives from the Courses for Foreigners department of PUCMM. Students in Level II enroll in two electives from the Courses for Foreigners department plus one regular PUCMM university course alongside Dominican students. Students in Level III enroll in at least one regular PUCMM university course alongside Dominican students plus two additional electives which may be either direct enrollment PUCMM courses or classes from the Courses for Foreigners department.
Students should note that 1.0 credit elective courses in Dominican Dance and Folklore, Arts and Athletics are available. These are taught alongside Dominican students.
Students should work carefully with the academic staff on-site to construct an academic program totaling no fewer than fifteen CIEE credits. A maximum of sixteen credits will be awarded for the semester.
Housing: Homestay.
Number of Students: CIEE Study Center: 15-50; Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra: 10,000 students.
Faculty Contact: Adelaida Lopez
Secondary Application: Approval for off-campus study is a two part process; Cross Cultural Study Proposal for Occidental and the program provider application. The student is responsible for completing and submitting both components by the independent deadlines. Send the secondary application directly to the program provider.
Please note that CIEE processes applications on a rolling basis. Sometimes programs fill early. Because of this, the IPO strongly recommends that you complete and submit your CIEE application directly to CIEE prior to the Occidental Application deadline; you will not need to pay the application fee. Remember to make a copy of your secondary CIEE application to submit to the International Programs Office with your Oxy application. It is possible that your application could be approved by CIEE and not by Oxy.
Program Website: http://www.ciee.org/program_search/program_detail.aspx?program_id=162