BorderLinks

BorderLinks Semester on the Border program offers students an opportunity for academic studies, experiential learning, and community living along the U.S./Mexico border in Tucson, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora. BorderLinks provides a challenging and transformative experience through a variety of interdisciplinary approaches focusing on border studies and the impact of globalization. Emphasis is also placed on intercultural relationship-building, personal reflection, and strengthening Spanish language skills.

The semester will begin with a one-week travel seminar along the border to provide an overall introduction to its realities. It will then center at BorderLinks' Tucson campus for four weeks to begin the course work. The next six weeks will be spent at our Mexican campus, Casa de la Misericordia, in Nogales, Sonora, integrating the course work with experiential learning. A four week homestay and a second travel seminar will be provided during this period. There will be a week of vacation break near the middle of the semester. The semester will conclude with a return to Tucson for a final wrap-up of the course work.

Location
BorderLinks has two campuses, one in Tucson, adjacent to the University of Arizona, and the other in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. Roughly half the semester is spent in Tucson and the other half in Mexico. There are also two Travel Seminars which take the students east and west along the border to other cities such as El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez and Agua Prieta in Mexico.

Curriculum
The courses offered in this program include History of Mexico, Peace and Justice Studies, Liberation Theology, Culture of the Borderlands, and Conversational Spanish. In addition to regular classroom lectures and discussions, there are field trips, internships, and homestays with Mexican families in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.

Costs
The Program Costs for 2005-2006 are as follows:
Tuition $8000
Room and Board $2000
Non-Refundable Deposit $200 (waived if apply by early deadline, see below)
Total Program Costs $10,200 ($10,000 if apply early) to be paid through Meredith College

Housing
In Tucson, participants will stay at the BorderLinks' dormitory-style house. Along the border, participants will stay with the host families, in churches, or at Casa Misericordia.

Travel Opportunities
The semester will begin with a one-week travel seminar along the border to provide an overall introduction to its realities. It will then center at BorderLinks' Tucson campus for four weeks to begin the course work. The next six weeks will be spent at the Mexican campus, Casa de la Misericordia, in Nogales, Sonora, integrating the course work with experiential learning. A four week homestay and a second travel seminar will be provided during this period. There will be a week of vacation break near the middle of the semester. The semester will conclude with a return to Tucson for a final wrap-up of the course work.

Deadline for Applications to Study Abroad Office
Early Application Deadline (waive $200 fee):
Fall - March 1
Spring - October 1

Regular Application Deadline:
Fall - April 1
Spring - November 1

Deadline for Registration Fee to BorderLinks
Fall - May 1
Spring - December 1

For more information, contact:
Kevin Morrison, 919-760-8429.