Mexico Seminar

(THEO 33960)

Seminar Learning Agreement

Spring 2007

Immersion Date: May 2007

Location: Oaxaca, Mexico
Size: 15 students

Application Deadline: Thursday, January 18
Seminar Director: Rachel Tomas Morgan

To apply, download the application and learning agreement.

Overview

The Mexico Seminar is a one-credit seminar, Theology 33960, that provides students the opportunity for ten to twelve days of experiential-learning in Oaxaca, Mexico in May 2007.  During the 2007 spring semester, students meet weekly to learn about and engage in personal faith-sharing, to read about and discuss Catholic Social Teachings, and to learn to use both faith and the church’s social teachings as lenses through which to reflect upon the cultural, religious, social, economic, political and environmental forces operative in Mexico and throughout the globalized world.  While in Mexico, students work at local non-governmental organizations serving the Oaxacan community, meet with community leaders to hear about the relationship between their faith and the work they do, stay with indigenous families in a community outside of the city of Oaxaca, visit local religious, historical and cultural sites, and participate in daily reflection.

History of Seminar

The project began in the early 1960's with the efforts of CILA (Community for the International Lay Apostolate), a Notre Dame student organization that facilitated service opportunities in Latin America. University President Edward Malloy, C.S.C., participated in a CILA summer of service in Mexico. Reflecting on his experience, he wrote:

The kinds of questions I took back to the classrooms of Notre Dame were radically different from those I was accustomed to asking. I began to have a real awareness of inequality, of inequitable distribution of wealth, of cultural discrimination, and of many other conditions I had read about in books and heard about in lectures, but which until then had not sunk in quite the same way. A liveliness and an intense curiosity toward educational opportunities available to me in the university setting flowed naturally from the experiences that I had in the summer.

— Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C.
Beyond the Ivory Tower:Some Guidelines for Social Justice Education (1990)

Objectives

• Faith-Sharing: To learn about and participate in personal faith-sharing and to identify its important relationship to the critical analysis of cultural, religious, social, economic, political and environmental factors influencing Mexico and other developing countries.  

• Issues Facing Mexico: To become more aware of and educated about the cultural, religious, social, economic, political and environmental factors influencing Mexico and its people, and to examine these factors through the lenses of faith and Catholic Social Teachings.

• Response: To make a commitment to developing strong personal faith, to implementing Catholic Social Teachings to life choices, to focus on and learn about one issue of injustice and explore ways to make positive change, and to share the Catholic Christian worldview with others.

Course Requirements

• Attendance at weekly course meetings and preparatory sessions.

• Completion of assigned readings.

• Participation in group and individual fundraising efforts.

• Commitment to all group activities in Mexico.

• Reflection paper/project (5-7 pages) due at end of summer.

• Participation in follow-up session(s) and evaluation upon return in the Fall.

• Commitment to share learning with others upon return (through presentations, etc.), and helping, as possible, to plan next Seminar.

Application and Registration

• Applications are available online Friday, November 17, at http://socialconcerns.nd.edu/academic/application.shtml.

• Applications for the Seminar must be turned in to the Center for Social Concerns by Thursday, January 18, 2007.  By completing the application, you are agreeing to all requirements of the Mexico Seminar.

**PLEASE NOTE** Once you receive notification of Seminar selection, you will register for the Seminar within the first seven days of the semester.  The course instructor will email information to expedite course registration.  Contact the Assistant Dean's office of your College if you are over the maximum number of credit hours allowed by your College.  Social Concerns Seminars do not apply to overload.

All Saint Mary's/Holy Cross students must obtain a Saint Mary's/Holy Cross add form, have it signed by their Saint Mary's/Holy Cross academic advisor, then turn in the signed add form at the first scheduled class.

Applicants will be notified of Seminar acceptance via email no later than January 22nd. 

Criteria for Selection

The program is open to any student in good standing at Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, or Holy Cross College.  Seniors not returning during the Fall of 2007 (when final reflection takes place and course credit is given) are not eligible.  Spanish language is helpful but not required.  Ten to fifteen students will be selected to participate in the program.  The course is graded "S" or "U" (to appear on Fall 2006 grade reports).

Fees and Expenses

The student contribution and Seminar fee is $650 plus the cost of their roundtrip transportation from their hometowns to Oaxaca.  Travel documents, vaccinations, and personal expenses are also the student’s responsibility.  Students will take initiative to fund-raise to offset the Seminar fee (in the past these have been quite successful).  Students will be expected to participate in any group fundraising efforts.

A deposit of $100 must accompany the application. This deposit becomes non-refundable if you are accepted into the program (the deposit will be refunded if you are not accepted). A second payment of $400 will be required by spring break.  If fundraising efforts are less successful, a final payment will be due May 1, 2007.

***Limited financial aid is available. To apply for financial aid, please contact Angela Miller McGraw prior to the first scheduled class.

Withdrawal from the Course

Since the Seminar involves extensive planning and coordination, please do not apply if you have conflicts with the scheduled events/dates.  Students who find it necessary to drop due to extenuating circumstances must complete necessary forms no later than the official drop date to avoid an Unsatisfactory grade.