2003 May Term Study Experiences

Below are the trips that were offered in 2003. Most of the trips counted for credit in multiple majors.

Art History Tour of Europe

This is an art history tour focusing on artists such as Van Gogh, Matisse, Chagall, Picasso, Leger, Kandinsky, Munch, and Emile Nolde. Travel locations include Lausanne, Freiburg, Bern, Strausbourg, Nancy, Paris, Nice, Antibes, Arles, and St. Remey. We will be traveling by plane, train, and tour bus.

Geology/Natural History of Utah Parks

Class will hike and study four of Utah's parks and wilderness places - Antelope Island, the Wasatch Mountains, Bryce Canyon, and Arches National Park. Moderately strenuous hiking and some less than comfortable field conditions may be encountered.

Classical Rome to Renaissance

This course examines the economic origin of Western civilization, focusing on the era from the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. The course examines the specifically distinctive characteristics of Western civilization (if that is possible) vis-a-vis other civilizations. The distinctiveness of Western civilization lies in the emphasis on rationality. Rationality entails a systematic approach, conveying the ideas of balance, harmony, and order. The course takes a comparative approach: comparing modern Western civilization with its emphasis on business with that of the past. An additional 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 arifacts inform us about the underlying ideology? How does Western civilization in the past differ from Western civilization today? The course includes a two week trip to Italy.

Hopi and Navajo Cultures Study Tour

This course introduces students to Hopi and Navajo peoples. It includes social, political, economic, artistic, health and caring aspects of their cultures. Special emphasis will be placed on the practical aspects of health care and teaching in schools. There will be a nine-day field trip designed for students to explore health issues, education practices, and ecosystems on Hopi and Navajo reservations in northern Arizona and southern Utah. Students will visit Indain Health Services and private health care facilities, schools on reservations, Hopi and Navajo families, museums, and possibly National Park sites. Students will participate in guided field and river tips. Students will also spend one day visiting related sites in Salt Lake City after the nine-day field experiance.

Diversity in Austrailia: Exploring a Multicultural Society

Students will be immersed in the Austrailian culture to explore lifestyles, literature, folklore, poetry, song, art, and other artifacts that represent the dominant population as well as the Aboriginal culture. Students will also look at ways in which the indigenous population fits into broader Austrailian culture, comparing historical and contemporary experiances and govermental policies that have impacted the Aboriginal populations. Students will visit Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the outback between explorations of museums, beaches, islands, reefs, an Austrailian rules football game, and other cultural events.

Irish Literary Tour

Students read a short survey of Irish literature during the first week of May term on-campus. Then students travel to Dublin to see sites connected to that literature, including Trinity College, the National Gallery, the James Joyce Cultural Center, Howth Head, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Powerscourt Estate & Garden, and more.

Mind, Body, and Breath

Learn to create and develop a personal yoga practice while aquiring tools to enhance your daily creative and academic endeavors. A combination of classroom study and lectures, a gentle yoga practice and several field trips will strengthen your ability to gather and retain information, increase your conctration, focus your thoughts and improve your mental acuity. Students will need a yoga mat and to be prepared for outdoor activity. The class will join a Campus Ministry retreat in southern Utah.