Sophomore Expedition
Course Titles and Descriptions

CCC- 201 Common Statement for All Courses

This is course is intended to be taken by students in the same semester that they travel abroad with the Sophomore Expedition.  It will prepare students to travel and serve in the destination country, provide students with relevant cultural and historical information about the destination country, and offer a specialized course of study designed to maximize the opportunity this study abroad opportunity provides.  This course is required of any student who participates in the Sophomore Expedition study abroad trip. 

Global Social Justice and Human Rights       
Professor Suzanne Weaver

This course will teach global awareness of human rights violations and a basic understanding of programs and resources existing to combat human suffering. Without a close examination of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it is difficult to undertake an advocacy role. Students will examine theories of social justice and problem solving approaches to develop social action and advocacy strategies. Topics that will be examined from a cross-cultural approach are: child trafficking and child homelessness. Service-learning in the destination country will involve working with children and visiting agencies that address these social problems.

The Impact of Culture on Attitudes and Behavior                
Dr. James Scepansky

Psychology is defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. In other words, the field of psychology attempts to explain WHY people feel, think, and act as they do. Psychologists have devoted their lives to making observations of human behavior, generating hypotheses as to why those behaviors occur, designing research investigations to test those hypotheses, and developing theories to explain it all. However, for much of its history, the discipline of psychology failed to account for a major factor that greatly influences behavior and mental processes: culture. Quite simply, WHERE you grow up and live during the course of your life has a major impact on everything from how you interact with other people, to how you view yourself, other people, and the world you live in. This course, and the accompanying travel component, will provide you with an opportunity to observe many of the ways that culture impacts our actions and interactions. Special emphasis will be placed on the influence of culture on gender stereotypes and gender roles that exist in the host destination

Children of Brazil: Issues and Advocacy                                
Dr. Jill Purdy

In this specific course, students will examine the lives of the children of Brazil, including the street children. Students will explore the existing advocacy groups in Brazil and think about the qualities of advocacy.  By examine the issues that are present, students will develop ideas for advocacy for children.  Students will become culturally responsive in their thinking through learning about the culture, history, and dynamics of Brazil through the eyes of children.  Students will also have an opportunity to explore children ’s literature based in or about Brazil. 

Health Care in Brazil: Policy, Plants, and Plastic 
Dr. Wendy Robb

In this specific course, students will examine health care practices in Brazil including Brazil’s national health policy, the United Health System. Traditional healing practices, like medicinal plants, animals, Spiritism, and traditional healers will be explored as will the prevalent practice of medical tourism for plastic surgery in Brazil.

Introduction to Global Health                                    
Dr. Dianne Babbitt

The health of those in other countries impacts the health of the global population; as diseases quickly spread, there are ethical aspects to allowing health issues elsewhere to continue without providing support.  Global health impacts social and economic development, as well as global stability.  These concepts are key to the study of global health and are covered in this course. Special emphasis will be placed on the Zika virus, its impact on the 2016 Summer Olympics, and its continued effect in Rio, Brazil.

Anthropology of Tourism                                           
Dr. Allen Richardson

This section will frame the Brazil trip in terms of the Anthropology of Tourism. This academic field is relatively new, arising from the work of Theron Nunez in Mexico in 1963. It has evolved as an important part of Anthropology, spawning a wide number of texts and studies with increasing relevance to a globalized world. The section will introduce this approach to students in concert with World Systems theory which is an important component of globalization studies. As a result of taking the course students will understand how tourism evolved out of pilgrimage traditions, how it has exploited indigenous populations and the socio-economic reasons for its widespread appeal in post-industrial societies.

Environmental Stewardship                                                  
Dr. John Cigliano

There are many environmental issues facing the world today, from the local, such as water pollution, to the regional, such as rainforest deforestation, to the global, such as climate change. This course will explore the causes of and solutions to the most important environmental issues we are facing using Brazil as a case study. While these environmental issues effect the health and livelihoods of all people, some people are more affected than others.  Those that are most affected are often poor and marginalized communities. We will also use Brazil as a case study to explore issues of environmental justice and ways to address environmental injustice.

Honors: Science and Society in Brazil   
Dr. K. Joy Karnas and Dr. Audrey Ettinger

This course provides students with an opportunity to form connections between science and society as a whole, contrasting societal issues as they impact the culture of the United States with that of Brazilian society. Students will gain an understanding of the role of science in society and the importance of ethics within science regardless of nationality. The impact of Brazilian women in the field of science will be a focus, and students will draw parallels between historic discriminatory practices in Brazil and the United States. This course is offered as part of the Honors Program; therefore, it is only available to Honors students and counts as one of the Honors Exploration courses in that program.