Language Requirement: Yes
Academic Standing by Program Start: Sophomore
Location: Americas, Mexico
GPA: 2.5

Education, Language, and Cultural Expression in Oaxaca

Program Overview

Learn more about this program at the info session: Thursday, November 5, at 4:30 PM in PLC 627

Spend four weeks exploring the historical and contemporary contexts of languages and cultures in Oaxaca, Mexico. You will explore Oaxaca’s multilingual landscape, Indigenous presence and influence, and the role art plays in resistance and the expression of identity and culture. You will evaluate the role of education as a sociocultural practice, including its connections to activism, community knowledge, and movements for equity and justice. Beyond the classroom, students will experience Oaxaca as a living text, engaging with the region through excursions and local cultural activities, such as traditional cooking classes and printmaking workshops, as well as full-day excursions to artisan villages, archaeological sites, and other destinations throughout Oaxaca.

Oaxaca City is one of Mexico’s most distinctive cultural sites—a colorful, walkable city where centuries of Indigenous history and tradition meet a thriving contemporary food, art, and design scene. Surrounded by Zapotec and Mixtec communities, Oaxaca is celebrated for its vibrant markets, textiles and ceramics, colorful architecture, and world-famous mole, chocolate, and mezcal traditions. Students can explore the city’s galleries and cobblestone streets, visit nearby ancient sites, and experience a place where deep-rooted traditions continue to shape contemporary culture. This rich cultural landscape makes Oaxaca an ideal place to explore how language, identity, education, and activism intersect.

Dates and Deadlines

Term Year Deadline Arrival Date Departure Date
Summer 2027 03/15/2027 08/14/2027 09/11/2027

This program has a rolling admission application process: GEO staff will complete a review of the application materials of complete applications in the order they are submitted ("first come, first serve"). Decisions about acceptance will be made shortly after you complete the application. Students are encouraged to complete applications and commit to programs early. 

Acceptance is based on a holistic review of your application. This includes a review of your GPA, transcripts (including courses taken and in-progress), any additional requirements or prerequisites (see section "Additional Requirements"), and the short statement.

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Faculty-Led Scholarship Opportunity

Applicants to this program are eligible for program-specific scholarship funds. Award recipients are chosen based on academic merit, financial need, and overall quality of their essay. Individual awards range from $500-$1,500. To be considered, apply to the GEO General Scholarship by the advertised deadline for the term you will be abroad. Students who apply will automatically be considered for all available funding within the General Scholarship, including this program's scholarship funds.

Discount for Pell Recipients

To expand access to study abroad, GEO is offering a $500 discount for this program to UO students who currently have the Pell Grant as part of their federal financial aid (FAFSA).

Academic Details

Linguistic and Cultural Realities in Oaxaca (4 credits): approved for Spanish upper-division credit.

Education and Social Change in Oaxaca (4 credits): approved for Education Studies upper-division credit.

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.

Additional Requirements

Two years of college-level Spanish or equivalent proficiency is required (SPAN 203, SPAN 228, or equivalent).

Completion of EDST 111 before the program start date is preferred, though not required. 

Faculty and Staff

Puja Clifford is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Education Studies at the University of Oregon's College of Education. She earned her M.A. and teaching credentials from Stanford University and her B.A.s from the University of Michigan, where she developed a passion for study abroad and lifelong learning through travel. Puja has taught for more than two decades, from the mountains of Central California to classrooms in San Francisco, New Delhi, and Spain. At the University of Oregon, she teaches courses that examine social, cultural, and historical dimensions of education through critical perspectives on schooling. She will lead "Education and Social Change in Oaxaca" (4 credits).

Kelley Howarth is a Teaching Professor for the Department of Romance Languages in the Schnitzer School for Global Studies & Languages. Her semester of study abroad in France was a transformative experience during her time as an undergraduate student pursuing a B.A. in English and French at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. This led to her later work with study abroad programs at the University of Minnesota and on-site in Venezuela and Mexico. She completed an M.A. degree in Romance Languages and literatures from the University of Oregon, where she has taught since 2002. Kelley enjoys teaching Spanish as a heritage language, as a second language, and collaboratively exploring cultural expression in the Spanish-speaking world. She will teach “Realidades lingüísticas y culturales en Oaxaca / Linguistic and Cultural Realities in Oaxaca” (4 credits).

Housing Description

You will reside with a local homestay family within the vibrant city of Oaxaca. 

Budget and Price

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Education, Language, and Cultural Expression in Oaxaca

2027 Summer

GEO Program Fees
Description Amount
UO Study Abroad Fee* $500
Program Tuition $4,638
Housing and Meals $1,655
Transportation $555
Insurance $102
Estimated Additional Expenses
Description Amount
Estimated Cost to Acquire US Passport $150
Estimated Airfare from Eugene $1,000
Estimated Cellphone Expenses $100
Estimated Additional Living Expenses $450
Total
Description Amount
Sub-Total: GEO Program Fees (Billed to UO Student Account) $7,450
Sub-Total: Estimated Additional Expenses $1,700
Total Estimated Cost of Participation $9,150

Included in Program Costs: Included in Program Costs: Program tuition, pre-departure and on-site support, on-site orientation, housing, most meals, transportation, excursions, course materials, medical insurance.

* Non-UO Students: study abroad fees and application fees vary by campus; check with your home campus study abroad office." from the Projected Expenses Disclaimers, default value.

Please visit GEO Billing Information for information about how you will be billed and when payments are due.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation Date Cancellation Penalty
Upon acceptance to the program

Student agrees to $500 non-refundable program deposit
8 weeks before program start date

Student is responsible for 50% of total GEO program fees
Program start date or after program begins

Student is responsible for 100% of total GEO program fees
Note that scholarship funds are not able to be applied to program deposit.

IMPORTANT: The GEO Cancellation Policy is effective from the time a student agrees to pay their non-refundable program deposit or electronically signs the program commitment form, regardless of application or acceptance status. It is essential to read this policy before a potential cancellation takes place, to fully understand the withdrawal and cancellation penalties, and to understand what it means financially to commit to a study abroad program.

To view the program specific cancellation policy dates and penalties, click the term budget dropdown menu.

Students who cancel their participation must notify GEO in writing. Email is acceptable (geoinfo@uoregon.edu). Verbal notification to GEO or notification given to a non-UO campus study abroad office is not sufficient.

For full details, see the complete GEO Cancellation Policy.

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