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Quechua Program

Quechua Language Study at Michigan

Quechua, the language of the Inkas, is spoken today by millions of people in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. It has a written literature that goes back to the sixteenth century.

Quechua is offered as a regular course during the academic year at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and as an intensive summer course in Cusco, Peru.

Three levels are taught in year-long courses (see the course descriptions below):


Each course meets twice a week for two hours, in order to facilitate enrollments by off-campus students. Normally students must complete the Fall semester of each sequence before enrolling in the winter semester continuation. For more information, please contact LACS (763-0553, or lacs.office@ umich.edu).

Summer Quechua Language Study in Cusco


The Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is pleased to announce the annual Quechua Study program.

PLACE: Centro Tinku, in the heart of Cusco, Peru, ancient capital of the Inka Empire.
SUMMER PROGRAM WEBSITE: http://www.centrotinku.com/english/quechua_course.html, with detailed academic schedule.
DATES: Wednesday June 25 to Saturday, August 16, 2008.
TUITION and FEES: Academic tuition, $1840, plus processing fee of $20 (check) or $50 (wire transfer).
HOMESTAY, ROOM and BOARD (optional): Centro Tinku will arrange homestays for interested students in selected families in Cusco, where students will have the opportunity to improve their language skills while immersed in Andean culture. Room and board for homestay: approximately $1166.


This year, 2008, marks the tenth consecutive year that Latin American and Caribbean Studies has cosponsored the Summer Quechua Study program, and our second year in collaboration with the recently founded Centro Tinku, directed by Dr. Jean-Jacques Decoster. The program is open to all college and university undergraduate and graduate students who wish to learn Southern Quechua. This unique program offers high quality intensive language instruction through the experienced faculty Centro Tinku and the unusual experience of living and learning in the ancient Inka capital of Cuzco. Click here for more information about living in Cuzco.


The Program


Three levels of intensive Southern Quechua will be taught at Centro Tinku:

  • Intensive Beginning Quechua
  • Intensive Intermediate Quechua
  • and Intensive Advanced Quechua.

Classes will meet intensively for seven weeks. These courses meet daily for 4 hours per day, a total of 140 language instruction contact hours per course. Each course is the equivalent of a full academic year course. Enrollment will be limited to 10 for each of the five levels. The program is open to all graduate and professional school students. A series of lectures on Quechua culture and history and an extensive program of excursions and cultural events will supplement the courses

The Quechua courses are taught using the immersion method, so previous knowledge of Spanish is not required (though of course some familiarity with Spanish is useful for getting around Peru).
For an additional tuition fee, students may opt to take the course for University of Michigan credit by enrolling in the corresponding courses (LACS 471/472, 473/474, and 475/476); note, however, that the same academic criteria apply to all students, regardless of whether they enroll through the University of Michigan or directly through Centro Tinku.


How to Apply

Applicants should fill out the Centro Tinku Registration Form (pdf) and Payment Form (pdf).
For more information about Centro Tinku, or to apply directly to the Centro, please write to the Centro administration at:

info@centrotinku.com.
Mail: Casilla 666 - Cusco, Peru
Tel: (011) 51 84 249737.

Students who wish to take Quechua and receive academic credit from the University of Michigan should apply through Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Michigan. Note that students using this option will pay graduate tuition to the University of Michigan (approximately $8,000 for out-of-state students) in addition to the the $1800 program fee for the summer course.

Applicants will be asked to provide the University of Michigan Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program with:

  • University transcripts of your past coursework.
  • One letter of recommendation from a college or university professor.
  • A statement of purpose (one to two pages, single spaced), explaining your professional or academic interests in the Quechua language and the Andean region.
  • The completed Registration Form.
  • Completed University of Michigan application forms, for students not already enrolled in the University. Most outside students will want to apply either as a "Spring/Summer Guest Student" or, for students already enrolled in a Big 10 institution or the University of Chicago, as a "CIC (Committee on Institutional Cooperation) Traveling Scholar." (If you are a student at a CIC school, contact your school's CIC administrator, usually found in the Graduate Admissions office of the university, for information on applying. Note that CIC students still send us items 1-4 listed above.) Application forms can be downloaded (PDF format) from the UM Rackham Graduate School's Forms Page, or you can apply on-line from the Rackham Graduate School's Office of Admissions page.

You can also request forms in writing from the University of Michigan, Office of Graduate Admissions, Rackham Graduate School, 915 East Washington, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070.
Office phone: 734-764-8129; email: rackadmis@umich.edu).

For additional information, please write, call or email:

David Frye, Coordinator
University of Michigan Quechua Language Study
Suite 2607, 1080 South University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106

Email: dfrye@umich.edu.
Phone: 734/763-0553. Fax: 734/763-9154, or contact Centro Tinku at info@ centrotinku.com.


Travel


Travel arrangements to Cuzco are the student's responsibility. There are, to our knowledge, no direct flights between the U.S. and Cusco (airport symbol: CUZ). Most travellers prefer to fly to Lima (airport symbol: LIM), and purchase their Lima-Cuzco tickets either online in advance, or purchase them on arrival at the Lima airport.

Airfare from the U.S. to Lima usually runs around $1000, though discounted tickets for as little as $600 are sometimes to be found from agencies that make student discounts (such as STA Travel). Airlines that fly to Lima include American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, and SpiritAir.   Cusco is served by several Peruvian national airlines (TACA is one of the largest) and by the highly regarded Chilean airline LAN-Peru. Roundtrip Lima-Cuzco tickets are available at the ticket counter in Lima or by advance purchase for about $200. Travel by taxi from the Cuzco airport to the city center, where the CBC is located, is extremely inexpensive.

All students participating in this program must have a valid passport. Students may want to check out the US State Department's travel advisory for Peru.


Fellowship information


Graduate and professional school students enrolled at the University of Michigan in full-time degree programs may be eligible to apply for a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship to support language study. Application deadline: February 1. (Sorry, no extensions!)

For more information about the FLAS program and the International Institute of the University of Michigan, please contact David Frye at the above address. Graduate and professional school students at institutions other than the University of Michigan may apply for a summer FLAS through U-M but will be assigned a lower consideration in the selection of fellows. Students should inquire about the availability of FLAS awards through their home institution.

The Courses


These course descriptions apply to both the 2-semester, academic year version of the courses and to the intensive 7-week summer program in Cuzco:

Intensive Beginning Quechua (LACS 471 and 472, 8 credits)

Introduces students with little or no Quechua proficiency to conversational and cultural skills needed to use the language in real life situations. Covers both written and spoken Quechua; introduces basic structures of Quechua while focusing on the development of speaking and reading skills; emphasis is on developing conversational ability. Those who successfully finish this course will gain sustained control of basic conversation. Evaluations based on homework, weekly quizzes, reading aloud, interviews.


Intensive Intermediate Quechua (LACS 473 and 474, 8 credits)

Emphasis is on conversational skills and grammatical structure. Students learn complex structural patterns, build up vocabulary, get acquainted with Andean culture and society, and develop conversation skills. Evaluation based on homework, quizzes, readings, and interviews.


Intensive Advanced Quechua (LACS 475 and 476, 8 credits)

Improves conversation skills, builds up vocabulary, and heightens reading ability in Quechua. Strengthened aural/oral training is given. Students work with original, unedited texts as well as with edited, re-transcribed materials in Quechua literature. Reading materials inform students of Andean culture, history, and literature. Students learn more accurate syntax, pragmatic ways of expression, and ways of thinking in Quechua. Evaluation is based on attendance, homework, exams, class activities.