Explore the Philippines in 2024
Visit historic sites and explore the rich diversity of the Philippines with fellow De Anza students and instructors. We will
- Visit the old walled city of Manila
- Take a food tour of the world's oldest Chinatown
- Experience service learning in local communities
- Gain knowledge from indigenous populations
- Partner with university students in the Philippines
Tentative dates: July 1-5 at De Anza College, followed by July 10-26 in the Philippines
Important Update
Space is still available in this year's trip to the Philippines on July 1-26 – along with a $500 scholarship, which brings the cost of the trip down to just $1,700 plus airfare and class registration fees.
Read the Letter from Professor Caparas
March 2024
Dear Potential Study Abroad Student,
Greetings from Manila! This is Chesa Caparas, one of the instructors for the Philippines Study Abroad program.
This year's Florence Study Abroad trip is now filled, and we are no longer adding students from the waiting list. If you didn't get on the list for Florence, Professor Mae Lee and I would like to personally invite you to join us in the Philippines from July 1-26.
We will start the first week at De Anza and then fly to Manila where we will be hosted by Far Eastern University (FEU). We’ll spend the first week in Manila then travel to other provinces such as Cavite and Pampanga. You will interact with FEU students at various locations, visit museums, go on food tours and interact with the local communities. There will also be workshops on Philippine martial arts, cooking, and kulintang, which is a traditional Filipino instrument.
At the end of the program, you may return to the US, stay in PI, or travel to other parts of Asia, and you will have two weeks to turn your papers in. Courses offered will include ASAM 11, ASAM 13, ASAM 30, EWRT 1A, EWRT 2, ELIT 21, ELIT 22 and ELIT 24. Most of these courses fulfill GE requirements. You must take at least two courses but you may take up to three.
The great news is the low cost of this great program. Normally it would be $2200 but we will award all additional students a $500 scholarship compliments of a wonderful donor, Ms. Karen Rudolph. So the cost of your trip will be only $1700 plus airfare and registering for your classes. There is a $200 administrative fee to get you started and included in the program. We will ask you to write a thank you note to Ms. Rudolph – a fair ask for a $500 scholarship.
As mentioned earlier, I’m writing this letter from Manila where I’ve visited the hotel where we’ll be staying for the first week. It’s fabulous – walking distance to shopping areas and public transit, and full of amenities like a pool table and gym.
Please consider joining us for Study Abroad in the Philippines this summer. We hope to see you there!
Meet the Instructors
Francesca Caparas
Chesa Caparas (she/they) has a B.A. and M.A. in modern literature from UC Santa Cruz. She is an instructor in English, Women's Studies and Asian American Studies at De Anza, where she also teaches in the IMPACT AAPI Learning Community.
In her classes she explores literature and pop culture, the intersections of technology with race and gender, and the ethical applications of artificial intelligence. She co-led the Study Abroad program to the Philippines in 2019. Inspired by that trip, in 2022 Chesa became a Fulbright Scholar to the Philippines, where she researched media and information literacy. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Information and Knowledge Strategy at Columbia University.
Mae Lee
Mae Lee (she/friend) loves teaching ethnic studies, after more than twenty years of teaching Asian American studies and comparative ethnic studies at De Anza. Trained as a cultural anthropologist, Mae pays attention to the connections between meaning-making, forms of power, and aspirations – both expected and unpredictable. She has studied the politics of corporate diversity in Silicon Valley, Asian American racial subjectivities in Santa Clara Valley electoral politics, and Asian Americanist activism in community college.
Mae has a B.A. in International Relations and an M.A. in Food Research from Stanford University. She also holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz.
See the Course List
- ASAM 11: Asian Americans and Racism
- ASAM 13: Asian Americans and Asia
- ASAM 30: Filipinx American History and Culture
- EWRT 1A: English Composition and Reading
- EWRT 2: Critical Reading, Writing and Thinking
- ELIT 22: Myth and Folklore
- ELIT 24: Asian Pacific American Literature
- ELIT 21: Women in Literature
You can learn about each of these courses in the De Anza College catalog.
Submit the Interest Form
Complete this form so you can receive updates and details about how to apply.
The Study Abroad program is also organizing a trip to Florence, Italy this year. Learn more
Philippines Trip Contacts
Chesa Caparas
English Instructor
Mae Lee
Asian and Asian American Studies Instructor
Leah Riley
Administrative Contact
- rileyleah@deanza.edu
- 408.780.9719