Description

SUNY New Paltz Study Abroad program in Guayaquil, Ecuador is conducted by the Universidad Espiritu Santo, a fully accredited university that issues transcripts accepted by most American colleges and universities. Students may earn 6 undergraduate credits per session.

The Universidad Espiritu Santo is located in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Located on the Guayas River, this urban area is Ecuador's largest city, with a population of approximately 2.5 million inhabitants. Noted for its hustle and bustle and friendliness of its people, Guayaquil is the hub of an active import-export industry and serves as the financial center of Ecuador. It has several malls with attractive boutiques and numerous theaters and museums. Within an hour's drive by car from Guayaquil, there are several important ecological areas - mangrove swampland, desert, tropical dry forest, cloud forest and pristine beaches. Ecuador is located on the Pacific Ocean. Spanning the Equator in the northwestern part of South America, the country serves as an ideal site to learn about the realities of Latin America. The country includes a wide variety of geographical features including the Andes Mountains, the coastal plains, jungle, and the Galapagos Islands.

The intensive Spanish language and Latin American Studies Program provides students with an opportunity to develop their speaking, listening and reading comprehension and writing skills in Spanish in a concentrated format. It also provides them with opportunities to study and experience Latin American culture and civilization. In addition to four hours of instruction in Spanish daily, students participate in structured and nonstructural communication activities in this language for several hours, also daily, outside the classroom, in particular with students at Espiritu Santo University, members of their host families, and representatives of the society at large. Students also receive instruction in Latin American studies; these classes are complemented by visits to sites of historical and socio-economic interest.