Global Engagement Seminars

Dates: May 11–June 1, 2013, with internship until July 31, 2013

Predeparture course: Wednesdays, from noon to 1 p.m., during the spring 2013 semester

Faculty: Justin Cammy (Jewish studies, comparative literature, and Middle East studies) and Ibtissam Bouachrine (Spanish and Portuguese and Middle East studies)

Jerusalem has ignited imaginations across millennia. Our seminar explores Jerusalem as a contested sacred and political space. Topics include the centrality of the city in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; the built landscape as a prism through which to understand the complicated layering of urban history; competition between different religious and national groups for control of the city; Jerusalem as a vibrant patchwork of cultures; and the significance of Jerusalem in contemporary Israeli and Palestinian identities. Includes visits to sites of religious, historical, political and cultural relevance, meetings with local scholars, political figures and community activists. Please note that the focus of the course is Jerusalem, not the broader Israel-Palestine conflict.

Students may count the GES Jerusalem for credit towards the major/minor in Middle East studies and Jewish studies. Students should petition to have the course count towards the major or minor in government, history, religion, ancient studies, Medieval studies, and international relations {5 credits}.

Requirements: There are three required components to GES 301: a predeparture course in the spring semester; a three-week academic seminar in Jerusalem in May; and a two-month internship which immediately follows the seminar in June/July. Students admitted to GES 301 are expected to complete all three of these components. Course assignments may include online journal posts, short research papers, preparation of site guides, on-site oral presentations and a summary project. Active participation in the daily activities of the seminar and internship is expected.

Travel waiver: Due to a State Department travel warning, students and their parents (guardians) are required to sign a specialized Assumption of Risk/Release of Indemnification Waiver for Smith. A second assumption of risk/release of indemnification is required for our local provider. Internships must be based within the current municipal borders of Jerusalem in keeping with the focus of our course. Independent travel to the West Bank during the internship portion of the GES, whether to Israeli settlements or to areas under the administration of the Palestinian Authority, is not permitted. Students are encouraged to visit Palestinian and Israeli neighborhoods of Jerusalem to better learn about the aspirations and concerns of city residents.

Prerequisites: All students are welcome to apply. Preference will be given to rising juniors or seniors, and students with at least one course in the history, religion, politics, literature, or languages of the Middle East. Student selection is based on application and interview. When applying, students should keep in mind that this is an intellectually, physically and emotionally intensive seminar. Students live together for almost three months in a dormitory setting. Students must be able to keep up with significant daily walking/light hiking in the heat of a Middle Eastern summer, and prove themselves responsible and respectful listeners and thinkers.

Dates: May 21 to June 15, 2013, followed by an internship until July 27

Predeparture course: Predeparture course (required) Wednesdays, from noon to 1 p.m., during the spring 2013 semester

Faculty: Maria Estela Harretche (Spanish and Portuguese, Latin American and Latino/a studies), Ellen Kaplan (theatre and Jewish studies)

In this course we will study the artistic trajectory of Federico García Lorca, one of the most influential poets and dramatists of the 20th century. Beginning with his years in Madrid, which he spent at the Residencia de Estudiantes, we will analyze the philosophical, political and aesthetic contexts, which shaped his personality as a creative artist. These include his work as a musician, designer, stage director and writer. Lorca's journey to New York in 1929 will be explored through close reading of the two fundamental texts written while he was in the United States: The Public and Poet in New York. In approaching the figure of this creative artist, a sensitive barometer of his time, we encounter a modern, vibrant Spain, in the vanguard of arts and science, soon to be destroyed by the Spanish Civil War.

The course consists of close reading of the texts in their original versions, analysis and discussion; daily lectures by faculty; and intensive investigation of archives (in Madrid) and sites of cultural importance (in Còrdoba, Granada and Seville). Through the study of dramatic texts, plus the application of actor-training methodologies, we will bring stories from the page to stage for a final presentation in Spanish. Performance strategies will be utilized during the course to enhance foreign language skills. The classroom seminar will be followed by a required service or learning internship in either Córdoba or Madrid. Admission by application and instructor's permission only. Enrollment limited to 10 students.

Requirements: All students admitted into GES are required to enroll in the predeparture course which will take place over lunch on Wednesdays, from noon to 1 p.m. Students enrolled in the Spain GES must follow the seminar with an six-week internship in Spain.

Prerequisites: All students with a high intermediate proficiency level of Spanish are welcome to apply. A language proficiency evaluation is required as part of the application.

Faculty: Gary Lehring (government and study of women and gender), Amy Rhodes (geosciences)

Costa Rica is held as a model of sustainability and ecofriendly development, with legislation and regulation integral to its success. Yet, globalization is stressing the delicate balance between development on one side and human and environmental sustainability on the other. This course contests the idea that Costa Rica is a model of sustainability and examines how Costa Rica's history and politics and changing economic pressures affect resource use, conservation practices, and environmental protection, climate and biodiversity. Site visits include San Jose, Monteverde cloud forest, the Guanacaste coast, and coastal rain and mangrove forests. This GES is accepted for credit toward the following majors: GOV, GEO, SWG, and ENV. {5 credits}

Requirements: The seminar is preceded in the spring semester by a mandatory course designed to provide an intellectual framework in advance of departure. All students admitted into GES 300 are required to enroll in the predeparture course which is held on Thursdays, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Students enrolled in GES 300 must follow the seminar with an eight-week internship in Costa Rica. Some hiking over mountainous, cloud forest and rain forest terrain required. Also students should expect some accommodations to be basic.

Prerequisites: All students are welcome to apply, preference is given to rising juniors and seniors. Student selection based on application and interview. Spanish language is not required but recommended for participation in the course. It may be required for some internships.

Scott Bradbury (classics), John Brady (geosciences)

This three-week seminar will explore the relationship between the historical and cultural development of Ancient Greece and the underlying geology of the Greek islands (Crete, Santorini, Syros, Delos) and mainland, (Athens/Attica, Delphi). Visits to key sites and museums to examine the art and archaeology of prehistoric and classical Greece as well as field study of the prominent geological features of each region. Students will study first-hand the celebrated monuments and masterpieces of the Minoan, Mycenaean and classical Greek civilizations, and explore the region's spectacular geological features, which had a dramatic, occasionally catastrophic, impact on the course of these civilizations. Following the seminar, students will remain in Athens for six-week internships in fields relevant to the seminar: geology, archaeology and museum studies. Insofar as possible, students will receive internships in a field of interest. GES 303 will count toward the major/minor in CLS, ANS and ARC. {5 credits}

Requirements: All students admitted into GES 302 are required to enroll in the predeparture course designed to help prepare them both academically and culturally for the seminar and follow-up internship, to take place Fridays, from 3 to 4 p.m. Students enrolled in GES 302 must follow the seminar with a six-week internship in Athens, June 10 to July 20. Some hiking over rough terrain, including one 11-mile hike.

Prerequisites: All students are welcome to apply; preference will be given to students with at least one course in Geosciences and/or a relevant field of ancient studies (e.g., art/archaeology, classics, history). Student selection based on application and interview.