Colombia Beyond the Classroom

Program Leader: Rahi Dayerizadeh

This Honors Beyond the Classroom program aims to expose students to the cultural dynamics and value systems in Colombia, allowing them to develop an understanding of intercultural communication and Colombian history, all while exploring the beautiful landscape and historical sites of Barranquilla, Colombia. 

Be inspired by powerful female leaders and empowerment movements as you explore the lived experiences of women in the global south and the Caribbean. In this course, you’ll participate in a Virtual Global Exchange with UniNorte students, working on hands-on projects and building meaningful connections. After the term, you’ll travel to vibrant Barranquilla, Colombia, to meet your peers and expand your learning. 

While in Colombia, you’ll visit the Office of Women and Gender Equality, UN Women Colombia, Secretariat of Women, and the School for Political Incidence for Migrant Women. Engage with grassroots female leaders and witness women in power firsthand. This is more than a course — it’s a life-changing experience! 

Spring 2025 | May 12, 2025 – May 25, 2025

• Applications Open: July 1, 2024
• Applications Close: Monday, November 4, 2024
• Course: Spring 2025
• Travel: May 12, 2025 – May 25, 2025

The Colombia Beyond the Classroom program is a Spring 2025 IDH 4200 course based in Tampa, culminating in two weeks of travel to Barranquilla, Colombia at the end of the semester. 

Throughout the semester, students will collaborate with Colombian students at the Universidad del Norte through virtual global engagement activities and then meet their partners in person during their stay in Colombia. The course will explore the history of women in leadership positions, allowing students to interact with women leaders through site visits to organizations such as UN Women and the Colombian Office of Women and Gender Equity. 

This course offers a cross-cultural analysis of the lived experiences of women and their struggle for power and gender justice in the developing world. We will examine current events, debates, and scholarly works primarily from the Global South to gain a non-Western perspective on the political, historical, cultural, geographical, social, educational, and economic challenges and achievements that have shaped gender politics. Topics to be covered include social movements, cultural relativism, feminism(s), neoliberalism, globalization, and human rights discourses. 

A variety of examples and authors from across the Global South will be utilized to provide an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the differences and similarities between the realities of women in these societies. We will deconstruct the intersections of identity based on race/ethnicity, religion, age, class, gender, and citizenship from a transnational context. Through our readings and discussions, we will critically analyze recent trends that have been shaping gender politics in developing countries. Students will become more aware of global women’s issues and be introduced to feminist scholarship from the developing world. Throughout this term, students will conduct project-based learning in a Virtual Global Exchange (VGE) with a partner class at UniNorte, Colombia. 

This program will be of interest to Honors students in any major who seek to develop cross-cultural communication, research, and leadership skills and want to utilize those skills to further gender equity.

PROGRAM COST

• $2,561.00

PROGRAM ACCESSIBILITY

Students will be expected to do some light walking on a daily basis and tolerate temperatures/climate similar to Florida. No extreme weather and our travels will be before raining season. UniNorte and housing will also include AC.