Purdue University North Central will offer the opportunity to study abroad this summer with a trip to Peru. Students may earn classroom credits, or the trip may be taken for pleasure. Community members are encouraged to consider joining this program, full of experiences and learning opportunities that cannot be duplicated in a classroom.
The trip will depart for Peru on June 5 and return June 26. For participants, this Andean nation itself will serve as a classroom as they will be immersed in a variety of cultural settings that reflect the diversity of Peru.
The program includes destinations visited during the successful 2008 and 2010 programs - Lima, Peru's capital city and colonial center; Lambayeque, the archeological hub of the northern Peruvian coast and Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The group will be in Cuzco during the celebrations of Inti Raymi - The Incan festival of the sun.
The itinerary has also been enhanced to include excursions to Lake Titicaca, home of the Uros floating totora reed islands; Nazca, where participants will fly over the ancient Nazca lines and the Ballestas Islands, an archipelago of small isles in Paracas Bay with geologic formations and diverse array of exotic marine life.
Class members will have the opportunity to serve the Peruvian community by collecting and delivering school supplies for impoverished grade schools and spending time with students there. Additional activities include visits to archaeological preservations, shamanic demonstrations, construction of totora canoes and adobe bricks, ecological reserves, preparation site of chicha or corn beer, Peruvian cooking workshops, hiking locations, sessions of Andean music and dance, weaving cooperatives, Peruvian universities and more.
Students may earn academic credit for the trip by taking three or more credit hours' worth of classes associated with the expedition. The five courses that qualify are "History 425 - Social And Ecological History Of The Andes," "Spanish 112 - Elementary Spanish Conversation I," "Spanish 211 - Elementary Conversation Spanish II," "Spanish212 - Elementary Conversation Spanish III," and "Spanish 280 - Peruvian Literature in Translation."
Dr. Kenneth Kincaid, assistant professor of History and Dr. Assen Kokalov, assistant professor of Spanish, will lead the PNC in Peru program.
Those taking the trip for credit will pay a program fee of $3,395, in addition to tuition for enrolled courses. Non-credit participants pay a program fee of $3,995. These fees include all accommodations, two meals per day, international travel insurance, international and in-country airfare, transportation to and from the airport and all scheduled group activities. It does not cover course tuition or spending money.
A deposit of $1,200 is due by March 15 to guarantee airfare and a spot in the program. Students are encouraged to consult with the Purdue University North Central Financial Aid Office for aid eligibility.
Further information about the trip may be obtained by visiting the PNC Office of Graduate and Extended Learning website at https://www.pnc.edu/gel/travel-study.html.
For questions specifically related to academic content or trip activities, contact Kincaid at kkincaid@pnc.edu or 785-5244. For information about fees, registration and deadlines, contact the Office of Graduate and Extended Learning at 785-5343 or gel@pnc.edu.
Photo: PNC students visit Machu Picchu, "The lost City of the Incas," during a previous PNC Study Abroad trip to Peru. Trip participants are immersed in a variety of cultural settings that reflect the diversity of Peru as the nation itself serves as a their classroom.