The Merida program was established to provide students with an opportunity to take courses in Ecology, Anthropology and Spanish during the summer session or for a semester or academic year. The program encourages integration into Yucatecan life with daily interaction with local families and students.
The academic semester program is for advanced students fluent in Spanish. The program incorporates you in to the academic life of the Autonomous University of the Yucatan. Classes are taken with Mexican students as well as international students from Japan, England and other countries. The semester courses include classes in subjects such as Spanish-American literature, the history of Mexico and the Yucatan, Mayan archaeology, Mayan language and Mexican anthropology, along with a class in academic spoken Spanish.
As this is a UF program, credits taken can satisfy major, minor and University requirements (with prior approval). UF GPA credit will be granted for courses taken with UF faculty. Transfer credit will be earned with courses taught by professors from the Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan (UADY).
This summer program in Merida consist of intensive Spanish at several levels as well as courses in Anthropology or Tropical Ecology. The course credits may be applied towards UF's "last 30 hours" residency requirement.
The Ecology course is held at the downtown UADY administration building (Calles 57 and 60), generally in the evening (5:00-7:00 PM). Spanish classes usually meet in the morning at the new Faculty of Education building, near the rail station. The Anthropology class is also held at the Faculty of Education building. These locations are the most convenient, because some departments (e.g. Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science) are on the outskirts of town. Classes are scheduled, as are field trips, based on the availability of classroom space and vehicles. The university is large (>16,000 students) and has a distinguished faculty. You will find that UADY professors are extremely knowledgeable and very friendly. Similar to the rules at UF, students are expected to attend classes and arrive on time.
