Latin American and Iberian Studies

The Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies

Special Programs

Yale-Chicago Nahuatl Institute

Yale University’s Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies and the University of Chicago’s Center for Latin American Studies collaborate to offer a multi-component program to develop capacity in Nahuatl, a Mexican indigenous language. The program includes summer intensive courses (with separate curriculum for beginning, intermediate, or advanced levels) on-site in San Agustín Oapan, Mexico, and an academic-year distance learning program. The academic year program is planned for 2007–8. Students can enroll in any part or all of the program. The complete cycle comprises a beginning summer intensive course, an intermediate academic-year course, and a final advanced summer intensive course. A student who completes the entire program can attain advanced proficiency in Nahuatl.

Intensive Summer Nahuatl Institute in Guerrero, Mexico

Yale’s Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies, in collaboration with the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Chicago, will offer an intensive immersion course that, although based on modern Nahuatl from San Agustín, Oapan, and neighboring villages, will familiarize students with colonial and classical Nahuatl by using a wide range of texts and workbooks. Given that teaching is focused not only on developing conversational skills but on imparting an understanding and overview of the general grammatical structure of Nahuatl, students will be able to apply their knowledge to their own thematic interests in any Nahuatl dialect that they might work with (ancient or modern). An effort is made to address the specific needs of students in different disciplines (e.g., art history, anthropology, history, linguistics) and at different levels of expertise. Students will be able to work intensively with native speakers as part of the basic educational experience of this course, and those who have previously acquired skills in Nahuatl will be given the flexibility for a greater concentration of their efforts on translation, individual projects, and direct work with native speakers. Thus, although a beginning course, students with previous experience in Nahuatl are encouraged to apply. Formal classes meet for 5 hours per day, Monday through Friday; additional intensive work or tutorials will be scheduled in the afternoons with the instructor and native speakers. Students will be provided with recording and playback facilities for language laboratory work and to conduct their own research and independent study. The course meets all the requirements for FLAS fellowships for eligible graduate students.

The course will run for 6 weeks, June 16 –July 25, 2008. Students will make their own travel arrangements and need to be in Oapan by June 15, 2008.

Extended stay: Students may elect to stay in Oapan an additional two weeks after the end of the course. In the past students have felt that this period, during which they can practice their Nahuatl unencumbered by classroom obligations, is helpful. This extended stay, however, will not be under CLAIS auspices. Students who wish to stay in Oapan must inform Jonathan Amith well in advance and cover the additional cost of room and board at $100/week.

Tuition and Fees: Costs for this course are: tuition for two credits, $4,000; room and board, $550; program fee, $350; course package and dictionaries, $100. Graduate students who are U.S. citizens can apply for FLAS Fellowships to support the cost of this program. Travel costs and arrangements are separate and are the responsibility of the student. Once paid, tuition is non-refundable. The program fee is not optional. It covers partial costs for two group excursions, one to another Nahuatl-speaking village for a local festival, and one weekend in Acapulco. The fee covers travel, hotel, a dinner in Acapulco, and the instructor’s expenses.

Funding availability: CLAIS and its partners make every effort to ensure that financial constraints are not an obstacle for participating in the Nahuatl Institute. Financial aid is available to graduate students in the form of FLAS fellowships, and to undergraduates as partial scholarships. Please contact Jean Silk (or see below) for further details.

Students are encouraged to bring their own laptops to the field. Please inform the instructor in advance if you do not have a laptop, and every effort will be made to provide one for your use.

Full class attendance is required.
Students who miss class for reasons other than illness will be asked to withdraw from the Institute.

For more information and applications, contact Jean Silk at jean.silk@yale.edu or by phone at 203/432-3420 or Jonathan Amith at jonathan.amith@yale.edu or by phone 717/337-6795.

Download application. Completed applications should be sent to: Jean Silk, Assistant Chair, Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies, Yale University, PO Box 208206, New Haven, CT 06520-8206. Applications are due by April 4, 2008 and need to be accompanied by a non-refundable $200 deposit that will apply to room and board.

Additional Nahuatl Resources:
Brief guide of the Nahuatl Learning Environment