Race, Culture, Society Latin Caribbean

CRN

13977

Course Number

337

Course Description

This study abroad course in the Dominican Republic is designed to provide students with Spanish language instruction at their particular level of competency and to examine the past and present context of how race, culture, and health have been experienced among peoples in and from the Caribbean. Particular emphasis will be placed on the various ways in which racial, cultural and health are influenced and complicated by questions of gender, class, religion, and sexuality both in the Caribbean as well as those Caribbean populations residing in the United States.

In conjunction with the Instituto Intercultural del Caribe (IIC) the course will be a quarter long course with seven weeks spent in country that will provide for Spanish language training each week day morning with afternoon class sessions on public health of the Caribbean region. The course will also feature Dominican guest lecturers as well as week-end excursion trips that relate to the subject material and cultural understanding of the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean region. Students will also participate in a designated public health service-learning project with Haitian/Dominico community members and given ample opportunity to intermingle with Dominican as well as other international students at both of the IIC campuses and surrounding universities in Santo Domingo and Sosua.

Credit/Evaluation

Credit/Evaluation: Since this is a faculty-led travel abroad course, preparation via reading the assigned material and participation within classroom discussions is vital. Students will also be assigned as discussion leaders and discussants on various topics throughout the quarter. There will be assigned 1-2 page response/perspective papers on particular guest speakers, course material and excursions throughout the quarter. Students are required to maintain a consistent journal of their experiences and thoughts that will be reviewed periodically by the instructor. Students must also submit a final self-evaluative report that summarizes their perceptions, growth and development of learning while attending this class and residing in the Dominican Republic. Students will also be evaluated on their progress and final assessment in terms of Spanish Language Instruction. A written assessment of all student work in Spanish will be provided by the IIC instructional staff and included in the final teacher evaluation for all students.

Core

Term

Winter 2023

Course Instructor(s)

Hilary Schwandt