• uCoruse6

    Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)
    Quito, Ecuador

    Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) is a private liberal arts university located in Quito, Ecuador. In addition to the main campus located in Cumbayá, USFQ has a satellite campus and research station in the Galápagos Islands and a biological field station “Tiputini Biodiversity Station” in the Amazon basin.

    We believe in freedom as a fundamental human characteristic, and in training students to become well-rounded “world citizens”, leaders and entrepreneurs. As a research-centric university, USFQ has the highest number of PhDs in the country; a strength we leverage across all subjects.

    USFQ is truly an International University and is a leader in the region. Ranked #1 University in Ecuador and #51 in Latin America (2018 QS University Rankings). We currently have over 9,000 students enrolled of which 1000 are international students. We have over 100 Bilateral Partnerships for Research and Exchange, as well participate as members of prestigious International Networks, for example Berklee School of Music, Paul Bocuse, Global Liberal Arts Alliance, Hemispheric University Consortium and now, The Association for the Pacific Rim. Our faculty members represent 30 countries and 5 continents. We have both ABBET and AMBA accreditation.

    Website: www.usfq.edu.ec

    VSE Summer Semester 2021: Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)


    Application Deadline

    APPLICATION CLOSED
    Students must submit an application to the VSE Central Office before:
    May 11 2021, 12:00 noon Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)


    English Language Proficiency Requirements

    Before applying, please make sure you have fulfilled the course offering university's language proficiency requirements listed below:

    Applicants must have completed a minimum of four semesters of college-level English courses.


    Course Information

    Click on the course titles to reveal full course details:

    Number of Credits3
    Offering DepartmentCollege of Social Sciences and Humanities
    Course TeacherJulie Williams
    Language of InstructionSpanish
    First Day of ClassMay 31, 2021
    Last Day of ClassJul 28, 2021
    Course ComponentLecture
    Mode of TeachingSynchronous
    Meeting TimeMon-Thu 1600-1720
    Time ZoneUTC-5
    Course DescriptionThe Amazon has been a place of discoveries and inventions of the Western tradition, deeply biased by a racism that killed and transformed the relationships between humans and the ecosystem of tropical forest in the Americas. The testimonial narratives of travelers and missionaries in the colonial context, and the more contemporary relations with the mestizo and Western society in general, has distorted the reality of societies of the tropical forest to the point of justifying their disappearance and the appropriation of resources in their physical environment. This course focuses on the origins and trajectories of these societies from an anthropological perspective that combines archaeological, ethnographic and ethnohistorical approaches, rebuilding an environment that has been greatly manipulated and inhabited for more than 10,000 years.
    Course OutlineLink

    Number of Credits3
    Offering DepartmentCollege of Communication and Contemporary Arts
    Course TeacherAmy Scheidegger
    Language of InstructionEnglish
    First Day of ClassMay 31, 2021
    Last Day of ClassJul 25, 2021
    Course ComponentTutorial
    Mode of TeachingAsynchronous
    Meeting Timen/a
    Time ZoneUTC-5
    Course DescriptionThis course will accustom students to the use of different tools and techniques of watercolor painting with the aim of developing practical skills in relation to intonation, gradients, contrasts of color, expression of shapes and volumes, representation of light and shadow, textures and artistic composition to develop artistic works using watercolor as a medium. The different criteria and tools needed to allow students to get to know, understand and develop skills for the correct use of watercolor will also be explored.
    Course OutlineLink

    Number of Credits3
    Offering DepartmentCollege of Communication and Contemporary Arts
    Course TeacherMaria Soledad Romero
    Language of InstructionEnglish
    First Day of ClassMay 31, 2021
    Last Day of ClassJul 28, 2021
    Course ComponentLecture
    Mode of TeachingSynchronous
    Meeting TimeMon-Thu 1130-1250
    Time ZoneUTC-5
    Course DescriptionFashion styling and production will give students an overview of the areas of styling and production in the fashion world. Through analysis of fashion editorials, catalogs, store merchandising and designer fashion shows we will learn to understand the needs of clients and audiences in order to provide beautiful yet effective presentations.
    Course OutlineLink

    Number of Credits3
    Offering DepartmentCollege of Biological and Environmental Sciences
    Course TeacherBecky Zug
    Language of InstructionEnglish
    First Day of ClassMay 31, 2021
    Last Day of ClassJul 28, 2021
    Course ComponentLecture
    Mode of TeachingSynchronous
    Meeting TimeMon-Thu 1000-1120
    Time ZoneUTC-5
    Course DescriptionIn this course students will learn the basic principles of ecosystem function, how these ecosystems provide services to the human population, and what makes them vulnerable to resource extraction. Students will become familiar with the major ecoregions of Ecuador and the associated environmental problems. Students will learn about the basic principles of sustainable development while considering the importance of Ecuador’s natural resources to the national economy. This course will touch on environmental economics through case studies and will have the opportunity to practice basic data analysis techniques.
    Course OutlineLink

    Number of Credits3
    Offering DepartmentCollege of Law
    Course TeacherDiego Falconi
    Language of InstructionSpanish
    First Day of ClassMay 31, 2021
    Last Day of ClassJul 28, 2021
    Course ComponentLecture
    Mode of TeachingSynchronous
    Meeting TimeMon-Thu 1130-1250
    Time ZoneUTC-5
    Course DescriptionThe course seeks to provide an integrative vision of gender analysis in the theory and practice of law, as well as to introduce concepts that allow the use of human rights as tools of gender equality and respect for diversity.
    Course OutlineLink

    Number of Credits3
    Offering DepartmentCollege of Social Sciences and Humanities
    Course TeacherCecilia Isabel Conde
    Language of InstructionEnglish
    First Day of ClassMay 31, 2021
    Last Day of ClassJul 25, 2021
    Course ComponentTutorial
    Mode of TeachingAsynchronous
    Meeting Timen/a
    Time ZoneUTC-5
    Course DescriptionIn this course, that is open to undergraduates of all majors, the following topics are explored at an introductory level: (a) the nature, implications, and consequences of human conflict; (b) the main current theories regarding its causes; (c) so-called ‘strategies’, that are the ways in which we humans address conflict (avoidance, confrontation, yielding, management and/or resolution); (d) escalation of conflict; (e) the tendency for escalation to become irreversible; (f) the main processes for de-escalation, management and resolution, including pre-negotiation and direct negotiation between or among the parties; (g) reconciliation between or among parties that were previously in conflict; and (h) various forms of impartial third-party intervention.
    Course OutlineLink

    Number of Credits3
    Offering DepartmentCollege of Social Sciences and Humanities
    Course TeacherJulie Gamble
    Language of InstructionSpanish
    First Day of ClassMay 31, 2021
    Last Day of ClassJul 28, 2021
    Course ComponentLecture
    Mode of TeachingSynchronous
    Meeting TimeMon-Thu 0700-0820
    Time ZoneUTC-5
    Course DescriptionWhat is a city? What are ‘global cities’ and ‘global spaces? Why are cities important, and what role do they play in globalization? How can we experience, represent, imagine, and ‘feel’ a city and its ‘global spaces’? Considering that more than a half of the world’s population already live in cities and that urbanization is accelerating particularly in developing countries, cities play an essential role in the emergence of spatial, social, and economic processes of the world. The students of this class will familiarize themselves with urban processes and transformations, as well as their interconnectivity, through a transnational and comparative perspective. We’ll discuss key concepts and theories, as well as the recent debates related to the processes of urbanization in the era of globalization. Moreover, the students will get acquainted with the socioeconomic aspects related to cities and urbanization through empirical examples from different parts of the world, including South America (e.g., Quito, Sao Paulo, Mexico City), North America (New York and San Francisco), Europe (London), Asia (Singapore, Delhi, and Shanghai), and Africa (Johannesburg and Nairobi). We’ll also analyze how cities are affected by phenomena such as gentrification and migration, and we’ll talk about urban social exclusion and the factors that constitute a ‘just’ city. To conclude, we’ll discuss urban sustainability and the future of cities, particularly ‘smart cities.’
    Course OutlineLink

    *The number of credits is shown as provided by the course offering university. The credit structure at the course offering university may be different from the one at your home university. Please contact the APRU VSE Coordinator of your home university for credit transfer information.

    Course enrollment is subject to final approval from your home university and the course offering university.