Home > Academic Courses and Programs > Fall Break Seminars
Experiential Learning Seminars with an immersion during Fall Break 2009.
Tailgate-friendly immersion dates!
Sunday, October 18 – Friday, October 23, 2009
with the following exceptions:
Appalachia Seminar — Bethlehem Farm and Nazareth Farm sites will return in the late afternoon/evening of Saturday, October 24.
Lives in the Balance—Youth, Violence, and Society Seminar will return on Saturday morning.
Social Concerns Seminars are one-credit experiential and service-learning opportunities built around national and international immersion experiences. Students examine social issues from multiple perspectives, read relevant texts, study the Catholic social tradition, and take an active role in building a learning community.
Social Concerns Seminar Directed Readings Options
The goal of the Appalachia Seminar is to introduce students to the culture and social issues of the Appalachia region through community-based learning. The course provides the opportunity for active participation in the community and direct relationship with Appalachian people. Exploration begins in the orientation classes where students become acquainted with the history, culture, and challenges facing the region.
New Opportunity —
Apply for selection into American Studies Professor Ben Giamo’s one-credit course “Appalachia: Workshop in Creative Nonfiction.” Click here for more information.
Cultural Diversity: Latino Community Organizing for Violence Prevention and Intervention Seminar
The Cultural Diversity Seminar explores the rich cultural heritage of Chicago's ethnic neighborhoods and immigrant traditions while examining the corresponding problems of urban life and racism. The Seminar’s focus is a week-long immersion (during fall break) in Chicago that involves dialogue with various community groups, participation in ethnic activities, and academic reflection.
Energy Policy, the Environment and Social Change Seminar
The course will introduce students to the scientific, environmental, economic, geopolitical, and social implications of current energy technologies. During the immersion week in Washington, D.C., students will identify the limitations of current energy policies and environmental regulation through visits to industry lobbying groups, policy makers, environmental and religious organizations, and federal regulatory bodies.
Gospel of
Life Seminar
This
seminar will examine life-related issues such as the death penalty, euthanasia, abortion, human cloning, and stem
cell research through experiential learning. Immersed
in Washington, D.C., participants will meet with representatives from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, elected officials,
advocacy groups, legal professionals, and bioethicists whose work involves life-related concerns.
Lives in the Balance — Youth, Violence, and Society Seminar
This seminar examines the world of youth impacted by violence, either as victims or as perpetrators, with a focus on Indiana. This seminar is the result of a partnership between Center for Social Concerns and Indianapolis Peace Institute.
Washington, D.C. Seminar: Sustainable Development
The goal of the Washington D.C. Seminar in Sustainable Development is to provide students with an interdisciplinary perspective of policy issues associated with"sustainability” in both urban and rural contexts. Utilizing theories of development studies, classes will examine current practices in domestic and foreign contexts. Through lectures, class readings, facilitated discussion, and site visits, students will become familiar with different approaches and definitions of development. Students will reflect on the relationship between sustainable development and the three cornerstone principles of Catholic Social Teaching: human dignity, solidarity, and subsidiarity. During the week in Washington, D.C., seminar participants will meet with elected officials, advocacy groups, and non-governmental organizations that work in the area of U.S. and international development. The follow-up classes facilitate analysis and synthesis of insights gained during the week of experiential learning.
