GSP MISSION
• CREATED IN 2012 TO GIVE COLUMBIA FACULTY AND STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL THE GLOBE AND
CONDUCT COMPARATIVE RESEARCH IN REAL-WORLD SETTINGS.
• UNLIKE TRADITIONAL STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS, THE GLOBAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM (GSP) ALLOWS
STUDENTS TO CONDUCT FIELDWORK IN ONE AREA OF THE WORLD AND THEN TEST THEIR FINDINGS IN
ADDITIONAL HOST COUNTRIES THAT OFFER NEW SETS OF VARIABLES.
• GSP BUILDS ON THE EXPERTISE, RESOURCES, AND CROSS-REGIONAL NETWORKS OFFERED BY COLUMBIA’S
EIGHT GLOBAL CENTERS. ITS AIM IS TO HELP UNDERGRADUATES MAP THE GLOBE BY EXPLORING
TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES AND APPLYING SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH SKILLS IN A RANGE OF CHALLENGING AND
DIVERSE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXTS.
GSP MISSION, CONT’D
• THE PROGRAM ALSO PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEEPEN THEIR FIELD RESEARCH
BY INTERACTING WITH KEY LOCAL ACTORS: IMPORTANT FIGURES FROM GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS, THE
MEDIA, AND CIVIL SOCIETY, AS WELL AS ORDINARY CITIZENS.
• IN ADDITION, COLUMBIA GROUPS WORK WITH LOCAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS TO
BUILD AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO PARTICULAR
GLOBAL PROBLEMS DIFFER FROM ONE REGIONAL COMMUNITY TO ANOTHER.
PAST GSP’S
• SUMMER 2012: ENVIRONMENT AND URBANIZATION—BEIJING, SHANGHAI, AND MUMBAI
• SUMMER 2013: PATHWAYS TO DEVELOPMENT—BEIJING AND SANTIAGO
• SUMMER 2014: CONTEMPORARY CITIES OF EURASIA—BERLIN, MOSCOW, ULAN BATOR, AND BEIJING
• SUMMER 2017: MEDIA PRACTICES IN INDIA AND CHINA: A SUMMER PROGRAM IN MUMBAI AND BEIJING
• SUMMER 2017: LATIN AMERICAN CITIES: BUENOS AIRES, MONTEVIDEO, RIO DE JANEIRO, PANAMA CITY,
HAVANA
DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVE OF THE
PROGRAM
• LATIN AMERICA, WHERE FOUR OUT OF FIVE RESIDENTS TODAY LIVE IN CITIES, IS THE MOST URBANIZED REGION
IN THE WORLD. THIS GLOBAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM WILL EXPLORE THE HISTORICAL ORIGINS AND
CONTEMPORARY REALITIES OF URBAN LIFE IN THE REGION THROUGH RESEARCH AND TRAVEL IN FIVE CITIES
THAT CAPTURE LATIN AMERICA’S CULTURAL DIVERSITY: BUENOS AIRES, MONTEVIDEO, RIO DE JANEIRO,
PANAMA CITY, HAVANA.
• DURING OUR CLASS MEETINGS AND TRAVELS, WE WILL EXPLORE THE EVOLUTION OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT,
PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE, ECONOMIES, SOCIAL AND ETHNO-RACIAL ECOLOGIES, AND MUSIC AND ART IN THESE
FIVE CITIES. THROUGH READINGS, MAPS, RECORDINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, FILMS, AND SITE VISITS, STUDENTS
WILL LEARN ABOUT THE URBANSCAPE AND LIFE IN THESE CITIES AND PRODUCE A RESEARCH PAPER (OR
PROJECT IN OTHER MEDIUM) THAT WILL BE DUE A WEEK AFTER THE END OF THE COURSE (JUNE 26!).
PROGRAM FACULTY AND STAFF
• JOSÉ C. MOYA, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, BARNARD COLLEGE AND DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE OF LATIN
AMERICAN STUDIES, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
• MARITZA E. COLON-FERMÍN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ILAS
• ELIZA KWON-AHN, STUDENT AFFAIRS COORDINATOR, ILAS
IMPORTANT DATES
• DECEMBER 2: ONLINE APPLICATIONS DUE IN OGP PORTAL
• DECEMBER 12-15: INTERVIEW DATES, TIME TBD , MANDATORY!
• DECEMBER 16: DECISIONS ANNOUNCED*
• FRIDAY, MAY 12 – PRE-DEPARTURE MEETING*, MANDATORY!
• MONDAY MAY 15: FIRST SUMMER CLASS TO BE HELD AT ILAS, 9AM – 12PM
• TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017: DEPART TO BUENOS AIRES; ARRIVE MAY 17
• MAY 16 – JUNE 19, 2017: PROGRAM DATES
• MAY 26: FINAL PAPER FOR SUMMER COURSE DUE
REQUIREMENTS
• SPRING 2017 – TWO OPTIONS:
• LCRS UN 3999 , W 2:10-4PM
• ALL STUDENTS WILL MEET WEEKLY TO DISCUSS READINGS, VIDEOS/FILMS, AND OTHER SOURCES
RELEVANT TO THE TOPICS OF THE SUMMER CLASS. BY THE END OF THE SPRING SEMESTER STUDENTS
WILL HAVE A DRAFT OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE DURING THE SUMMER
PROGRAM.
• SUMMER 2017: 5 POINT SUMMER RESEARCH COURSE (TBD)
• KNOWLEDGE OF LATIN AMERICA IS HELPFUL BUT NOT REQUIRED.
COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID
• THE COST OF THE PROGRAM IS EXPECTED TO BE THE EQUIVALENT OF SUMMER TUITION FOR 5 CREDITS
PLUS FEES.
• COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT, WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE
PRESIDENT’S OFFICE, IT WILL BE ABLE TO OFFER THE GSP WITH A NEEDS BLIND APPLICATION PROCESS
AND SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE.
• ALL IN-COUNTRY TRAVEL, MOST MEALS, ACTIVITIES, AND HOUSING COSTS ARE INCLUDED IN THE COSTS
OF THE PROGRAM.
COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID
• STUDENTS WILL ONLY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR NY-BUENOS AIRES AND HAVANA-NY TRAVEL COSTS, SOME
DINNERS, AND APPLICABLE VISAS TO BRAZIL AND CUBA (U.S. CITIZENS NEED VISAS TO BOTH COUNTRIES,
$160 EACH).
• PLEASE VISIT THESE LINKS FOR INFORMATION:
BRAZIL: HTTP://NOVAYORK.ITAMARATY.GOV.BR/EN-US/TOURIST_VISA.XML
CUBA: HTTP://WWW.CUBAVISAS.COM/VISA.PHP?ACT=ESSINFO&SUBACT=WHO_NEEDS_VISA
• ALL ACCEPTED STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE AN ILAS RESEARCH GRANT OF $1,000 TO DEFRAY COSTS OF
TRAVEL.
OVERVIEW: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
• WE WILL START IN BUENOS AIRES, A CITY THAT BECAME THE LARGEST IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE BY THE
EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY THANKS TO EUROPEAN IMMIGRATION, WHICH GAVE IT THE LARGEST ITALIAN AND
SPANISH POPULATIONS OUTSIDE OF ITALY AND SPAIN, ONE OF THE LARGEST JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN THE
WORLD, AND A PLETHORA OF OTHER GROUPS, INCLUDING MORE RECENTLY ARRIVALS FROM KOREA, CHINA, AND
BOLIVIA.
MAY 17-24: BUENOS AIRES
• DEPART NY MAY 16 – ARRIVE IN BUENOS AIRES MAY 17
• CLASSES AND GUEST LECTURES, DOWNTOWN CAMPUS OF UNIVERSIDAD DE SAN ANDRES
• WALKING TOURS: LA BOCA, AN OLD ITALIAN NEIGHBORHOOD AND PORT AREA, AND THE STADIUM OF THE
FAMED BOCA JUNIORS SOCCER TEAM; SAN TELMO, THE OLDEST DISTRICT IN THE CITY WHICH WENT
FROM DECAY TO GENTRIFICATION. ONCE, THE TRADITIONAL JEWISH QUARTERS, PART OF WHICH HAVE
BEEN SETTLED BY KOREAN IMMIGRANTS
MAY 17-24: BUENOS AIRES
• WALKING TOURS: RECOLETA AND CHACARITA, THE HISTORICAL CEMETERIES OF THE ELITE AND WORKING
CLASSES; AVENIDA DE MAYO, BUENOS AIRES’ VERSION OF THE CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES
• WALKING TOUR: CHINATOWN IN BELGRANO; THE DESIGN DISTRICTS OF PALERMO HOLLYWOOD AND
PALERMO SOHO
• VISITS: THE NATIONAL HISTORICAL MUSEUM; MALBA, THE MUSEUM OF LATIN AMERICAN ART; TEATRO
COLON, THE FAMED OPERA HOUSE DESCRIBED BY RUDOLF NUREYEV AS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THEATER IN
THE WORLD; A TANGO NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION; AND BELLE ÉPOQUE BUILDINGS THAT HAVE BEEN
RECYCLED INTO BOOKSTORES AND CULTURAL CENTERS
• MEETING WITH ARGENTINE COLLEGE STUDENTS AND URBAN PLANNERS
OVERVIEW: MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY
• WE THEN CROSS THE RIVER PLATE TO URUGUAY, WHICH BY THE EARLY 1900S WAS THE MOST URBANIZED
COUNTRY IN THE WORLD AFTER ENGLAND, VISITING COLONIA DE SACRAMENTO, A WELL-PRESERVED
COLONIAL TOWN DESIGNATED AS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE BY UNESCO, AND MONTEVIDEO, THE CAPITAL
OF A COUNTRY THAT DEVELOPED THE FIRST WELFARE STATE IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE, AND PERHAPS
NOT COINCIDENTLY, A CITY THAT HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY RATED AS HAVING THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF
LIFE IN LATIN AMERICA.
MAY 24-28: MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY
• BOAT TRIP ACROSS THE RIVER PLATE TO COLONIA DE SACRAMENTO, URUGUAY
• CLASSES AND FIELD TRIPS IN UNIVERSIDAD DE LA REPUBLICA
• WALKING TOURS: CIUDAD VIEJA, THE OLD TOWN WITH COLONIAL, NEOCLASSICAL, AND ART DECO
ARCHITECTURE; POCITOS, AN UPSCALE BEACH AND BOHEMIAN NEIGHBORHOOD; THE RAMBLAS, THE
CITY’S WATERFRONT PROMENADE AND THE PORT MARKET
• VISIT: THE TEATRO SOLIS, THE MAIN THEATER IN THE CITY; MUSEO TORRE GARCIA, DEDICATED TO THE
WORK OF THE EPONYMOUS CONSTRUCTIVIST ARTIST; AND THE MUSEO HISTORICO NACIONAL.
OVERVIEW: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
• OUR NEXT STOP SITS ON A SPECTACULAR NATURAL SETTING AND HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH
SAMBA, CARNIVAL, BEACH CULTURE, AND OTHER MARKERS OF HEDONISM. BUT RIO DE JANEIRO WAS
ALSO THE LARGEST SLAVE PORT IN THE NEW WORLD, THE ENTRY POINT FOR SWELLS OF POOR
PORTUGUESE IMMIGRANTS, AND IS TODAY A PLACE OF BOTH OPULENT NEIGHBORHOODS AND FAVELAS,
ETHNO-CULTURAL FUSIONS AND SOCIOECONOMIC RIFTS.
MAY 28 – JUNE 6: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
• CLASSES, GUEST LECTURES, AND RESEARCH: INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES, WHICH HAS A
PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBIT AND ARCHIVE OF HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY IMAGES OF RIO.
• CLASSES AND GUEST LECTURES AT PUC UNIVERSITY AND RIO GLOBAL CENTER
• WALKING AND BICYCLE TOURS: BEACH NEIGHBORHOODS OF LEBLON, IPANEMA, AND COPACABANA
• WALKING TOUR: SANTA TERESA, A BOHEMIAN HILL AREA; DOWNTOWN AND THE OLD SLAVE MARKET IN
VALONGO STREET
MAY 29 – JUNE 6: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
• WALKING TROUR: THE 2016 OLYMPIC COMPLEX AND THE DONA MARTA FAVELA
• VISITS: THE NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM; THE MUSEUM OF TOMORROW; MUSEUM OF IMAGE AND
SOUND; MUSEO DE ARTE DO RIO, THE ART GALLERY IN NITEROI, DESIGNED BY MODERNIST ARCHITECT
OSCAR NIEMEYER
• ACTIVITY: A SOCCER GAME AT THE FAMED MARACANA STADIUM
• ACTIVITY: LOCAL ESCOLA DA SAMBA, NEIGHBORHOOD DANCE ASSOCIATIONS THAT PRACTICE YEAR-
LONG TO COMPETE IN THE CARNIVAL. MEETING WITH BRAZILIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND URBAN
PLANNERS.
OVERVIEW: PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
• PANAMA CITY HAS LONG BEEN AN ECONOMIC CROSSROADS. DURING COLONIAL TIMES THE SILVER OF
PERU CROSSED THE PIRATE-INFECTED ISTHMUS ON ITS WAY TO SPAIN. THE PANAMA CANAL TURNED IT
INTO A LINK BETWEEN THE PACIFIC AND ATLANTIC WORLDS. MORE RECENTLY, THE CITY HAS BECOME A
GLOBAL HUB OF BANKING AND FINANCE, A PERFECT SITE TO STUDY THE LOCAL EFFECTS OF
GLOBALIZATION.
JUNE 7 - 10: PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
• CLASSES AND GUEST LECTURES, LOCATION TBD
• WALKING AND BUS TOURS OF THE OLD CITY; AVENIDA BALBOA, A PACIFIC-FACING PROMENADE; COSTA
DEL ESTE, A BUSINESS DISTRICT THAT HAS BEEN DEFINED AS A MIX OF MIAMI AND HONG KONG
• VISIT: THE PANAMA CANAL: THE MIRAFLORES LOCKS AND PANAMA INTEROCEANIC CANAL MUSEUM
• MEETING WITH PANAMA BUSINESS LEADERS; VISIT TO THE STOCK EXCHANGE
• VISIT TO ARTICRUZ, A WORKSHOP OF ARTIST CARLOS CRUZ-DIEZ
OVERVIEW: HAVANA, CUBA
• HAVANA, LIKE RIO, WAS LONG ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL HEDONISM AND IT IS ONE OF THE MAIN AND
MOST VIBRANT SITES OF AFRICAN-DERIVED CULTURE IN THE AMERICAS. BUT IT IS ALSO THE CAPITAL OF
ONE OF THE LAST COMMUNIST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD, ONE THAT WAS ISOLATED FROM THE UNITED
STATES AND GLOBAL CAPITALISM FOR MORE THAN HALF-A-CENTURY AND THAT THUS OFFERS A DRASTIC
CONTRAST TO THE OTHER CITIES, AND PARTICULARLY TO PANAMA CITY.
JUNE 11 – 19: HAVANA, CUBA
• HAVANA CLASSES AND GUEST LECTURES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAVANA, CENTER FOR THE NEW
ECONOMY
• WALKING TOURS OF OLD HAVANA: THE MALECON OCEAN-SIDE PROMENADE; PASEO DEL PRADO AND ITS
ART DECO ARCHITECTURE; THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS OF VEDADO AND MIRAMAR WITH THEIR
1950S MODERNISM ARCHITECTURE; AND GUANABACOA, A TRADITIONAL AFRO-CUBAN NEIGHBORHOOD
JUNE 11 – 19: HAVANA, CUBA
• VISITS: THE MUSEO DE LA CIUDAD, THE GRAN TEATRO, A NINETEENTH-CENTURY NEO-CLASSICAL OPERA
HOUSE; THE COLONIAL FORTRESS OF EL MORRO; CEMENTERIO COLON, HAVANA’S HISTORIC CEMETERY
AND A TROPICAL COUNTERPART OF BUENOS AIRES’ LA RECOLETA; THE MUSEO DE LA REVOLUCIÓN
• ACTIVITIES: A SANTERIA (AFRO-CUBAN RELIGION) CEREMONY AT THE WORKING-CLASS NEIGHBORHOOD
OF REGLA; RUMBA AT EL CALLEJON DE HAMEL; OTHERS
• ACTIVITY: MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF THE EMERGING CLASS OF CUBAN ENTREPRENEURS
HOW TO APPLY
• HTTPS://COLUMBIA.STUDIOABROAD.COM/INDEX.CFM?FUSEACTION=PROGRAMS.VIEWPROGRAM&PRO
GRAM_ID=10905
• COMPLETE ONLINE APPLICATION FORM
• UPLOAD: STATEMENT OF PURPOSE, TRANSCRIPTS, TWO RECOMMENDATION LETTERS, FAFSA
Q&A
• OGP CONTACT: MEG BOOTH, [email protected]
• ILAS CONTACT: ELIZA KWON-AHN, [email protected]