Global Engagement Seminars
A Global Engagement Seminar (GES) is an intensive, credit-bearing summer seminar taught by a team of Smith faculty offered at an international site. The seminar is followed by a required internship or service-learning experience related to the seminar and is considered part of the work for the seminar.
Past Courses
Costa Rica at a Crossroads: Examination of Globalization and Sustainability
Costa Rica is held as a model of sustainability and eco-friendly development, with legislation and regulation integral to its success. Yet, globalization is stressing the delicate balance between development and environmental sustainability. This course examines how Costa Rica's biodiversity, climate, history and politics relate to its changing economies, resource use, conservation practices, and environmental protection. Site visits include San Jose, Monteverde Cloud Forest, the Guancaste coast, and coastal rain and Mangrove forests.
Jerusalem: An exploration of the contested sacred and political space of the city
Explores Jerusalem as a contested sacred and political space. Topics include the centrality of the city in the holy texts of three monotheistic religions; representations of Jerusalem in Hebrew, Arabic and Western literature and film; archeology and the built landscape as a prism through which to understand the complicated layering of urban history; the importance of the city in contemporary Israeli and Palestinian national identity. Included are visits to sites of religious, political and historical significance, meetings with local scholars, activists and political figures, and research projects that will have students conduct research throughout the city. Every day will begin with an intensive seminar, led by faculty and students, and then we will branch out into neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
For more information visit the GES page on Dean of the Faculty Web site.
