Spring Break Jamaica--Global Service Learning (all majors welcome)

Spring Break in Jamaica

Study and Volunteer in Jamaica for Spring Break 2012 with WVU and Amizade!

·        Live with a local family

·        Participate in a community development project

·        Visit historical and tourist sites

·        Earn university credit

·        Become an active global citizen

INTS 499—Global Service Learning: Community Development in Petersfield, Jamaica (1 cr.), with Prof. Gwen Bergner, Dept. of English

This course puts global service learning into practice in Petersfield, Jamaica during one intense week of service work; cultural immersion; and the study of global citizenship.  The one-week service learning component in Jamaica allows us to observe and experience the impact of globalization on the people in the community.  The location is ideal: our host organization, the Association of Clubs (AOC), was founded as an outgrowth of the sugar workers’ cooperative at the Frome sugar estate, and Negril, a tourist resort, is only about an hour away from the community of Petersfield.  Participating in a community service project directed by the AOC provides the opportunity to develop mutually enriching relationships across cultural and national boundaries.

Overview

·        We will meet at least once before traveling to Petersfield, Jamaica and we’ll have on-line discussions before the trip. Each student will construct a blog through Google’s blogger platform to develop throughout the course.

·        In Jamaica, students perform service work on weekday mornings, attend class after lunch to discuss course materials, and participate in site visits and cultural activities in the afternoon. Evenings are spent with host families.

·        Activities include visits to a local sugar cane production facility, an underground slave route, and local and tourist beaches.

·        After our return, each student will complete a capstone project by adding journal-type entries, links, photographs, images, and video to his/her blog.

For scholarship and financial aid information, please see: http://amizade.org/programs/service-learning-courses/financial-aid/.

For more information, please see www.amizade.org or contact Gwen Bergner at gwen.bergner@mail.wvu.edu.