Mobility, Society, and Governance in North America

Mexico City, Mexico

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Location

Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico and is its most important economic, industrial, and cultural center. It is one of the largest cities in the world, with over 8.7 million inhabitants. Mexico City is located in the Valley of Mexico, a large valley with high plateaus in the Center of Mexico. This was where the ancient city of Tenochtitlan was built by the Aztecs, but was almost completely destroyed in the conquest of 1521. It was later rebuilt to meet Spanish urban standards.

Mexico City is home to a number of World Heritage Sites and cultural centers. The Historic Center of the city (which includes the Plaza de la Constitución, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Aztec ruins of the Temple Mayor) and the “floating gardens” of Xochimilco have been declared World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO. Other main icons of Mexico City are the golden Angel of Independence, the Paseo de la Reforma, the National Palace, the Castle of Chapultepec, the National Museum of Anthropology, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the Basilicas of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

El Colegio de México (COLMEX) is a small and fairly new public university, dedicated to research and higher education, was founded in 1940 by the federal government, the Bank of México, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and el Fondo de Cultura Económica. The university’s main research areas include the social sciences and the humanities; they aim to form professionals, researchers, and university professors. Their prestigious research centers include the Center for Economic Studies, the Center for International Studies, and the Center for Demographic, Urban, and Environment Studies. El Colegio de México is housed in an architecturally striking building in the southern fringes of Mexico City, in the borough of Tlalpan.

Program of Study

A select number of Notre Dame students can participate for one semester in the program Mobility, Society, and Governance in North America, a consortium of six colleges and universities. The program is open to students from all colleges at Notre Dame at the advanced level or better in Spanish language. All classes in this program are taught in Spanish.

The main objective of the MSG-NA program is to create a group of young professionals and researchers endowed with a comparative and transnational vision of the processes that characterize the NAFTA region, in the hope that this vision will allow them to find innovative solutions to the challenges facing the three countries of North America. Students in the MSG-NA Mexico City program will benefit from the strengths at El Colegio de México in Environmental Studies, Migration Phenomenon, Mexico-US Border Administration, The Operation of Latin American Democracies, International Relations, and Economic History and Regional Trade Integration.

The MSG-NA program focuses on four sub-topics: Border and Environmental Management, Democratic Process and Institutional Reform, Immigration, Cultural Identities, North America after NAFTA (paying particular attention to economic and social welfare). A major part of the academic work in the MSG-NA program consists of taking 4 courses related to the four sub-topics. Students must choose 3 out of their 5 courses from the approved course bank or must have alternative courses approved by the Project Director. Additionally, each student will be assigned a faculty advisor that will strive to include the student in research activities and professional internships. Students in the MSG-NA program will become a part of a virtual community with the other students participating at each of the partner institutions. Finally, students in the program will have the opportunity to participate in an all expenses-paid summer workshop in Mexico.

Participants are chosen by members of the Kellogg Institute and the Office of International Studies, and acceptance into the MSG-NA program is highly selective.

Eligibility for the Program

Students from any discipline may apply. Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA with a “B” or better in Spanish language courses. The application deadline is November 15th for the fall or spring semesters.

MSG-NA Costs and Fees

Students accepted into the MSG-NA programs will pay Notre Dame tuition only, which covers the following:

• Tuition for the program of study
• Notre Dame credit and grades for courses taken abroad

As opposed to other University study abroad programs, students in the MSG-NA program do NOT pay Notre Dame room and board fees nor the $600 international studies fee (which are used in other programs to cover airfare, field trips, and room and board at the study abroad site).

In the MSG-NA program, each student is responsible for paying for his/her own airfare, field trips, and room and board at the study abroad site.  Each MSG-NA student will receive a $3,000 stipend to put towards these and any other necessary expenses.

Additional Information

There is much more we can tell you — about this location, vibrant religious, cultural and recreational life of this community...about the student housing, transportation, health care and much, much more. It is, after all, the details that make this program so appealing. Interested? Just click here for additional information.