Cuenca-Ecuador - Wednesday, 27 August 2008

Internships

Through CEDEI's Internship Program, university students and professional adults have the opportunity to gain valuable language and work experience related to their field of study. Participants work as volunteers for community-based organizations in and around the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. Past internships have been arranged in a variety of fields; a sample of these is listed below. Internships in other fields of interest that are not listed here may also be possible to arrange.

Program Requirements

The Internship Program serves as an introduction to a professional work environment in a Latin American organization. Although internships need not follow traditional academic calendars, a minimum of seven weeks is required in order for the intern to become more fully involved in their work assignment. The intern is required to work 30-40 hours a week in the organization in order to successfully complete the program. Participants must have at least junior standing in university and have an advanced proficiency in the Spanish language (eg, a minimum of three years of Spanish at the university level). In addition, participants should have an academic background related to the internship field they select.

Internship Areas

Cuenca offers a number of interesting possibilities for student internships. The following are only a few of the areas where students might learn in the work place:

Archaeology

Birthplace of Atahualpa, the last ruler of the Inca Empire, the ancient city of Tomebamba lies buried beneath the modern-day city of Cuenca. Current excavations of the Inca city and many other nearby sites have revealed much about Andean life before the conquest. Some past interns have been placed at: El Museo de Culturas Aborígenes and at the Museo de Ingapirca.

Art

Internships may be arranged as curator assistant, art historian or publicist at the Museum of Modern Art or with the organizers of the Bienal of Cuenca and other museums in Cuenca.

Banking and Finance

As one of Ecuador's largest cities, Cuenca is home to one of the most important finance communities in the nation. International and national banks, as well as investment firms, offer the opportunity to learn the complexities of Latin American finance.

Ecology

Located on the Equator, the snowcapped mountains of Ecuador are some of the highest in the world. The combination of tropical latitudes and Andean altitudes make the Cuenca area environmentally unique. Internships are possible in several governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Education

Cuenca's many schools, private and public, rich and poor, provide a microcosm of Latin American society, its problems as well as its attempts to solve them. Placement can be with local bilingual schools or at CEDEI itself.

Ethnomusicology

Andean folk music now enjoys world-wide popularity. In Cuenca and the neighboring villages in Cañar one can still hear the strains of the charango and the quena.

Floriculture

The valleys around Cuenca have the altitude, temperature and other conditions perfect for floriculture, which have made flowers from this region famous internationally for their quality.

Hotel and Tourism

In the last few years, because of its extraordinary beauty and natural and cultural diversity, Ecuador has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in South America.

Import/Export

Cuenca and the surrounding areas have prominent industries which export a variety of products to North America, Europe, Asia and other markets in Latin America.

Medicine

Local hospitals, clinics, medical outreach organizations, rehabilitation centers offer students with a background in this field a look at all levels of Ecuadorian society and modern issues of health.

Museums

As a Spanish colonial city, Cuenca hosts more than a dozen museums pre-Columbian to contemporary as well as the Bienal, an art show which invites artists from all the countries of the Américas every two years.

Newspapers

Cuenca has two daily papers, El Mercurio and El Tiempo, with regional and national distribution. They have the latest technology which allows them to communicate news as it happens.

Politics

CEDEI has placed interns in the office of the governor of the province of Azuay, in the office of the Mayor of Cuenca, as well as in other governmental offices.

Popular Arts

Villages in the Cuenca area are internationally recognized for their traditions of weaving, ceramics, jewelry and basket making. Students have the opportunity to study these art forms, now enjoying a renaissance, and participate in all stages of the process from raw materials to market.

Women's Studies

Placements are possible with a women's crisis center or with women's development organizations as well as with local or national government or non-governmental organizations.

Other internship areas include anthropology, development, journalism, urban and regional planning.

Academic Credit

Participants in a regular 10-16 week internship will enroll concurrently in ISL390 Internship: Placement and ISL391 Internship: Analysis for a total of 8 credits. Participants in a 7-9 week micro-internship will enroll concurrently in ISL380 Micro-Internship: Placement and ISL381 Micro-Internship: Analysis for a total of 4 credits. Refer to the Internships & Service Learning section of our course catalog for further information. It is the responsibility of the student to determine whether or not CEDEI credits can be transferred to the home university; however, CEDEI is available to assist with this process.

Program Fees

Please refer to Fees, Payments & Refunds for information about program fees.

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