Global Cultural Studies Minor

This survey course will look at the transition from Modern to Postmodern literature in South Korea, Armenia, and Greece as well as postcolonial theory from Ethiopia, Ghana, and Bolivia, including readings, lectures, discussions, and assessments on postcolonial theory, postmodernism, literary technique, the role of religion, and the question of personal and national identity.

This course will study the literary and sacred masterpieces from the countries visited during the Around-the-World semester and examine these texts in light of their historical context, literary technique, the role of religion, and the question of personal and national identity.

This course will introduce the basic concepts of international service and development projects as it prepares students for the rigor and routines of the Around-the-World Semester and gives students the tools to begin studying, serving, and traveling for eighteen weeks abroad.

Students will study theories of cross-cultural adaptation, acclimation, and assimilation in this course. Occurring before their departure for the study-abroad country, students will be better prepared to make the transition to their new home and develop an awareness of others and self, and become more effective observers of internal (intra-personal) changes, and external (inter-personal) discovery.

The globalization of organizations, public and private, and their multicultural make-up requires today's citizens to have a solid cross-cultural competence, involving an understanding of ones own culture and communication preferences, identifying others' preferences, and having a flexible behavioral repertoire to bridge cultural differences.

This course will provide specific applications for learning a new foreign language and understanding English structure and usage, including sound system, word formation, grammar, syntax, expression of meaning, variation, etymology, and/or change; cultural and artistic uses of languages; and comparison of oral and written aspects of language.

This course is meant to bring the practical service experience to students as they take responsibility for a variety of service projects that will challenge them, not only as they prepare ahead of time for outreach, but also as they adapt to sharing messages of love and forgiveness.

An intense creative nonfiction writing course combined with ethnographic research, blogging, and backpack journalism as students write about thirty-five pages of essays, profiles, literary journalism, and reviews that will be published weekly on a blog together with photos and video content. Assignments will require students to observe and engage with people in various countries where they are volunteering and studying.