<p>I think the idea behind studying abroad with a group from college is that you study the area or something about the area with a professor. Here's the description of a May term with travel from my son's college,</p>
<p>"FRANCE - IL 177 TC: D-Day and the Liberation of Normandy
An intensive examination of the Allied invasion of Normandy in the summer of 1944-why it happened, how it was carried out, and what it meant for the generation who saw it. We will explore Operation Overlord, or D-Day, from the planning stages through the liberation of Paris, with special emphasis on the point of view of the American soldiers who participated. In addition, the role of other nation's soldiers and civilians, especially those of France and Britain, will be discovered."</p>
<p>At my daughters college the abroads were offered by major. She did a study abroad for five weeks in Peru and it was billed as a Spanish Immersion abroad. Before they left they studied the culture of Peru and each student had a topic that they had to study in depth, do a research paper on and then present to the group in Spanish. Afterwards they all put together a power point about the trip and showed it to the student body. While in Peru they did homestays and also stayed and worked at an orphanage besides visiting the major sites. At each place there would be a specific reason for staying or visiting and the professor would lecture there. At the orphanage they did a service project. Her college was on a 10 week quarter term so half of a quarter was the abroad. To me, this method seems similar to the J-terms or may terms.</p>
<p>The pupose of a J-term or May term is much more specific then a study abroad, with the exception of schools that do abroads like my daughters. Am I right?</p>
<p>The homestay aspect of your daughter's program removes it from the "island" category. In an island program, the American students live together, study together, and so forth. Your daughter's program sounds like a good study abroad program. I'm surprised they don't run it for the full ten weeks. Once they are in Peru, it's probably cheaper to house and feed them there than it is back home at college.</p>
<p>The very best language immersion programs (Smith in Paris, Hamilton in Madrid, Smith in Florence, Swarthmore in Grenoble, and many others) all have their students live in homestays and do all of their coursework in the foreign language. The students are required to speak NOTHING but the foreign language as a condition of the trip.</p>
<p>Compare to a typical Ga Tech study abroad where a bunch of Tech students and professors go to Australia, live together in a college dorm, and conduct all their classes in English. About the only thing you can say about the program is that it is abroad.</p>
<p>Of course, almost all study abroad programs have shades of gray. You have to consider a lot of factors.</p>
<p>Neighbors' daughter attends Williams and this year she chose "Surfing in the Movies". Seems like a waste to me! Finances may have been a consideration in this choice. Another school was bragging about one of it's J term programs, where students travel abroad and set up a business. All of this in 3 or 4 weeks?!!! To find something worthwhile, you'd have to research it thoroughly.</p>
<p>D1 is scheduled to travel to China in May '09 for her May term. She will be housed in a college dorm and will take an international business class and visit different corporations. I wish I was going!</p>
<p>
[quote]
The homestay aspect of your daughter's program removes it from the "island" category
[/quote]
.
By that definition then, the Dartmouth language programs should be removed from the "island" category. A quarter system would make it difficult to take advantage of semester-based programs, however the D-Plan does provide the ability to couple two quarters together and participate in such programs.</p>
<p>toledo: Here is the description of the WS course your neighbor's D must have taken: </p>
<p>"HIST 13 The History of Surfing in Literature and Film
In his 1784 Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, Captain James Cook became the first westerner to describe the ancient Polynesian sport of surfing. Observing a wave-rider in Tahiti, Cook wrote, "I could not help concluding that this man felt the most supreme pleasure while he was driven on so fast and so smoothly by the sea." Since then, the sport of surfing has fascinated the modern imagination for its graceful beauty, communion with the sea, laid-back life-style, and intense athleticism. This winter study explores the history of surfing and its popular image in American literature and cinema. We will read several classic works of surf literature including Daniel Duane's Caught Inside, Kem Nunn's Dogs of Winter, and Allan C. Weisbecker's In Search of Captain Zero, and we will watch some of the most influential surf movies including Gidget, Endless Summer, Dogtown and Z-Boys, and Riding Giants. The goal of this winter study is to instill students with an appreciation of surfing's colorful history and culture.
Evaluation will be based on attendance, participation, and a 10-page paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 30.
Cost to student: $60 for books.
Meeting time: TW, 1-3:50 p.m., with a film presentation every Tuesday evening, 7-10 p.m." </p>
<p>Definitely seems like one of the less "involved" WS courses (although a 10-page paper was required).</p>
<p>To follow up on an earlier post, some of Smith's Jterm offerings are for credit, but the vast majority are not. Hampshire also has for-credit J-term classes, and Smith students are eligible to enroll (I did this one year). I loved J-term...I was on campus for all or part of it for most of my years at Smith, and did a variety of things: day trips, babysitting and working in the kitchen, TA-ing a for-credit class, taking a Hampshire class, taking non-credit classes, and lots of sledding and drinking hot chocolate and watching TV.</p>
<p>The J-term was instituted at Illinois Wesleyan when I was a sophomore (many moons ago). I would be interested in knowing why they changed it to May.</p>
<p>In any case, many students were apprehensive when the change was instituted but it turned out great. It all depends, of course, on how you use it. I found it refreshing to be able to devote my time to just one topic intensively. I took a required ECON course the first year. Turned out not to be interesting, but not too difficult, and I got the requirement out of the way in a hurry. Second year, I took a lit course devoted to GB Shaw, with one of my favorite profs. It was great to be able to just focus on this course. Senior year, I did observation prior to student teaching. Was glad to get that out of the way in one month, because I decided I wasn't going to student teach, and it gave me extra time to prepare for sr recital. Travel courses were very popular. One month allowed for them to be more academic.</p>
<p>Personally, although May would be good for travel courses, it would seem to offer more psychological disadavantages by being tacked on to the end of the semester--spring fever and all that.</p>
<p>I don't think it should necessarily be a deciding factor in choosing a LAC, but if you are someone who likes to explore different topics in depth, it would be a good choice.</p>