Haiti (temporarily suspended)

This course is an immersion into rural and urban Haiti to develop an understanding of conditions there and efforts from the grassroots, churches, and human rights leaders to bring change to the Haitian people. As citizens of the first-world, we travel to Haiti seeking to learn firsthand from those struggling with conditions of deep poverty and deprivation. We go humbly, bringing with us questions about the realities of Haiti’s situation: What are the structural obstacles that keep people in poverty? To what extent have the policies of other countries kept Haiti poor? What role do women play in the Haitian economy? What might we learn from the Haitian people about maintaining hope and faith in the midst of difficult circumstances?

The base for this immersion will be Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti, and the surrounding countryside. The Haiti experiential learning course includes three components: advance preparation to discuss selected readings on the political and social realities of Haitian life; the in-country immersion experience; and debriefings and readings upon our return to process and reflect upon the experience.

Program of Study

The Haiti experiential learning course includes three components: advance preparation to discuss selected readings on the political and social realities of Haitian life, specifically examining U.S.-Haitian relations, the effects of globalization on Haiti, and the role of women in Haitian society; the in-country immersion experience; and debriefings and readings upon our return to process and reflect upon the experience. We will be assisted in our preparation by those with past experience in Haiti and developing countries, with background in economics, health care issues, and the politics and culture of the Caribbean. In sponsoring this course, Saint Mary’s partners with the Women’s Perspective on Faith and Spirituality, a Connecticut-based organization that has conducted numerous immersions and seminars in Haiti. Our experience in-country includes sessions with religious and human rights advocates, opportunities to see grassroots programs in action led and organized by Haitian leaders, and experiences of ordinary citizens working for change in areas such as literacy, housing, and microenterprise development. Experience and reflection on that experience is the basis of our study and time in Haiti.

Transportation, Costs, and Financial Aid

The cost of the trip is approximately $1500. Those participating will be guided on a case-by-case basis in meeting those costs from sources such as campus grants, scholarship aid, and fund raising on the part of each individual student.

For more information, contact:

Jan Pilarski, Coordinator, Justice Education

Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN

(574) 284-4512

CWIL · 9 Havican Hall · Saint Mary's College · Notre Dame, IN · 46556-5001 · Phone: (574) 284-4051 · Fax: (574) 284-4141 · E-mail:

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