2012 Off-Campus, Short Term Courses

Vatnajokull glacier, 2010 Short Term to Iceland

The 2012 extra cost, off-campus Short Term courses are listed below, along with their estimated extra costs and the dates of information sessions, if planned at this time.  The extra-cost figures include all airfare, housing, food, local transportation, and admission fees.  The costs are approximate at this time.  Financial aid is available for qualifying students.  If you cannot attend an information session, please contact the faculty member teaching the course.  Each course has an application, available from the faculty member, to be returned to the faculty member no later than noon, Tuesday, January 17.  (Some faculty may have earlier deadlines.)

ANTH s18. Saudi Arabia.  This course explores the history and culture of Saudi Arabia through a combination of discussion and research on campus and a two-week trip to Saudi Arabia.  We will travel to Dhahran, Riyadh, and Jeddah, visiting sites of cultural, historical, archaeological and ecological interest. Students will investigate such topics as the impact of modernization on traditional Saudi society, the role of oil in the economic development of the country, the impact of Islam on Saudi culture and the position of women in Saudi society.  While in Saudi Arabia, we will attend presentations and have small group discussions with a variety of people to learn how Saudis understand their own culture. Approximate dates off-campus: May 7 to 21.  Maximum enrollment is 15 students with permission of the instructor required. Estimated extra cost: $2,800.  Instructor: Loring Danforth, Department of Anthropology.  Information sessions:  Thursday, Jan. 12, 8:00 pm, Pettengill G21.

GER s20. Transylvanian Journey: Myth, Reality, and the Traveler “Beyond the Forest”  Located in the arc of the Carpathian Mountains in East-Central Europe, Transylvania – “The Land beyond the Forest” – is known in popular culture as the mythical home of Dracula and the locale of awe-inspiring adventures.  The course offers students the chance to investigate some of the persisting myths about Transylvania, their origins and their transmission, as well the opportunity to reassess the province’s image since the removal of Romania’s communist government in 1989.  On campus, students will learn about the complexities of Transylvania’s image since the 19th century through selected readings and film viewings. The course will then travel to Transylvania, where we will visit important historical, cultural, and environmental locations and learn about the area’s multicultural communities, conflicted history, and current integration into the European Union.  Back on campus, students will produce their own collaborative travel account based on their experiences. Approximate dates off-campus: May 5 – May 19.  Maximum enrollment is 14 students with permission of the instructor required. Estimated extra cost: $2,860.  Instructor: Raluca Cernahoschi, Department of German and Russian Studies.  Information session: Thursday, January 12, 7pm, Roger Williams 215.

INDS s24. Shetland Islands: Archeological Field Studies   In its first week, the course provides students an introduction to Scottish archeology and history through tours of museums and historic sites during a four day visit to Edinburgh. The course then moves to the Shetland Islands, Britain’s northernmost county, where the students excavate a well-preserved farmstead from the 1500-1600s C.E., visit folk-life museums and other archaeological sites, and tour places of special environmental interest, including large seabird colonies and spectacular rocky coastlines. While in Shetland the students also participate in evening or rain day class discussions of archeological practice, especially on topics related to current fieldwork experiences. The students’ academic performance is evaluated on the basis of daily journals that are kept throughout the course and on their performance in field archeology activities.  The course is cross-listed in classical and medieval studies, environmental studies, and history.  Recommended but not required background: courses in medieval history, British history or archeology. Approximate dates off-campus: April 30 to May 22. Maximum enrollment is 12 with permission of instructor required.  Estimated extra cost $3,500. Instructors: Gerald Bigelow and Michael Jones, Department of History.  Information session: Thursday January 12, 4:15 PM, History Lounge, Pettengill 106.

INDS 25. Introduction to Contemporary Cuban Culture  The disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 signaled the loss of Cuba’s most strategic geo-political ally and economic partner.  The loss of Soviet support led to economic and social decline in Cuba known as El Período Especial, The Special Period.  With the beginning of the Special Period as our point of departure, this course provides an introduction to the culture of Cuba, a country that has been central to the development of the modern world and to the imagination of the United States.  During the first two weeks on campus, readings and class discussions focus on important themes in Cuban life such as perceptions of race, the cultural politics of music, questions of sexual identity differences, and the implications of the Special Period.  In the second half of the course, students experience everyday life in Cuba and learn to process their experiences through participant-observer ethnographic techniques.  They deepen their understanding of the country’s history and contemporary cultural and political debates through an organized program of guest lectures, and visits to important events and sites in Havana.  These opportunities to hear from leading Cuban scholars and cultural experts and participate in theatrical performances and traditional Cuban rumba enrich students’ understanding of the main themes of the course. Pre-requisite: Spanish 208 or special approval.  Approximate dates off-campus: May 9 to May 25.  Maximum enrollment 20 students with permission of the instructor required.  Estimated extra cost $3,200.  Instructors: C. Val Carnegie, Department of Anthropology and Matthew Pettway, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures (Spanish).  Information sessions: Consult Professors Carnegie or Pettway

RH/TH s40. Digital Video Production.  A hands-on, immersion course at Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, Maine, in the art of storytelling through digital video production, including both narrative fiction and documentary genres.  Students learn cinematic language, storytelling, storyboarding, drafting a shooting script, location scouting, casting talent, rehearsing, blocking, and directing actors and crew.  They also consider the roles of filmmakers, from producers and directors to camera and sound specialists and editors.  Students are introduced to Final Cut Pro and the post-production process.  During the course, students are expected to research, write, shoot, and edit a number of finished works.  Approximate dates off campus: April 23 through May 20.  Enrollment: Minimum 6, Maximum 14, including both Bates and non-Bates students, with permission of the instructor required.  Estimated extra cost: $4,025. Coordinator: Michael Reidy, Department of Theater and Dance.  Information sessions: Consult Professor Reidy