2008 May Term Study Experiences

ART*300GG/FREN*300E
European Heritage II

Travel to Spain and France
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,300
Travel Dates: May 6 - 26
Instructors: Steve Haslam, David Baddley

The focus of the course is to examine the cultural and historical similarities between Spain and France as seen in various literary works and UNESCO world heritage sites. Readings include: Tales of the Alhambra by Irving; Nada by Laforet; Red and Black, Stendal; The United States of Europe by Reid; and other selected readings. Visiting cities: Madrid, Toledo Sevilla, Malaga, Granada, Barcelona, Nimes, Carcesonne, Lyon, and Paris. Primary course assignments are student presentations, discussions, a travel journal, and a final essay.

ENGL*300TT/SPAN*300R
European Heritage I

Travel to Spain and France
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,300
Travel Dates: May 6 - 26
Instructors: Fatima Mujcinovic, Deyanira Ariaz-Velasco

The focus of the course is to examine the cultural and historical similarities between Spain and France as seen in various literary works and UNESCO world heritage sites. Readings include: Tales of the Alhambra by Irving; Soldiers of Salamis by Javier Cerca; and other selected readings. Visiting cities: Madrid, El Escorial, Toledo, Sevilla, Málaga, Granada, Valencia, Barcelona, Lyon, and Paris. Primary course assignments are student presentations, discussions, a travel journal, and a final cuestionario.

ECON*412VA/MKTG*412VA
Preparing for the Olympic Moment: China 2008

Travel to China
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,352
Travel Dates: May 12 - 25
Instructors: Chris Tong, Brian Jorgensen

This class will focus on business, economic, and environmental aspects of China's current preparations to welcome the world for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Summer Games (TM). Through social and cultural interactions, business/government visits, and firsthand experience, students will develop an appreciation for China's mammoth efforts to prepare itself for its upcoming scrutiny on the world stage. Three class sessions prior to departure will examine the recent history underlying the current rapid growth of the Chinese economy and what the future portends, as well as 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 final written and oral reports. Students in this class will visit Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Hong Kong, all in China.

ECON*412HA
A Tale of Two Cities: Paris and London

Travel to France and England
Estimated Trip Cost: $4,400
Travel Dates: May 6 - 17
Instructors: Dick Chapman, John Watkins

This course examines the economic origins of the modern world, focusing on the Industrial and French Revolutions. The historical backdrop for the French Revolution includes mercantilism and the policies of Louis XIII; highlighting the importance of individual liberty and equality. Individual liberty became the basis of modern capitalism; equality became part of the socialist critique of capitalism. The Industrial Revolution (IR) originated in England in the 1790s to 1830s. Spearheaded by the steam engine, the IR represented the introduction of a new technology that altered our social relationships and the ideas that underlie those relationships. The IR ushered in the factory system and the market, or laissez faire, capitalism.

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

Travel to Arizona and southern Utah
Estimated Trip Cost: $675
Travel Dates: May 10 - 18
Instructors: Marsha Morton

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.

EDUC*300E/FINC*412S
Dollars and 'Sense' Down Under

Travel to Australia
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,900
Travel Dates: May 12 - 25
Instructors: David Stokes, Ryan Hessenthaler

This course immerses students in ancient and contemporary Australian culture and enables them to explore a variety of important issues facing this thriving country. This experience will enable students to consider the role education and finance play in the development and structure of tourism in Australia through active, experiential learning. Areas of focus include: multi-ethnicities, folklore, art, song, literature, education, health, employment, economics, business, governmental policies, and environmental issues.

ENGL*300W/LATN*300A
England, Language and Literature

Travel to England
Estimated Trip Cost: $1,999
Travel Dates: May 12 - 28
Instructors: Georgi Donavin, Peter Goldman

This course explores the linguistic and literary communities of England, and especially in the North. We will spend two weeks in class on Westminster’s campus and two weeks in London and York. For English credit, the course centers on major texts that were written for, by or about figures in and around Yorkshire. We will study Beowulf, which may have been composed as a compliment to the Anglo-Saxon King Offa of Mercia; Henry 4, part 1, with Shakespeare’s representations of the leaders of the House of York; and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, whose settings derive from the English moors. For Latin credit, students will translate inscriptions in York Minster and other Medieval Latin texts that the York Archivist will make available to us. Latin students will also read from a packet of saints’ lives of the Anglo-Saxon church. While we are in class at Westminster, students will meet together for lecture and discussion, and the class will split to analyze either English or Latin texts. While we are staying in London or York, all students will attend all of the scheduled outings and be informed about contexts for both English literary and Latin manuscript sites.

THTR*300Y
Creative Wellness

Travel to Hawaii
Estimated Trip Cost: $3,425
Travel Dates: May 6 - 23
Instructors: Michael Vought, Nina Vought

As people and artists, we need a connection with the creativity that the natural world provides. Yet, in our busy city lives, we train ourselves to close out the very sights, sounds, touch, scents and tastes that should be nourishing our inner selves. We slowly starve our senses until they no longer seem relevant to our survival and isolation becomes the norm. Through immersion in this collective adventure, reconnection happens. Together we will accustom ourselves to eating healthy food, breathing healthy air, practicing healthy exercises, and thinking healthy thoughts.