WINTERSESSION PROGRAMS

Each year Wellesley College offers a number of faculty-led course trips during January. The programs are administered by the relevant academic department, and inquiries should be addressed to the program director listed.

Financial aid is available for students who receive aid during the academic year. The percentage of aid given for a Wintersession program will be the same as that given for the rest of the year, although the first $750 of Wintersession aid will be in the form of a loan.
Students who do not normally receive Financial Aid, or would like more financial help to cover the cost of a Wintersession, program should contact Student Financial Services.

Credit is not awarded for study on winter-session programs sponsored by other institutions.

January 2008 Offerings

ANTH 211/RAST 211 WINTERSESSION PROGRAM IN THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA
Students travel to Tbilisi, Georgia for Winter-session. They attend lectures in English at Tbilisi State University on Georgian history, language and culture and on contemporary political developments there and visit sites of historical interest in and around Tbilisi. They live with Georgian families and spend three weeks completing a self-designed internship with a local organization. Students may register for either ANTH 211 or RAST 211 and credit will be granted accordingly.
Prerequisite: One course in anthropology or Russian area studies. Application required. Distribution: Social and Behavioral Analysis or Historical Studies
Unit: 0.5
Contact: Prof. Philip Kohl

FREN 228 Le Paris de Balzac et Zola
An examination of the rapid modernization and urbanization (haussmanization) of Paris in the Nineteenth Century and the changes it brought to the life of Parisians. Two authors fond of Paris: Balzac, the eternal Parisian wanderer, and Zola, the social scientist, will be the focus of this course. Balzac witnesses the birth of the bourgeoisie and of the power of money; Zola evokes the monsters they engender. While in Paris, we will follow their steps and discover the neighborhoods dear to Balzac as well as the modern Paris Zola describes in his novel. .
Prerequisite: At least one unit of French 206, 207, 208, or 210, an SAT II score of 690-800, an equivalent department placement score or an AP score of 5.
Distribution: Language and Literature
Unit: 1.0
Contact:Prof. Marie-Paul Tranvouez

GEOS 220 VOLCANOES: AGENTS OF GLOBAL AND REGIONAL CHANGE
From Mount Saint Helens to Vesuvius to Krakatau, volcanoes affect global climate, change landscape evolution, and are sometimes the cause of tremendous disasters. Understanding the wide variety of phenomena associated with volcanoes provides a broad perspective on how science can be used to protect lives and further human needs and interests. Using geologic literature, Internet search, and a general text, we will study case histories of volcanoes on earth and through the solar system. Written papers and oral presentations will be important parts of the course. Required laboratory will be two weeks in and near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park during Wintersession, with a final project due after return.
Prerequisite: GEOS 100 [GEOL 100], GEOS 101, GEOS 102 [GEOL 102] or ES 100 and permission of the instructor. Not open to students who have taken [GEOL 220]
Distribution: Natural and Physical Science
Unit: 1.25
Contact: Prof. James Besancon

GER 202W INTERMEDIATE GERMAN IN VIENNA
Like 202 on campus, this course strengthens and expands all language skills including idiomatic grammar review, oral and listening practice, readings on contemporary and historical topics, and practice in composition. This course is offered as an immersion experience with an extensive cultural component to introduce students to the rich cultural heritage of the arts in Vienna. In the course of our exploration, we shall visit sites of special significance, attend concerts and visit museums.
Prerequisite: 201 or permission of instructor.
Distribution: Language and Literature
Unit: 1.0
Contact:Prof. Thomas Nolden

HIST 290 MOROCCO: HISTORY AND CULTURE
An introduction to Moroccan culture, history, and society through experiential and classroom learning. Students will participate in seminars and attend lectures given by Moroccan faculty at the Center for Cross-cultural Learning in Rabat. Program themes include: women in private and public life, Berber culture, Islam, Arabic, Morocco’s Jewish heritage and history, and the legacy of European cultural rule. Students will travel as a group to the central and southern regions of the country to study historic sites and contemporary life and culture in a variety of rural and urban settings.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: None
Unit: 1.0
Contact: Prof. Wil Rollman

ITAS 202W INTERMEDIATE ITALIAN IN ROME
Like 202 on campus, this intensive three-week program is a rigorous linguistic and a valuable cultural full-immersion experience. The course consists in a fast-paced grammar review with practice of all language skills through readings of literary texts and newspapers articles, oral discussions on Italian current events, and compositions on cultural topics examined in class. The course includes a rich program of visits to sites of historical significance in Rome and attendance to theater performances.
Prerequisite: ITAS 201 or permission of instructor.
Distribution: Language and Literature
Unit: 1.0
Contact: Flavia Laviosa

POL1 213 WASHINGTON DECISION-MAKING
Intensive Wintersession course on American politics. Analysis of the political process based on readings and discussions of contemporary political and legal issues and interaction with members of Congress, congressional staff, executive department officials, activists in nonprofit organizations, Supreme Court law clerks, political campaign professionals, and reporters. This course will meet for the first week of Wintersession in Wellesley and then will move to Washington for two weeks of briefings, seminar, and policy research. Mandatory credit/non credit.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor required. Enrollment limited to juniors and
seniors. One unit in American politics or law strongly recommended.
Distribution: Social and Behavioral Analysis
Unit: 0.5
Contact: Prof. Alan Schechter

REL290   KYOTO: CENTER OF JAPAN'S RELIGION AND CULTURE
Hands-on observation and critical analyses of religion and culture in Kyoto, Japan’s capital for over a millennium. Topics include: Shinto and Buddhism in traditional Japanese art and culture, such as “tea ceremony,” calligraphy, poetry, theater and martial arts; Shinto and Japan’s appreciation of nature;  Japan’s selective memory of the Pacific War and Japan’s growing nationalism; today’s Buddhist clergy as specialists of the world of the dead, in sharp contrast to the earlier (pre17th century) focus on meditation and acts of mercy for the living; “new religions” in contemporary Japanese society and politics;  Japan’s assimilation of Western religions, as manifested in youth culture; the complicity of religion in the resurgence of nationalism and xenophobia; the contemporary Japanese fascination with the “other world”. Kyoto will be the center of operation with side trips to Nara, Ise and, if possible, to Hiroshima.(download flyer)
Prerequisite: at least one course in Asian religions; though not required, preference given to students of Asian religions and of East Asian Studies. Japanese language is not required. Students who have never been to Japan, but with a strong interest in Japan, would be preferred.
Enrollment: limited to 10 and with written permission of the instructor.
Contact: Prof. T. James Kodera

SPAN 258 BARCELONA AND THE SPIRIT OF MODERNITY : ART, HISTORY AND CULTURE (1859-PRESENT)
The city of Barcelona offers a unique case study in order to understand the 20th century in a world context. In the historical arena, the city has gone from political upheaval and anarchistic rebellions early in the century, to the fight against fascism in the middle years, and finally to the struggle for nationhood and the “jouissance” of democracy at the end of the century. Students will learn about modernity and modernization in Spain and Barcelona in particular with special attention to Gaudí, Picasso, Miró, Mies van der Rohe, Sert and Dalí in the historical, aesthetic, and philosophic context that inspired their works. Includes visits to museums and institutions in Barcelona, Romanesque churches in the Pyrenees, and the Dalí Museum in Figueras. Group is limited to 15 students.
Prerequisite: At least one course above 241/242.
Distribution: Language and Literature or Arts, Music, Theatre, Film, Video
Unit: 0.5
Contact: Prof. Carlos Ramos

• Created by Mireille McLaughlin
• Date Created: June 25, 2007
• Last Modified: June 25, 2007
• Expires: June 25, 2008