Description

The Sports and Society: Baseball in Context summer study abroad program in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic helps students gain a critical appreciation of the integral role of baseball and the major leagues in Dominican identity, culture, and history. The program's academic and experiential components involve an intensive examination of the ethical and sociological as well as international and intercultural facets of a sport that wields tremendous importance in the Dominican Republic and in much of the Americas. This is achieved through CIEE courses offered at the CIEE study center, in partnership with the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales.

The program is open to students from all disciplines and all levels of Spanish. Courses are offered in English, and students with no language background will enjoy specialized instruction in beginning Spanish. This program is ideal for students with a keen interest in sports, athletics, and sports management, as well as sociology and anthropology, and Latin American and Caribbean studies. In addition to studying the rich local culture of baseball, students further immerse themselves in Dominican culture by living with a Dominican host family.

Academic Program
The CIEE Study Center in Santo Domingo has a long tradition of high academic quality in the social sciences. The Sport and Society in Context program is open to students from all majors who have an interest in any of the following disciplines: Spanish, Latin American and/or Caribbean studies, sociology, anthropology, sports management, and development. Students enroll in two of the three required courses: Cultural Studies in Caribbean Sport, Ethical Issues in Sports and Development, and Spanish language. All courses, except Spanish, are taught in English.

Academic Culture
The observational- and experiential-based courses are designed specifically for CIEE students. Class time includes in-class discussions as well as extensive experiential and field-based learning components. Professors prepare students in the classroom and accompany them on educational field trips. The classrooms are located in the CIEE Study Center and though classroom time is spent only with other CIEE students, field trips provide ample opportunity to interact with a varied population of Dominicans within the baseball community such as prospects, players, coaches, scouts, administrators, and historians.