GEO Seminars

XXX 291 and XXX 391 - GEO Seminar Credits: 2 or 4

Intensive summer- or winter-break travel courses in various disciplines and taught in context of specific culture or region. Regular class meetings supplemented by guest lectures, site visits, cultural events and home visits to provide insight into host culture. Seminars have included British Stage (United Kingdom); Disability in the Developing World (Honduras/Belize); Developing Enterprises in Rwanda; History of Ancient and Modern Greek Culture and Religion (Greece); Natural History of Belize; and Physical Settings of the Bible (Israel).

Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies

See Department of Biology  for information on this program. Course information is available at their website http://ausable.org. Courses will apply as Gordon credit.

Balkans Semester

The Balkans Semester for the Study of War and Peace is an interdisciplinary program centered on the themes of war and peace, conflict and reconciliation. Students study these themes while learning firsthand from people on all sides of recent wars and genocides who are grappling daily with problems of justice and forgiveness, and with navigating a path toward sustainable peace. Croatia, along with Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, serve as the backdrop for studying the relevant historical, literary, philosophical, socio-political and theological texts; for interacting with local and international scholars and practitioners; and for examining the role of religion in local conflicts. Students wrestle with the complexities of peace-making through interreligious dialogue while developing a Christian understanding of peace, both in their personal lives and on a global, social and political scale.

Creation Care Studies Program

This program connects Christian faith with urgent global environmental issues of the day. Programs are offered in Central America (Belize) and the South Pacific (New Zealand). In Belize students examine sustainable development and tropical ecology through a Christian lens of creation care and stewardship, utilizing field studies in Belizean villages, tropical rain forests, mountain streams and Caribbean atolls. Interest-specific internship and practicum experiences with Belizean organizations are available. In New Zealand students explore a rich variety of ecosystems. New Zealand, home to about 12 percent of all the earth’s endangered species and a world leading innovator in conservation and environmental management, is an ideal place for studying care of creation in a rigorous academic semester that comprises ecology, theology, environmental literature and sustainable community development. Contact the Global Education Office.

Gordon in Orvieto

Students in this arts-oriented semester program in central Italy find new creative inspiration in the artistic traditions of the past while experiencing rhythms of life that are slower and simpler than the forms of contemporary American life by dining together, enjoying sustained conversation, and living more closely to the earth in the midst of vineyards and olive groves. Its workshop environment draws teachers and students into close collaborative learning. All students take an introductory course that uses drawing to introduce the themes of the entire program. Students then select three among a set of courses offered in the visual arts and humanities. Students with no background in the Italian language take a 2-credit tutorial-based course in Italian Language Studies. Courses occur in a month-long intensive format, typically with three-hour class sessions from Monday through Thursday mornings. The three-day weekends are available for personal travel and course-related excursions. Contact the Global Education Office.

Los Angeles Film Studies Center

This interdisciplinary CCCU GlobalEd Program (Council for Christian Colleges & Universities) is located in one of the primary film and television production centers in Los Angeles. Providing students with internship and professional experience, the Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC) integrates a Christian worldview with an introductory exploration of the work and workings of mainstream Hollywood entertainment. Contact the Global Education Office.

Middle East Studies Program

Located in Amman, Jordan, this CCCU GlobalEd Program (Council for Christian Colleges & Universities) provides students with the opportunity to study Middle Eastern cultures, history, religions, politics and language from within this diverse and strategic region. Students participate in interdisciplinary seminar classes, receive Arabic language instruction and serve as volunteers with various organizations. Travel component may include Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Turkey, Morocco or Tunisia. Contact the Global Education Office.

Scholars’ Semester in Oxford

This CCCU GlobalEd Program (Council for Christian Colleges & Universities) at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford develops the academic writing and research skills of students who are prepared for rigorous study and writing. Enables students to explore the disciplines and their interests to a high standard. Designed for students interested in fields of art history, classics, English language and literature, history, musicology, philosophy, psychology, theology and religious studies. Students enroll in a primary and secondary tutorial (equivalent to upper-division courses), an integrative seminar (first term), the British Landscape course (both terms) and a thesis (second term). Students group their work in a concentration so that all elements of the program work together. Applicants must have a 3.7 GPA or better. Contact the Global Education Office.

Westmont in San Francisco/Urban Studies Program

As the center of a large, diverse metropolitan area, San Francisco offers a unique setting for the study of cultural, economic, political and social aspects of U.S. society. The program provides ready access to the city along with the security and intimacy of a self-determined community. One emphasis of the program is urbanization: its historical process, contemporary problems faced by cities and policy proposals that address these problems. A required urban studies course examines themes such as the nature of cities, how community forms in the urban environment, the ways race and ethnicity shape people’s interactions in the city, the range of understandings of poverty and how best to address it and the call to Christians in relation to these various issues. The Urban Program emphasizes student responsibility for their own learning. The program is experience-based with considerable fieldwork and involvement in the issues and life of San Francisco. Courses transfer from Westmont College. Contact the Global Education Office.