Luther Center for Global Learning
J-Term 2016 Off-Campus Courses
st
1 Round Priority Application: April 1 – April 22, 2015
2nd Round Application (for space-available programs): August 24 – September 21, 2015
Course Information: The academic discipline, course number, title of course, location(s), instructor(s), and brief description for each
off-campus J-Term course are listed below. In addition, the information highlights the number of credits, whether or not the course fulfills
the international studies minor immersion requirement (IS) and/or language minor immersion requirement (LANG), and the All College
Requirements fulfilled through the course (see page 19 of the 2014-15 Luther College Catalog for a description). All courses are offered
graded (A-F) unless otherwise noted. All courses fulfill the J-II requirement for off-campus studies. For additional details including maps,
itineraries, pictures, required immunizations and fees, visit the Center for Global Learning (Larsen Hall 130) or www.luther.edu/globallearning/.
Applying Online: Applicants must apply online. The online application will become active on April 1 at 8:00 AM.
Go to www.luther.edu/global-learning/apply/luther/jterm/. Click on the course to which you want to apply. On the next page, click
Apply Now. You will be prompted to login to the system with your Luther username and password (NorseKey). Once you have selected a
term (J-Term, 2016), you will be on the application page for the program. In addition to completing the application, make sure you also
complete the recommendation section. As part of the application process, you will apply for your 1st choice program and may indicate 2nd
and 3rd choices (if you have alternate choices). Make sure you click on SUBMIT in order to complete the process. Questions? Contact the
Center for Global Learning (x1062) or global@luther.edu.
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Africana Studies 239/Environmental Studies 239: Environmental Justice &
Sustainable Development in South Africa (South Africa)
INSTRUCTORS: Joy Conrad (Modern Languages & Literatures); Emily Neal
(Center for Sustainable Communities)
Course Description: In this course, students will explore the environmental,
political, and ethical issues raised by both development and conservation projects in
South Africa and the competing priorities they reflect. Students will examine the
complexities of environmental justice and sustainable development within the
context of rapid economic growth in a nation with a legacy of social inequality. The
course will cover topics related to energy and water rights, conservation, resource
extraction, and urbanization and will include a visit to a wildlife reserve as well as a
service-learning project in a rural community.
Credits: 4
Immersion: IS
All College Requirement(s): None
Prerequisite: Consent of Instructors
Est. Cost: $4,500-$4,850
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $300
Max. Enrollment: 20
Paideia 450: People and Parks: Pastoralism and Conservation in East
Africa (Tanzania)
INSTRUCTORS: Lori Stanley (Anthropology); Brad Chamberlain (Chemistry)
Course Description: This course will examine the tension between the national
parks movement and pastoralist societies through the lens of the Maasai people in
northern Tanzania and southern Kenya. Of particular interest is how wildlife
conservation efforts and ecotourism have impacted the relationship of Maasai to
their environment, in turn causing rapid cultural change such as shifts from herding
to agropastoralism and wage labor; modification of coming-of-age rituals; and
increasing adoption of formal modes of education and Christianity in place of or
alongside traditional modes and beliefs. From bases near the city of Arusha and the
small town of Monduli, we will study “traditional” Maasai culture and examine the
ways in which the Maasai of northern Tanzania are adapting to changing social,
political, economic, and environmental conditions. Students will interact with
Maasai bomas (multi-family compounds) in the bush. We will also visit the African
Wildlife Foundation, the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, the Manyara Ranch
Conservancy, Gibbs Farm (a luxury resort for western tourists that highlights Maasai
culture), and the pilgrimage route at the Oldoinyo Lengai volcano in order to
explore points of intersection between wildlife conservation programs, ecotourism,
and pastoralist societies.
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $4,650-$5,275
Immersion: IS
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $300
All College Requirement(s): Paideia 450, Intcl Max. Enrollment: 16
Prerequisites: Junior/Senior, Paideia 111 and 112, Consent of Instructors
SOUTH and EAST ASIA
Paideia 450: Stability and Change in Vietnam (Vietnam)
INSTRUCTORS: Steve Holland (Economics); John Moeller (Political Science)
Course Description: We will begin our exploration of Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City,
where we will experience the changing Vietnam in the form of a modern
commercial city. We then will travel to the Mekong Delta, a world of waterways,
farming, and rural charm, resting on the South China Sea. We will travel to the
center of Vietnam where we will visit historical sites, eat traditional food, and learn
more about the Vietnamese culture. We will end our exploration with visits to
Hanoi, more like an old colonial city than Ho Chi Minh City, and the stunningly
beautiful Halong Bay.
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $4,150-$4,450
Immersion: IS
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $300
All College Requirement(s): Paideia 450, Intcl Max. Enrollment: 24
Prerequisite: Junior/Senior, Paideia 111 and 112, Consent of Instructors
Religion 264: Disaster and Enlightenment: Pilgrimages in China and Japan
(Japan, Hong Kong SAR, China)
INSTRUCTOR: Gereon Kopf (Religion); Lea Lovelace (Visual & Performing
Arts)
Paideia 450: Borders, Migration, and Identity: the Dominican Republic and
Haiti (Dominican Republic, Haiti)
INSTRUCTORS: Wanda Diefelt (Religion); Rita Tejada (Modern Languages &
Literatures)
Course Description: This course explores traditional and new forms of pilgrimages in
China and Japan. In particular, it examines two kinds of pilgrimages: traditional ones
to sacred mountains, sanctuaries, and other religious pilgrimage sites, on the one
side, and pilgrimages to memorials that commemorate immense natural and human
catastrophes in Sendai (3/11 earthquake and tsunami), Hiroshima (dropping of the
first atomic bomb), and Nanjing (1937/8 massacre), on the other. What connects
these two kinds of pilgrimages is the importance attributed to memory, the desire
for healing, and the need for reflection. The goal of this course is to investigate the
religious and political dimensions of memory, self-cultivation, and contemplation.
The course accomplishes this goal by examining questions such as: What is the
social dimension of religious pilgrimages? What is the moral dimension of memory?
And what is the spiritual dimension of healing and reconciliation?
Course Description: This course will offer a first-hand opportunity to study the social,
economic, cultural and religious effects that displacement (whether voluntary or
involuntary) has, particularly on disenfranchised communities. It will focus on the
construction and renegotiation of people’s identities as they face migration,
immigration, and displacement. Particular attention will be given to human rights as
social groups face the weakening or loss of support networks (provided, for instance,
by family, neighbors, religion, work place, citizenship rights, education, etc.) and what
mechanisms are put in place to enable survival. Themes to be considered include
working conditions, gender constructions, violence, religious discourse, race, politics,
and access to education. The course will take place in Haiti (3-5 days) and the
Dominican Republic (2 1/2 weeks).
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $4,750-$4,950
Immersion: IS
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $500
All College Requirement(s): HE, Rel, Intcl
Max. Enrollment: 16
Prerequisite: REL 101, 111, or 112, Consent of Instructor
LATIN AMERICA and THE CARIBBEAN
Anthropology 239: The Price of Progress: Impacts of Mining and Tourism
on Indigenous Peoples in the Andes (Chile)
INSTRUCTOR: Anita Carrasco (Anthropology)
Course Description: The course explores the pressures that transnational mining
and tourist corporations have on key resources like water in the Atacama Desert in
northern Chile. In particular, we will examine how these pressures affect the
sustainability of indigenous peoples that have depended on water for agriculture
and pastoralism since time immemorial. The course will focus on the Atacameño
culture of northern Chile, examining the ways in which they are adapting to, or in
some cases resisting the social, political, economic and environmental conditions
that are affecting them. The course also explores how mining and tourist
corporations have adopted the discourse of ‘corporate social responsibility’ in trying
to convince the public that they are practicing ‘green’ mining and ‘green’ tourism.
The course will be based in the town of San Pedro de Atacama, and we will take
several day trips to visit sites of interest in the surrounding area. Some of these sites
include: the remote traditional village of Caspana (including a 4-day stay there), a
geyser field called El Tatio, a high altitude lagoon Miscanti and Chuquicamata mine,
the largest open pit copper mine in the world.
Credits: 4
Immersion: IS
All College Requirement(s): HB, Intcl
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor
Est. Cost: $4,450-$4,775
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $400
Max. Enrollment: 16
English 239: “Tales of the Sea” on the Windjammer, Roseway (Virgin
Islands)
INSTRUCTOR: Nick Preus (English)
Course Description: This J-Term, “Tales of the Sea” and the schooner, Roseway, will
sail in the Virgin Islands. This region of the Caribbean has a rich history and contains
some of the best sailing in the world, with clear waters, fresh wind, and rugged
coastlines. We will sail from island to island, reading, writing, snorkeling, hiking,
sailing small boats, and crewing on the last of the working Grand Banks schooners.
As we voyage we will read what sailors before us have said about the sea, and
record our own reflections in journals and during anchor-watches. This is a once-ina-lifetime opportunity to experience how people traveled the oceans on the power
of the wind. Explore the history, literature, and hands-on life of the sea. This course
is open to all majors, no experience necessary. Just bring your sense of adventure.
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $3,275-$3,750
Immersion: None
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $75
All College Requirement(s): HEPT
Max. Enrollment: 16
Prerequisites: Paideia 111 and 112 or transfer equivalents, Consent of Instructor
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $3,775-$4,350
Immersion: IS
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $400
All College Requirement(s): Paideia 450
Max. Enrollment: 24
Prerequisites: Junior/Senior, Paideia 111 and 112, Consent of Instructors
Science 139: Belize: Environmental Implications of Eco-Adventure Growth
in Central America (Belize)
INSTRUCTORS: Mark Eichinger (Biology); Jeff Boeke (Health & Physical
Education)
Course Description: This course will be based on Ambergris Caye, a small island off
the coast of Belize. Students will spend a significant amount of time studying the
ecology and taxonomy of the many ecosystems this unique area provides. We will
take daily field excursions to the barrier reef and mainland rainforest destinations.
Students will explore relationships between adventure recreation and ecotourism, in
the responsible use of natural resources. Additionally, we will learn of the
opportunities and challenges presented to Belizeans by the rapid growth of
adventure related tourism. Activities will include snorkeling, cave tubing, canopy
tours, field observations, and assigned readings.
Credits: 4
Immersion: None
All College Requirement(s): NWNL
Prerequisite: Consent of Instructors
Est. Cost: $3,725-$3,975
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $100
Max. Enrollment: 18
Spanish 340: Language and Culture in the Spanish-Speaking World (Cuba)
INSTRUCTOR: Alfredo Alonso Estenoz (Modern Languages & Literatures)
Course Description: This January Term study abroad course introduces students to
the culture of Cuba firsthand. In addition to language and culture instruction at the
University of Havana, students live with host families, participate in cultural activities
and guided visits to sites that illustrate the diverse cultural history of the country.
Two full-day excursions include a visit to Las Terrazas, a small sustainable mountain
community and nature reserve, and the city of Matanzas. This course satisfies the
immersion requirement for the Spanish minor as well as the all-college intercultural
requirement.
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $3,825-$4,175
Immersion: IS, LANG
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $300
All College Requirement(s): Intcl
Max. Enrollment: 16
Prerequisites: Span 302 strongly recommended, Consent of Instructor
EUROPE
Art 290: Art in Cultural Perspective: European Art History, Gothic
Renaissance, and the New Media Art (France, Germany, Italy)
INSTRUCTOR: Richard Merritt (Visual & Performing Arts)
Course Description: This course examines broadly the breadth and depth of art
history from the Renaissance to Contemporary New Media. With an emphasis on
art, the tolls of its production, and its social and political surroundings, the student
will address how it has developed and functioned in temporal context. Our studies
will include: Florence and Siena, Italy; Paris, France; and Karlsruhe, Germany, where
we plan to visit the Zentrum Für Kunstund Medientechnologie (The Center for Art
and New Media Technology). Papers will be assigned in Florence, Strasbourg and
Paris.
Credits: 4
Immersion: IS
All College Requirement(s): HEPT, Intcl
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor
Est. Cost: $4,225-$4,600
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $500
Max. Enrollment: 20
English 239: In Frankenstein’s Footsteps: The Keats-Shelley Circle in
London, Geneva, and Italy (England, Switzerland, Italy)
INSTRUCTOR: Amy Weldon (English)
Course Description: Mary Shelley composed her famous novel Frankenstein (1818)
amid a whirlwind of personal turmoil, important friendships, and significant travel.
This course will retrace the path of her journeys from childhood to Frankenstein,
visiting sites associated with her and her circle—including John Keats, Percy Shelley,
and Lord Byron—in London, Geneva, Venice, Florence, and Rome as we investigate
the relationships between an author's historical and imaginative realities.
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $4,200-$4,550
Immersion: IS
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $500
All College Requirement(s): HEPT, Hist
Max. Enrollment: 16
Prerequisites: Paideia 111 and 112 or transfer equivalents, Consent of Instructor
French 347: Introduction to Commercial French (France)
INSTRUCTOR: Anne-Marine Feat (Modern Languages & Literatures)
Course Description: This course will provide students with an overview of the
French-speaking workplace, as well as industry-specific language skills in a
professional environment. We will be based in Western France, allowing the
students to understand the wide variety of French regional cultures. Students will
have the opportunity to converse and interact with leaders from local organizations
and governmental branches as well as to intern in companies/organizations linked
to their professional field of interest. This practical experience will give participants
specific duties and responsibilities in a business environment. Each intern will have
an opportunity to be trained by French professionals on site (such as family
businesses, restaurants, youth, and social centers, schools, banks, hospitals, vet
clinics, farms, etc.) providing valuable on-the-job experience. Travels will be framed
by the rich and complex city of Paris, with the opportunity to compare different
perceptions of provincial vs. urban economy.
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $3,800-$4,275
Immersion: IS, LANG
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $250
All College Requirement(s): HB, Intcl
Max. Enrollment: 20
Prerequisites: FREN 202, Consent of Instructor
International Studies 239: At the Crossroads of Culture and History:
Music, Arts, and Ideas in Vienna, Austria (Austria, Czech Republic)
INSTRUCTORS: John Strauss (Music); Virginia Strauss (Music)
Course Description: Since its founding in Roman times, Vienna has been a
crossroads between East and West, a place where peoples, cultures, and ideas have
clashed, cross-pollinated, and found artistic and political accommodation. A polyglot
musical culture, for example, materially supported by the Catholic Church and an
artistically ambitious aristocracy, gave rise to a classical tradition that endures to
the present day. This course will look at contemporary Vienna through the shifting
prism of history, examining such topics as the cultural and political legacies of the
Hapsburg Empire, the clash between Islam and Christendom, the period from the
Edict of Toleration to the Holocaust, the Austrian Baroque and Viennese Classicism,
Fin de Siècle Vienna, and the Viennese melting pot in the age of the European
Union. The course will include daily readings, lectures, discussions, on-site visits to
museums, art galleries, churches, palaces, and the United Nations and attendance
at two operas and three concerts.
Credits: 4
Immersion: IS
All College Requirement(s): HE, Hist, Intcl
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructors
Est. Cost: $4,650-$4,775
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $500
Max. Enrollment: 20
Music 249: Listening Live in London, Glasgow, and the Isle of Skye
(England, Scotland)
INSTRUCTORS: Brooke Joyce (Music); Kathryn Reed (Music)
Course Description: This is a course devoted to listening actively and thoughtfully to
live music, and occasionally, to making a bit of music ourselves in workshops. By
discussing and writing about musical experiences of new kinds and in new settings,
we hope to help broaden and deepen your love for music. At the same time, we’ll
explore fascinating, historical, and gorgeous places in the UK. The course is intended
for students from all majors, benefiting from the varied academic and experiential
backgrounds of all students. The course begins in London, where we spend
approximately the first 10 days taking advantage of the range of musical
performances available and the rich musical and cultural history of the city.
Performances include opera, ballet, symphony orchestra, chamber music, and solo
recitals. We also visit a jazz club, and participate in workshops on the Javanese
Gamelan, and at the English Folk Song Society. Mornings are devoted to class
discussions, with afternoons free for exploration of the city, followed by late
afternoon tea and shared observations before the evening performance. Next we
travel north via the old city of York where we'll attend choral evensong at the
cathedral, and by contrast, a traditional English pantomime. From here, we begin to
encounter less formal forms of music making, particularly in folk traditions of the
British Isles. After attending and participating in events at the Celtic Connections
Folk Festival in Glasgow, Scotland, we will travel to the hauntingly beautiful Isle of
Skye for a workshop on Gaelic folk music at Sabhal Mòr Ostag.
Credits: 4
Immersion: IS
All College Requirement(s): HE, Intcl
Prerequisite: Consent of Instructors
Est. Cost: $4,250-$4,650
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $500
Max. Enrollment: 20
Paideia 450: English Theatre: Mirror of Society and the Human Condition
(England)
INSTRUCTORS: Bobby Vrtis (Visual & Performing Arts); Nancy Barry (English)
Course Description: This course is a study of English theater—among the richest in
the world in its variety and depth—and the ways that it both mirrors and seeks to
influence social values by dramatizing ethical conflict. Our exploration will be based
in London, a crossroads of world cultures, with side trips to historic cities, including
Stratford, the birthplace of Shakespeare, and York, a city that retains its medieval
walls and cathedral. (The group may also travel to Ireland for a quick stop, too.)
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $4,550-$5,075
Immersion: IS
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $500
All College Requirement(s): Paideia 450
Max. Enrollment: 22
Prerequisites: Junior/Senior, Paideia 111, 112, Consent of Instructors
Spanish 340: Language and Culture in the Spanish-Speaking World
(Spain)
INSTRUCTOR: Anna De Santis (Modern Languages & Literatures)
Course Description: This January Term study abroad course will introduce students
to the culture of a Spanish-speaking country firsthand. In addition to language and
culture instruction at a local institution, students will live with host families and
participate in guided visits to sites that illustrate the diverse cultural history of
Spain. The program is based in Salamanca, Spain. This course satisfies the
immersion requirement for the Spanish minor.
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $3,350-$3,550
Immersion: IS, LANG
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $100
All College Requirement(s): Intcl
Max. Enrollment: 16
Prerequisites: Span 302 strongly recommended, Consent of Instructor
OCEANIA
Communication Studies 239: Communication and Sport in New Zealand
(New Zealand)
INSTRUCTORS: Thomas C. Johnson (Communication Studies); Russ
Schouweiler (Health & Physical Education)
Course Description: This excursion through both the North Island (or Te Ika-a-Māui)
and the South Island (or Te Waipounamu) of New Zealand focuses on
communication and sport. Along with engaging lectures, discussions, and
interviews, we will attend events and will also visit museums, media companies,
training locations, and club headquarters. These undertaking will provide an indepth framework on the sport ethnography of the country, as well as athletic
leadership styles and techniques that are in use and provide structure for sport in
New Zealand.
Credits: 4
Immersion: IS
All College Requirement(s): None
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructors
Est. Cost: $4,750-$5,450
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $500
Max. Enrollment: 22
UNITED STATES
Biology 140/240: Ecology of the Southwest (Arizona)
INSTRUCTOR: Eric Baack (Biology)
Course Description: This course will focus on the ecology of the Southwest desert,
particularly on the adaptations of organisms to arid conditions and ecological
aspects of human water use. We will spend our time primarily in southern Arizona,
with a few stops in Colorado, Utah, and northern Arizona. Activities will include
hiking in the Grand Canyon, camping in the Sonoran Desert, learning the common
plants and animals of the desert, discussing current environmental challenges and
solutions, and carrying out a field project.
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $975-$1,150
Immersion: None
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $250
All College Requirement(s): NWL
Max. Enrollment: 14
(meets Paideia 450 if sequenced with POLS 258)
Prerequisites: Biology 140: Consent of Instructor
Biology 240: BIO 151, Consent of Instructor
Education 185/215: Observation in Area Schools (New Mexico)
INSTRUCTOR: Deborah Norland (Education)
Course Description: Students will work as teaching assistants under the supervision
of teachers in public schools within the Gallup-McKinley County School District in
New Mexico. Students enrolled in the course will meet periodically during the fall
2015 semester to prepare for this unique course. Seminars complementing in-class
experiences during J-Term include professionalism, education department program
competencies and dispositions, reflective practice, and the influence of culture on
schooling. Field trips to various locations on the Navajo reservation, and to national
monuments and parks, will contribute to the conversations about the effects of
culture, history, and place on academic performance.
Credits: 4 (Cr/No Cr)
Est. Cost: $975-$1,275
Immersion: None
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $75
All College Requirement(s): None
Max. Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor, Sophomore standing is a prerequisite for
Educ 215
Environmental Studies 239: Environmental Policy in the Pacific
Northwest (Holden Village, Washington)
INSTRUCTOR: Jon Jensen (Philosophy)
Course Description: Spend J-Term 2016 in the Cascade Mountains of Washington!
Study Environmental Policy at Holden Village, an ecumenical retreat center near
Chelan, WA. With over 250 inches of snow each winter, Holden is a unique and
splendid place to think about environmental issues. The history and current
operations of the village play an important role in the course. Holden was the
largest producing copper mine in the U.S. from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s and
now is starting on a $100 million clean-up of the mine site. This course will examine
and evaluate current and proposed policies for addressing environmental issues in
the Pacific Northwest. Issues to be examined include wilderness, endangered
species, mining, hydroelectric dams, water rights, public lands management,
logging, and outdoor recreation. These issues will be used as case studies to
understand the nature of the political process in the United States as well as to gain
insight on the particular challenges in human-nature relations within the
intermountain west.
Credits: 4
Immersion: None
All College Requirement(s): HB
Prerequisite: Consent of Instructor
Est. Cost: $1,725-$1,900
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $75
Max. Enrollment: 20
Paideia 450: Entrepreneurship and the Common Good (California)
INSTRUCTORS: Brad Miller (Computer Science); Jim Martin-Schramm
(Religion)
Course Description: Entrepreneurship has always been central to the American
Dream. New types of entrepreneurs centered in California’s Silicon Valley are
transforming marketing, communications, and the operations of almost every
business in society. Home to many of the institutions and corporations that are
driving this technological change, the region harbors some of the wealthiest and
most powerful people on the planet. At the same time, Silicon Valley contains some
of the greatest wealth and income inequality in the nation. Students in this course
will have the opportunity to speak with innovators and industry leaders including
entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, engineers and marketing professionals. At the
same time, students will also speak with civic leaders, policy experts, and various
social service providers who help those who are trapped in poverty and lack
economic opportunity. Students will wrestle with several ethical questions
throughout the course related to the following themes: higher education and civic
responsibility; entrepreneurship and the common good; and technology and
economic inequality.
Credits: 4
Est. Cost: $3,525-$3,725
Immersion: None
Est. Add’l Meal Cost: $400
All College Requirement(s): Paideia 450
Max. Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: Junior/Senior, Paideia 111, 112, Consent of Instructors
A Note about Cost Estimates:
We try very hard to estimate costs as accurately as possible. However, all costs
are subject to change. Factors affecting the final costs include fluctuations in
airline fares, airline fuel surcharges, changes in itinerary, changes in the
number of participants, and fluctuations in the dollar exchange rates.