Ecuador: Culture and Development

“This was the best four months of my life. You cover everything from economics and politics to social movements and race and ethnicity. The academic directors are absolutely amazing.”

-- Patrick Murphy (Fall 2010), Macalester College

Discover the cultural complexity of Ecuador, home to a fascinating diversity of peoples and natural environments.

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This program explores Ecuador's cultural richness and its current realities and conditions. Students focus on language, culture, politics, history, identity, and the challenges of implementing the country’s innovative and highly inclusive new constitution.

Advance your Spanish
The program places a major emphasis on language learning. Students can make rapid advancement in their Spanish skills through the program’s highly intensive classroom study, homestays, and fieldwork.

Experience Ecuador's three ecologic zones: Andean highlands, tropical rainforest, and coastal lowlands
Traveling from 10,000 feet down to sea level, students are exposed to Ecuador’s extraordinary ecological diversity. During periods of excursion, students meet with indigenous representatives and leaders of grassroots organizations who discuss threats to Ecuador's ecology and present alternative strategies of development. Learn more about the program's excursions.

Interact with Ecuadorian leaders who have dedicated their lives to promoting change
Students learn from activists who are committed to supporting minority rights, fighting discrimination, protecting the environment, and creating sustainable living alternatives. Ecuador is currently in the process of significant political and economic transition: students witness the ways in which the increased participation of indigenous organizations and other formerly excluded minorities is paving the way toward a more inclusive and representative democracy.

Lecturers are drawn from institutions such as Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO), Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, and Universidad Politécnica Salesiana.

Share daily life with Ecuadorian host families
In sharing daily life with families of diverse socioeconomic levels, students experience the contrasting variables among Ecuadorians and discover the impact their physical environment has on food, daily activities, and even language. Learn more about the program’s homestays.

Connect with a range of Ecuadorian partners
Students typically have the chance to engage with the program's partner organizations including:

Fundación Equidad - supports Ecuador’s GLBTI population
Fundación de Acción Comunitaria (FACES) - provides innovative outreach to children and adults with disabilities
La Pastoral Migratoria - works with Colombian refugees
Defensa y Conservación de Intag (DECOIN) - grassroots organization which works against extractive industries and promotes community development