Student Life

“Not only is the program awesome but it is located in a place (Tucson, AZ) where many people are working purposefully on social justice issues. There are so many opportunities to learn in and contribute to the Tucson community. Also, It is a beautiful place with a good bus system and a huge university. There are so many options of interesting places to go and do things”~ Program Participant Nadine Guyot

“My life is changed. I am not the same as when I got to Tucson, my life path and direction has shifted in a way I am excited about, I am so grateful to BSP.” ~ Program Participant

Travel/Excursions

Required program excursions are designed to complement students’ academic work while in the borderlands.

The program includes a number of one-day excursions to observe firsthand the ways policies and laws shape the experiences of people inhabiting or in transit through this region. These visits include Operation Streamline, Border Patrol and the Eloy or Florence Detention Centers. They also include multiple community groups responding to the needs emerging in the borderlands. We engage with these latter groups through workdays with grassroots organizations, visiting community gardens, walking tours through Tucson’s historic barrios, participating in local projects and events, and speaking to local organizers and activists.    

Longer excursions take Border Studies students to a number of sites in the Sonoran-Arizona borderlands along both sides of the border, as well as to the interior of Mexico. Past excursions have included:

  • Altar, Cananea, Caborca, Hermosillo, and Nogales in Sonora, Mexico
  • Tohono O’odham communities in Sonora
  • the Río Sonora Valley
  • Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico
  • New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness
  • El Paso and Big Bend in Texas, and Ciudad Juárez in Mexico
  • Arivaca, Ajo, Florence, and Patagonia in Arizona

Questions about international travel? Please direct questions to borders@earlham.edu.

Images (clockwise from top left): Students learning about the history of Segundo Barrio through a mural tour with local artist; BSP in Annunciation House hearing from volunteers about their work; Students walking alongside the border wall in Anapra; Students hiking in Big Bend National Park.

Images (clockwise from top left): Students learning about the history of Segundo Barrio through a mural tour with local artist; BSP in Annunciation House hearing from volunteers about their work; Students walking alongside the border wall in Anapra; Students hiking in Big Bend National Park.

Images (clockwise from top left): Students learning about Central American migration at the Suchiate River (which borders of Guatemala and Mexico); La Bestia at Arriaga, Chiapas; the lodgings in EZLN Caracol IV in Morelia, Chiapas; BSP students and staff in Caracol IV learning about autonomous governance.

Images (clockwise from top left): Students learning about Central American migration at the Suchiate River (which borders of Guatemala and Mexico); La Bestia at Arriaga, Chiapas; the lodgings in EZLN Caracol IV in Morelia, Chiapas; BSP students and staff in Caracol IV learning about autonomous governance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Housing

During orientation. For the first week of the program, you will reside together with other participants during the orientation period. The orientation will culminate in a host family reception where you will meet your family for the first time and begin the semester together. From then on, you will live with a host family in Tucson until the end of the semester.

Homestay. The homestay placements are typically with immigrant families who predominantly speak Spanish in the household. The homestay is an enriching experience where you and your family members alike learn and grow together. Members of the host families have personal insight into the issues explored in the program and offer you their unique perspectives on life in the borderlands.

You will be asked to complete a questionnaire about your preferences and the program, and we will then match you with your family. Some participants prefer more independence, and others prefer a more family-oriented experience.

The homestay has the potential to be a very important learning experience, and we view your living experience as an essential part of the overall educational program. Many Border Studies students have made long-lasting friendships with their host families over the years.

“We had great times shopping and cooking and watching movies.”  ~ Program Participant

“They were the greatest, most welcoming and loving family ever. I felt so included in family activities from the very start.”  ~ Program Participant

Sidebar

Resources

The Border Studies Program (hereafter: “Program”) is designed to assist students in acquiring more complex and sophisticated analyses of issues …

Contact & Location

Phone
(765) 983-1424
Address

1st Floor Landrum Bolling Center
801 National Rd W
Richmond, IN 47374
Richmond, IN 47374

Office Hours

Monday 8:30am - 12pm; 1pm-5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 12pm; 1pm-5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 12pm; 1pm-5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 12pm; 1pm-5pm
Friday 8:30am - 12pm; 1pm-5pm