This is Liz Ehrhardt with the College of Education at the University of Oklahoma.  With me today is Dr. Jon Pedersen to talk about Puebla.  Thanks for joining me Dr. Pedersen.  I’ve heard that our students can take Spanish 1225 in Mexico.  Can you tell me more about this opportunity for our students to study abroad?  Our undergraduates are going to have the opportunity to go to Puebla, Mexico which is near Mexico City.  It’s a beautiful city.  They’re going to live with families for 6 weeks and go to their university learning Spanish and also working with their College of Education to learn about their education system and about their culture.  It’s going to be a wonderful opportunity for them to know and understand the language better and also learn more about the culture of Mexico.

Is it expensive?  There are costs involved, but it’s no more expensive than if they were staying in Norman for the summer and taking Spanish 1225 on campus.  It’s going to cost $2500.  That includes their food, as well as housing since they will be living with a family in Puebla.  It includes tuition and fees for the university they will be attending.  The first 10 students who apply and are eligible will receive airfare to and from Mexico.  This will be the experience of a lifetime, living in another country, learning the language, and learning about the culture.

This course will give our students 5 hours of credit that will count for Spanish 1225?  Absolutely.  We’ve worked closely with Modern Languages and a private university in Mexico to develop a course that meets all the requirements of Spanish 1225.  The students will be living with a family, living in the culture.  They’ll really be immersed in the language.  Not that we don’t do a great job with Spanish 1225 on campus, but having had international experience myself, there’s nothing like living in the country to learn the language.

How would our students apply?  Any interested students can contact their advisor or contact me in the Dean’s office in the College of Education at 325-1081 to get an application.  We’ll get them an application for the Puebla project, and if they’re one of the first 10, we’ll get them an application to be reimbursed for travel expenses to and from Puebla.  This coming Saturday, February 23, 2008, we’re having an information session on this program at 12:30 in the lobby of Collings Hall.  Interested students are invited to join us for pizza and more information on the program.  The deadline to apply is March 1, 2008.

Can you give us the dates that they’ll be in Mexico?  The program is from May 19 – June 29, 2008.  They’ll be learning the language and working with the education faculty to learn the culture and education system of Mexico.
Thank you for joining me today, Dr. Pedersen.  Thank you.