Middlebury College's program in Latin America presupposes the student's general academic competence and sufficient ability in written and spoken Spanish or Portuguese. Our program emphasizes acquisition of language skills and intellectual development through a curriculum of linguistic, literary, and cultural study exclusively in Spanish or Portuguese. We strongly urge all students to enroll in the program for the full academic year: compared to a shorter stay, the linguistic, academic, and personal benefits of a ten-month stay are incalculable.
Internships
Through an internship, students will gain more in-depth experience and exposure to the host culture as well as the local work environment. This experience will also provide students with new knowledge and skills and can lead to greater career, graduate school, and other opportunities in the future. Unless students notify our office in advance, students in Latin America with the C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad are presumed to be pursuing an internship. Students should submit their resume and cover letter (both in the target language) to the Office of Off-Campus Study by May 15 (fall) or October 15 (spring).
Students who choose not to pursue the internship will substitute one additional university course in its place.
Credit
Middlebury College considers a semester or an academic year abroad as equivalent to a semester or an academic year in the United States. Undergraduates from other institutions should consult their home institution about credit transfer before enrolling. Middlebury College students receive 4 units of credit for one semester abroad and 9 units for a full year. Typically, students who transfer credit to their home institutions receive 15-16 semester hours or 20-25 quarter hours per semester for four to five courses.
Course Load and Credits:
2-4 university courses (plus internship and cuaderno) equivalent to approximately 15 U.S. semester credit hours.
Cuaderno/Caderno Latinoamericano
The course transforms your out-of-classroom experience in Latin America into a structured part of your academic program. The required activity combines learning about culture with the writing process. The course is composed of several parts: an analytical notebook with your experiences, some required readings, and two reports. The reports and the Cuaderno must be written in Spanish or Portuguese. The course will receive a letter grade (A-F).
You are required to read some literature for this course. The readings will be discussed with the Instructor periodically and their content has to be included in your writing. The purpose is to help you design and elaborate your final work.
Language Requirement
Completion of a minimum of five semesters of college-level Spanish (including at least one content course) or five semesters of Portuguese and no less than a B in their major. For Middlebury students:Spanish majors must have completed either SPAN 0300 or 0305.
Middlebury Language Pledge
To take full advantage of their stay abroad, students are expected to maintain the spirit of the Middlebury College Language Pledge and to speak only Spanish or Portuguese while in Latin America. We expect that no English will be used, except for emergency consultations with the Director.
For further information on admissions please click here
or contact the Middlebury College Office of Off-Campus Study at (802) 443-5745 or send and e-mail to: schoolsabroad@middlebury.edu