UNIVERSITY STUDY ABROAD

ENTRENA offers your university study abroad activities that either integrate or separately provide components related to development, a specialized technical area such as health, environment, small business, etc, Spanish as a second language, cross-cultural adjustment strategies, and specific in-country information.

By combining our unique experience with NGO development projects and Peace Corps training, we can design for your university an overseas study program in the Dominican Republic comparable to none. This is our unique niche –whether it be with a university consortium (i.e. CIC –Committee of Institutional Cooperation of “Big 10” Universities), a large scale provider such as CIEE, or an individual institution such as Goshen, we can respond to your unique needs.

WHY THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 

Development  The D.R. is a microcosm of the historical and development process of Latin America. If your focus is Latin America, the D.R. provides an excellent representation.

Multi-Cultural Caribbean  The Dominican Republic is also part of the multi-cultural Caribbean. Sharing an island with Haiti, the D.R. offers you the opportunity to link study programs with other countries in the Caribbean Basin and Central America.

Geography  The Dominican Republic is geographically close to the United States. This has a positive impact on travel. Additionally, the Dominican population is one of the largest growing immigrant communities in the States. Students acquire networking and communication skills that may prove beneficial to their future professional careers.

Hospitality  The Dominican Republic also provides an excellent environment for learning Spanish. The warm and outgoing Dominican population is easy to engage in practice conversation and patient and is helpful with foreigners learning Spanish. With an excellent climate and diversity of beaches, mountains, museums, and nightlife to experience, our students quickly fall in love with the DR.

What can we offer you? 
Integrated programs to fit your academic needs. We have proven experience in:

Specialized Themes  Inmigration, evolving role of women, Hispanic family, Dominican literature and folklore.

Health  Primary health care, nutrition, and environmental health.

Natural Resources  Watershed resource management, ecology, and environment.

Business  Small and micro-business development and the informal sector.

Education  Challenges of education in a developing nation, integrating information technology, early childhood programs in Latin America, views from public and private perspectives.


Specific examples of tailored designed programs

A six week summer program where a student pursues research in a theme related to sustainable community health. We integrate 12 hours of academic seminars, 60 hours of classroom Spanish, guided field trips to public and private health facilities, NGO health projects, homestays with middle-class and urban barrio families, and the remaining time dedicated to field research.

Perhaps a student wishes to pursue a theme related to the impact of deforestation but has limited time. We can design a 3 week program that incorporates 1 week living with a Dominican family involved in agro-forestry, 1 week visiting agro-forestry projects, and 1 week of academic seminars.

A university wants a semester abroad program that focuses on the role of women in economic development. We can design a program centered on a homestay living with a female “micro-empresaria”. Students are exposed firsthand to the challenges of being a woman and the chief economic provider in a developing nation.


Accreditation and Coordination

ENTRENA as a private entity cannot provide academic accreditation unless the sponsoring university or consortium of universities sends their own Academic Director. This is the option we prefer –we can design the program and provide the logistical support. But the university, through its own representative, must be responsible for the academic credits.

We have excellent relationships with Dominican universities and have coordinated programs with the majority. If you are coordinating with a local university, ENTRENA can provide the non-academic support.

For More Information 

Contact Saschia Seibel de Chame at the following numbers:

Phone: (809) 567-8990
Fax: (809) 566-3492
E-mail: saschiasc@entrena.org