2006 May Term Study Experiences

Below are the trips that were offered in 2006. Most of the trips counted for credit in multiple majors.

Click the links to the left for photo galleries.

ANTH*300L/PLSC*300F
Southwestern Pueblo Societies (View the photo gallery)

Travel to Four Corners area of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah
Estimated Trip Cost: $350 - 455
Travel Dates: May 19 - 28
Instructor: Chuck Tripp

Introduces students to Pueblo peoples of the American southwest. Includes a survey of social, political, and economic aspects of select Native American cultures with a close focus on the Hopi, Zuni, and Acoma peoples. Special emphasis on prehistory and indigenous art as political expression in shaping today's societies. A field trip will give students the opportunity to see first hand some of what they have studied. Tours of Mesa Verde; Chimney Rock; Aztec Ruins; Salmon Ruins; Chaco Canyon; the Zuni, Acoma, and Hopi reservations; El Morro; Petrified Forest National Park; Canyon de Chelly; Wupatki; The Grand Canyon; and other locations in the Four Corners area of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah are included. Insufficient enrollment or national or international situations may cause cancellation of this study tour.

ART*300EE/ENGL*300XX
Earthworks of American West

Travel to areas in Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada
Estimated Trip Cost: $500
Travel Dates: May 13 - 28
Instructor: David Baddley

We will take a road trip through the American West to visit several famous earthworks, including Holts Sun Tunnels, Smithsons Spiral Jetty, Heizers Double Negative and De Marias Lightning Fields. We will also explore places and issues of scenic wonder in the land, as well as small Western towns along the way. We will be camping out, staying in motels and eating in greasy spoons. We will write journals and take photographs to document our adventure. Class meets on campus May 9, 11, 30; June 1.

AVIA*412P
Aviation in Southeast Alaska

Travel to Alaska
Estimated Trip Cost: $2,500
Travel Dates: May 15 - 27
Instructor: Mike Kraus, Larry Hemingway

This course will focus on two major themes: 1) socioeconomic factors influencing southeast Alaska's intermodal transportation systems; and 2) flight operations and safety in the isolated regions of the area. Will also discuss the impact of cutting edge technologies, such as glass cockpits and GPS, on these operations. Insufficient enrollment or national or international situations may cause cancellation of this study tour. This course is open to all Westminster College students. Meets on campus May 9 and 11.

BIOL*300Y/ESS*300B
Geology/Natural History of Utah Parks (View the photo gallery)

Travel to Southern Utah
Estimated Trip Cost: $
Travel Dates:
Instructor: Judy Rogers and David Goldsmith

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.

ECON*412D
Deconstruction of Capitalism

Travel to Italy, France, and the Netherlands
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,500
Travel Dates: May 7 - 20
Instructor: Dick Chapman, John Watkins

This course traces the evolution of capitalism working backwards from the Industrial Revolution to the rise of cities and the emergence of long distance trade beginning with the Italian Renaissance. 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? All students must have health insurance coverage for travel. Insufficient enrollment and/or international situations may cause cancellation of this study tour. This course meets the international elective requirements for the international business major. Instructor approval is required for enrollment; see D. Chapman.

ECON*412V/MKTG*412H
China: Burgeoning Economic Power (View the photo gallery)

Travel to China
Estimated Trip Cost: $2,800
Travel Dates: May 6 - 19
Instructor: Chris Tong, Brian Jorgensen

This class will focus on the social, technical, political and economic issues facing multinational corporations located in China. Through social and cultural interactions, business/government visits and firsthand experience, students will develop an appreciation for the challenges involved in conducting business in China. Students will also study the antecedents and consequences of the dynamic growth of the Chinese economy, including the evolution from a nation of contract manufacturers to a nation that is beginning to market its own international brands. Three class sessions prior to departure will examine the STEP analysis of multinational corporation business location decisions, the cultural environment of the actual 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 a final report. Students in this class will visit Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Hong Kong, all in China. This course meets the international elective requirements for the international business major. Instructor approval is required for enrollment; see C. Tong. All students must have health insurance coverage for travel. Insufficient enrollment and/or international situations may cause cancellation of this study tour.

ECON*412W/MGMT*412W/NURS*300S
Humanitarian Aid Trip to Peru (View the photo gallery)

Travel to Peru
Estimated Trip Cost: $1,800 humanitarian (tax deductible) and additional $500
Travel Dates: May 15 - 25
Instructor: Vicki Whiting, Nursing Faculty

This class will provide students with a firsthand business management or nursing experience while educating students on the fundamental economic factors at work in a global environment. Through social and cultural interactions, business and nursing humanitarian projects and firsthand experience, students will develop an appreciation for the broad ranging effects of the global environment. Three class sessions prior to departure will examine the framework of economic development, the frameworks underlying the development of a country and general operational environments which drive citizens' experience in disparate parts of the world. Papers and classroom activities prior to departure will ground students in trade theory, health issues, as well as the cultural and economic considerations of the global environment. A significant component of this trip will be a week spent working together with the Hope Alliance in villages with less than 3,000 inhabitants working on four projects identified as critical by the Hope Alliance. Optional Machu Picchu trip. Instructor approval is required for enrollment; see V. Whiting. All students must have health insurance coverage for travel. Insufficient enrollment and/or international situations may cause cancellation of this study tour. This course meets the international elective requirement for the international business major.

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

Travel to Arizona, southern Utah, and Salt Lake City
Estimated Trip Cost: $577 not including meals
Travel Dates: May 13 - 21
Instructors: Marsha Morton and Pamela Merkley

This course introduces students to Hopi and Navajo peoples. Non-nursing students are welcome with the permission of the instructors. 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 teaching. 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 Indian 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 trips. Students will also spend one day visiting related sites in Salt Lake City after the nine-day field experience. Insufficient enrollment or national or international situations may cause cancellation of this study tour.

EDUC*300N/SPAN*300G
Mexico: History and Hope (View the photo gallery)

Travel to Mexico City and Cuernavaca
Estimated Trip Cost: $1700.00 includes all transportation, meals, lodging, and program
Travel Dates: May 20 - 29
Instructors: Peggy Cain and Carolyn Jenkins

This course introduces participants to the cultures and history of Mexico, as well as to contemporary social, political, and economic issues. The seminar will help students to understand the historical and current complexities of Mexico. This enriched understanding will prepare participants to work more effectively with Mexicans here in Utah. Spanish students will be awarded Spanish credit based upon successful completion of course requirements (reading list, writing activities, interactive personal communication) relative to their individual level of proficiency in Spanish.

FREN*300D/SPAN*300P/MUSC*300K
French & Spanish Cathedrals/Chamber Singers European Tour (View the blog and photos)

Travel to France and Spain
Estimated Trip Cost: $3100
Travel Dates: May 3 - 21
Instructor: Chris Quinn, Deyanira Ariza-Velasco, Stephen Haslam

French & Spanish Cathedrals: This tour will focus on some of Europes great gothic cathedrals. Not only will students see firsthand the grandeur of these buildings that are still being used for the purpose they were originally intended almost a millennium later, but they will have also studied the architecture and sometimes peculiar history of these churches. Some of the cathedrals contain special relics that made them part of the medieval pilgrim route to St. James de la Compostella. This tour also includes visits to important museums in Paris and Madrid such as the Musee d'Orsay, the Louvre and the Prado.

Chamber Singers European Tour: The 2005-2006 Chamber Singers will tour cathedrals in France and Spain. The choir will perform in cathedrals and chambers that are situated along a medieval pilgrimage trail. All music will be memorized prior to the tour. In addition to performing, the singers will experience the history and culture of each country by visiting museums, historical events, venues, and conversing with the residents.