VCU short-term programs abroad
Visual Arts in Peru
Peru
Lima, Cusco and Ica
6 undergraduate or graduate credits in Arts or Art History
June 9 - July 5, 2012
Prof. Javier Tapia
$2,950 + airfare + tuition
Registration deadline: April 13, 2012
Status: Program full
The Global Education Office and the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University are pleased to announce the summer program in Peru. Participants will travel to Lima for a short visit, and on to Cuzco, for an extended visual exploration of the countryside and culture of the highlands of Peru. The program will include visits to museums to explore ancient, colonial and contemporary art, as well as visits to ancient ruins and colonial sites. Of particular importance will be the group’s participation in the Festival of Corpus Christi in Cuzco. An optional four-day hiking and camping trip along the Inca Trail will expose students to the biological and cultural diversity of that region of the country culminating at Machu Picchu.
Course and credit options
Participants can choose two of the following three-credit courses offered by the Department of Painting & Printmaking, instructed by Javier Tapia; Department of Photography and Film and Department of English, instructed by Scott DuPre Mills; Art History, instructed by Michael Panbehchi.
- ARTH 489 Advanced Art History in Peru;
- ENGL 391 Blogging in Peru;
- PAPR 324 Intermediate Drawing;
- PAPR 421 Advanced Drawing;
- PAPR 621 Graduate Drawing;
- PHTO 491 Videography and Photography;
- SCPT 491 Drawing, Works on Paper;
- SCPT 591 Drawing, Works on Paper;
- SCPT 491 Video and Photographic Art I; and
- SCPT 591 Video and Photographic Art II.
The Education Abroad office will enroll students in the course upon receipt of the registration.
Course description
Painting & Printmaking: PAPR 324 Intermediate Drawing; PAPR 421 Advanced Drawing; SCPT 491 Drawing, Works on Paper; SCPT 591 Drawing, Works on Paper; PAPR 621 Graduate Drawing
A peripatetic investigation of direct observation, on-site drawing. Emphasis will be placed on the development of a suite of drawings in which on-site references become spinal elements in multimedia two-dimensional constructions. Documentation of your daily activities will be maintained in an illustrated diary or journal.
Photography and Film: PHTO 491 Videography and Photography; SCPT 491 Video and Photographic Art I; SCPT 591 Video and Photographic Art II
A course of study for still- and moving-image media to include video, film and photography. The program will allow students to work independently and experiment with attention to light, subject matter and point of view with assistance from individual instruction. Professor Mills will also lead students on additional walks and hikes that are of particular interest to Photographers and Video and Filmmakers. Students are required to bring all equipment needed including cameras (video and or still), tape and film (one tape 1hr, multiple memory cards or 24 exp of film per day is recommended), rechargeable batteries (extra batteries are recommended), battery charger (for video and digital cameras) and an AC-power converter (220v to U.S. 110v). A wide-angle lens is highly recommended. Inexpensive wide angle lens adaptors are required for students shooting Video. Tripods are optional and in some instances may not be recommended for hikes. Flexible ‘mini tripods’ are recommended. A comfortable, durable, rugged camera bag is important as the nature of the travels in Peru you will encounter differing environments that include moisture, dust and vibration. It is essential to have lens cleaning capacities.
Art History: ARTH 489 Advanced Art History in Peru
Art and architecture of Inca and Colonial Peru: An in-depth study of visual culture in the Andes, c. 1500-1800. Lectures held throughout the duration of your stay in Peru will be supplemented with visits to art and archaeology museums in Lima and Cuzco. The course will focus on the Inca, the dominant empire in the Andes prior to the Spanish conquest, as well as the colonial culture that emerged under Spanish rule in the 16th through 18th centuries. Each student will be required to complete a series of assigned readings and a workbook, which must be submitted to the instructor at the end of the course.
English: ENGL 391 Blogging in Peru
Students will be required to keep a blog, or web log, during their time in Peru which will document their experiences using written text and a variety of multi-media (photography, videos, links, etc.). Through the blog, students will reflect on their impressions of Peruvian culture. Students will be required to maintain regular entries in their blogs (for a total of 25 substantive entries), which will be reviewed by the professor during and at the end of the program.
Bloggers will dialogue with one another and with the professor (who will also be blogging) by reading one another's blogs and posting comments/feedback. Readings, such as articles, will also be assigned and students will be asked to post their responses to the readings on the blog.Registration deadline: April 13, 2012
Program cost: $2,950 + airfare + tuition
The program fee is $2,950 and includes the following:
- Accommodations in Peru
- Some meals
- Ground transportation in Peru to sites in Lima, Ica, Cuzco and Machu Picchu
- Study visits and tours
- On-site Program Director support for 3 professors
- Pre-departure orientation
- International Student Identity Card
- VCU administrative fees
- Application deposit
The following are not included in the program fee. Students are responsible for:
- Airfare
- VCU tuition and fees
- Some meals
- Passport application fee
- Personal expenses during the program estimated at $600-800
Airfare
Airfare is not included. Participants are responsible for making their own round-trip travel arrangements from the US to their destination city. Program directors will meet with accepted students to go over specific travel logistics and may help students in identifying low-cost travel options. For best fares, students are encouraged to purchase their tickets prior to April 15.
Eligibility
This program is open to all VCU students regardless of class standing or major who hold a GPA of 2.0 or higher. Additionally, students from other universities are encouraged to apply.
An academic letter of reference is not required.
While in Peru
Participants will be housed in a variety of accommodations including hotels, a historic monastery, hostels and camping facilities for those on the Inca Trail. Most meals are included as a part of the program.
The program begins in Lima, Peru where students will spend three days visiting museums and cathedrals. The group will then begin a three-day trip to the Urubamba valley to visit Inca ruins and the Maras salt mines. The participants will then head to Cuzco for 15 days punctuated by the amazing Corpus Christi festival and an optional four-day trek on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. After leaving Cuzco, the group will travel to Ica for a variety of activities including a boat tour of the Ballestas Islands.
Drawing courses are conducted by Javier Tapia, winner of the Teresa Pollak award in 2011, who has been a professor of painting and printmaking at VCU for over 22 years and has been leading the trip to Peru for the past fourteen years. A native of Peru, Tapia has extensive knowledge of the area and the culture.
English, Photography, Film and Videography courses are led by Scott DuPre Mills, award-winning filmmaker, photographer and multimedia artist. Scott is the founder and director of the VCU International Student Film Festival. Scott is currently working on his PhD with VCU’s new Media, Art and Text program. He holds a BFA in Sculpture and a MFA in Photography and Film. Scott screened his ongoing documentary film “VCU in PERU” in Cusco in 2004 and has been an instructor with the Study abroad program in Peru each year since 2003.
Art history courses are conducted by Michael Panbehchi.
Important facts
- Tuition
- Financial aid
- Passports
- Payment of fees
- Withdrawal & Financial policy
- Travel health
VCU tuition and fees are charged separately. Tuition is billed at standard VCU rates for in-state students and at a 40 percent discount for out-of-state students. This means that the current estimated cost, based on current tuition credit fees, are as follows for a standard 3 credit class:
- Undergraduate, In-State: $946 ($318 per credit)
- Undergraduate, Out-of-State: $1534 ($514 per credit)
- Graduate, In-State: $1525 ($511 per credit)
- Graduate, Out-of-State: $1882 ($630 per credit)
- Doctoral, In-State: $1261 ($423 per credit)
- Doctoral, Out-of-State: $1612 ($540 per credit)
Financial aid will apply to the program and tuition costs prior to student billing. Eligible students may apply for need-based financial aid in order to participate in this program. For more information about the financial aid application and process, please contact VCU Financial Aid by phone at 804-828-6669, by email at faidmail@vcu.edu or in person on the first floor of Grace E. Harris Hall (1015 Floyd Ave.).
A valid passport is required to leave the US. If a student does not already have a passport, they are advised to begin the application process as soon as they are accepted into the program. The processing time for new passport applicants can be as long as 8 weeks. For students who already have passports, they will need to verify that the passport’s validity dates extend 6 months past their return date. For more information about passports and the application/renewal process, please consult: http://travel.state.gov/.
In order to complete the application, students are required to submit a non-refundable $250 registration fee and deposit.
Students will receive two separate charges to their student accounts for this program: one charge will reflect the balance of the program fee (minus the $250 deposit and application fee) and the other charge is for VCU tuition costs (based on the number and type of credits being taken by the student). These bills will be charged through VCU Student Accounting and should appear by May 2012. (Please note: While these charges may post to the student’s account simultaneously or separately, it is the student’s responsibility to make sure the account balance is paid before the billing due date.)All withdrawals must be made formally in writing and submitted to the Director of Education Abroad.
Upon commitment to the program, students deciding to withdraw will be held accountable for the charges made on their behalf by the Education Abroad office. Depending upon when this occurs according to the refund schedule, the student may be held accountable for either a portion of or the entire program fee.
The refund schedule is as follows:
Prior to April 15: If a student withdraws from the program prior to April 15, he/she will be held responsible for the amount of the program fee that has already been expended in payment of costs outlined on the individual program sheet in support of his/her participation. As time progresses, the charges may reflect an increasing amount, depending on what payments have been made on the student’s behalf. The amount cannot be determined until the student formally submits written withdrawal from the program to the Director of Education Abroad.
After April 15: If student withdraws from the program after April 15, they will be responsible to pay the entire program fee when it is billed.
In the event of an unexpected emergency that occurs after April 15, students must provide a physician’s certification that his/her condition prohibits participation. In this case, refunds will be limited to recoverable expenses.
If an applicant is rejected from the program, the $250 application fee and deposit will be refunded.
Students should schedule an appointment with their physician or at a travel clinic (such as VCU Student Health) at least 4 to 8 weeks before the program to inquire about recommended and/or required vaccines/immunizations. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all routine and travel immunizations are up-to-date.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information on recommended and required immunizations for travelers. To view the health risks and requirements for the country to which you will be traveling, please visit the website at: wwwn.cdc.gov/travel.
VCU Student Health offers in-depth pre-travel consultation with a health care provider as well as most of the vaccines recommended for safe travel. Prescriptions for recommended medicines are also available. Please visit their website at: www.students.vcu.edu/health/immunizations/travel_clinic.html.
Every effort is made to provide updated and accurate information at the time of publication. The sponsors reserve the right to make necessary changes to the programs and costs. The university reserves the right to revise or alter all fees, regulations pertaining to student fees, and fee collection procedures at any time.
