Summer 2010 Destinations
South Korea
Located between China and Japan, Korea features its unique culture combining modern and old. South Korea (the Republic of Korea) is a very modern country. Travel to its capital, Seoul, and you will find a city that is as up-to-date as any in Europe, the United States, or Japan. But Korea has retained a unique identity through its own traditional culture, its language, and its wonderful cuisine. Korean culture is still based on certain 600 year-old Confucian.
Korea is the one of the leading countries for Information Technology. Korean pop culture has been a fresh wind sweeping through the neighboring countries, widening its boundary to the whole world. Korea has numerous invaluable cultural assets that have been achieved throughout the immemorial history. Also, economically and politically, Korea has placed itself in a very important position in the world.
Research in Korea
Korea has experienced very quick change during past a few decades, socially, politically and culturally and it is still changing very actively. Prior to departure, SPANers meet regularly to learn about various aspect of Korea and find out your research topic. You may be interested in political issues—e.g., the relationship between the United States and Korea, North Korean issues, Cold War, and democratization etc, or social issues, e.g. gender, generation gap, or modernization in Korea. You can also find your topics about traditional or contemporary Korean culture, Information Technology, religion etc. While learning about Korea, you will find your interest for your research.
Korean language is not necessary for your research, but basic Korean skill will help you to be accustomed to Korean society. During our preparation session before the trip, we will practice some basic Koreans.
Sang-Seok Yoon, yoonx048@umn.edu
Department of Asian Languages and Literatures
University of Minnesota
612-626-1486
Russia
Russia has something for everyone. Hockey or ballet. Caviar or borscht. Tolstoy or Tetris. Oil drilling or diamond mining. Tchaikovsky or hip-hop. Join us for SPAN 2010 in Moscow—a world-class multiethnic city of ten million people. Russia, the world’s largest country, is leaving behind its Communist past and establishing itself as a new economic and military power on the global stage. During your eight weeks in Moscow you will work on a personalized research project, meet a wide variety of Muscovites, explore a city with 863 years of history, and take the train to surrounding cities and villages.
Possibilities for research are unlimited: innovation in the high tech industry, new social work ventures to assist orphans, creative developments in higher education, controversies surrounding immigration, or recent perspectives on classic poetry. The project advisor has lived, studied, and taught for eight years in Russia and is excited to help you make the most of your two months abroad!
Contact Dr. Matt Miller: mlmiller@nwc.edu 651-286-7669
Summer 2009 Destinations
European Union
Explore this international experiment in integration, cooperation and cultural understanding!
Greece
Explore and trace the present to the past in Greece, one of the world's most well known ancient civilizations!Summer 2008 Destinations
ARGENTINA Something for everyone
Second in size and population only to Brazil in South America, Argentina extends from the Atlantic to the towering peaks of the Andes on the Chilean border to the west. After a tumultuous past of rollercoaster ups and downs including inordinate riches, gruesome dictators, and a history rich in social and cultural traditions, Argentina has become the place to explore the European nexus with Latin America. At one point, nearly 75 percent of porteños (the standard nickname for a resident of Buenos Aires) were foreign-born. While the spirit of the tango is alive and well and the gaucho heritage is celebrated, modern Argentina is more cosmopolitan in its outlook than most other South American countries.
Contact Professor Pamina Firchow for more information: pamina.firchow@gmail.com | 612-245-1128
BULGARIA Explore and trace the past to present in Bulgaria
As a student of SPAN 2008, one can explore and trace present Bulgaria to that of the past. Bulgaria is in the heart of the Balkans, which act as the cradle of ancient civilizations and the center of modern historical events. From the Balkan wars, often cited as the reason for the occurrence of World War I, to Miloshevic's Yugoslavia of the 1990s, one cannot understand the 20th century without being familiar with Balkan history. Bulgaria, encompassing a territory the size of New Hampshire and Vermont, offers a unique and unforgettable experience. In one week, travelers can walk through snow-covered mountains, fertile plans and sunbath at the famous Black Sea resorts. The country is the motherland of yogurt bacteria, rose oil essence and the only rock relief in Europe, which dates back to the 8th century A.D. It is a country where one can stumble on artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome, the Byzantine empire and the Ottoman empire, and lesser-known but nonetheless breathtaking reminiscences from ancient Thracians, Slavs, and a dozen more cultures that have passed through this land. There are few other places where modern meets traditional, occidental meets oriental.
Contact Professor Plamen Miltenoff for more information: pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.edu | 320-308-3072 or 320-229-3829
SENEGAL
Gateway to West Africa, the Trans-Saharan World, the Atlantic World and Francophone Africa
The history of Senegal is filled with visitors from many cultures who continue today, to add to its diversity. Since the tenth century, Senegal has been part of the trans-Saharan trade routes bringing Arab visitors and Islam to the region while gold and people from the Senegal River Valley went north. Sections of Senegal participated in the subsequent forming of the Atlantic world, through the development of new West African coastal societies as well as being part of the African diaspora. Throughout all the periods, Senegalese societies and cultures have thrived. They continue to creatively develop, down to the present. While spreading their influences throughout neighboring Africa and the Atlantic World, Senegalese people in turn incorporated Saharan, Islamic, European, Christian, American, and other African features into their own world.
Contact Professor Victoria Coifman, Ph.D., for more information: coifm001@umn.edu | 612-624-5709