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School of Undergraduate Studies 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Global Education Programs
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International Seminars
XXX 291 and XXX 391 - International 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).
American Studies Program
This interdisciplinary internship/seminar program provided by Best Semester (Council for Christian Colleges and Universities) is based in Washington, D.C. Designed to expose undergraduates to opportunities for involvement in public life, the program also provides students with a general understanding of the public policy dynamics at work in the nation’s capital. The program provides internship opportunities for the diverse majors and career interests of university juniors and seniors. Students live together in campus apartments, work as voluntary interns and participate in a seminar program for which they receive full academic credit. The Internship and Topics in Leadership and Vocation courses below are required of students in both the Public Policy Initiatives and the Strategic Communications Tracks. Contact the Global and Experiential Learning Office.
Public Policy Initiatives Track
Each semester ASP’s public policy track investigates a pressing public policy issue being debated on Capitol Hill, and focuses on the political difficulties policymakers face when economic, humanitarian, and national security priorities come into conflict with one another. Examining how biblical teachings on shalom and justice help navigate the trade-offs, students directly engage policy advocates and political actors on all sides of the issue to hear them explain the reasoning behind their positions, their points of disagreement with their policy opponents, and their impressions of what is required for their policy agenda to succeed on Capitol Hill. Education takes place outside the classroom through private briefings with think-tank specialists, U.S. House and Senate staff experts, and federal agency officials at their offices. Student research team conducts personal interviews with leading professionals in the executive branch, legislative branch, advocacy community, foreign embassies, and international organizations, and students attend Congressional briefings and hearings, as well as think-tank conferences.
Strategic Communication Track
Students discover cutting-edge best practices in the emerging field of strategic communication through Washington, D.C.-based field-work activities, client-work, and class lectures which will help them launch communications careers in any industry. Students will compare how different types of organizations - such as private companies, non-profit advocacy organizations, congressional offices, and more - develop strategic goals and objectives, choose appropriate communication channels and tactics, and measure outputs and impact outcomes. These learning objectives expound upon what the students learn in their communications internships. Previous students have interned at the Washington Redskins (Business Development & Operations department), the Heritage Foundation (Strategic Marketing department), the Trinity Forum (Development department), the Borenstein Group, Philanthropy Magazine, U.S. House and Senate offices, and more. To build strong, Christian foundations for their careers, students will also engage program alumni and other Christian communication professionals to explore the ethical and ‘faithful practice’ of strategic communication.
Students with career interests in public relations, marketing and advertising, corporate strategy, fundraising and development, non-profit management, political campaigns, and media relations are strongly encouraged to apply.
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.
Australia Studies Centre
This program provided by Best Semester (Council for Christian Colleges and Universities) is located in Brisbane, Queensland. Offered in partnership with Christian Heritage College (CHC), ASC is designed to integrate firsthand observation and study of Australian culture, history, religion, politics and indigenous cultures together with experiential service learning and disciplinary studies. The program introduces students to the Australian culture, history, and worldview. Students live with Australian families. Program travel introduces students to different aspects of the people and land of Australia. All students take two core units: The View from Australia and Indigenous Cultures in Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand) and two elective units or an internship. (Please note the class Australian Aboriginal Cultures is presently not approved). A list and description of the Christian Heritage College units available can be found at on the ASC website. Elective courses must be approved by departmental advisors. Semesters run Feb-June (Spring) and July-Nov (Fall). Approved for Business majors. Contact the Global and Experiential Learning Office.
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 first-hand 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, Kosovo and Bosnia and 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.
Contemporary Music Center
This interdisciplinary Best Semester Program (Council for Christian Colleges & Universities) is based in Nashville, Tennessee. CMC provides a community for young musicians and aspiring music executives to plumb the depths of their creative souls and test the waters of a career in popular music. Designed as an artists’ community, the program seeks to develop artists and music executives with a Christ-centered vision for music content, production and delivery. The mission of the CMC is to prepare students academically and creatively for potential careers in the music industry. In addition to the required core courses, each student will choose either the Artist Track, the Executive Track or the Technical Track. See Off-Campus Course Programs . Contact the Global and Experiential Learning Office.
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 and Experiential Learning 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 slower and simpler than the forms of contemporary American life by dining together, enjoying sustained conversation, 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 and Experiential Learning Office.
Latin American Studies Program
Located in San Jose, Costa Rica, this Best Semester Program (Council for Christian Colleges & Universities) provides students with the opportunity to study the language, literature, culture, politics, history, economics, ecology and religion of the region while living with a Costa Rican family. Students also participate in a service opportunity and travel for three weeks to surrounding countries. Four specialized academic tracks are available: Latin American Studies, International Business Concentration (fall only), Environmental Concentration (spring only), and Advanced Language and Literature. Contact the Global and Experiential Learning Office.
Los Angeles Film Studies Center
This interdisciplinary Best Semester 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 Best Semester 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 and Experiential Learning Office.
Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
This Best Semester 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 and Experiential Learning Office.
Uganda Studies Program
Located at the Uganda Christian University, this Best Semester Program (Council for Christian Colleges & Universities) provides students with both immersion in a local community and broad exposure to a variety of people and places in Uganda and Rwanda. Three emphases are offered: Uganda Studies, Social Work and Intercultural Ministry and Missions. Students in the first two programs share their lives with university students, living primarily on campus at Uganda Christian University. Students in the missions emphasis live with host families within walking distance of UCU. Contact the Global and Experiential Learning 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 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 and Experiential Learning Office.
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