Mexico City, Mexico
While there is still much work to be done, many LGBTQ activists and allies in the U.S. are celebrating the recognition of same-sex marriage, expanding legal protections, and greater recognition of trans people. Social changes like these represent hard-won victories, and can help us better understand the historical and cultural context in which change is imagined, created, and ultimately sustained.
This program asks the question: What do LGBTQ communities and organizations look like in another context, a context which is physically close to the U.S. but has a very different culture and history? To help answer this question, our program will be based in both Seattle and Mexico City to explore the links between queer movements in the U.S. and Mexico, and how they might influence each other.
Our hybrid program spends one intensive week in Seattle and three intensive weeks in Mexico City:
Through an interdisciplinary curriculum comprised of literature, history, ethnography, and creative nonfiction, as well as site visits to local community organizations, students will better understand LGBTQ issues, public health, migration and global relations.
Our three weeks in Mexico City will introduce students to local LGBTQ activists, organizations, and change-makers. We will learn from our community partners about how a country’s history shapes LGBTQ priorities. Questions we will engage include: What can we learn from the challenges and successes of LGBTQ communities in Mexico’s capital as they work to mobilize and create change throughout the country? How does the contemporary landscape of national and international migration affect identity issues in Mexico? How do LGBTQ rights intersect with other areas of human rights in the country such as environmental justice, public health, women’s rights, and access to education?
Coursework will consist of group projects, classroom lecture and discussion, field excursions, site visits, individual analysis, and creative writing assignments.
Both components of the program are required, and build off and into each other.
- CHID 498 A: LGBTQ Activism Here and There: Putting Ourselves in Context (3 credits I&S)
- CHID 472 A: LGBTQ Activism, Mobilization, and Change in Mexico City (5 credits I&S)
- CHID 470 A: General Orientation to Mexico (1 credit I&S)
- CHID 498 B: Unpacking Our Learning: What Do We Do with What We’ve Brought Back? (3 credits I&S)
*Note that the fees stated above do not include some additional costs, including, but not limited to: airfare, Study Abroad Insurance ($2/day), and personal spending money. Remember that these costs will differ by program. Be sure to read our Fees, Financing, and Withdrawal information for details about the fee structure and payment schedule.