Written by Jasbeth Medrano, (University of Texas at San Antonio), Student Correspondent for CET Colombia, Spring 2025
Apart from getting the chance to be in Latin America, perhaps what I was most excited about was the course options that CET offers. For some context, I am a Political Science and Criminal Justice student, but my main interests lie in the intersection between immigration, feminism and criminal justice systems. Overall, I was hoping to learn more about the armed conflict in Colombia, with a focus on the transitional justice system utilized after the peace accords, and how it impacted migration patterns across the Americas.
All of this to say that the courses all sounded amazing and I was super excited to learn about these different topics. The basic structure of the courses is a one-day a week, 3 hour course, that is primarily lecture and presentation based (i.e. every class, there will be a lecture from the professor, followed by a presentation from a student that will be based on the student’s interests).
Now, if you have been doing some reading on the other blogs, you’ve probably read that the CET Courses are no joke. Well, I am here to confirm that. The readings can be a bit hefty, and the addition of projects + presentations may be a bit tough to balance at first. However, I have learned so much and the readings are so interesting.
My biggest tip to overcome this is to create a reading schedule in which you can see all the readings for the given week. I personally use Notion and have included a picture of my reading calendar, and it’s really been a game-changer in the way I structure my weeks.
In addition, there is the option to take courses at our partner university, La Universidad Autónoma del Occidente, alongside Colombian students if your Spanish level is high enough. I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH!!!!! Of course, bear in mind the concept of transportation and the class hours, but this is truly the best way to be immersed with other students and make local friends. The classes vary per semester, but this semester they offered film classes, sociology classes, art classes and classes on conflict resolution.
If your Spanish level isn’t high enough, I will also strongly recommend involving yourself in UAO’s extracurricular activities: they offer sports, dance classes, art classes, conversation clubs and much more. The local students are super sweet and easy to talk to.
Now, without further-ado, my courses:
- Reclaiming Blackness: Social and Political Movements in Colombia
- Race and Identities: Debates in the Colombian Context
- History of Armed Conflict (taught at UAO)
- Environmental Conflicts, Territorialities and Ethnic Groups in Colombia:
- Cine, Memoria y Paz (direct-enroll at UAO)
Overall, all the classes are fantastic! Full transparency, I primarily use Ubers to get to and from UAO, but there is always the option of taking the MIO (public transportation in Colombia). There are also piratas and other modes of transportation, but since I split the cost of Ubers among my peers, it ends up being pretty affordable: 8,000 ($1.94) to 20,000 ($4.850) pesos split between 2-3 other people. I’ve been learning so much, both in-class and outside, so I cannot wait to see how much more I learn this semester.
Current Song Obsession (guys this song is EVERYWHERE in Cali): Parte y Choke (with Ryan Castro) – Jombriel, Ryan Castro, Alex Krack