New Online Latin American Art Class to Include Study Abroad Component

The program will focus on art with a concentration on pre-Columbian and colonial-cultural production. During the trip, students will visit archeological sites, museums and colonial buildings. They will also study 17th and 18th century sculpture, architecture, ceramics and paintings.

“As the administrative, political and military center of the Inca civilization between the 13th and 16th centuries, Cusco is an archaeological site of enormous importance to understanding city planning and the government of ‘Tawantinsuyu,’ the largest empire in pre-Columbian American,” said Dr. Isabel Arredondo, professor in modern languages and culture who will teach the online course and lead the tour.

According to Arredondo, the Spanish decimated many of the Inca buildings after in the early- to mid-14th century, but they used the remaining walls as bases for the construction of the new city.

“Cusco became the heart for the Spanish colonization and the dissemination of Christianity in the Andean region,” she said. “We want to offer students an excellent academic and cultural opportunity to see firsthand the historical encounter of Europe, Asia, Africa and America in Cusco.”

The three-credit course is open to students in any major and satisfies the art component of general education, but it may also be taken as an elective, she said. The Cusco partner institution, CIS, will provide students with a choice of housing during the Jan. 13-23, 2014, visit. They can live with Peruvian families or in the dorms with other students. The application deadline is May 3. For more information, contact Arredondo at [email protected] or the Global Education Office in 210 Kehoe, 518-564-3287 or [email protected].