Honors students have the opportunity to fulfil their HON 205 requirement through Merida: Language, History & Culture in the Yucatan. This course will take place in winter 2027 and include a study abroad trip to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Students must apply for this opportunity.
Applications are due Friday, May 1. Apply here.
Merida: Language, History & Culture in the Yucatan
Immerse yourself in Mexican culture by studying Spanish and engaging in community service in Mérida, the state capital of the Yucatán, located in southeastern México. The Mérida program is centered around community engagement and service-learning, in addition to Spanish language. Mérida students volunteer with local public school children in the Emiliano Zapata Sur neighborhood, take a course from a DePaul professor, and deepen their experience of Mexican life by living with families in homestays.
This program is designed to offer an immersive experience that heightens students’ critical understanding of the history and life of Mexicans, particularly as it relates to this region of the country. Students will take courses in Spanish language and community engagement, along with a course taught by a DePaul professor who accompanies the group. In addition to class sessions, students will also participate in a number of excursions in and around Mérida that complement their coursework and highlight the region’s unique features.
Established by the Spanish in 1542 among the empty buildings of a Mayan classic city, Mérida is a city steeped in history and culture. It illustrates the rich dynamic between the Mayan and Spanish colonial history in the Yucatán. As one of the centers of the Mayan people, Mérida sits minutes away from some of the world’s most incredible anthropological sites, such as Chichen Itza, a major Mayan city; and Tulum, the site where the first Spaniards shipwrecked and encountered the Yucatec Mayans in 1511. The city is home to a major national university and several important regional museums. The natural beauty of the nearby coastline, which includes world-renowned beaches like Cancún and Progreso, accentuates the historical, anthropological, and cultural wealth of this region and city.
Learn more & apply here (Deadline is May 1):
Leave a Reply