Summer Teaching Exchange with Universidad de Monterrey

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Summer Teaching Exchange with Universidad de
Monterrey

• Michael A. McAdams

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Introduction

• At the Rio Bravo Conference in Monterrey, Mexico
  approached to teach at UDEM
• Topic of course would be Urban Sociology GIS
  applications

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Characteristics of UDEM(http//www.udem.edu.mx/)

• Private University sponsored by corporations
• Liberal Arts Institution
• One of three major universities in Monterrey
  (others being Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
  and Monterrey Technologica)

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Library at UDEM
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UDEM Student Union
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The Mall at UDEM
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UDEM Outdoor Auditorium
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Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

• Third largest city in Mexico (3 million approx.)
• Considered the Pittsburgh of Mexico
• Industrial and Service Center
• Proximity to Border has created a unique cultural
  and economic atmosphere mixed with
  traditionalMexican values

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Monument to the Workers
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State Legislature of Nuevo Leon
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Entrance to Barrio Antiguo from Macro Plaza
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Pedestrian Mall in El Centro
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The old Plaza
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El Adjuntamento (city hall)
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My Neighborhood Colonia La Fama in Santa
Catarina
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The Neighborhood mini-super
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The Plaza in La Fama
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My Apartment Complex
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Teaching at UDEM

• Taught Urban Sociology GIS Applications
• First half of course devoted to urban problems,
  urban theory, urban planning techniques
• Second half concerned GIS and applications to
  urban problems
• Final project for students was to outline a GIS
  application for an urban problem

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Course Details

• Course conducted using Blackboard, a web course
  manager
• Used mostly on-line material (scanned material
  from books and links from web pages)
• Exercises related to applying urban planning and
  urban analysis to Monterrey
• Final project was a proposal of how GIS could be
  used to analyze an urban problem
• http//www.tamuk.edu/geo/stuprojs.htm

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Overall Experience

• Interesting cross-cultural experience
• UDEM faculty and staff very supportive
• Students diligent and interested in topic