USU Students Take Part in Inaugural Experiential Learning Program in Argentina

LOGAN — Seven students spent fall 2024 in Córdoba, Argentina participating in Utah State University's first semester-long faculty-led study abroad program.

Hosted by the Spanish section in the Department of World Languages and Cultures and USU's Office of Global Engagement, the first cohort of students accompanied Professor Joshua Thoms to study at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba(UNC) in Argentina.

UNC is one of the largest and oldest universities in South America and an established provider of coursework and unique cultural experiences geared toward international students through its Spanish and Latin American Cultural Program (PECLA).

Student Natalie Rust recently decided to double-major in Spanish following her experience abroad.

“Living and studying in Argentina has opened my eyes to the beauty of other realities and incorporating an open perspective in my life. I got to experience first-hand what it was like to sit at an Argentine dinner table … walk along the streets during a nationwide protest for public education, explore the Andes, and attend a legislative session,” Rust said. “Most importantly, I had the opportunity to live with and become friends with locals who taught me more than I could ever learn in a classroom.”

Like Rust, the majority of participating students were from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences where language programs are housed. In Argentina, courses ranged from advanced language classes aimed to improve overall Spanish linguistic ability to courses exploring cultural, historical, social, and literary aspects of Latin America. As part of the program, students also took a class with Professor Thoms that focused on the importance of developing intercultural communicative competence and involved multiple guest visitors and cultural excursions tied to the course's objectives.

“In addition to 'traditional' learning experiences inside the classroom, I wanted to involve local experts to help us make sense of and better navigate South American life and culture from their unique perspectives,” said Thoms. "We were also strategic [in requiring] students to live with host families during the semester-long experience. Students oftentimes learn more about the second language and culture via these kinds of more personal experiences with families versus what we can solely offer them in a classroom or by having them stay in a dorm room or hotel while in country.”

Students were also paired with local undergraduate students via UNC's Speaking Partners program and met a few hours each month to work together to explore a linguistic, artistic, or cultural facet of South American life.

Cultural excursions were another important component of the new USU study abroad program. Some of the fall 2024 experiences included screening of a handful of “cortometrajes”(short films) via a local Latin American film festival, a guided tour of La Perla — a former military detention center that now serves as an educational space, a day trip to a nature reserve where students learned about “gaucho” life while riding horses, a guided soccer game, a lesson in the traditional dance of tango, and visits to more than 30 museums in Córdoba.

“Studying abroad helped me reframe life. Getting to live in Argentina and connect with the people and their culture opened my eyes so much wider to the breadth of the human experience, the diversity that Earth holds, and the importance of choosing to be curious rather than assumptive,” said Duane Goodrich, a social work major who is minoring in Spanish. “I'd recommend anyone the opportunity to have that growth in Argentina.”

Students in the first cohort received funding to help cover costs through a variety of sources, including the Heravi Peace Institute, University Honors Program, and the Department of World Languages and Cultures who plan to continue the program each fall, with Spanish faculty rotating in as program leaders.

The 2025 program will be led by Professor J.P. Spicer-Escalante, and interested students have until March 1, 2025, to apply. Applicants should be able to demonstrate a minimum level of proficiency in Spanish or have taken at least the first three semesters of Spanish. Students should also note that credit earned in Argentina can be applied to a Spanish minor or major, but all majors are welcome. More information is available here.