Journalism Students Embark on Study Abroad Program in Bolivia

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Journalism students preparing for study abroad program in Bolivia.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Walter J. Lemke journalism department at the University of Arkansas has sent 14 students and two instructors to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, as part of the department’s first study abroad program.

The instructors, Hayot Tuychiev and Ray Minor, used a two-week intersession course to prepare the students for their time in Bolivia – teaching them to use the equipment they’ll have available, and sending them on “practice” assignments in Fayetteville. The group left for Bolivia on Sunday, May 25, and will return Sunday, June 8.

“The program was Hayot’s idea,” said Minor. “He has worked in Santa Cruz, knows the area and has contacts there. I’m very excited to be invited along. This is a very big undertaking for the journalism department. We’ve been planning for more than a year.”

The journalism students – a mix of rising sophomores, juniors, seniors and two recent graduates – will work with students from Universidad Autonoma Gabriel Rene Moreno in Santa Cruz. The Bolivian students will serve as guides and interpreters. The U of A group will stay at a nearby hotel during the program.

U of A journalism students training for study abroad program in Bolivia.

Students will break up into teams of two, each with an interpreter/guide and the plan is for them to operate as a newsroom.

“Each day we’ll discuss story ideas, then the teams will go out to find and work on their stories,” said Minor. “They’ve been taught to use their cell phones and cameras to get still pictures, audio and video, in addition to collecting information and interviews. We want them to use all these elements to tell their stories, but also to convey a sense of the place and the people they are meeting.”

“It won’t be all work,” said Tuychiev. “We’ll take students to visit the local markets in Santa Cruz, and one favorite tourist attraction is the world’s largest butterfly house. We also want them to be able get to know the Bolivian students they meet – it’s all part of learning about the people and the culture.”

The students will be posting pictures and video while in Bolivia at @Lemkebolivia and on Facebook at “Lemke in Bolivia.” Once they get back to Fayetteville, each student is required to produce two multimedia stories, one news and one feature. They’ll have three weeks to put their stories together and all the stories will be posted to a website on Tumblr.    

The students will receive six credit hours for the study abroad class. They each have to pay their own way, with their tuition and fees covering the costs of the trip. 

“The state of Arkansas has had a strong relationship with Bolivia for 50 years, initiated through a local chapter of Partners of the Americas, but it has not produced very much outbound mobility.” said DeDe Long, director of the U of A study abroad office. “Each year we have between 50-70 Bolivian students attending the university, but this is the first time we have ever sent a study abroad program from the U of A to Bolivia. This coincides perfectly with President Obama’s “100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative” to substantially increase the number of students studying between the U.S. and Latin America We hope this program will be the first of many.”