International, Domestic and Off-Campus Studies Committee (IDOCS)
Green Sheet 03/04-2
At the November 6, 2003 faculty meeting, IDOCS will move approval of Interdisciplinary ME 2XX as the Field Supervised course for the Fall 2004 Term in the Middle East.
Course : Interdisciplinary ME 2XX: Cross-Cultural Learning in Context
Offered : Term in the Middle East, Fall 2004
Catalog description : Students engage host cultures in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece through a particular disciplinary lens (i.e., the arts, religion, media, intercultural communication, political science) while developing the capacity to understand other cultures and gain a new perspective on their home culture. Theoretical foundations of cultural competency coupled with daily interactions with people, institutions and events will facilitate learning.
GE credit: ORC [pending]; WRI.
This course will tie together the other four courses offered on the Term in the Middle East (Political Science, Sociology, History, and Religion) through experiential learning opportunities linked to students' particular disciplinary lenses and designed to engage them more completely with the host culture. Students will present findings, exhibit reflective thought and articulate concepts and ideas through regular and on-going oral communication experiences and writing.
Rationale : A premise of all off-campus study at St. Olaf College is that students will engage a culture other than their own, develop the capacity to examine that culture in depth and, at the same time, gain insights into their home culture. The Term in the Middle East creates unique opportunities in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece for students to test a variety of theoretical foundations of cultural competency and then use the daily interactions with people, institutions and events to move those theories into practice and personal reflection. The course will enable students to delve into the host cultures from a variety of perspectives, including the arts, religion, politics, government, economics, intercultural communication and human behavior. By the end of the five-month period of study, students will return to the U.S. with first-hand learning experiences in the political science, sociology, history and religion courses, but also with a solid basis of understanding in cross-cultural learning that links these courses with their daily experiences and their personal values and beliefs.
