CGEE: Gender and Social Change in Mesoamerica

In this experiential, community-based program students will cross borders constructed by language, nationality, race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socio-economic class, religion, politics, and economics. Students are immersed in various Mexican realities by meeting directly with people of diverse backgrounds, gaining essential skills for future academic and professional pursuits. Students will learn about Mexican history and culture, gender roles and sexuality, human rights, immigration, intercultural communication, Indigenous cosmovision, international business, U.S.-Mexico relations, Peace, justice, corporate responsibility, sustainability, and social change.  Participants are usually out in the community, speaking with academics and other leaders from a broad cross-section of society, including Indigenous, Mestiza, and Afro-Mexican people and the economically poor; artists, businesswomen involved in fair trade, environmentalists, feminists, government officials, human rights activists, Indigenous healers, representatives of a worker-owned company, and U.S. Embassy officials.  Students also engage with feminist, queer, and postcolonial liberation theologians, pastors, priests, and nuns; members of minority religious groups in Mexico; members of the LGBTQIA community, including some of the first gay and lesbian couples to marry in Mexico

The program includes regional travel (included in program fee) such as:

Earn credit in Religion, Political Science, Business, Women’s Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Spanish. The semester includes small group intensive Spanish study provided by Mexican instructors. Fieldwork opportunities (including both internships and independent research) are also available in more than 10 disciplines. 

Location: Mexico is more than a spring break destination; it takes center stage in debates about globalization, U.S. immigration policy, and sustainable economic development.The program is based in Cuernavaca, a city known for its perennial springtime (70-80 degrees). Cuernavaca, the capital of the state of Morelos, is about a 1 1/2 hours drive south of Mexico City. Both the city and the state are important in Mexican history: the palace of the conqueror Hernan Cortez borders the central plaza in Cuernavaca and Morelos is known as “the cradle of the Mexican revolution” of 1910 led by Emiliano Zapata, who was born in a small town near Cuernavaca. A city of more than one million, Cuernavaca is also known for its innovative grass-roots education programs, economic cooperatives, and base Christian communities inspired by liberation theology.

Student Life with CGEE-Mexico: The CGEE campus in Mexico is a 15-minute walk from downtown Cuernavaca and the main city plaza, in the neighborhood of San Antón. CGEE is well established in San Antón and has many friends and close connections in the neighborhood, including some of the homestay families. CGEE is located at the top of one of the large ravines that runs through the city, offering a dramatic view from the nearby bridge that leads to downtown. Because of the ravine, there is a 100 foot waterfall right in the neighborhood, a local eco-tourist attraction. Right across the bridge, students will find a large public garden/park, an independent movie theater, the Cathedral, and several popular cafés. CGEE-Mexico’s campus includes two houses across the street from each other with ample living and study space for students, a library, computer labs and wireless internet, kitchen and dining areas, and outdoor patios and gardens. The Universal language school, where students take Spanish courses, conveniently is located right up the street and has a swimming pool and racquetball court.