n an effort to give more students an opportunity to study abroad, the Department of English and Foreign Language at Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, is offering its students a chance to spend two weeks in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
“We wanted to create an alternative Spanish immersion program for those students who do not have the resources to pay for the study abroad program, and we are also trying to accommodate those students who have families and can not be gone for a long stretch,” said Dr. Elba Birmingham-Pokorny, professor of Spanish at SAU.
Pokorny encourages those interested in traveling abroad to get a passport as soon as possible.
“Because of changes in traveling abroad, students are now required to have a passport,” she said.
Experience Mexico will be held from May 29 to June 12, 2007. The cost of the trip is $550. The price includes transportation from Texarkana to Mexico, hotel accommodations, museums, excursions, daily lunch and dinner, and ground transportation. This price does not include tuition for two courses.
Two courses will be offered to students. They are advanced composition and conversation and Hispanic life and culture. They will be taught by Pokorny and Dr. Juping Wang, assistant professor of Spanish at SAU. Registration for the courses begins April 2, 2007.
Students must complete intermediate Spanish or be a heritage speaker before signing up for the courses.
“This is a great program,” said Pokorny. “Students will be totally immersed in the Spanish culture.”
Activities for the trip include visiting Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas, Café literario de Nuevo Laredo, Parque arqueologico del Centro Cultural Nuevo Laredo, Biblioteca Publica Jose Vasconcelos, Plaza dePresidencia, Plaza Esteban Baca Calderon, Plaza Hidalgo, Plaza Longoria, Monumento a los fundadores, and Templo del Santo Nino.
“This program was designed to give students an opportunity to use the language,” said Pokorny. “We will attend a literary gathering where students will have an opportunity to discuss the chosen book.”
The first payment for the trip is due by April 2, 2007, and the second payment is due on May 1, 2007.
For more information call Dr. Elba D. Birmingham-Pokorny at 870-235-4206 or contact her by e-mail at elpokorny@saumag.edu.
