2011 May Term Study Experiences

ECON/MKTG*412VE*01
China: An Ancient Land Enters the Modern World Stage

Travel to China
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,400
Travel Dates: May 1 - 15
Instructors: Brian Jorgensen, Chris Tong

This May Term Study Experience is designed to examine the effects of China's transition from ancient civilization to isolated agrarian backwater to economic and political giant. Additionally, we will compare and contrast three different Chinas--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 interdependent societies, all of which call themselves Chinese. 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.

ECON*412HC*01
Construction of Capitalism

Travel to Holland, Italy, France
Estimated Trip Cost: $4,500
Travel Dates: May 3 - 17
Instructors: Dick Chapman, John Watkins

This course traces the evolution of capitalism working from the rise of cities and the emergence of long distance trade, leading to the Italian Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution. Our purpose is to explore the relationship between culture and economics. Specifically, our purpose is to view culture from a materialist perspective. What does culture inform us about the underlying economic relations? What was the material basis (the technology, machines, tools, and so on) that enabled the production of these cultural artifacts? What do the cultural artifacts inform us about the underlying ideology? How does capitalism in the past differ from capitalism today? The course also addresses the European response to the current economic crisis. Why is France considering reducing pension payments? Why has Europe depended on spurring exports to stimulate the domestic economy? What is Europe's response to troubled banks? How does Europe's response to the crisis differ from that of the US?

ART/FREN/SOC*300X*01
European Heritage III

Travel to France, Switzerland
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,772
Travel Dates: May 2 - 23
Instructors: David Baddley, Steve Haslam, Mark Rubinfeld

Affords students the opportunity to experience European heritage--the art, language, and values that frame so much of Western European life. How do French and Swiss culture, in the broadest sense of the term, compare to American culture? What are the artistic, linguistic, and social traditions that French and Swiss culture draw from and how are these manifested? Expressed? Practiced? Lived? Through art, language, and everyday activities, cultural values are continuously generated, shared, experienced, affirmed, challenged, and/or transformed. And through the lens of Art, French, and Sociology, this May Term Study Experience will enable students to observe, firsthand, what these French and Swiss cultural values are and, in the context of globalization, may be becoming.

SPAN/EDUC*300C*01
Colonial and Contemporary Peru

Travel to PeruEstimated Trip Cost: $3,498
Travel Dates: May 5 - 19

Instructors: Deyanira Ariza-Velasco, David Stokes

Students will develop an in-depth understanding of the culture of Peru from the pre-Inca period through Spanish colonial rule to today. We begin by visiting the Universidad de Piura in Lima for a lecture on the history and literature of native peoples in Peru with particular emphasis on the resiliency of historical traditions of native peoples challenged by the culture and language of Spain. This will be followed by a visit to a local public school where we will interview local students about their family history pertaining to issues around Spanish colonialism and change of tradition. Students will then visit museums and places of antiquity in Lima, the Inca Trail, the Sacred Valley, Cuzco, Machu Pichu, and Titicaca Lake. At each location they will continue to interview local native peoples seeking a broad understanding of how the current culture of that region of Peru developed. Students will enter interview outcomes daily into their trip journals and upon the conclusion of the field portion of the trip they will, in teams, collate their findings and present outcomes to the class.

EDUC/NURS/THTR*300I*01
Extreme Service Learning

Travel to India
Estimated Trip Cost: $2,780
Travel Dates: April 30 - May 24
Instructors: Heidi VanErt, Diane Forster-Burke, Michael Vought

Students will serve for two weeks with Calcutta Mercy Ministries at their hospital, clinics, schools, and neighborhood outreach programs. Each student will have the opportunity to focus their service on healthcare, hospice care, education, writing, curriculum development, childcare, artistic performance, or feeding the poor. While we recognize that two weeks of service will not have an appreciable impact on the poverty of Calcutta, the intent of this study experience is to introduce students to the potential for international service learning/volunteer humanitarian work in their field of study. After two weeks in the heat and privation of Calcutta, we will spend one week in the Northern Indian state of Sikkim trekking in the Himalayas and visiting historic, geographic and cultural sights.

 
*Photos by Mitch Dumke

EDUC*300E/NURS*300F*01
Hopi and Navajo Cultures

Travel to Northern Arizona and Southern Utah
Estimated Trip Cost: $775
Travel Dates: May 7 - 15
Instructors: Marsha Morton, Janet Dynak, Carolyn Jenkins, 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.

 
*Photos courtesy of Dr. Judy Rogers

ESS*300D/CHEM*300F/BIOL*300EE/ENVI*300N/HON*300NN*01
Natural Sciences of Hawaii

Travel to Hawaii
Estimated Trip Cost: $2,800
Travel Dates: May 12 - 20
Instructors: Robyn Hyde, Judy Rogers, David Goldsmith

This course will take a multidisciplinary approach to studying the island of Hawaii. Hawaii is one of the newest landmasses on Earth, and therefore can provide scientists with insights into how islands form and become inhabited. The fact that this is such a new natural environment does not, however, mean that it is pristine. Already this island is being adversely affected, not only by the natural elements, but also by commercial exploitation. An important aspect of our discussions will be not only how this island has formed, but also the responsibilities that people have for responsible stewardship of the island known as "America's Paradise."

EDUC/HON/PUBH*300DD*01
Concepts in Global Citizenship: Service Learning in Thailand

Travel to Thailand
Estimated Trip Cost: $4,350
Travel Dates: May 1 - 25
Instructors: Han Kim, Peter Ingle

The focus of this course will be to explore concepts in global citizenship and responsibility in the 21st century by understanding the educational, health and developmental needs of rural Thai citizens as well as indigenous populations through cultural immersion and active participation in service projects designed to provide benefits to the local peoples. 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 Khon Kaen, that will help alleviate some of the health, educational and developmental issues present, while staying with local families within the villages. Other activities will include tours of historically significant sites in Thailand, sightseeing in Bangkok as well as spending a day with Burmese refugee children at a refugee school and visiting an HIV/AIDS hospice. Students will meet during Spring Semester for preparatory sessions that will ready them for the experience. Course assignments will include reflective journaling, active discussions during the trip, and an online reflective multimedia project at the end of the trip.

View a video about our Thailand experiences:

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