Introduction to Cultural Studies
Course Location: Ghana
Course Dates: June 4, 2009 - July 2, 2009
Academic Credits: 3 in English (ENGL 383), 3 in Service - Learning (SRVL 493)
Academic Instructor: Christopher Boettcher is an assistant professor of English, Castleton State College, Castleton, VT.
Course Description
Explorecultural studies and community development in Ghana for four weeks during summer 2009. With the guidance of an English/Cultural Studies Professor, you will consider globalization, culture, citizenship, and intercultural exchange while helpingcommunity members finish building the first library in rural Jukwa, near the historic Cape Coast.
Field trips will take you to economic sites (such as coco farms, gold mining, timber harvesting), a national park, the ocean, and the historic coastal sites of Ghana's colonial past (castles and forts that served the gold and slave trade). Participants will explore the vibrant culture of Ghana and make a lasting contribution to the community.
Staff of the Peace and Humanity Foundation (Amizade's Ghanian partner) will share their experiences working in community development in Ghana during the past several decades. You will stay in a hostel, walk among the banana trees each day, meet dynamic community leaders, and contribute to rural literacy.
Using an interdisciplinary framework,students will investigate globalization's cultural, political, economic, and environmental dimensions, including:
- How do we describe human culture? How does culture shape individual human identity? What challenges and possibilities do specific cultures face from rapid globalization?
- Where do our ideas about nationality come from? What are the rights and responsibilities of a national citizen? How has globalization influenced ideas of national sovereignty and citizenship?
- How are individual buying habits connected to people around the world? What is economic development? How does "thinking globally" impact it?
- How do we evaluate conflicting claims about the natural world? How do various groups and nations approach the management of natural resources and environmental conditions?
During the first phase, a month before travel, you will work at your own pace completing readings and course activities. You will work from your home in a distance education course, and you will meet and participate with other students in an online community. During the second phase in June, we will live and work in a rural community outside Accra, Ghana for several weeks. You will provide daily service, attend class, and participate in the daily lives of the communities we visit. By traveling to Ghana, you will the opportunity to consider these big questions in a culture and environment likely very different than your own. The program activities are designed to help you move from a theoretical understanding of these questions to your own answers.
During the third phase, the month after we return, you will have the opportunity to reflect on what you have learned about global studies and Ghana. You will also consider what this learning can tell you about your culture and civic life in your hometown. You will complete the program by creating a final multi-media project that you will use to tell about your experiences and share your reflections on your travel, service and study.
Program Fee: $3865 (before 12/31)* $4115 (before 2/15)** $4365 (after 2/15) Apply Now.
The Program Fee includes room and board, local programming, staffing, and transportation, university credits, international health insurance, a contribution to the local community organization, and recreational and cultural activities.
Students are responsible for international airfare, passports and/or visas, immunizations and any books or required course materials.
* Students who are accepted and hold their place with a non-refundable $500 deposit by December 31, 2008 receive a $500 tuition discount.
** Students who are accepted and hold their place with a non-refundable $500 deposit by February 15, 2009 receive a $250 tuition discount.