Summer 2012: South America

Art on the Edge of Politics:  Bolivia, Peru, Machu Picchu, and the Galapagos Islands

This South American summer outdoor adventure is a once in a lifetime educational opportunity for students. The group will visit Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the world, and walk in the footsteps of Charles Darwin on the Galapagos Islands. This program will focus on several themes including the Incas and their history, architectural skills, art and demise.

 

Dates

May 30-June 16, 2012

Academic Credit

Three credit hours: "Art on the Edge of Politics," or student's choice of history, sociology, literature, or liberal arts open elective credit
Instructor: Hal Wert, professor in the School of Liberal Arts

Three credit hours: Open studio elective
Instructor: Carl Kurtz, professor in the School of the Foundation Year

Program Expenses

6 credit hours $8,465

3 credit hours $7,590

0 credit hours (associated with KCAI) $6,315

0 credit hours (not associated with KCAI) $6,715

Expenses includes KCAI tuition; airfare; transportation within the country of visit; lodging; breakfast and lunch; and all entry fees. Please note that the cost does not include dinners, vaccinations/medications, or equipment.

Deadlines

February 10, 2012: Application and accompanying required documentation must be submitted to the international studies coordinator in the Academic Resource Center no later than 5:00 p.m. A $250.00 non-refundable deposit is due in the business office. If the student is not accepted into the program, the deposit will be refunded.

February 24, 2012: One-half of the program fee is due in the business office.

March 23, 2012: The remainder of the program fee is due in the Business Office. Full payment for the program must be received. If you are applying for Federal Financial Assistance through the school, you must have all required documentation on file, no exceptions.

Program Description

Participants will have the opportunity to witness Los Gran Poder, one of the grand South American religious festivals in La Paz, Bolivia. In La Paz, participants will concentrate on Bolivian ethnographic history, textiles and folklore. These themes will also be the focus in Lima, Peru. Participants will travel to the Isla de Sol to visit the Uro people (who were sworn enemies of the Inca) in Lake Titicaca. The Uro live on floating reed islands and make reed boats of great beauty.  From here the group will travel to Kasani to participate in an Andean ceremony, and then make their way to Cuzco, Peru to explore Inca ruins and museums, and take a train to Machu Picchu.

The group will continue themes of ethnographic history and will pick up the history of the long and destructive war waged by the Shining Path guerillas for over ten years on Peru. The Shining Path and rural poverty have been responsible for a mass migration of people from rural to urban areas of Peru. Students will discuss the current political situation in Peru and look at its relations with its neighbors, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela. The spread of Machismo as a governing style, particular in Bolivia and Ecuador, emanating from Hugo Chavez Venezuela, threatens the development of democracy in the region, particularly in Columbia, and manifests a decidedly anti-American attitude. The group will visit a museum in Lima which has a large collection of weavings made by impoverished women during the ten-year civil war, which will bring to focus the political discussions and highlight art at the center of politics.

The group will then travel to the Galapagos Islands to explore flora and fauna. Participants will be asked to read Charles Darwin and in the Galapagos will have the opportunity to see Darwin's famous finches, giant tortoises, land and sea iguanas, blue-footed boobies, albatrosses, sea lions, white tipped reef sharks (they don't bite). There will also be an opportunity to snorkel and swim with sea lions. What a treat! Darwin's discoveries will quickly snap into focus as species are sighted. Most of the fauna aren't afraid of humans and students will be able to make their acquaintances, up close and personal.

Download an information packet.

Download an application.

More Information

Contact Hal Wert, professor in liberal arts, hwert@kcai.edu

Carl Kurtz, professor in foundations, ckurtz@kcai.edu