Countdown-- leaving in 1 month 21 days!! Right now I am taking a break from packing up my dorm room.. I have so much stuff. I loved my single and my RT4 girls-- I'm gonna miss you girls- be nice to the girl who takes my room! hahah.. This semester went ridiculously fast!! I met so many new people, so now I kinda don't want to leave, but I'm traveling around the world- so it's ok! I just found out that SAS sent out the forms to sign up for trips so I'm anxious to get home for that. I found out the classes I'm taking on the ship:
- SEMS 101 Global Studies (required for everyone)
This interdisciplinary course focuses on the countries visited and is tailored especially to meet the global and comparative approach of Semester at Sea. It is mandatory for all students. In addition to providing basic information about the countries on the itinerary, Core also provides a meaningful framework by which to compare data, examine issues, and develop concepts. Participants learn how to understand cultural and social phenomena with which they are constantly coming into contact during the semester and to highlight both commonalities and differences from one society to another. Core equips participants with observational and analytical skills for encountering societies different from their own, and different from each other, a key factor in facilitating the integration of class work and field work for all courses. Objectives: 1) To provide basic information about the physical and cultural geography; key historical events; the current social, economic and political situation of each country visited. 2) To present regional and global issues which in various ways affect the countries on our itinerary. Examples include race relations, population, poverty, ethnic/religious conflicts, technology, status of women, human rights, environment and globalization. 3) To emphasize the similarities and differences in the variety of human experiences and to assist students in developing the observational and analytical skills needed to draw cross-cultural comparisons.
- SEMS 290 HIV/AIDS in the World
The HIV/AIDS pandemic affects every country in the world. Some parts of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa, have been so drastically afflicted that overall life expectancy has decreased. Other nations have been less affected, although the potential for explosive growth of the disease in countries such as India and China is alarming. Responses to the disease have also varied by country. This course explores the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS, including factors related to HIV transmission. It covers the impact of the epidemic on the countries most affected, and highlights national, regional, and global responses to the epidemic including prevention and treatment approaches. We will discuss some of the controversies surrounding this disease. Following the ports of our voyage, we will compare HIV/AIDS in Brazil, South Africa, India, Vietnam, China, and the United States.
- SEMS 120 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Human Sexuality
This course explores human sexual anatomy, sexual identity, lifespan sexuality, and the complex interactions among social, psychological, and biological forces that frame the meanings and practice of sexuality in various cultures. Our primary aim is to come to a better understanding of how sexual identity, and the appropriate “norms” and “boundaries” for sexual representation and behavior, vary from country to country and culture to culture, and why. The countries on our voyage will thus serve as vehicles for our investigation into how “sexuality” is constructed. Additionally, these countries offer opportunities to learn and explore contested sexual issues in each country and compare them to the U.S. For example, contemporary sexual issues under debate in the U.S. include abortion, gay relationships, contraceptives, sex education, and sexuality in the media.
This course introduces students to the “what” and the “how” of studying the world religions, generally following the itinerary of the voyage. With the view that religion is a dynamic cultural system, we’ll begin our studies with a focus on the African diaspora and the influence that African Traditional Religions, particularly Yoruba traditions, have had on New World religions such as Santeria, Voodoo, and Candomblé. We will then compare “syncretism” in Brazil and South Africa, noting the continuing developments among these traditions. As we round the cape we turn our attention to the history and cosmology of Hinduism, Islam, other South Asian religions, and Buddhism, and reflect upon the modern developments in these traditions that we witness in our field trips. We will conclude with study of indigenous struggles to reclaim sacred ground in Hawaii and the Western United States.
I'm so excited!! I will write about the field excursions I want after I get home and sign up for them!
I booked my flight to the Bahamas. I am flying from Philly to Miami January 30th and then flying from Miami to Nassau February 3rd. I am staying at the Nassau Beach Hotel, hopefully there are some other SASers there!
:)
