“Media in Mexico” a winter break class

Interested in studying “Media in Mexico” from Dec. 29 to Jan. 17, 2015/ ‘16 and earning 3 credit hours?

We’ll spend 20 days of our Winter Break reading and discussing a couple of books, working “hands on” with two Los Cabos advertising and public relations agencies, getting to know marketing and design students from two Mexican universities and—yes—have some time in the sun, enjoying the warm Mexican winter temperatures.

NOTE: Posted for Dr. John Bodle, School of Journalism. This class would serve as an elective for EMC students.

Our two textbooks are “The Development of Mexico’s Tourism Industry: Pyramids by Day, Martinis by Night” (Dina Berger), and “How Will My Product Sell in Mexico?” (Sandro Piancone). We will spend four mornings (Monday through Thursday) each week discussing these books and hearing from our invited guests—the owners and employees of two agencies, PR Solutions and LA 76 Strategic Design. (You don’t have to know Spanish. The agency personnel are bilingual.) Some afternoons we will be working alongside agency personnel on projects and strategies, and strengthening your areas of interest and abilities (social media, electronic/broadcast/graphics). Other evenings we’ll be talking and eating with university students from Los Cabos. But most evenings and three days each weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) are available for “me time” to explore!

December and January are when the whales migrate through Cabo. (Boats will take you out to see them.} There’s great fishing and beautiful beaches with snorkeling. The average January temperature in Murfreesboro is in around 40 degrees. In Cabo, winter is about 75 degrees.

The cost is $3,500. That covers 3 credit hours of tuition, lodging (Siesta Suites, double occupancy), round trip airfare (Southwest Airlines), insurance, etc. Each suite has a kitchenette to help you save money on food. The hotel is walking distance to nearly everything—the agencies, restaurants, the beach, the marina. The cost would be $4,000, but MTSU Study Abroad is providing a $500 scholarship for the first 10 students to sign up.

Your family members will want to know how safe Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is. Los Cabos (“The Capes”) is located 1,000 desert miles south of San Diego and the border, well away from the problems that face some parts of Mexico. USA TODAY reports: “Cabo San Lucas is a tourist mecca, so you’re not going to experience “true” Mexico here — but considering the drug-related violence in a number of other areas of Mexico, that’s good news for American travelers. The beach town, located at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, is part of a larger, generally safe area called Los Cabos. While all Mexican travel comes with some risk, in Cabo some of your biggest risks are sunburns…”

Most Mexicans living and working in the tourist section of Cabo San Lucas speak enough English to direct you to what you’re looking for, so… don’t worry if your Español is “poco” (little).

I will be holding a couple meetings to more fully explain the trip. The first gathering will be Friday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. in Mass Comm #150. It’s a chance for you to ask questions, meet those going, and allow those financing the trip (like parents) to come learn more.

But time is short if we are to hold down prices on airline tickets and housing. And the trip is limited to the first 10 students. I am always available for your questions.

Dr. John Bodle, Professor, School of Journalism • [email protected] • Cell: 615.896.7717