Wintersession Programs
Each January, Wellesley College faculty run short-term study abroad courses open to Wellesley and MIT students. Courses offered in 2013 include:
AFR 300 Heritage and Culture in Jamaica (Prof. F. Steady)
Jamaica is a country that provides a unique opportunity for the study of multiculturalism in action. Its national motto is "Out of many, one people." The study abroad Wintersession course in Jamaica will explore the history, culture, and political economy of the country and promote an understanding of the Caribbean as a whole through seminars, participatory field research, and internships. The program will give students an opportunity for total immersion in the Jamaican environment and allow them to participate in several community-based projects that will add experiential value to their classroom-based education.
Prerequisite: By permission of the department. Application required
Distribution: Social and Behavioral Analysis
Unit: 0.5
BISC 308 Tropical Ecology Laboratory in Costa Rica & Belize (Prof. M. Koeniger, Prof. S. Helluy)
Tropical rain forests and coral reefs seem to invite superlatives. They are among the most fascinating, diverse, productive, but also most endangered ecosystems on earth. These topics are addressed during the fall lectures in preparation for the laboratory part of the course which takes place in Central America during wintersession. We first travel to a small island part of an atoll bordering the world's second longest barrier reef off the coast of Belize. In the second half of the field course we explore an intact lowland rain forest in Costa Rica. Laboratory work is carried out primarily outdoors and includes introductions to flora and fauna, and implementation of research projects designed during the fall.
Prerequisite: BISC 201, BISC 207, or BISC 210, and permission of the instructor. Application required.
Distribution: Natural and Physical Science
Unit: 1.25
CHIN 308 Advanced Chinese Language & Cultural Studies in Beijing (Prof. Ruby Lam)
Qualified students are required to complete a three-week intensive Chinese language program taught at Tsinghua University. The course material will be chosen from a variety of personal accounts about living in Beijing. In addition, student participants will team up with Tsinghua University graduate students to conduct field trips for cultural study.
Prerequisite: Completion of Intermediate Chinese and at least one semester of Advanced Chinese or permission of the instructor.
Distribution: Language and Literature
Unit: 0.5
GER 202 Intermediate German in Berlin (Prof. T. Nolden)
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 will be taught as an intensive wintersession course in Vienna and will feature an important cultural component.
Prerequisite: GER 201 or permission of the instructor. Application required.
Distribution: Language and Literature
Unit: 1.0
HIST 290 Morocco: History and Culture (Prof. W. Rollman)
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. Application required.
Distribution: Historical Studies
Unit: 1.0
ITAS 202 Intermediate Italian in Rome (Prof. F. Laviosa)
This intensive three-week program is a rigorous linguistic and a valuable culture full-immersion experience in Italy. Like ITAS 202 on campus, the course consists of a fast-paced grammar review with practice of all language skills through readings of literary texts and newspaper articles, oral discussions, and presentations on Italian current events, and compositions on cultural topics examined in class. The course includes a rich program of guest speakers, both Italian university professors and artists, and attendance at film screenings and theatre performances.
Prerequisite: ITAS 201. Application required.
Distribution: Language and Literature
Unit: 1.0
PSYC 321: Community Psychology with Wintersession Applied Research (Nancy P. Genero)
To explore the complexities of single-gender instruction in public schools, Wellesley students will team up with the Office of School Transformation within the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) to evaluate its efforts in this area. Following data collection during Wintersession in selected upstate South Carolina public schools, students will return to campus to complete a full semester of coursework on this topic. Issues pertaining to social identity, gender stereotypes, motivation, and academic achievement among culturally diverse children will be investigated. This unique course enables students to hone their research skills and network with single-gender educators, researchers, and program directors.
Prerequisite: PSYC205 and two 200-level units within the Psychology Department or permission of the instructor. Application Required.
Unit: 1.25
REL 290 Kyoto: Center of Japan's Religion and Culture (Prof. J. Kodera)
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 (pre-seventeenth 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 possible side trips to Nara, Hiroshima, and perhaps Tokyo. Length: Two and a half weeks in Japan, with three days of orientation on campus prior to departure.
Prerequisite: At least one unit in Asian religion; though not required, preference given to students of Asian religions and of East Asian Studies. Application required. Enrollment limited to 10 and with written permission of the instructor.
Distribution: Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Unit: 0.5
SPAN 258 Barcelona and the Spirit of Modernity: Art, History, and Culture (Prof. C. Ramos)
The city of Barcelona offers a unique site to study the twentieth century, in both the Spanish and the global contexts. 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 democracy at the end of the century. Students will learn about modernity and modernization in Spain in general and Barcelona in particular with special attention to Gaudí, Picasso, Miró, Mies van der Rohe, Sert and Dalí in the historical, aesthetic, and philosophical context that inspired their works. In Spain. Prerequisite: One course above SPAN 241/SPAN 242. Application required.
Distribution: Language and Literature or Arts, Music, Theatre, Film, Video
Unit: 0.5
Please contact the sponsoring department or relevant faculty director for further information about course content, pre-requisites, application process and deadlines, dates and costs.
Wellesley students may participate in no more than one college-sponsored wintersession course abroad. Financial aid is available to eligible students and is awarded in proportion to aid received for study at Wellesley during the academic year. All students receive a grant of $1000 regardless of need. The next $1000 is awarded in the form of a subsidized loan. If this does not cover demonstrated need, any additional aid is awarded in the form of a grant.
