Participants in all College-organized international programs are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated and up-to-date with COVID vaccinations.
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Professor: Andia Augustin-Billy
Travel Dates: May 15 - 29, 2024
Cost: $3500
Deposit: $1000
Additional Expenses: $100 - $150
Maximum Enrollment: 15
Course Description:
Barbados, the 13th smallest country in the world, is the birthplace of Britain’s first slave society, grapefruit, and the fabulous superstar Rihanna. The island recently became the world’s newest republic when it officially removed the English monarchy as its head of state. In case you’re wondering what Barbados could offer you, let’s go beyond the cliché of crystal waters, sandy beaches, and spicy food. Barbados, as in the rest of the Caribbean, is a place where many people, languages, and cultures come together (the fancy term is called creolization!), which makes it a fertile ground for an intercultural experience.
As a learner and explorer, you will have ample occasions to personally and intellectually engage with the local culture. In Barbados, you will adopt and research a project close to your heart and discipline from a Bajan perspective (i.e.: global warming, education, healthcare, food insecurity, sports, sustainability, income inequality, history, music, tourism, gender-based violence, reproductive rights, LGBTQ, environmental justice). At the end of the trip, you will present your findings. You will also have opportunities to play sports and visit local schools, which will deepen even further your experience in Barbados.
Students will meet on May 9, 10, 13 to discuss course assignments, expectations, and culture in Barbados.
Students will pick up donated books for the schools in Barbados.
Professors: Dean Mark Miller and Dr. Terrie Johnson
Travel Dates: 10-24 May 2024
Cost range: $ 3600-3900
Additional Expenses: $200
Max Enrollment: 18
Deposit: $1000
Other information:
Class will have reading days and meetings the 6-9 of May.
Costs included: round-trip flight from SHV (details tbd); in-country lodging and transportation; two meals per day.
Course description:
What is the Finnish Miracle?
In the 1950s, Finland was a poor, agrarian nation, battered by wars to expel both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany from their country during WWII. In fewer than 50 years, Finland became one of the wealthiest and most advanced countries in the world. We will study the role of the storied Finnish education system as we explore the history, business, culture, sights and people of the country Newsweek magazine named Best in the World based on education, health, political environment, economic competitiveness, and quality of life.
Where will we go?
Helsinki: The nation's capital is a modern European capital with art, culture, nightlife, and shopping.
Rovaniemi: At the edge of the Arctic Circle don't expect darkness even after the sun goes down around 11pm.
Oulu: This seaside town is a hub for technology and innovation in Northern Finland.
Turku: Finland's first capital city, the European Union named historic Turku the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2011.
Stockholm, Sweden: Finland was part of Sweden for more than 600 years and has been independent for only 100, so we will also visit Stockholm, one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Professors: Dr. Chris Ciocchetti and Jessica Panzini
Travel Dates: 7-21 May 2024
Cost range: $3700-4500
Max Enrollment: 18
Deposit: $1000
It is not that life is short but that we waste much of it. (Seneca, De Brevitate Vitae)
Ciao tutti! Come with us to Rome, Subiaco, and Palermo to learn about Italian food, philosophy, and culture. You will learn about empires when visiting the Coliseum, Roman Forum, and Emperor Nero's Villa. We will visit the heart of Catholicism in the Vatican, spend the night in a Franciscan nunnery, and learn at the first Benedictine monastery. We will walk in the mountains and raft the same river that feeds the Roman aqueducts, the Aniene. We will travel to Palermo to experience life in Sicily, the crossroads of the Mediterranean. We will spend an afternoon on the beach and, if we are lucky, score tickets to a soccer game. We will see Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and the Pietà firsthand. You can learn to make pasta a mano as we discuss Italian culture and the Italian diaspora.
Does it sound like too much? Don’t worry. We will take time to experience dolce far niente in the Borghese gardens. Students will see beyond the stereotypes to appreciate what Italian culture can teach us about life, philosophy, and food.
Va bene? A presto.
Professors: Dr. Jama Grove and Professor Chris Brown
Travel Dates: 6-24 May 2024
Module cost: $600-700
Additional possible expenses: tbd
Max enrollment: 15
Deposit: $100
How much do you know about the history of Centenary College? As a American institution with roots in the antebellum South, the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow, and the fight for equality are woven into the very foundations of our college.
During this module we will explore Shreveport from a new perspective as we conduct archival research into our shared past to reshape our institutional memory to include the lives and labors of the people of color who contributed to building and maintaining Centenary College of Louisiana after it moved from Jackson, Louisiana to Shreveport. Although Black students were not admitted until 1966, Centenary included students of Mexican, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous descent. While people of African descent were barred from admission, they contributed to the strength of our campus and community. Using historical research as a tool for restorative justice, students will directly contribute to placing people of color at the center of our own institutional history with the goal of honoring the contributions of those who were barred from full inclusion by law and practice in the segregated South.
Professors: Dr. Scott Chirhart and Assistant Athletic Director Jackie Fain
Travel dates: 8-24 May 2023
Module Cost: $5000
Additional possible expenses: $500
Max enrollment: 8
Deposit: $1500
Did you know that the islands of New Zealand were the last habitable landmass settled by humans?
Despite its remoteness, New Zealand ranks highly in national comparisons in categories such as quality of life, education, protection of civil liberties, government transparency, and economic freedom. We'll explore the culture and country of modern New Zealand, including. everything from the distinctive Māori culture and history, biological and geographical features such as plants and animals’ endemic to things distinctly New Zealand: educational systems including colleges and medical schools, socialized healthcare, as well as exploration of the role of international sports such as rugby and sports management.
Join us on our journey and perhaps find something unexpected!
Professors: Dr. Katherine Brandl
Travel dates: 6-19 May 2024
Module Cost: $4400-$4900
Additional possible expenses: $300
Max enrollment: 15
Deposit: $1000
This module will explore the rich history and culture of Spain. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the influences of Moorish (Muslim) and Roman Catholic rule on architecture, food, art, sport, and regional traditions. Students will experience world-class museums, ancient ruins, royal palaces, agriculture, and industry of the Iberian Peninsula. Students will also experience Spain’s global cultural influence as well as regional influences from North Africa and Europe via historic and current migration patterns and international trade. The experience will include time in Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, and a day trip to Morocco.
Professor: TBD
Course Dates: 31 July - 18 August 2024
Fee: $350
Max Enrollment: 20
Course Description:
Students have a unique opportunity to complete Trek Culture credit when Centenary hosts a group of Japanese students from our exchange partner, Aoyama Gakuin University on campus during the August term 2024!
This course will not only explore Japanese culture through direct interactions with Japanese students, academic readings, and assignments, but also require students to examine their own culture from a Japanese perspective. Centenary students will help lead culturally relevant field trips around Shreveport and be immersed in activities and coursework on campus.
Professor: Dr. Barbara Davis
Module cost: $4850-5350 (2023 costs)
Additional possible expenses: $450-$550
Max enrollment: 20
Deposit: $1000
Other Information:
G’day, Mate!
How would you like to find Nemo at the Great Barrier Reef or feed a mother kangaroo with a Joey in her pouch at Steve Erwin’s Australia Zoo? Maybe you would enjoy holding a cuddly koala and having a photo taken. Possibly visiting the only everglades outside the United States or spending time on the largest sand island in the world sounds interesting to you. You might like to test your boomerang throwing skills, spear throwing abilities, or didgeridoo playing. Visiting a fantastic performance at the Sydney Opera House is just one of the many highlights of this course. All of these wonderful activities and many more are available to all Australia module students. Australia is an incredibly unique country with all kinds of diversity: people, animals, vegetables, and minerals. We spend time studying the First Australians – Aboriginal Australians – who have lived on the continent for over 50,000 years. Several Aboriginal Cultural Centers will be visited to get hands-on experience celebrating these indigenous peoples’ unique way of life and the connection to their ancestral lands. Their stories are fascinating!
The Australia course is an incredible journey where you will make many lifetime memories! Join me on the adventure! You’ll be so happy you did!
Professors: Jeff Hendricks and Scarlett Hendricks
Cost range: $ 3495-3995 (2022 costs)
Max Enrollment: 20
Deposit: $1000
Other information:
At the end of World War I, Parisians danced in the streets with British, Canadian, and American soldiers to celebrate the end of the war. The party continued into the roaring 20s, when artists like Cocteau, Picasso, Chagall, and Man Ray; intellectuals like André Gide and Colette; performers like Josephine Baker; and expatriates like Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott Fitzgerald flooded Paris's cafés and bistros. Whereas Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin loved Paris during the 18th century as the city of Light and Reason; Ernest Hemingway and the Lost Generation of the 1920s and 30s were attracted to Paris as a site of artistic energy and cultural tolerance; Americans (and many other nationalities) today visit Paris because it has come to represent the embodiment of "the good life." In this module we will examine this proposition by living for two weeks in Paris and asking each student to compare aspects of French culture with aspects of their own culture, with the goal of wrestling with the question of what it means to live a “good” and “meaningful” and “quality” life.
This module--"Americans in Paris: The Quest for the Good Life" – will examine numerous texts by American writers, artists, musicians, and intellectuals about Paris. We then ask Centenary students to compare and contrast their own experience of Paris with their own lived-experiences in the U.S. and with these readings from American writers, philosophers, statesmen, and artists who have traveled to Paris since before the American Revolution. We ask students to focus their cultural comparisons around the following topics, picking one from the following to write about in-depth: 1) religion, 2) food, 3) art, 4) music, 5) fashion and dress, or 6) transportation. As much as it's possible, we will try to live as the Parisians themselves: we will buy bread and cheese and ham from the corner markets; we will wash our clothes in the hotel laundromat; we will negotiate our way around the city using public buses and the metro; we will live for two weeks amidst some of the world's greatest historical monuments and art. All the while we will be reading, observing, taking notes, and talking to the French that we meet about our impressions and our thoughts.
Professors: Loren Demerath and Janine Gomezjurado Demerath
Cost range: $500-600
Max Enrollment: 22
Deposit: $100
Other information
Our focus is on Latino culture as it exists in our own region of the “Ark-La-Tex”. We listen and dance to Latino music; cook and eat Latino food, sampling everything from restaurants to food trucks to snacks; learn about the Latino context of sports like soccer, baseball, and volleyball; look at examples of fashion and architecture; watch movies, music videos, and even a game show; read poetry displayed as graffiti; learn about social differences like “sobre mesa” (talking over the table), physical contact, and the significance of relationships and social life. We hear personal stories and talk with a range of guest speakers; and we share our own personal interests and research on a topic of each student’s choice.
While no knowledge of Spanish is required of students, all students will learn to speak at least some Spanish in the course of the module, and there will be many opportunities for those more experienced in Spanish to improve their facility with the language. Furthermore, since we’ll be reviewing academic research on Latino culture(s), even if you have a Latino background, you’ll learn a lot and are very welcome to take the course!
Professors: Dr. Amanda Donahoe and Dr. Jeanne Hamming
Module Cost: $3750-4500 (2022 estimated costs)
Additional possible expenses: $140-180
Max enrollment: 20 (Travel booked -- not accepting additional students without instructor approval)
Deposit: $1000
Other Information:
The Troubles are 3 decades of violence between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, and this lush-green region is still dealing with the aftermath.
You'll spend time in Northern Ireland's capital, Belfast and second largest city, Derry/Londonderry as well as a few days at Corrymeela, a rural reconciliation community learning the history and complexities of this conflict as well as learning about ongoing peacebuilding practices on the ground. Maybe you'll even develop some conflict resolution skills of your own.
Come tour the Peace Walls, see the murals, talk with ex-prisoners and peacemakers, and enjoy a cuppa tea!
Professors: Dr. Andia Augustin-Billy and Coach Ashley McDonough, MBA
Module cost:$3093-3500
Additional possible expenses: $150
Max enrollment: 20 (Travel booked -- not accepting additional students without instructor approval)
Deposit: $1000
Sport has been universally accepted as a bridge builder, lauded for its ability to transcend barriers of class, gender, and culture. Or does it? We will explore the relationship between sport and culture within the specificity of the Caribbean.
Activities in St. Kitts and Nevis will range from training with the SKN national women’s indoor volleyball team; cross training with beach volleyball athletes, a catamaran and snorkeling excursion to Nevis; and teaching a free volleyball clinic to local children.
Professors: Dr. Andia Augustin-Billy and Dr. Dana Kress
Cost range: $2900-3400 (2022 estimated costs)
Max Enrollment: 15
Deposit: $1000
Other information:
Are you looking for an unforgettable experience? Then, hop on the Haiti Module!
Together, we will explore cultural traditions of southern Haiti while taking a critical look at the disbursement of aid and its ramifications on Haitian society. We will undertake various service projects (teaching English to local school children, building a library, and an art initiative in the artistic city of Jacmel), which will ultimately give you a culturally sensitive approach to doing aid in developing countries.
Professors: Logan Sledge and Don Hooper
Cost range: $3000-3500 (2022 estimated costs)
Additional estimate expenses: $300
Max Enrollment: 24
Deposit: $1000
Other information:
In As You Like It, Shakespeare has Jaques say, “All the world’s a stage, and the men and women merely players.” Shakespeare also said theatre, as an art form, is meant “to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature.”
In this course we will explore the idea that theatre is all around us, from social constructs, dialogue, ritual, costumes/clothing, spectacle, government, psychology, art and architecture, all of these helping to shape a cultural identity. Our goal will be to identify and examine the elements of theatre that are seemingly hiding in plain sight within a culture and to comparatively analyze these elements with the same elements in American culture.
• Explore how theatre permeates a culture, including cultural, material, social, ethical, and political, and religious factors.
• Understand historical aspects of theatre in the UK.
• Compare theatre in London, Scotland to theatre in the United States.
• Consider how theatre and storytelling is used to shape cultural identities in the UK.
NOTE: This module is currently in the planning phase for 2024, but there is a possibility of cancellation if the post-pandemic shift does not allow Chimp Haven to re-open for guests.
Professors: Dr. Jessica Alexander and tbd
Module Cost: $800-1000
Max enrolment: 16
Deposit: $100
Other Information
Did you know that culture isn't just something that humans have? Nonhuman primates also have culture!
In this course, we will travel to Chimp Haven, the national chimpanzee sanctuary that's just outside Shreveport, and we will observe cultural behaviors in nonhuman primates. Chimp Haven is home to over 300 chimpanzees who have been retired from NIH biomedical research. They live in communities and build friendships, engage with caregivers, and spend their days learning to be social chimps.
Going behind the scenes at such an incredible facility is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Come examine what culture means with our primate relatives!
Professor: Anne-Marie Bruner-Tracey
Cost: $0 (excepting textbooks)
Max Enrollment: 25
Life in a global society requires a clear understanding of the interactions between culture and communication. This course will facilitate the development of knowledge and skills necessary to the development of intercultural competence and will create opportunities to evaluate how one’s own cultural identity influences communication with others. The ability to value, respect and learn from diverse cultures races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and religions is critical for daily interactions and career readiness. Cultural intelligence underpins our ability to interact effectively across cultures, and this class aims to provide understanding and mindful skills to navigate the wide variety of cultural intersections we expect in life. Through lectures, class discussions, interactive activities, and case studies, this class allows students to apply personal knowledge and skills in preparation for a variety of communication contexts. A final presentation of a unique communication topic will be peer reviewed.
There is no prerequisite, and this class satisfies the Trek Culture graduation requirement.
COURSE FULL
Professor: Andia Augustin-Billy
Cost: $0
Max Enrollment: 15
Deposit: $0
For the North American tourist, the Caribbean evokes images of sun, white-sand beaches, and lush landscapes. This course will go beyond these idyllic images and examine the ways in which Caribbean women writers portray coming-of-age narratives in contemporary fiction and popular culture. We will study how young girls’ sexuality is profoundly intertwined with race, gender, and class in a setting that encourages an erasure of their sexuality. Along the way, we will discover how migration to the United States often disrupts and transforms the girls’ journey to womanhood and exposes diasporic preoccupations around issues of identity, power, and, subjectivity. Students will be enabled to develop openness and curiosity around a sensitive topic not often broached in cultural studies.
You'll let us know your course preferences by completing the Module Course Preference Form, which is opened consecutively each day by hours-based classification groups. The form will go live to registration groups as the schedule below; each day an additional group gains access to the form for approximately 23 hours, and the form will close at 2.30pm on the Friday.
Go Live time |
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Seniors(90+ hrs) |
Mon (Day 1) @ 7am
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Juniors(60-89 hrs) |
Tue (Day 2) @ 7am
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Sophomores(30-59 hrs) |
Wed (Day 3) @ 7am
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Freshmen(<30 hours) |
Thu (Day 4) @ 7am (until Fri @ 2.30pm) |
Payment schedules and amounts for each travelling May module are available from each module leader. Unless advised differently by the module leader, payments are due by the following dates.
* All deposits paid in the AY2022-23 cycle are refundable if the College is forced to cancel travel due to public health risks.
August and December module costs must be paid in full by 1 August and 20 November, respectively.
Passport Points may be redeemed towards modules in the following manners and amounts.
Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs
Hamilton Hall 217
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