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Direction
Warren Haffar, Dean of International Affairs
Scott Terry, International Program Coordinator for Preview Courses
Alayne Wood, International Program Coordinator for Global Field Study Courses
Faculty
The faculty who lead Global Field Study programs come from a variety of academic disciplines.
Overview of Programs
Preview Courses
Preview is a full semester course for first-year and new transfer students. The 2-credit course is offered in the Spring semester and integrates a week-long overseas field study during spring break as part of the curriculum. Application is required for enrollment, and a fee of $595 is required in addition to course tuition.
Global Field Study Courses
Global Field Study (GFS) courses are semester-long courses taken on the Glenside campus that include an additional off-campus field study, typically lasting between 1-2 weeks. GFS courses are open to Juniors and Seniors, with some open to graduate students. Courses may be offered in fall, spring, or summer session. Field study travel typically occurs in the middle or at the end of the course. Application is required for enrollment, and a special travel fee (variable by program) is required in addition to course tuition.
Global Brigades
Through Global Brigades Organization, students have the opportunity to participate in medical mission trips to developing countries, allowing them to gain a new understanding of clinical experience. In order to provide an enriched, academic experience for Global Brigades volunteers, Arcadia University and Global Brigades have partnered to offer a three-credit academic component for those students interested in receiving undergraduate credit for their experience at the special tuition rate of $500 for three credits, as well as a Certificate of Completion. The International Development Field Study course allows volunteers to connect with others through their in-country experience, explores the issues concerning the implications and impact of their service, and provides an opportunity for guided, academic reflection about their service-learning experience.
Global Field Study (GFS) Courses
GFS 181 International Experience (Preview)
2 credits
This course is an introduction to another culture through study of a particular topic. The majority of the semester will be spent on the Glenside campus, followed by a group field study to the country/region of focus. The culture studied and the thematic focus varies based on the faculty offering the course. (Intended for first-year students, special travel fee applies.)
Spring
Prerequisite: Application required.
GFS 281 International Research Experience
(1 credit for each week in the field, with a minimum of 2 credits and maximum of 4 credits)
This course is similar to an independent research project within specific disciplines. It is designed for students who participate in several of the University-sponsored international projects; such as the summer travel associated with the Heinz award. It is not limited, however, to such work. Any student who has developed a significant project and has a faculty sponsor is eligible for this course.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor (or faculty sponsor) only. Instructors are to review the guidelines with the student and approve the project prior to the research being undertaken. This is similar to the procedure for an independent study course; however, the form for ID 281 must be approved by the Dean of International Affairs.
GFS 301 Americans in Paris
4 credits
In the 1920s, Paris became an important site of pilgrimage for young American writers like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Langston Hughes, Djuna Barnes, and Ezra Pound. In this course we will read fiction and poetry they wrote in and about Paris and ask questions like: What was it like to be an American writer in Paris? How did the realities of French life compare to the Paris the expatriates had imagined, and to the United States they left behind? In the month of May we will take our own trip to the City of Light, retracing the steps of people like Hughes, Hemingway, and Stein, and having our own expatriate experiences. Optional GCE & GCR credit is available for students who would like to earn it as part of this course. (Special travel fee applies.)
Spring
Prerequisite: Minimum of sophomore standing, application required.
GFS 302 Live Deliberately: A Walden Experience
(4 credits)
Thoreau moved to Walden Pond, saying “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” Students in this workshop style course do the same, critically examining their lives guided by themes of Walden, such as: simplicity, solitude, self-reliance, relationship with society, technology, and nature. Other thinkers and philosophers, past and present, join the discussion. In addition, crucial to Thoreau’s experiment was his determination of basic necessities before going to Walden; as such, students deliberately focus on planning and preparing for the end-of-semester 6 day backcountry camping trip, where they experience deliberate living firsthand. (Special travel fee applies.)
Prerequisite: Minimum of junior standing, application required.
GFS 304 Divided Cities in Cyprus
(4 credits)
This course explores three themes related to the peace and conflict resolution on the divided island of Cyprus: Division, governance, and reconciliation. Together, we will explore the historical context of the conflict and the impact of its legacy on daily life, the various proposals to address the grievances of the different communities, including the various proposals from the UN and the EU to govern the Island. To counter the narrative of division, the course examines the various points that bring the different communities together out of the necessity of inhabiting “shared space,” visiting practitioner organizations on the ground that work toward peace and reconciliation through grassroots initiatives and public health outreach. (Special travel fee applies.)
Prerequisite: Minimum of junior standing, application required.
GFS 305 Spain’s Pilgrimage: The Camino
Students in this course will undertake a portion of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. We will be starting in the province of Lugo (Sarria) and walking 70 miles in 6 days which is the least amount of distance to still get official credit in Spain and a certificate for having walked the Road to Santiago. Students will be provided with a training schedule and a group trainer during the semester to make sure that they are in optimal physical shape to begin the endeavor. This pilgrimage was, and is, one of the holiest journeys dating from the Middle Ages. Current participants speak of the discovery of spirituality, the connection with nature, and a way to meet people from all over the world. We will end the journey at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and spend two days discovering the wonder of this World Heritage Site. The total time of the trip will be 10 days. The academic portion of the course will focus on travel narratives, pilgrimages, and contemporary Spain. There will also be much emphasis placed on the relationship between physical hardship, team building, and spirituality through observations of nature. This course can count towards the major or minor in Spanish.
GFS 306 Marine Biology and Cultural History of St. John Island
(4 credits)
This is a short international course on the marine biology and cultural history of St. John Island. It has a weeklong field trip either over spring break (Sat to Sat) or after graduation in May. We will explore the marine biology and cultural history of St. John Island during our six class meeting and the field component at Viers marine Station in St. John Island. We will have four class meetings prior to the trip and two when we return. This is a global experience course with a global reflection option. St. John is about 20 square miles in size, is part of the US Virgin Islands and has one of the largest national park systems in the Caribbean. We will be staying at Viers, the University of the Virgin Islands marine station. This is a remote biology field station with eco-camp living quarters and full lab facilities including water tables and microscopes for sample processing. We will be taking daily trips to explore key marine habitats and cultural sites of the Island. These trips include hikes and snorkeling to explore the various marine communities and cultural ruins of the island. During these excursions we will lean about the different habitats and learn to identify both the marine plants since these are less well characterized. Evening activities will include lectures by island experts, campfires and other lab activities. (Special travel fee applies.)
Minimum of junior standing, application required.
Prerequisite: An interest in nature, marine biology and/or Caribbean culture is essential. Trip includes rigorous daily hikes and snorkeling thus one needs to be in reasonable physical shape and be a capable swimmer. This will be accessed during the first class meeting using an in pool swimming test. Snorkeling and water safety will be taught in the two required presessions.
GFS 307 Social Justice in the African Diaspora
(4 credits)
The course aims to investigate the contemporary social justice issues in American society, examine contemporary manifestations of past and present human exploitation, particularly institutionalized and internalized racism, sexism, and classism and deepen students’ understanding of the ways human needs and social structures interact and influence intergroup behavior. Through interdisciplinary study and Intergroup Dialogue, a well-known and successful model for promoting democratic dialogue, action and civic engagement in the context of diversity, a local Global Reflections cultural experience in the African and African American communities in Philadelphia and study abroad in Ghana, West Africa. (Special travel fee applies)
Prerequisite: Minimum of junior standing, application required.
GFS 308 Dominica: A Developing Caribbean Nation
(4 credits)
This course examines development, economic citizenship, international taxation, offshore financial centers, poverty and health care, and eco-tourism in the Caribbean nation of Dominica. (Special travel fee applies.)
Prerequisite: Minimum of junior standing, application required.
GFS 381 International Experience
4 credits
Upper-level seminar that studies a particular topic within the context of a culture other than that of the United States. The majority of the semester will be spent on the Glenside campus, followed by a group field study to the country/region of focus. The culture studied and the thematic focus varies based on the faculty offering the course. (Special travel fee applies.)
Fall, Spring or Summer
Prerequisite: Minimum of junior standing, application required
GFS 381 International Experience (Preview)
2 credits
This course is an introduction to another culture through study of a particular topic. The majority of the semester will be spent on the Glenside campus, followed by a group field study to the country/region of focus. The culture studied and the thematic focus varies based on the faculty offering the course. (Intended for Transfer students, special travel fee applies.)
Spring
Prerequisite: Application required.
GFS 401 Conflict, Governance, and State Building: The Balkans
(4 credits)
The course introduces students to key concepts of post-conflict governance and state building. It will concentrate on politics and political solutions to conflicts, including those stemming from improved domestic governance and international post-conflict governance. The students will attain better understanding of the state, institutional causes of ethnic conflict, the role of government in causing and resolving conflict, problems of post-conflict state building, key aspects of inclusive governance in multiethnic societies, power sharing, and minority accommodation and integration.
The course will explore key aspects of a case of a recent ethnic conflict in the Balkans: the roots and causes of the conflict, its history and consequences, the role of the international community, and post-conflict institution building. The course includes a field study to the Balkans visiting with leaders on both sides of the conflict: senior government officials, party leaders, local mayors, conflict resolution professionals, as well as U.S. and European diplomats. (Special travel fee applies.)
Prerequisite: Background in Political Science, History, or related field; minimum of senior standing, application required.
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