DSOC 4500 - Bridges to Community

(CA-AG) (CU-ITL)

Spring. 2 credits. Student option grading.

P. McMichael.

Prepares students for experiencing a 10-day spring break service-learning trip to Nicaragua to work with communities there. Students are introduced to historical and cultural perspectives on Nicaragua and to general international development concepts and practices. Upon their return, students receive further instruction on Central and South America and perform debriefings from the cultural experiences. Several Cornell professors present guest lectures on their specialty. Offered every year. Students write a reflection paper, which constitutes part of their grade. Three seniors who have taken the course/trip previously work as TAs.

Outcome 1: Describe their encounters with a new culture.

Outcome 2: Describe what was learned from local inhabitants with whom they worked regarding their cultural values, ways of living, attitudes towards the global North, and their humanity.