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