SOA 272Y - Intensive Course Abroad (1-5 Cr.)

(formerly SOC 272Y)

CIVIL SOCIETY AND SOCIAL CHANGE  (5) (PSC 272Y)
The pre-course (2 credits) is a detailed introduction to South African social and political history, culture and contemporary society, followed by a three-week intensive experience in South Africa (2 credits) The semester course is followed by a three-week intensive experience in South Africa (3 credits). Shope, Singer.

ARTS, CULTURE AND MUSIC IN BALI (5: 4+1) This 4 credit interdisciplinary course invites students to experience Bali through intensive immersion in its music, dance, and visual arts, and exploration of its culture and history. In this intensive course abroad, students will have opportunities to document their experiences and share their reflections on Bali, grappling with such questions as the everyday nuances of cultural difference, the impact of the creative economy and tourism on Balinese culture, the transformative power of Balinese performance and art, and their own role as global consumers and citizens. We will explore Bali’s rich history, performing and visual arts, traditions and heritage through workshops, lectures, performances, and site visits led by Balinese scholars and artists. Students will come away from this course with a deep, informed, and experiential appreciation of Bali’s unique artistic gifts, the ability to document, describe and critically reflect on Balinese cultural performances, and an understanding of the unique Balinese response to challenges of cultural sustainability in our global era. The 1 credit pre-departure course focuses on ethnographic practices of participant-observation, reflexivity, and cultural documentation, and introduces key readings and concepts in the study of Balinese culture and society and encourages awareness of the body through exercises focusing on body movement. Turner, Free.

COSTA RICA: DEVELOPMENT, CONSERVATION, ECOTOURISM, AND SPANISH (4)
Costa Rica is a leading tourist destination as a result of its commitment to peace and protection of its environment. Of its energy production, over 90% is from renewable resources. It considers the social services of education and health to be a right of its citizens. This course will examine the current state of Costa Rica’s political, economic, and social development within the past 50 years, with special emphasis on the issues surrounding demilitarization, conservation, education, health and rural development. Students will explore the relationship between natural resources, ecotourism and sustainable development in Costa Rica-a tropical, demilitarized country between two oceans and two continents. Mullaney