Semester abroad & other off-campus programs

The following off-campus programs of study are available to Bluffton students:
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Peace and Conflict Resolution Program in Northern Ireland

This program is offered through the University of Ulster at Magee College in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. This 15-week residential program seeks to increase understanding of the complexities of the conflict in Northern Ireland and to use the knowledge gained to analyze and understand conflict in other societies. The program has academic, experiential and service components, including housing with local families; meetings with community leaders, church groups, constitutional political parties, community youth workers and security forces; and cross-community projects.
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Students who successfully complete the Northern Ireland study program will have met their cross-cultural requirement, and HUM 222 Humanities 2 will be waived. It is sometimes possible for the program to meet other major or general education requirements. Students should consult with their advisors and the associate dean.

Below is a listing of courses offered. Contact the director of cross-cultural programs for more information.
LAS 220 Northern Ireland Program Orientation (1)
LAS 225 Peace Building through Reconciliation (3)
PLS 260 Government and Politics of Northern Ireland (3)
HIS 271/PCS 271 History of Northern Ireland and Background to the Troubles (3)
LAS 300 Practical Work Placement - Northern Ireland (2)
PCS 301 International Conflict Resolution: Northern Ireland - A Case Study (3)
PCS 303 Practical Mediation Skills and Conflict Transformation (3)

Courses

LAS 220 Northern Ireland Program Orientation (1)
This required orientation will prepare students for the Ireland experience. The course includes meetings during spring semester prior to the fall semester abroad. Background readings and cultural information are offered to ease "culture shock," facilitate cross-cultural communication and prepare students for study in a different academic system.

LAS 225 Peace Building through Reconciliation (3)
This course covers a general introduction and discussion on the different meanings of reconciliation, defining some important terms, e.g. stereotyping, prejudice, scapegoating, alienation, polarization, conflict and violence, conflict resolution and conciliation. The class includes seminar meetings with speakers from all of the political parties in Northern Ireland, a field trip to meet the security forces and meetings with religious and community leaders. As an example, one group met with senior politicians from all of the four constitutional parties and speakers from the Sinn Fein and the Loyalist fringe parties to explain their party positions and to discuss their current and future role in Northern Ireland. The class has recently tried to bring students up to date on current affairs by introducing some regular discussions on what is current in NI especially with regard to the ongoing 'peace process' and the entire political process.

PLS 260 Government and Politics of Northern Ireland (3)
This course covers the background to "The Troubles," examines Partition, significant political leaders in Irish politics, the different types of government in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Britain, the different political parties in Northern Ireland, inter-governmental relations between Britain and the Irish Republic, and relevant issues, groups, parties and paramilitary organizations. Some sample essay questions for this course have included: Why was the Unionist government unable to resolve the political crisis in Northern Ireland between 1968 and 1972? Assess the record of the Anglo-Irish Agreement as a strategy for promoting political consensus in Northern Ireland. Why has there been a growth of U.S. involvement in Northern Ireland politics since 1985? 

HIS 271/PCS 271 History of Northern Ireland and Background to the Troubles (3)
This course covers Modern Irish History from 1800-1923. Class topics include: Daniel O’Connell and his campaigns for Catholic Emancipation for Repeal of the Union; social, economic and demographic problems in pre-famine Ireland and the Great Famine and its impact on Irish society; emigration from Ireland in the course of the 19th century; the campaign for Home Rule under Butt, Parnell, Redmond and Dillon; the land problem and its resolution and the end of landordism, the Easter Rebellion and its political consequences. It focuses also upon the political issues and events out of which the Troubles arose in the 1960s and early 1970s.

LAS 300 Practical Work Placement – Northern Ireland (2)
Students will be placed in community service agencies involved in community building and conflict resolution in  a cross-cultural context. The placement contains elements of observation as well as the student practicing within the agency, under supervision. The overall aim of the placements is to help the student identify some of the problems and understand more clearly the difficulties and complexities of living in a society supposedly in the midst of a post violent conflict and to determine the everyday problems of people using the agency and how the violence has an impact on them. Criteria for evaluation include: attendance, comprehension of agency goals, successful completion of a range of tasks agreed upon in writing, daily journaling, written reflection of the placement and written evaluation by agency supervisor.

PCS 301 International Conflict Resolution—A Case Study (3)
This course uses the theoretical peace and conflict/ethnic studies literature to explore some of the key concepts used in this area of study. Session one examines the debates about how to define peace and introduces students to Galtung’s definitions of direct structural and cultural violence. Session two tries to define the concepts of ethnicity and nationalism, key terms in any study of inter-communal violence. Sessions three and four attempt to develop a structure of conflict that can aid in determining what types of intervention may work at particular stages of violence. Sessions five and six examine some innovative ideas in the areas of alternative dispute resolution and conflict transformation. The final sessions explore how different peace traditions approach the idea of conflict transformation. Four such traditions are identified: religion, liberalism, socialism and feminism. Throughout this course, reference will be made to the Northern Ireland conflict as the key case study, but other cases of protracted ethnic conflict will be examined.  

PCS 303 Practical Mediation Skills and Conflict Transformation (3)
This course is designed to introduce students to the practical application of mediation skills through a process of experiential learning. The course will look at different models of mediation and the different skills that need to be applied during a mediation session. Students will become familiar with how mediations work in cultural, neighborhood, relationship and commercial disputes, in both local and international conflict situations.

Non-credit Course on Basic Irish Language, Music and Dance
There is an extra-mural evening class opportunity for students to learn how to play the Irish tin whistle and Irish dancing. It is also a unique way of being introduced to the traditional Irish culture and community. Students who successfully complete this course will be awarded a certificate where their names will be translated into Irish and the certificates presented by the Mayor. This course can only take place if there are enough students interested (usually a minimum of eight) but is a vital method of entering into the wider community in L/Derry.

Washington Community Scholars’ Center (WCSC)

Discover the city life of Washington, D.C., cultural diversity, career-building opportunities, a broad range of university classes and the connections between faith and work at the Washington Community Scholars’ Center. Washington, D.C., is full of exciting opportunities to explore—new cultures, a different pace of life and learning, and a great variety of people, each with their own worldview and passions. The city is also a place to learn—about the poverty that exists in our own country, about racism which continues to affect our society and about the ways that real people are addressing these challenges. Through internships, group life and the weekly seminar class, students are encouraged to embark on a stretching journey of personal and professional self-discovery and gain new perspectives on the world we live in.

Build a resume with job skills and work experience. WCSC offers you an opportunity to explore your interests while contributing to your community with a 20 hour per week internship. We can place students from any major, including the sciences, the arts and professional programs.

WCSC’s inter-disciplinary seminar analyzes social problems, faith issues and urban experiences through reading and writing, the arts, field trips and group discussion. Guest speakers, internship visits, and history and arts tours are part of the weekly seminar course.

Students may also elect to take 1-2 courses at one of the following local universities, with priority given to those who need the credits to meet graduation requirements: Trinity University, University of the District of Columbia, Corcoran College of Art and Design and Graduate School of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Students who successfully complete the WCSC program will have met their LAS 342 Cross-cultural Experience and LAS 301 Issues in Modern America. Students who complete WCS 387 Faith and Urban Community have met a social science from the discipline of sociology (SOC). Students who need to meet other requirements should consult with their advisors and the associate dean.

Participants will live with students from Mennonite-affiliated schools in a working-class, largely African-American neighborhood. WCSC student life is a community experience, including shared meals and household responsibilities.

Courses offered spring 2012 – Curriculum A 
Courses offered summer 2012 – Curriculum C 
Courses offered fall 2012 – Curriculum A 
Courses offered spring 2013 – Curriculum B 
Courses offered summer 2013 – Curriculum C 
Courses offered fall 2013 – Curriculum B

Curriculum A – 15 credits

WCS 388 Cross-cultural Social Science: Urban Anthropology (3)
Students use the tools of participant observation to understand how different populations of urban regions form a social whole and how the lives and living conditions of all people are interconnected. Discussion will cover the ways in which our understanding of categories such as “white,” “black” and “latino” both mask and define the class stratification which occurs as part of our economic system.

WCS 387 Faith and Urban Community (3)
How do different faith communities practice their faith in an urban context? Students visit local faith communities to learn more about their response to current issues. Students will explore various interpretations of the connection between faith and works, and will compare and analyze these responses. This course meets a social science for general education in the discipline of sociology.

WCS 389 Servant Leadership (2)
How are leaders made? In these critical times, what kinds of leaders does our society need? How is leadership best practiced? College students, at the cusp of adulthood in American society stand at many crossroads. Life-altering decisions, vocational choices, questions about how and whom to serve can stimulate or, conversely, inhibit creativity, a willingness to engage in the serious issues of our day and a commitment to serve others. This course is taught in tandem with WCS 391.

WCS 391 Internship Theory and Practice (1)
Explores the many dimensions of servant leadership, starting with traditional definitions and moving into gender and race before engaging with the great non-violent servant leaders of the 20th century. Throughout the class we will talk with local servant leaders in the D.C. area.

WCS 300 Internship (6)
 
Curriculum B – 15 credits

WCS 386 A Multi-Cultural History of Washington, D.C., 1930-1970 (3)
The Washington, D.C., setting offers students an opportunity to examine the history of race and ethnicity in an urban context, including the historical African-American community and more recent immigrant communities. 

WCS 385 Monuments to Murals: Exploring Social Issues through D.C.'s Public Art (3)
Students attend and review museum exhibits, plays, concerts and guided tours of public art in D.C. Reading and writing assignments focus on the relationship between historical events and contemporary social issues.

WCS 389 Servant Leadership (2)
How are leaders made? In these critical times, what kinds of leaders does our society need? How is leadership best practiced? College students, at the cusp of adulthood in American society stand at many crossroads. Life-altering decisions, vocational choices, questions about how and whom to serve can stimulate or, conversely, inhibit creativity, a willingness to engage in the serious issues of our day and a commitment to serve others. This course is taught in tandem with WCS 391.

WCS 391 Internship Theory and Practice (1)
Explores the many dimensions of servant leadership, starting with traditional definitions and moving into gender and race before engaging with the great non-violent servant leaders of the 20th century. Throughout the class we will talk with local servant leaders in the D.C. area.

WCS 300 Internship (6)

Curriculum C – 10 credits

WCS 388  Urban Anthropology (3) (in odd numbered years)
Students use the tools of participant observation to understand how different populations of urban regions form a social whole and how the lives and living conditions of all people are interconnected. Discussion will cover the ways in which our understanding of categories such as “white,” “black” and “latino” both mask and define the class stratification which occurs as part of our economic system.

OR

WCS 386 A Multi-Cultural History of Washington, D.C., 1930-2000 (3) (in even numbered years)
The Washington, D.C., setting offers students an opportunity to examine the history of race and ethnicity in an urban context, including the historical African-American community and more recent immigrant communities. 

WCS 391 Internship Theory and Practice (1)
Explores the many dimensions of servant leadership, starting with traditional definitions and moving into gender and race before engaging with the great non-violent servant leaders of the 20th century. Throughout the class we will talk with local servant leaders in the D.C. area.

WCS 300 Internship (6)

Council for Christian Colleges and Universities

Off-campus, interdisciplinary learning opportunities are available to upper-class students at Bluffton University and offer 16 semester hours of credit. For further information, contact the director of cross-cultural programs. All programs offered through the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities meet the cross-cultural experience requirement, except the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, the Contemporary Music Center, the American Studies Program and the Washington Journalism Center.

American Studies Program (ASP)
Founded in 1976, the American Studies Program has served hundreds of students as a "Washington, D.C. campus." ASP uses Washington as a stimulating educational laboratory where collegians gain hands-on experience with an internship in their chosen field, tailored to fit the students' talents and aspirations. Participants also explore pressing national and international issues in public policy seminars led by ASP faculty and Washington professionals. Students select between a Public Affairs or Marketplace track. Both tracks examine the same public issues and culminate in field projects assessing those issues in light of biblical principles and Christian responsibility. However, students in the Public Affairs Track will use policy concepts to evaluate contending approaches while students in the Marketplace Track will analyze the issues by assessing how business and commercial environments shape different perspectives. The aim of the program is to help council schools prepare their students to live faithfully in contemporary society as followers of Christ.  [Students earn 16 semester hours of credit.]
 

Australia Studies Centre (ASC)
Since spring 2004, the CCCU has partnered with the Wesley Institute in Sydney, Australia, to offer the Australian Studies Centre. Throughout the semester, students study theology, global justice issues affecting Australia, Indigenous cultures and the arts. Every student is required to take the courses The View from Australia: Issues in Religion, Politics, Economics & Cultural Values and Indigenous History, Culture & Identity. Additionally, students choose from electives in theology/ministry, music, drawing/graphic design, dance and/or drama. Home stays, service learning and travel around Australia are important components of the ASC. Students observe Australia’s beautiful landscape, live in the cosmopolitan melting pot of Sydney, serve the poor of Sydney’s multi-cultural ghettos and engage the political capital Canberra and its power players. Students also come to know the traditions of Aboriginal people during an Outback excursion and spend the last week of each semester traveling to New Zealand to meet with Maori people. [ASC students receive 16 semester hours of credit.]  

China Studies Program (CSP)
The China Studies Program enables students to engage China's ancient history and intrigue from an insider's perspective. While being immersed in Chinese culture, students participate in seminar courses on the historical, cultural, religious, geographic and economic realities of this strategic and populous nation. Students choose between completing a broad Chinese studies concentration or a business concentration including an internship in an international business in China. Students will also study standard Chinese language and apply their skills by serving in an orphanage or tutoring Chinese students in English. The program introduces students to the diversity of China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Xiamen. This interdisciplinary, cross-cultural program enables students to communicate and understand the unique culture and people of China with an informed, Christ centered perspective. [Students earn 16-17 semester hours of credit.]

Contemporary Music Center (CMC)
The Contemporary Music Center provides students with the opportunity to live and work in the refining context of community while seeking to understand how God will have them integrate music, faith and business. The CMC offers two tracks: the artist track and the executive track. The artist track is tailored to students considering careers as vocalists, musicians, songwriters, recording artists, performers, producers and recording engineers. The executive track is designed for business, arts management, marketing, communications and related majors interested in possible careers as artist managers, agents, record company executives, music publishers, concert promoters and entertainment industry entrepreneurs. Both artist and executive track students receive instruction, experience and a uniquely Christ-centered perspective on creativity and the marketplace, while working together to create and market a recording of original music. Both tracks include coursework, labs, directed study and a practicum.  [Students earn 16 semester hours of credit.] 

India Studies Program (ISP)
The India Studies Program is structured to provide students with both immersion in a local community and broad exposure to a variety of peoples, places and customs in India including an extensive two-week travel portion of the program to provide students a close up look at India's diversity.  Students will participate in two core courses designed to provide a broad overview of the historical, religious, geographical and economic landscape of India. Building on their basic understanding of India's past and contemporary realities students will have opportunities to explore a variety of issues -poverty, social justice, rapid social change, religious pluralism - through the eyes and experience of Indian Christians.  Rounding out the semester experience, students will also have the opportunity to take courses in their major areas with Indian students and professors.
 
Latin American Studies Program (LASP)
Based in San Jose, Costa Rica, the Latin American Studies Program introduces students to a wide range of experiences through the study of the language, literature, culture, politics, history, economics, ecology and religion of the region. Through service learning and living with a local family, students become a part of the day-to-day lives of typical Latin Americans. Students also take part in a service opportunity and travel for three weeks to nearby Central American nations. Students participate in one of four concentrations: Latin American Studies (offered both fall and spring terms); Advanced Language and Literature (designed for Spanish majors and offered both fall and spring terms); International Business: Management and Marketing (offered only in fall terms); and Environmental Science (offered only during spring terms). Depending on their concentration, students travel to nearby Central American nations including Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba and Panama. [Students in all concentrations earn 16-18 semester credits.]

Los Angles Film Studies Center (LAFSC)
Founded in 1991, the Los Angeles Film Studies Center is designed to train students to serve in various aspects of the film industry with both professional skill and Christian integrity. Each semester, students live, learn and work in L.A. The curriculum consists of two required seminars, Hollywood Production Workshop and Theology in Hollywood, focusing on the role of film in culture and the relationship of faith to work in this very influential industry. In addition, students choose one elective course from a variety of offerings in film studies. Internships in various segments of the film industry provide students with hands-on experience. The combination of the internship and seminars allows students to explore the film industry within a Christian context and from a liberal arts perspective. [Students earn 16 semester hours of credit.] 

Middle East Studies Program (MESP)
Based in Cairo, Egypt, this program offers students a unique opportunity to explore and interact with the complex and strategic world of the modern Middle East. Students explore diverse religious, social, cultural and political traditions of Middle Eastern peoples through interdisciplinary seminars. Students also study the Arabic language and work as volunteers with various organizations in Cairo. Through travel in the region (typically Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Turkey), students are exposed to the diversity and dynamism of the region. At a time of tension and change in the Middle East, MESP encourages and equips students to relate to the Muslim world in an informed, constructive and Christ-centered manner. [Students earn 16 semester hours of credit.] 

The Scholars' Semester in Oxford (SSO)
The Scholar's Semester in Oxford is designed for students interested in completing intensive scholarship. Working with academic tutors, students advance their academic writing and research skills and explore the disciplines and interests of their choice. As Visiting Students of Oxford University and members of Wycliffe Hall, students have the privilege to study and learn in one of university’s historic halls. SSO students enroll in a Primary and Secondary Tutorial, an Integrative Seminar and the course Christianity and Cultures. The SSO is designed for students interested in the fields of Classics, English & Literature, Theology & Religious Studies, Philosophy and History, though all majors may apply. Applicants are generally honors and other very high-achieving students and must have a 3.5 GPA to be considered for the program. [Students earn 17 semester hours of credit for a semester and may complete two semesters of the program.]

Uganda Studies Program (USP)
Winston Churchill is credited with nicknaming Uganda the “Pearl of Africa,” and many visitors since his time have come to agree with him. The USP offers students a very personal encounter with many cultures and people of East Africa. Uganda Christian University (UCU), serves as the base of study for students in the USP. Set on the outskirts of the capital city Kampala, this rapidly growing institution brings USP students together with the UCU Honours College. Courses taught by local faculty in the British tutorial tradition will immerse students in a uniquely African education. Topics such as Christianity and Islam in Contemporary Africa, African Literature and East African History will present many insights into African life because of the guidance of faculty who live in and love Uganda and East Africa. Homestays, travel, service learning and daily interaction with Honours College students form the backbone of the USP experience. Students select between the Uganda Studies Emphasis and the Intercultural Ministry and Missions Emphasis. IMME students live in semester-long homestays and explore the role of missionaries and development workers from an in-depth perspective. Uganda Studies students explore the changing Africa from a variety of perspectives. [In addition to the core experiential course, students will choose from an approved selection of courses from the UCU Honours College to earn up to 16 hours of credit.]

Washington Journalism Center (WJC)
The Washington Journalism Center (WJC) is a semester-long study program in Washington, D.C., created for students interested in the field of journalism. While in Washington students take classes focusing on their personal writing skills and on the history and future of the media. These classes – Foundations for Media Involvement; Reporting in Washington; and Washington, News and Public Discourse – combined with an internship at a top news publication help students learn to integrate their faith in a journalism career. Students also participate in service learning opportunities as well as live with families in homestays as part of the WJC experience. [Students earn 16 semester hours of credit.]

Brethren Colleges Abroad (BCA)

Brethren Colleges Abroad operates academic study centers in 14 countries for students from U.S. institutions of higher education. BCA Study Centers offer semester and year-long programs in the liberal arts tradition at universities in the following locations: Austria, Australia, Belgium, China, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand and Spain. For further information, contact the director of cross-cultural programs. These programs meet the cross-cultural experience requirement.

Central American Study and Service (CASAS), Guatemala

Central American Study and Service, part of the Latin American Anabaptist Seminary (SEMILLA), gives North Americans the opportunity to live, study and volunteer in a Latin American context. The core of the CASAS program is a 12-week, cross-cultural study term designed for students interested in studying Spanish while cultivating a broader awareness of the issues facing people in Guatemala. The term begins with eight weeks of intensive study while living with a Guatemalan family in a marginal area of Guatemala City. Students study Spanish (often, in a one-on-one setting) with experienced Guatemalan teachers and participate in visits and lectures with organizations or individuals who are experts on Guatemalan history, culture, politics and religion. During the final four weeks students have the opportunity of working in a voluntary service setting. Students may earn university credit in several areas including Spanish, anthropology and religion. Also available is an intensive Spanish-only program. For further information, contact the director of cross-cultural programs. This program meets the cross-cultural experience requirement. 

November 2011