Spring 2009 Global Modules

I wanted to take the time to discuss our Spring 2009 Global Modules in greater detail, and recognize the folks who worked so hard on them. In a previous posting I provided a brief overview, and now I'd like to provide some more details.

As we've discussed over the last year we brought the GMs into the second year, including it as a required graded assignment (worth 10%) in either Secular & Sacred (COR 230) or Capitalism & Democracy (COR 240). And, obviously, we also had a new crew of first year students to get their first Global Module experience in Concepts of Community (COR 120). All together that added up to 52 Global Modules, with over 2600 students, from universities in India, Spain, Hungary, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Sweden, Jordan, Kenya, Austria, Palestine, Lebanon and Kuwait. Our previous biggest semester was Spring 2008, which featured 39 GMs and 1100 students. Before that our biggest single semester was 5 GMs and 130 students. Obviously, we've come a long way in a short amount of time, and the thanks for that has to go to our wonderful faculty and students, both here and overseas.

So, let's talk briefly about the different pairings, which will help to give you a sense of the approach we take, and also the variety of directions that a professor can take.

Carmen Flys (University of Alcala, Spain) and Craig Pepin read Michaela de Leonardo's Women, Families & Work of Kinship and discussed kin work.

Kate O'Neill (Zayed University, United Arab Emirates) and Ken Wade read articles from the Gulf News and discussed cultural differences and human rights.

Jack Kalpakian (Al Akhawayn University, Morocco) and Jennifer Vincent read Thomas Friedman's Letter from Cairo and discussed economics and politics.

Connell Monette (Al Akhawayn University, Morocco) and Cam Webster read sections from the Quran and New Testament and discussed the role of religion in society.

Deema Ammari (University of Jordan, Jordan) and Mike Lange read Nawal al Saadawi's The Death of His Excellency the Ex-Minister and Alice Walker's Everyday Use and discused society, gender and family.

Klaus Himpsl (Donau University Krems, Austria), Petra Pzucsich and Sarah Cohen read McLuhan's Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man and discussed technologies as extensions of man.

Laza Sughayer (University of Jordan, Jordan) and Jonathan Davis read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Bridal Party and discussed marriage and societal perceptions.

Reka Matolay (Corvinus University, Hungary) and Richard Hunt - and Richard Szanto (Corvinus) and Alfonso Capone - read A Framework for Thinking Ethically and discussed ethics and community-building.

Mounsif Nazehi (Al Akhawayn University, Morocco) and Cyndi Brandenburg watched a film entitled Reel Bad Arabs and discussed perceptions of Arabs in film.

Khalid Sendide (Al Akhawayn University, Morocco) and Cyndi Brandenburg read Why Bother?, Hinrichsen's A Tale of Two Families, and Specter's Big Foot and discussed ecological and carbon footprints.

Janice Jayes (Al Akhawayn University, Morocco) and David Rous read the introduction to Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex and discussed the concept of woman as "other."

Erika Alm (Goteborg University, Sweden) and Mike Fonner read the introduction to Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex and discussed the concept of woman as "other."

Nandita Abraham (Pearl Academy, India) and Craig Pepin read Why Bother?, Hinrichsen's A Tale of Two Families, and Specter's Big Foot and discussed ecological and carbon footprints.

Susan Jones (Zayed University, Spain) and Tim Blake read Michaela de Leonardo's Women, Families & Work of Kinship and discussed kin work.

Joe Walwik (Al Akhawayn University, Morocco) and Tim Blake read Elliott's To Lead the Faithful in a Faith Under Fire and Read's Muslims in America and discussed the challenges facing Muslims living in America.

Driss Maghraoui (Al Akhawayn University, Morocco) and Chuck Bashaw read Rumi's Neither Christian nor Jew nor Muslim and portions of Nasr's The Heart of Islam and discussed the areas of intersection between Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Steve McDaniel (Al Akhawayn University, Morocco), Kerry Noonan and Steve Wehmeyer read Stoeltje's Festival and viewed films of several religious festivals and discussed the role of festivals in a changing world.

Theri Bailey (Zayed University, United Arab Emirates) and Peter Lynch read Why Bother?, Hinrichsen's A Tale of Two Families, and Specter's Big Foot and discussed ecological and carbon footprints.

Mark Olson (Gulf University of Science & Technology, Kuwait) and Alfonso Capone read Divorce Rates Increasing in Kuwait and A Closer Look at the Reasons for the High American Divorce Rate and discussed divorce and modern society.

Duncan Reinhart (Al Akhawayn University, Morocco), Bob Mayer and Willard Randall read Abdalla's Leadership Theory in the Arab Gulf States and Randall's Resurrecting the Founding Fathers and discussed leadership in the Arab and American worlds.

Michael Wainaina (Kenyatta University, Kenya) and Bob Mayer read Senior's Ascot and discussed the role of physical appearance in achieving success in different societies.

Hussein Solomon (University of Pretoria, South Africa) and Mike Lange read Whitehead's Ethnic Conflict and the Culture of Violence and Solomon's Between Islam and Islamism and discussed terrorism.

Karoly Pinter (Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Hungary) and David Kite read Heller's Twenty Years After and Obama's Acceptance Speech and discussed democracy in Hungary and America.

Steve McDaniel (Al Akhawayn University, Morocco), Kerry Noonan and Steve Wehmeyer read Michaela de Leonardo's Women, Families & Work of Kinship and discussed kin work.

Kelle Taha (University of Jordan, Jordan) and Barb DuBois read parts of Nine Parts of Desire by Brooks and discussed education for women in the Islamic world.

Vera Baboun (Bethlehem University, Palestine), Sarar Maalouf (Haigazian University, Lebanon) and Gary Scudder read the introduction to Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex and discussed the concept of woman as "other."

Rima Sabban (Zayed University, United Arab Emirates) and Sandy Zale read parts of Nine Parts of Desire by Brooks and discussed education for women in the Islamic world.

Marsha Ludwig (Zayed University, United Arab Emirates) and Tom Jordan read McLuhan's Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man and discussed technologies as extensions of man.

Caroline Roth (University of Klagenfurt, Austria) and Signe Daly read McLuhan's Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man and discussed technologies as extensions of man.

Again, thanks to everyone for all their hard work. Our success is a testament to the tireless work of so many faculty members from here at Champlain and abroad.

Gary