Cornell Winter Program in Mexico - Experiential Writing

Overview

Oaxaca is one of the most exciting cities in Mexico. Located in a valley surrounded by three mountain ranges, Oaxaca is beloved for its legendary culinary scene, indigenous artistic traditions, and environmental and cultural richness. During this 10-day program, we will intertwine the exploration of Oaxaca and the breathtaking natural areas and archeological sites around it, with assignments and instruction to elevate your writing. Students will research and write about complex or controversial cultural, social, or environmental issues that interest them. This will increase comprehension and appreciation of the relationship between the environment, people, and culture in one of the most interesting parts of Mexico. You can expect a moderate level of physical activity in warm temperatures and at higher elevations as our excursions will be mostly outside. Thus, we strongly suggest that you make note if you have any health conditions that are impacted by heat and/or elevation.

We will start our exploration with a tour of Oaxaca City and learn about its multi-layered culture and history. We will visit Monte Alban, a pre-Colombian archeological site of sacred topography carved out of a mountain that was inhabited for more than 13 centuries. We will hike in a cloud forest and learn about medicinal plants. We will witness a demonstration by Zapotec artists creating world-renowned, vibrant textiles with natural dyes, a tradition passed down through generations. We will visit a Sunday “Mercado”, an enormous open-air market that attracts merchants and artists from all over the region. We will learn about the Zapotec language by visiting the Zapoetc Language Institute. Enjoying culinary delights will be a daily occurrence.

When not physically exploring Oaxaca, we will engage in a different kind of exploration - how to translate the experiences into compelling prose for diverse media formats and audiences. Assignments include several popular media formats, such as travel blogs, creative nonfiction, and scripts for short-form video. This is a writing intensive program; you will be writing every day, have daily homework, and be in class when we are not exploring Oaxaca. You will receive individualized and detailed feedback to assist in honing written communication skills.