DAN 388: Dance Performance and Aesthetics in Ghanaian Cultures

In most sub-Sahara African cultures, music and dance is not merely entertainment and exist in isolation from society that produces them. Rather, it is interwoven into the historical, socio-cultural, and the political lives of the people. This aspect of a three-component study abroad course is designed to use research and performance methodologies to evaluate and analyze the context within which these are art forms are performed in Ghana and to some extent their global representations.

MUS 388: Survey of Ghanaian Music and Cultures

This survey course is designed to cover a wide variety of musical expression, including the traditional, neo-traditional, and contemporary mass mediated popular music known as Afro-Pop. The course will offer an ethnomusicological perspective on the social context of the music process, music and historical narrative, music and religious ritual, indigenous court music traditions, contemporary issues in Afro-Pop (from highlife to hiplife), and various aspects of performance practices in Ghana.

Art on the Move

The unique landscape of the Greek islands and the multilayered city of Athens provide the setting for this intensive three-week studio art course. Through a series of lectures, fieldwork, daily excursions to archaeological sites and museums, contemporary galleries and engagement with land and sea, students will have the opportunity to weave their experience of place and consideration of history and art into the practice of making art.

International Conflict and Cooperation: Britain, the European Union, and Brexit

This course will introduce you to important concepts of international relations by examining Britain’s dynamic relationship with the European Union. The course will begin with a brief review of the United Kingdom’s role in World War II. That war and its devastation provides the backdrop against which the European Union developed. The EU’s development illustrates how states seek to promote international cooperation to counter the tendency of the international system to produce international conflict and war.

Contemporary British Politics

This course examines three of the most pronounced - and to many observers, surprising - developments in British politics over the last few years:Brexit, the decision to leave the European Union: why was the referendum held; why did 'leave' win when opinion polls pointed to a 'remain' victory; how is withdrawal being negotiated and conducted; and how does this reshape British politics?The opposition Labour party's swing to the left: in Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour party has the most left-wing leader in its history, who appeals particularly to the young.What's lies behind this left-wing neo-populis

Cross-Cultural Communications/Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Siena Summer

Living in Siena offers you two important learning experiences. The first (more obvious) one concerns Italian life and culture, specifically as it is lived out around you in Siena day by day. What is important to people here? What patterns are woven into their lives? What about their history, their hopes, their daily dilemmas? The second learning opportunity involves coming to understand the cultural baggage that you have (inevitably) brought with you to Siena and the implicit assumptions that you use in understanding Sienese life.

Britain Today: Issues and Perspectives (Summer)

This is the core course of the GEO London semester. There are two blocks: the British Present and the British Past. As their names suggest, they deal with contemporary British politics and society and with key formative moments in English history. While there is a formal structure to the course we will not live in isolation from the world outside. There will certainly be events which illustrate or contradict what has been discussed in class: you are encouraged to bring your thoughts on these into class discussions.

Screenwriting in Ireland

This course is devoted to exploring the ins and outs of feature film screenwriting, with emphasis shown to the crime genre. Through the exploration of the craft, students will acquire an in-depth knowledge and understanding of how to develop a screenplay from core idea to fully finished screenplay.  Students will first learn how to format a screenplay correctly for the industry and then be taken through the process of developing the core idea and theme which is central to the work.

Ghana Today (Summer)

This is an interdisciplinary course designed to study some of the major contemporary issues facing Ghanaian society after 50 years of independence from British colonial rule. If you are interested in sociology, history, political science, economics and cultural studies, you will find this course of particular interest as its subject matter dovetails with each of these related disciplines.