Students will read memoirs, ethnographies, travel writing and other texts which explore this theme. In addition, students will write about their own lives critically and creatively in a classroom environment which will be run as a writer's workshop. Other approaches such as science fiction movies, dramatic presentations and interactive activities and games on the Internet may also be used. Students participate in a number of experiences and subsequently discuss those experiences in class, drawing, wherever possible, on their work in other courses and on co-op jobs. In this course, CIS students learn the basics of qualitative research in general and ethnographic research in particular, and become familiar with research journals in their respective concentrations.
Students have opportunities to meet, hear from, and question experienced qualitative researchers.
The CCFP gives students the opportunity to live with and learn from African-American communities in rural areas of the American South. The program combines academic, experiential, service and community learning in African-American communities in selected sites. Students will study various topics including cultural identity, environmental justice, folklore and folkways, language and culture, and traditional healing practices. During their stay, students will have the opportunity to live with host families and complete a community service project in collaboration with local people.