Summary

Offered through the Institute for Study Abroad-Butler University (IFSA-Butler), the Argentine Universities Program (AUP) is co-sponsored by UW-Madison. The AUP allows students great academic flexibility in the rich setting of Buenos Aires. Students can choose between semester, yearlong or summer program options.

Buenos Aires is a complex city that is home to wonderful attractions and one of the most cosmopolitan societies in the world. Incredibly, the city and the surrounding areas are home to nearly forty percent of the Argentine population. This "Paris of the Americas" has almost no skyscrapers, making the city seem even larger. The bus and local train services are inexpensive and reliable, and many cultural and social sites are located in the compact city center or the nearby and easily accessible barrios.

Academics

The AUP offers students a variety of rewarding academic options. Students on the semester or yearlong program can directly enroll in courses from just one or as many as four of the following Buenos Aires universities: Universidad Catolica Argentina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad del Salvador, or Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. All university classes are taken with degree-seeking Argentine students.

No matter which universities students enroll in, coursework will be supplemented with a mandatory Spanish Language & Argentine Culture course designed especially for IFSA-Butler program participants. Three other program courses are also available: Argentine State and Society, Contemporary Argentine and Latin American Literature, and Argentine Foreign Policy. All courses on the IFSA-Butler program are taught in Spanish by Argentine professors.

In addition to the AUP options of studying at the four Argentine universities, AUP semester or yearlong participants have the option to study in one of five specialized tracks designed especially for IFSA-Butler students: cinema studies; diversity, minority and gender studies; human rights studies; literature studies and theatre studies. This provides students a great opportunity to completely integrate into the cultural life of Buenos Aires by working and researching at prestigious civil society institutions alongside distinguished faculty and experts.

IFSA-Butler also offers an independent research option for semester or yearlong participants that combines academic training and practical experience in social problem analysis. Students who choose this option take part in a supervised research project designed individually for each participant on the basis of past academic work, research skills, and areas of personal research interest.

The summer academic focus is on Argentine Language and Culture. Students are required to take a Spanish language course in addition to choosing one of the following two courses: Contemporary Argentine and Latin American Literature or Argentine Social History. Courses are taught by Universidad de Buenos Aires faculty.

The AUP program matches each student with a tutor who is trained to help with language and academic questions. Students and tutors are paired by academic discipline and meet at least once a month.

Cost

Program cost information includes not only program fees, but out-of-pocket expenses with notes to help explain costs. Program fees are estimated and can be adjusted at any time. Accepted students receive cost sheets with confirmed program fees in their acceptance packets.

Calendar Year 2008-09 Cost Estimate Sheet Summer 2008-09 Cost Estimate Sheet Calendar Year 2009-10 Cost Estimate Sheet Fall 2009-10 Cost Estimate Sheet Spring 2009-10 Cost Estimate Sheet Summer 2009-10 Cost Estimate Sheet Year 2009-10 Cost Estimate Sheet Fall 2010-11 Cost Estimate Sheet Year 2010-11 Cost Estimate Sheet

Location

Buenos Aires is a complex city that is home to wonderful attractions and one of the most cosmopolitan societies in the world. Incredibly, the city and the surrounding areas are home to nearly forty percent of the Argentine population. This "Paris of the Americas" has almost no skyscrapers, making the city seem even larger. The bus and local train services are inexpensive and reliable, and many cultural and social sites are located in the compact city center or the nearby and easily accessible barrios.

Student Life

Orientation:  Upon arrival in mid-July or mid-February (for semester or year long students), students attend a mandatory 10-day orientation in which intensive Spanish, safety, and general information about Argentina are covered. Summer students receive an on-site orientation.

Housing:  Housing and some meals are included in the program fee. Students live with carefully selected host families in different neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. Living with a host family is one of the best ways to be immersed into the culture and language of Argentina. Families provide two meals per day during the week and one meal on Saturdays.

Excursions and Activities:  Upon arrival in Argentina, there is an on-site orientation for all program participants as well as several excursions and cultural events planned for each program.

Several volunteer opportunities are available for the semester or yearlong programs. Some past student placements have included work with organizations: working to rescue stray animals; improving the quality of life for children in marginalized neighborhoods; providing general and medical assistance to isolated rural communities; promoting social integration of the LGBT community.