Academic Program:

Because the seasons of the Southern Hemisphere are the reverse of those of the Northern Hemisphere, and because the academic year does not, as a result, take place during the same months as ours, the program presents two approaches to spending a year in Perú. In the first option, students enroll and follow the PUCP's normal academic year, whose Fall semester begins in mid February and ends in mid July. After the Peruvian winter break in July and August, classes resume with the Spring semester in late August and classes and exams end in mid-December. In the second option, students reverse the order and begin their year with the Peruvian Spring semester (late August to mid-December) and after the Peruvian summer (late December, January, February), students resume classes in mid March. The Peruvian Fall semester ends in mid July. For more specific information about the academic calendar at the PUCP, click here (in Spanish).

In special circumstances, given the logistical difficulties the reversal of the academic and seasonal calendar can present, a "semester-plus" program (July through December) is available. To take full advantage of the condensed study abroad experience, Holy Cross has worked closely with the PUCP to develop a preliminary six-week program of cultural and linguistic immersion to complement time spent at the university. Under the program, students take part in a range of activities that allow them to experience life in Perú first-hand: traveling throughout the city and to nearby towns, contributing to a community service project, attending concerts and visiting museums, visiting local government offices, savoring the ideal butifarra or ceviche. The program allows students to participate more fully in the life of the city than they would at the university alone and helps them to develop a focus for their university studies. As with the year-long program, students participating in the "semester-plus" program will live with carefully-selected Peruvian families and take regular University classes with Peruvian students and faculty.

Courses taken so far at PUCP for Holy Cross credit

Location and Facilities:

Lima, capital of Perú, is situated on a narrow plain separating the Andes mountains from the sea. Ever since Pizarro founded the city as a foothold for Spanish colonists in Inca territory, Lima and its port have been the main point of contact between Perú and the outside world: much of the Spanish empire was built on silver shipped from the nearby port of Callao, commercial hub of the viceroyalty of Perú, of which Lima was capital. The city has spread widely since colonial times, spilling out to the banks of the Pacific and earning the nickname "El Pulpo" (the Octopus) from its inhabitants. Modern Lima is a city of stark contrasts, geographically, socially, and architecturally, from the skyscrapers of Miraflores, to the 400-year-old wooden balconies overlooking Plaza de Armas, to the shantytowns clinging to the surrounding hills.

At the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, the campus itself reflects the long and varied history of Peruvian culture, as seen in the ruins of an Inca road mirrored in the glass façade of the Information Sciences building just beyond. The PUCP's nine major schools all occupy the same ground, distributed among tree-lined walks and bright flowerbeds, and interspersed with outdoor cafeterias, student centers, administrative buildings, a rose garden, a religious center, a modern sports complex, and the large central library. The PUCP offers 47 degree programs, with particular strengths in history, anthropology, sociology, urban development, politics, literature, and Latin American studies. The university also operates numerous institutes and cultural centers around metropolitan Lima. The campus is well-wired, with high-speed internet and intranet services to facilitate research and keep students connected.

The summer immersion program is run by the Escuela de Lenguas Extranjeras (ELEPUC), which works closely with local institutions, community service organizations, governmental offices, and student travel groups to balance language instruction with cultural activities in and around Lima. Click here to see a sample of orientation program activities (in Spanish).

Academic Program:

Throughout their stay, students will take a language support course as one-fourth of their course load. Three courses per semester are chosen from the University course catalog; one of these courses may be an international student-specific culture course, or, alternatively, a regular university course with a very high "national culture" component.

Independent Cultural Immersion Project (ICIP):

Holy Cross requires all students abroad to complete an ICIP. The ICIP provides students with the opportunity to get outside the classroom and into the community, where they may pursue some special interest in the local culture, whether it be history, language, folklore, religion, law, arts, economics, commerce, industry, architecture, politics and government, women's issues, social institutions or practices, manners, cuisine, popular culture or the scientific study of local flora and fauna. The scope of the project is broad and creative approaches are encouraged.

Living Arrangements:

As with all Study Abroad Programs where a second language is required, students will be placed with carefully-selected families, where they will receive morning and evening meals (lunch can be bought at one of the numerous cafeterias around campus), a private room, basic services such as laundry and limited telephone usage, and at least some time set for conversation and advice. Living and sharing with families is the best sort of language and cultural 'practicum'; students are expected to participate as much as possible in their host family's daily life.

Study Abroad Contact Person:

Professor Karen Sweetland-Dion - Assistant Director

For more information, contact the Study Abroad Office or one of the Latin American Studies faculty.