Transnationalism & Comparative Development in South America

I truly cannot speak highly enough of this program. The Transnational and Comparative Development program that SIT offers is absolutely incredible. Unlike other SIT programs, this one has international travel built in, and we had the opportunity to visit Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil in addition to getting to know our home city of Buenos Aires. The structure of the program allows for a really distinct and enriching learning experience where students get an idea of the region's history and current political issues through not only traditional lecture-style classes with various professors, but also through site visits in the four countries. We had the opportunity to visit the headquarters of regional institutions like ALADI and MERCOSUR, to speak with activist and indigenous groups, and to visit important political institutions. Additionally, this program offers students to perform independent research or do an internship in the final month of the semester. I chose to do a research project and was able to conduct interviews and work one-on-one with a professor associated with the program.

Argentina: Transnationalism and Comparative Development in South America was, in my experience, a life-changing program packed with unforgettable moments. I studied with a small group of 12 other students from U.S. universities. Group projects and the program's many excursions and visits provided ample opportunities to get to know my classmates. The program directors were absolutely incredible and willing to help us however they could over the course of the semester. I constantly found myself excited to get the most that I could out of every moment. I learned in firsthand ways that I never had before and reshaped my perspective on the world.

The program is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and students spend most of the semester there, starting with orientation during the first week and culminating with Independent Study Project (ISP) and internship presentations during the final week. Students take courses in the program's core content, transnationalism and development, and social science field research methods and ethics in el Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social (IDES) in Palermo, Buenos Aires. They also take a Spanish language course in la Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) in the center of Buenos Aires. All courses are in Spanish. Students live with a homestay family during the semester and engage with Argentinian culture firsthand.

The program includes incredible excursions that greatly enhance students' development of transnational and comparative perspectives and generate experiences that, while certainly cross-cultural, emphasize shared struggles and regional integration with regard to social, political, economic, and cultural organizations and movements. Meetings with organizations, groups, and communities allow for an unparalleled understanding of the way people are impacted by, and themselves shape, political and economic changes. Students, through these experiences, lectures, and assignments, get a sense of the way local communities, nations of the Southern Cone region, and the world are interconnected.

In Argentina, in addition to living in Buenos Aires, program participants visit La Plata. They also leave the country on program excursions that feature more visits with local groups, lectures on program content specific to the places visited, and opportunities to explore new cities and world-renowned landmarks. Students stay in Asunción, Paraguay; see the binational dam at Itaipú; tour the powerful Iguazú Falls; explore Río de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil; and study in Montevideo and Colonia, Uruguay.

During the last month of the program, students either put together an ISP or participate in an internship. An ISP student, I was able to study the social construction of collective Argentinian memory by way of three memory sites in Buenos Aires that functioned as clandestine centers of detention, torture, and extermination during Argentina's military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. I observed the sites, went on official tours/visits, and interviewed employees at each one to gather my own data in the places themselves where history and memory have been shaped, an experience completely irreplaceable.

My time studying abroad with SIT has influenced the person I am today. I returned to the U.S. with so much valuable and applicable knowledge that even my family and friends commented on the growth I made as an individual, socially and academically. SIT provided every resource for me to delve into a foreign environment and capitalize on the beauty and knowledge South America has to offer. From traveling to Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and other areas of Argentina to connecting with political leaders to connecting me with an internship with a grass roots organization that provides resources for migrant and refugee women, SIT helped make this an unforgettable study abroad experience!

Gracias a SIT, Nuria, Julieta y Pablo por hacer esta experiencia inolvidable! Un gran abrazo!

I participated in the ‘SIT Argentina: Transnationalism and Comparative Development in South America’ program during the spring of 2018. I had a fantastic experience with the program overall and would recommend it to students who want to gain a well-rounded perspective on the current and past political, economic and social issues facing Argentina and the Southern Cone region in general. My classes were small and taught by experts in different fields, which allowed us to gain different perspectives on the issues we were learning about. Our classes often included experiential components: they included field trips to different NGOs and social justice initiatives in Buenos Aires and beyond. The program directors in Buenos Aires (Nuria, Julieta and Pablo) are some of the kindest, most supportive people I’ve met and made me feel comfortable and supported at all times.

One of the best parts of the semester, and the thing that separates this program for other SIT programs, was that students get to travel to three surrounding countries (Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) as part of our curriculum. During these excursions, we took classes, went on site visits to the MERCOSUR headquarters and local NGOs, and spoke with local activists and academics in order to better understand various issues facing the Southern Cone region as a whole. We were able to do some tourism on these trips too, which was incredible! These international excursions really complimented my learning and experiences in Buenos Aires and were definitely some of the highlights of my semester. Most SIT programs do not incorporate international travel, so this one is particularly unique in that way.

Buenos Aires is very exciting, bustling city to live in and there is always something to do. I lived with a wonderful host family and was able to improve my Spanish while living with them and through my classes. If I could go back and choose this program again, I absolutely would!

Really wholesome program for this field, excellent language improvement and immersion opportunity as well as travel! I enjoyed being there and every excursion pertained to the class material so it was definitely a good field study opportunity. It can be challenging because of the density of the programs and the material as well as the amount and frequency of travel but it really is worth it.

REPEATED for word count satisfaction:
Really wholesome program for this field, excellent language improvement and immersion opportunity as well as travel! I enjoyed being there and every excursion pertained to the class material so it was definitely a good field study opportunity. It can be challenging because of the density of the programs and the material as well as the amount and frequency of travel but it really is worth it

There is very little that this program could have done to make my experience better! The staff support when I was there with Nuria, Pablo and Julieta was really incredible-- they were always available to help talk through any issues with academics, homestay, language learning or just general social/emotional learning. As study abroad programs go, this one was also pretty academically rigorous as well-- all coursework in Spanish and biweekly presentations/paper.

However, I personally didn't have the greatest time, though I believe the rest of my cohort really enjoyed themselves. Here are a couple of the reasons why:
- The program travels a lot (Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil!) which grated on my ability to acclimate to one area and really form long-term relationships. Still really cool experience though to experience such a diversity of places though, and definitely a good fit for folks who love travel!
- Buenos Aires for young people has a strong nightlife (boliches, bars) and feria scene, which wasn't super my jam, but could definitely be yours! I don't think I realized that I didn't love cities before and prefer a more suburban/nature-y/laid back vibe. Buenos Aires is a really bustling place.

My time in Argentina was unique, fun, and I learned so much. Just a few reasons to consider this experience:

1. The staff are wonderful. Even before I landed in Argentina, the staff were communicating with me about everything I needed to know. Throughout our excursions to other countries, I had full confidence in them. When I had a family emergency occur back in the US, the staff helped me manage those logistics. Overall great leadership, which made it possible for me to focus on the learning and fun.

2. I learned a ton. Going to other countries meant I had a comparative mindset from the start. We had well-balanced and engaging lectures, and great field visits that left me thinking more deeply about the issues of development and transnational processes.

3. I had so much fun. I can't believe we packed in so much over the semester. Our field visits were relevant to the classroom experience. I also benefited from recommendations and must-sees in Buenos Aires. My host family took me to experience the city, and I bonded with them as if they were really my family. SIT did a spectacular job in placing me with a homestay.

I would absolutely recommend that future students select the Argentina: transnationalism and comparative development program.

I had a wonderful time in my experience with SIT. The language situation was approachable and they were flexible with different levels of Spanish. The classes were interesting, with frequent varied guest speakers that gave us perspectives from government officials, academia, and non-profit organizations. My host family was attentive, caring, and helped me learn about opportunities in the city so I could grow in my autonomy and security exploring alone or with friends. If anything, sometimes I felt the classes could be a little easy; students could get by without doing *all* of the reading and the classes weren't very high-stakes. I also spent more time with the US students and less time meeting Argentine students my age than I'd hoped. If you're confident about your Spanish and want very rigorous courses and more dynamic socializing, perhaps local enrollment would be right for you. In the end, I think this program was great for me. Plus, the traveling part of the program was wonderful! It wasn't only tourism; we got to learn from people and local organizations that I wouldn't have hear from otherwise.