JMU in Argentina

Location

Buenos Aires, Puerto Iguazu, Argentina

Program Description

This 9-credit academic program is open to students of all majors. It is also open to non-JMU students. Program participants will hone their knowledge of Spanish in a two-week intensive language instruction course while they solidify those skills in everyday life throughout the program. A course in Argentine politics and society explores Argentina’s past and present with an eye toward its political and economic future. A course in Argentine literature will give students an opportunity to read works by a variety of world famous writers while they also explore cafés and restaurants frequented by generations of Argentine artists. IBUS majors should note that this program fulfills the international experience requirement for the international business major at JMU.

Location Description

This 9-credit study-abroad program is designed to introduce students to the dynamics of the fifth largest country in the Western Hemisphere – Argentina. The program is housed in cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, one of the world’s most vibrant cities with a population of 13 million people. Group activities and excursions in Buenos Aires and beyond provide multiple opportunities to learn about Argentine society from a variety of angles. The group will also travel to Misiones province in northeast Argentina to visit Iguazú Falls and the Jesuit ruins in San Ignacio.

Director

Charles H. Blake | blakech@jmu.edu | Political Science

Kristen McCleary | mccleakl@jmu.edu | History

Accommodations

The residence hall is located in the heart of the Palermo district of Buenos Aires. Roughly 60% of the residents in this facility are university students from Latin America with the remaining students coming from various countries in Asia, Europe, and North America. Students live in double rooms with private baths, a telephone for receiving calls, and cable TV. Pending availability, students can request a single room for an additional cost beyond the standard program fee.

Weekday meals are provided by the residence hall and weekend meals covered by a meal allowance paid out from within the program budget.

Additional Items to Consider

U.S. citizens do not need a visa to travel to Argentina. Until early 2016, visitors from the USA needed to pay an entry fee in advance of their departure. The entry fee was equivalent to the money the U.S. government charges Argentine citizens to apply for a visa to travel to the United States. This entry fee was waived for U.S. citizens in early 2016 until further notice. If Argentina were to restore the fee, prospective students and participants would be notified by the co-directors of the JMU in Argentina program.

This program is targeted towards sophomores through seniors, but first-year students who meet the language requirement have also enjoyed the JMU in Argentina program.

Beyond one's initial training in the Spanish language and GPA, we are looking for students who want to seize the opportunity to live and study in one of the world's greatest cities for 2 months.

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must have a GPA minimum of 2.0

Prerequisite: SPAN 232 (or equivalent course such as SPAN 212) prior to the start of the program.