INQ-260SO | Traveling w/o Leaving-Global

Full Title: Traveling Without Leaving

Topic Description:

Why do people take their shoes off when they enter a home in Japan? Why do some Egyptian women choose to wear the veil? Why are many marriages around the world still arranged by parents? These questions focus on practices that most Americans would find unusual. Yet, studying these practices in a meaningful way will help students question their assumptions about others. Students will take a comparative global approach to study topics such as culture, gender relations, and family. This approach will facilitate a critical reflection on the central question this course focuses on: how do social forces shape the lives of individuals? Cross-cultural examinations of similarities and differences will help students investigate the ways in which social practices and institutions influence the trajectory of individual lives. Students will do a service-learning project that requires them to volunteer with an agency in the Roanoke Valley, and reflect on their experiences in course assignments. Service: 15 hrs/sem.

Counts as Global? Yes

Topic Approved: December 2010