Area Studies
Area Studies is the part of your semester that you have the least control over, compared with the other projects you put into your Learning Plan. Generally, the Faculty and Staff at each Center have worked out a program before your arrival, which attempts to cover as much as possible of the material listed below. Usually, faculty try to be as flexible as they can be in adjusting the Area Studies program to student needs and changing circumstances. However, remember that in many cases the school has commited to meetings or appointments which cannot simply be canceled without damaging FW's respect in the local area.
Area Studies comprises the following agendas:
- Orientation: students learn how to deal with money, with getting around, with the neighborhood, with interacting with people, with eating, with staying healthy
- exposure to various sectors of society: both mainstream society and groups particular to specific issues; both local and regional
- exposure to local and regional history
- exposure to local and regional geography
- exposure to specific local and regional issues and topics:
- gender
- environmental
- political
- religious/spiritual
- economic
- artistic/literary/musical
- linguistic
- educational
- holistic topics that tie some or all of the above into the Study of an Area
- introduction to information that may be useful in choosing a field project later
- an academic setting where students are encouraged to discuss and write about all of the above
- an opportunity to build a Learning Community
Area Studies might use the following kinds of activities to accomplish these:
- outside lecturers
- seminars given by the Center
- Field trips, local, regional, or international
- homestays
- role-playing or simulation games
- workshops/discussion groups
- mini-projects
- learning exercises
- directed readings
All of these may be documented in a variety of ways (see section D, DIFFERENT STYLES OF DOCUMENTATION). All of these activities can and probably ought to be dealt with in an interactive, dialogic way, for instance having a half-hour of evaluative and reflective discussion after a local field trip.
Workshop Discussion Sparks
- Discuss as many of your Area Studies activities as possible
Inspired and Creative
- Help the faculty put together the next Area Studies program for the next group of students
Rigorous Training
- If there is a weak spot in the AS program, work with your advisor: get a few books together, ask your advisor for help in getting a few contacts, and learn it anyway.
AAAAAGGGHHHH!
See Also
Contribute to the Portfolio Resource Guide!!!
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