UMD: Study in Mexico

The Many Faces of Mexico —

The Impact of Free Trade and Globalization

Mexico City/Oaxaca

Jan. 2-Jan. 15, 2006

UMD students and others will witness the effects of free trade and globalization on women, workers, farmers, indigenous people and the environment in Mexico. Eleven years after the passage of NAFTA, participants will examine the impact of the free trade agreement between a developing country and the world’s largest economy.

They will meet people from Oaxaca and Puebla working for change and learn together with people from Mexico and the United States as the group challenges economic injustice.

Above: A UMD student with women in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca.

This educational endeavor provides students with face-to-face experiences with people in Mexico.

The group will stay in Mexico City in La Casa de los Amigos, the former house of famous Mexican muralist, Jose Clemente Orozco. The house is located in the center of Mexico City, just minutes away from downtown. The first four days in Mexico City, the group will visit historical sites, the museum of Frida Kahlo and the National Museum of Anthropology. The group will also go on a one-day excursion to the pyramids of Teotihuacán.

The group will serve as a delegation with Witness for Peace, a U.S. based human rights group. As a part of the delegation the group will:
* Learn from non-governmental agencies working on trade and labor issues
* Study the connection between conflict in Mexico and globalization of the economy, including trade agreements such as NAFTA
* Hear from women and men who are working for better wages and working conditions in maquiladoras
* Travel to Oaxaca and Puebla and experience life with a Mexican family during a home stay in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca
* Talk with U.S. and/or Mexican officials who support free trade policies
* Explore the impacts of NAFTA and learn about alternatives to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
* Witness the mobilization of grassroots organizations and the struggle for true democracy in Mexico

The trip will give students exposure to the following topics: • Human Rights • Globalization • International Economics • Women’s Cooperatives • Feminist Movements in Mexico • Indigenous Communities • Immigration Maquiladoras • Environmental Issues • Agricultural Issues • U.S. Foreign Policy towards Mexico

Instructors:

Susana Pelayo-Woodward is the Director of the Hispanic, Latino, Chicana Learning Resource Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She is a native of Mexico City and has led two previous Witness for Peace delegations to Mexico.

Cindy M. Christian is an Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies and Political Science at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She also works for the Alworth Institute for International Studies and the International Education Office.

For further information, please contact: Susana Pelayo-Woodward Multicultural Center 233 Phone: 218/726-8444 E-mail: swoodwar@d.umn.edu OR

Cindy M. Christian 138 Kirby Plaza Phone: 726-8616 E-mail: alworth@d.umn.edu OR

Carol Threinen 138 Kirby Plaza Phone: 218/726-6274 E-mail: cthriene@d.umn.edu

Study Abroad
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