2010 May Term Study Experiences

COMM*300MM//FILM*300MM/MPC*681C
Creative Reflections on Travel

Travel to British Isles
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,875
Travel Dates: May 7 - 18
On-Campus Meeting Dates: May 4, 6, 20, 25
Instructors: Helen Hodgson, Christy Seifert, Rulon Wood

We will travel to the British Isles to visit important British cities, landmarks, museums, and other venues of historical and cultural significance. The focus will be on creative textual and visual representations of what we experience. Our goal will be to replace traditional travel writing with narrative nonfiction and multimedia components to create a larger canvas on which we depict our travels. The class will culminate with a student-created ezine.

ECON*412G/MGMT*412G
Culture & Development in Rural India

Travel to India
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,720
Travel Dates: May 7 - 28
On-Campus Meeting Dates: bi-monthly in February, March and April and reflection meeting May
Instructors: John Groesbeck, Steve Hurlbut

We will spend most of the trip in two rural areas of India: Punjab (far north) and Wai (about 200 miles south of Mumbai). We will be focusing on education and micro-finance. Students will have homestays with Indian families for approximately one week of the trip. There will be several service learning projects at several different schools during the trip. We will conclude the trip with sightseeing in Delhi, visiting the International Management Institute of India in Delhi, and also with a one day trip to see the Taj Mahal in Agra.

ECON*412VC/MKTG*412VC
The Greater China

Travel to China
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,650
Travel Dates: May 10 - 24
On-Campus Meeting Dates: Jan. 15; Mar. 19; May 7, 28
Instructors: Chris Tong, Brian Jorgensen

As most of the world struggles through a serious recession, China, while not untouched by the economic turmoil, has been doing much better than most countries. Eventually China's burgeoning economy will rival that of the U.S., and China continues to be one of our most important trading partners and creditors. This May Term study experience is designed to examine the importance of China as an economic trading partner of the U.S. and as an emerging world power. Additionally, we will compare and contrast three different areas: mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Through social and cultural interactions, business/government visits, and firsthand experience, students will develop an appreciation for these complex and fascinating societies, all of which call themselves Chinese. We will also have the particular opportunity this year to visit the World Expo that Shanghai has been feverishly preparing for over the past several years. Three class sessions prior to departure will examine China's growth and development over the past few years and what we might expect in the near future. We will also address the history and culture of the geographic locations to be visited and the mechanics of the trip. A fourth class session will be held after returning from the trip to summarize the trip experiences and for students to submit final written and oral reports. Students in this class will visit Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

EDUC*300DD/NURS*300V
Service Learning in Thailand

Travel to Thailand
Estimated Trip Cost: $4,290
Travel Dates: May 2 - 26
On-Campus Meeting Dates: Jan. 29; Feb. 26; Mar. 26; Apr. 23, 30
Instructors: Peter Ingle, Han Kim

The focus of this course is to understand the educational, health and developmental needs of rural Thai citizens and indigenous peoples, as well as learn about issues in international aid and development in the developing world. This will be achieved through cultural immersion and active participation in service projects designed to provide benefits to the local population. Students will participate in service projects in two distinct rural Thai villages, one near the Burmese border in Mae Sot, and one in the rural Northeast near Kalasin. Students will also experience Thai culture through home stays with villagers, participation in daily Thai life (cooking, planting, etc.), and active participation in Thai holidays and festivals. Other activities will include tours of historically significant sites in Thailand as well as spending a day with Burmese refugee children at a refugee school and visiting an HIV AIDS hospice. Students will be expected to attend five preparatory sessions during Spring Semester that will prepare them for the experience. Course assignments will include reflective journaling, active discussions during the trip, and a reflective multimedia project at the end of the trip.  View the Thailand MTSE blog from 2009: http://maytermthailand.wordpress.com/.

EDUC*300E/NURS*300F
Hopi and Navajo Cultures

Travel to northern Arizona and southern Utah
Estimated Trip Cost: $775, plus approx. $200 for meals
Travel Dates: May 8 - 16
On-Campus Meeting Dates: May 3, 5, 19, 26
Instructors: Marsha Morton, Cordelia Schaffer

This course introduces students to Hopi and Navajo peoples. It includes social, educational, environmental, political, economic, artistic, health and caring aspects of their cultures. Special emphasis will be placed on the practical aspects of health care and observation in the schools. There will be a nine-day field trip designed for students to explore health issues, educational practices, and ecosystems on Hopi and Navajo reservations in northern Arizona and southern Utah. Students will visit Indian Health Services and private health care facilities, schools on reservations, Hopi and possibly Navajo families, museums, and possibly National Park sites. Students will participate in guided field and river trips. Students will also spend one day visiting related sites in Salt Lake City after the nine-day field experience. Students from all majors are welcome with the permission of the instructors. Insufficient enrollment or national or international situations may cause cancellation of this study tour.

EDUC*300Y/SPAN*300R
The Maya: Classic & Contemporary

Travel to Guatemala
Estimated Trip Cost: $2,482 ($3,032 with the trip to Tikal)
Travel Dates: May 12 - 22 (May 12-24 with the trip to Tikal)
On-Campus Meeting Dates: Nov. 19, 12:00 pm and 7:30 pm; Jan. 15; May 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 and 27
Instructors: Carolyn Jenkins, Shamby Polychronis

This trip introduces participants to the history of the Mayan peoples and to contemporary social, political, and economic issues they face. We will visit archeological sites and museums. We will meet with various Mayan groups in cities and villages of the western Highlands to explore their contemporary life and efforts to retain their languages and cultures and to improve their economic situation. While in Quetzaltenango (Xela), we will be involved in service learning at a local school, Asturias Academy. We will address educational issues in these contexts. The course will help students understand Mayan cultures so students are better able to work with immigrants in Utah. Education majors will also be better prepared to teach about the Maya. While in Quetzaltenango, Asturias Academy staff will be leading our site visits each day after we spend time working with the students in the school. The remainder of the trip will be run by the Center for Global Education at Augsburg College, Minneapolis. The Center for Global Education staff person in Guatemala, Fidel Xinico Tum, is a Cakchiquel Maya. Peggy Cain, one of the faculty members involved in the pre-trip classes, has been studying the Maya since 1979, has a Masters Degree in Latin American Studies, and opened up and ran the Center's program in Guatemala from 1987 to 1990.

ENGL*300EE/LATN*300EE/MUSC*300EE
Ireland: Literature and Song

Travel to Ireland
Estimated Trip Cost: $2,650
Travel Dates: April 29 - May 20
On-Campus Meeting Dates: Pre-trip organizational meetings will be held throughout the year; ENGL*300EE and LATN*300EE - May 3, 24; MUSC*300EE - pre-departure choir rehearsals
Instructors: David Stanley, Georgi Donavin, Chris Quinn

This course develops the intersections between traditional Irish music and literature in either English or Latin. It involves cooperative learning between the Westminster Chamber Singers, who will be performing in Irish venues, and students interested in translation and textual criticism. We will discover how music and song informs well-known Irish writings and how Irish writings provide texts for singing through course discussion and travel throughout Ireland. Beginning with the Cork International Choir Festival, the choir will perform in magnificent churches and concert venues throughout Ireland.

HIST*300F
Peru: the Inca & Spanish

Travel to Peru
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,600
Travel Dates: May 6 - 20
On-Campus Meeting Dates: May 3, 5, 24, 26
Instructors: Jeff Nichols, Mark Ferne

This class focuses on the rich history and landscapes of Peru, especially Tawantinsuyu or the Inca Empire of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Spanish conquest, and the colonial system. The course will include preparatory lectures and readings, then features a two-week visit to Peru. Sites will include the capital Lima, founded by the Spanish conquistadores; the Inca capital, Cusco; the extraordinary "lost city: of Machu Picchu; the Amazon rain forest; and the Sacred Valley. After we return to Salt Lake City, students will present the results of their group research projects to their classmates. Please note well: Cusco is located at about 11,000 feet above sea level. Consider your overall fitness level and especially your tolerance for spending time at high altitude!

SPAN*300Z/MATH*200Z
Pilgrim: Santiago de Compostela

Travel to Spain
Estimated Trip Cost: $2,894
Travel Dates: May 2 - 27
On-Campus Meeting Dates: Dec. 4; Jan. 22; Feb. 20; Mar. 20; Apr. 17; May 1, 28
Instructors: Sean Raleigh, Deyanira Ariza-Velasco, Marlene Lambert

This course is a journey of the mind, body, and soul. The journey (mostly by foot, with train and bus segments) will mostly follow the historic Camino Francés (French Way) to the cathedral and shrine of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, Spain. This famous walk-La Peregrinación del Camino de Santiago de Compostela, or “the Pilgrimage of the Way of Saint James of Compostela” -has been, and still is, traveled by thousands of pilgrims, or peregrinos. The two integrated courses-Spanish and Mathematics-offer a broad perspective on the political, social, economic, linguistic, cultural, and scientific context of the road to Santiago and on the idea of pilgrimage itself.