Randolph faculty members lead 1-3 week study seminars across a range of academic disciplines and in countries around the globe either during winter break, spring break, or the summer. After completion of one semester of study, all students are encouraged to participate in these unique programs, which may have prerequisite courses and include pre-departure sessions and post-trip activities. The average cost of each program is $4,500 and the fees typically cover tuition, lodging, some meals, activities, and round-trip travel expenses. Limited need-based financial assistance for participation in these trips is available through the Office of International Programs. Please contact the Experiential Learning Center for more information about the upcoming seminars listed below; for descriptions of past seminars, please click here.
May 2010 Programs - Application deadline extended to November 20, 2009!
Mozart’s Requiem: Austria & Bulgaria
Faculty: Randall Speer, Associate Professor of Music & Director of Choral/Vocal Activities
Mystery. Deception. Controversy. Tragedy. Explore the story of the final masterpiece of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem. From May 26-June 9, participants will examine fact and myth surrounding this great choral and orchestral work. The group will travel for four days in Vienna visiting sites related to Mozart’s life and untimely death, followed by participation in the Varna Music Academy in Bulgaria. Choristers, instrumentalists, and even non-singers will enjoy a week of intensive rehearsal with professional orchestra and soloists in an internationally acclaimed conductor’s workshop, culminating in a performance of Mozart’s Requiem.
Renaissance Painting: History in the Making
Faculty: Andrea Campbell, Assistant Professor of Art
Kathy Muehlemann, Associate Professor of Art
Experience the sparkle of mosaics in dim church interiors, the clarity of frescoes in a serene monastery, and the luminosity of panel and manuscript paintings in Italy. From May 18–June 3, this seminar will visit sites studied in a spring semester course. With hands-on experience in making mosaics and in Renaissance painting techniques, students will travel to see the original works in their contexts. The group will be based in Florence and Rome, and will make several day trips to cities such as Ravenna, Siena, and San Gimignano. Seminar Pre-requisite: Art 204-Renaissance Painting Techniques, offered Tuesday/Thursday from 10:50 a.m.–12:05 p.m. in spring ’10. (No pre-requisite for Art 204.)
Telling Tales: Theater & Culture in London & Dublin
Faculty: Ken Parks, Associate Professor of Theatre
How do cultures create narratives about their past, their present, and their future? What kinds of stories do they tell themselves, and what kinds do they tell to others? How do history, literature, and art combine in particular places to tell specific stories? And, most importantly, how do these stories become moments of performance, enacted on literal and metaphorical stages? For two weeks in May, students will investigate these questions as they walk through the streets, museums, and churches of London and Dublin and attend performances at historic playhouses (London’s Globe Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Dublin’s Abbey Theatre). Seminar Pre-requisite: one of the following courses – THTR 111R, 117R, 123, 142, or permission of the instructor.
May 2009 Programs
Chinese Society in the Global Economy
Faculty: Kun An & Tina Johnson
How to Apply
In May 2009, students will have the opportunity to see, feel and understand changes in contemporary Chinese society as a result of China’s active participation in the global economy. Through lectures, activities with Chinese students, interviews with American-based companies in China and visits to important cultural sites, participants will explore the co-existence of China’s “old” civilization with western modernization. The group will visit Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Zhenjiang, the home of Pearl S. Buck ’14..
Prerequisites: CHIN 105 - Chinese Culture Through Film, or CHIN 101, 201, 301 - Chinese language courses, or HIST123 - Introduction to East Asian Civilization, or HIST221 - Modern Chinese History
Practical Wisdom: Art & Drama in Greece
Faculty: Amy R. Cohen & David Schwartz
How to Apply
This three-week May/June summer study tour will provide students with the opportunity to investigate ideas about art and performance by participating in the production of an ancient play in Greece and by studying Greek philosophy of art. Students will gain in-depth knowledge of Greek drama in its original circumstances while also acquiring the tools with which to analyze what transpires between actors and audience. Students will also have the opportunity to step back and reflect upon issues such as the nature of art itself, the source of artistic inspiration, and whether art is a vehicle of knowledge. Students will visit sites important to the history of philosophy and drama in Greece, including the Athenian Agora and Acropolis, the Theatre of Dionysus, the Theatre of Epidaurus, and the sanctuary at Delphi. The course will culminate in the performance of an ancient play.
Prerequisites: CLAS 132 – Classical Mythology, or CLAS 144 – Three Ancient Cities, or CLAS/HIST 180 – Ancient History, or PHIL/CLAS 177 – Classical Philosophy
The U.S. & Germany: Impact of World War II
Faculty: John d’Entremont & Gerard Sherayko
How to Apply
The Second World War was the most important political event of the twentieth century, redrawing the map, dooming colonialism, conceiving nuclear weapons, spawning a bipolar world dominated by incompatible superpowers, forcing humanity to confront and process the reality of absolute evil, facilitating the creation of Israel, and killing sixty million people—three times the hideous death toll of World War I. Traveling in May and early June to sites in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Germany, this seminar will expose students to these transformations and to their geopolitical, cultural, and personal ramifications. Along the way, people from widely varying backgrounds will share with the group compelling personal stories about the ways World War II profoundly changed their lives.
How to Apply
Download and complete the application for the program of your choice...
Gather the following supporting materials...
- an un-official copy of your transcript ,
- a
reference letter from a faculty member , and - a reference letter from a residence life staff member
Submit the completed application and supporting materials to the Experiential Learning Center (ELC) located in West Hall. Deadline: October 24. Students interested in need-based scholarship assistance must also complete the Summer Financial Aid & Scholarship Estimator form, available in the ELC. Please contact Tina Johnson, tjohnson@randolphcollege.edu with any questions.
