January Term Program
J-Term Ecuador
Social and Political Transformation in Ecuador
Travel from Ecuador’s Andean highlands to the Amazon, and back again. Study political participation and voice in an evolving cultural landscape.
Program Overview
Discover J-Term Ecuador
Explore Ecuador’s cultural, social, economic, and political landscape through academic discussions, local conversations, homestays, and field trips across distinct regions of the country.
Students study the cultural, social, economic, and political landscape in Ecuador. They experience the beauty and stark contrasts of Quito, their home base, and learn about Ecuadorian family life through homestays. Field trips in and around the historic city center explore the city’s history.
Students travel more broadly through the countryside on two four-day field trips: one to the Amazonian rainforest and the other to a series of Indigenous Kichwa villages in the highlands. They critically examine models of community-supported development while exploring Ecuador’s diverse ecosystems, challenges, and assets.
Classroom time includes conversations with leaders from local nonprofit and political communities. Particular emphasis is placed on the rights written into Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution and the challenges of implementing those rights. Students also examine political momentum among new social movements, natural-resource protection and management, and movements toward gender equality. The program offers opportunities to understand how Indigenous populations shape debates and policy in political and cultural institutions.
Students are based in Quito but should expect substantial travel. Reading, discussion, and lectures are conducted in English and are interwoven with field visits that highlight Ecuador’s cultural, political, and environmental diversity.
Internships are not included because of the program’s short duration.
People and Perspectives
Meet the Program Team
Learn about the academic experience and coordination that supported this historical Ecuador program.
Martha Moscoso is a sociologist and historian with an advanced degree in Sociology of Development from the Sorbonne University in Paris and a master’s degree in Andean History from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Quito.
In addition to leading the Ecuador program site for HECUA, Martha is a professor in the Human Sciences faculty at Quito’s Catholic University. She has conducted extensive research in women’s studies, gender studies, and the history of Indigenous communities. She has participated in numerous academic conferences and published articles on history in Ecuadorian and Latin American books and journals.
Her education research has been supported by the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and the International Bureau of Education – UNESCO (IBE). The research was conducted within an international program focused on political dialogue in education.
Martha is a member of the Institute of Ecuadorian Studies (IEE), a nonprofit organization working in local development and citizen formation. She actively participates in a Citizen Assembly seeking active participation at the local level by people working toward social change. She is also a member of the Atelier of Historical Studies (TEHIS).
Adriana Corti received her bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Literature from the Catholic University of Quito. She minored in International Relations and Business and completed an undergraduate internship in the Economic Promotion department of Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Relations.
During university, she also studied in Denmark through a student exchange program. After graduating, Adriana worked in IBM’s Learning Services department before leaving the position to focus on raising her family.
Since 2001, she has held a coordination position with HECUA’s Ecuador programs. She is passionate about her family and community development and enjoys international travel. Her language skills include Spanish, English, Danish, a little French, and some Portuguese and German.
Academic Study
Course and Academic Experience
This four-credit course examines development, government policies, and social participation in political processes. Students study important transformations proposed and implemented in Ecuador in recent years, the problems the country faces in applying proposed changes, and the participation of social movements supporting or rejecting government proposals.
The program is conducted in English, with translators participating in field activities.
Ecuador, like some other Latin American countries, has followed a path described by some as ‘twenty-first century socialism.’ As a political candidate and later as president, Rafael Correa brought together ideas from the left with religious and pragmatic philosophies. The results included several economic and social achievements, alongside controversial plans that were strongly rejected by various social movements, particularly Indigenous groups and more radical groups on the left.
Approved in 2008, Ecuador’s Constitution grants rights to the natural world and ethnic groups, recognizes new forms of citizen participation, and asserts Ecuadorian sovereignty in new areas. Conflicts have remained regarding implementation of the Constitution. Other sources of conflict include oil extraction and the relative power of the executive and legislative branches.
Complete Syllabus Administrator: add official link
Syllabus 2022 Administrator: add official link
Planning Information
Program Costs and Scholarships
Supplied costs apply to the January 2022 program and require verification before any current publication.
The program fee includes round-trip airfare to and from Quito, ground travel to field sites, food, lodging, and medical insurance. When students are not traveling, they stay with a local host family, and food is provided.
The program costs listed are what HECUA charges for participation. The final amount a student pays may be higher and can vary by college or university. Some institutions assess additional fees or charge their own tuition for off-campus programs. Financial-aid policies may also vary. Students should check with their home institution’s off-campus study office and financial aid office to confirm their final program cost.
Full Program Cost Breakdown — add URLPublished program cost: $4,800
Member schools are institutions that belong to the HECUA consortium. Students should verify their institution’s membership status and confirm the applicable current program fee.
Check Your School’s Status — add URLPublished program cost: $5,200
Non-member schools are institutions that do not belong to the HECUA consortium. Students should verify their school’s status and confirm the applicable current program fee.
Check Your School’s Status — add URLHECUA distributes three scholarships to students from consortium member institutions.
View All Scholarships — add URLBefore You Go
Good to Know
The program is conducted in English. Students are not required to have Spanish proficiency to participate.
Lodging is arranged in family homestays, providing opportunities for cultural exchange. Most host families are expected to have at least one family member who speaks English.
In homes where no family member speaks English, students who have Spanish-language ability will be paired with students who do not. HECUA will also provide translators to assist during site visits and guest lectures.