‘ February 25, 1977—page s

 

Off campus programs:

in this, the linal segment of a two part .series, three ioreigii country
on campus programs will be explored. The Costa Rica, Japan, and
Florence programs are all administered throngh the Associated
Colleges oi the Midwest men), an academic association with which

Gl‘inllell is affiliated. The opi

ons expressed in these articles are the

, personal opinions otthc authors and may not rellect the opinions of an
the other participants in the same program or or the editors.

’ Japan Study

by Ann Cleaver and
Pearl lmada

One of the lesser-known off
campus study programs open to
Grinnell students is the Japan
Study program, centered in Tokyo.
The fullryear program begins in
July (an eight month option is also
available). Six Grinnellians
participated in oils program in the
year '75-’76.

When we first landed in Japan in
July, we were subjected to a
whirlwind orientation of Tokyo.
Although we had been wellrversed
in whatto expect, the first few days
were baffling, though humorous.
Streets full of signs
in unrecognizable squigglings
crushed our egos as we realized
that we had not become proficient
in Japanese during the two weeks
of intensive study at Earlham
College, Forced to fend for'ourr
Selves (either talk or starve! ), we
became immersed in the
Japanese ways, including
everything irom the public bath
(contrary to popular opinion, men
and women do separate) to the
incredibly complex but efficient
public transportation system,

Then we were whisked Off to the

 

studying in a Zen temple, pottery,
Japanese women in society, etc.)
to supplement the choice of classes
available to us. Classes offered
included Japanese Studies and
Chinese studies in addition to
numerous levels of classes in the
language, Classes were taught in
the Japanese style; the professors
lectured and allowed little op—
portunity for student participation.
Although classes were not very
stimulating we were reminded that
teaching styles in Japan are difr
ferent than in the U S,

Academics, however, were not
the tocal point in our stay, We
gained more in terms of language
and culture through our Japanese
families By the end of the year, we
found we were truly members of
the families, and even now
maintain close ties.

Vacations were frequent and
long, giving us many chances to
explore. Traveling in Japan can be
cheap, and we were able to escape
from the sometimes nerve-
wracking Tokyo and catch a
glimpse of some of the different
faces of Japan. But‘even Tokyo is
not such a monster—it is a neigh~
bcrhood city; a place where one

Ann Cleaver and Pearl lnlnda, both p‘ ticipnllts in

last yczn

ACM Japanese studies prog m, pose in
1"th iionos which are tradi onnll

resented to

panesc girls on their twentieth hlrthdny. The
Kimonos, which contain MK gold thread in the belt.
were borrowed from f ends.

mountains tor another bout with
the language, emerging confident
that now we were ready for
anything they had in store for us,
But to keep us from getting too
cocky, we were each shipped off to
farm families, for the first time
really on our own, and forced to
use our sparse Japanese—for we
could no longer rely on English or
each other.

During the school year, we at-
tended classes in the International
Division of Waseda University in
Tokyo. Although the majority of
the cla s weren't very
stimulat there were op-
portunities for' independent

can play a significant role. We
occasionally find ourselves
becoming nostalgic about even the
everyday irritations such as
watching that 8:14 train slide away
as you reach the platform,

The year in Japan was important
to each of us {or various reasons,
but perhaps one was gaining a new
perspective on our own country,
We discovered how provincial
many Americans are in their
thinking, The Japanese know much
more than Americans about other
countries and their customs. They
are aware that they are only a
piece of the world, While
Americans often‘think me U.S. is

research projects (for example, . the whole world. _ '

ACM Florence program

by Elaine Ashbaugh
“Hey, how was London?”
everyone seems to ask me.
“Florence was really a good
place," I reply.

. . Florence . . . Good? Is that
really any more than a superficial
reply? Let me recall a few random
impressions.

Florence can be a beautiful
city at certain. very peaceful,
uncrowded times of the day. The
heart of the city, where the ACM
Florence Program rents
classroom and dormitory-style
housing facilities, consists of
wonderfully narrow, winding,
flagstoned streets. Enormous

Costa

by Linnea Hansen
A semester of studying abroad
can be a valuable educational

experience. The Costa Rica
Developmental Studies program
(second semester) offers not only
the obvious opportunities of living
in a ioreign country. but also the
additional benefit of pursuing an
in-depth independent project. The
semester was structured to allow
ample time for working on the
project and traveling. The only
organized classes took place
during the six week orientation
period; after this students worked
on projects and traveled

During the orientation, Spanish
grammar classes were conducted
four times per week for three hour
sessions. Most afternoons were
taken up by lectures, in English, on
subjects ranging from Costa Rican
geology to health precautions.
Both the ACM staff and guest
speakers presented these lectures,
0n weekends, the group went on
field trips to various parts of the
country.

Most students felt disappointed
with the orientation. The major
complaints concerned the Spanish
classes, which were disorganized
and accomplished little. This year
the situation may be different,
since the school with which the
ACM worked has been replaced by
a new Spanish program. Many of
the afternoon lectures were good,
but some of the most interesting
subjects were covered
inadequately or not at all. For
example, the history of Costa Rica
was dealt with in only one lecture,
and areas such as cultural arts and
the political system received no
attention.

The rest of the semester was
devoted to independent projects.
The projects took students
anywhere from the southern
mountains (where Indian medicine

Wooden doublerdoors With
beautifully shining brass moun-
tings open upon sunlit courtyards
in the stone and stucco walls of
massive buildings. Fleeting
reﬂections . , .

During mostof the day, however,
Florence teems with people,
Numerous Italian males of all ages
present a formidable obstacle to
the enjoyment of Italy by foreign
females; Florentine males are
certainly no exception. However,
for the dauntless female who dares
to brave the rudely disruptive
curses, whistles, taunts, obscene
gestures, and grabby hands, a city
unparalleled in medieval and

R '

men were observed) to the
mangrove swamps of the Pacific.
Some students found projects in
San Jose, such as studying
diabetes or urban non-Spanish
speaking minorltes. A group of
eight worked under Vern Durkee
studying tropical photosynthetic
mechanisms. The ACM has many
connections and sources for
guidance with project ideas, and
there are two good convenient
libraries in San Jose for research.

After the orientation period,
travel opportunities were plentiful.
Except lor the east coast, there is
virtually no rain until late April
and the temperature hovers
constantly around 70 degrees,
During lulls on projects, small
groups of students hitchhiked or
traveled by bus or train.

The country has incredibly
beautiful and varied landscapes,
and the clean, exquisite Pacific
and Atlantic beaches were in
themselves worth the trip to Costa
Rica. While we stayed in the city oi
San Jose, there were always
theater opportunites, movies,
discos, concerts, and other en,
tertainments to occupy spare time.
Most students lived with families
or lived in apartments while in the
city.

Any disillusions created by the
structured classes were more than
compensated for by the weekend
field trips, the independent
projects, and the country itself
The organized trips probably
taught us more than the lectures
did and of course were much more
enjoyable. We had the opportunity
to see southern banana plantations
and ports, volcano craters, the
jungle region, and Pacific beaches,
giving us a feel for the entire
country, and a broader un

derstanding of the word

 

“education."

A!

~a s
Renaissance riches awaits.

The uiiizi, the Pitti, and the
Bargello are only three in a to
list of incomparably endowed
galleries and museums. Every few
blocks reveals another church,
often displaying a rough, un-
finished facade, but embracing a
wealth of painting, sculpture, and
architecture on the inside. The
streets bordering the Arno River,
the several parks and more remote
paved squares, and numerous
church courtyards offer peace
within an otherwise bustling city.

Needless to say, such a
background is a major factor '
determining the degree of éir'

joymentof any visitor in Florence.
Just as important for a student in
Florence is the quality oi the
program in which lie-she is
engaged The fall 1976 Florence
Program provided a stron
positive academic environchA
within the surrounding
vironment of Florence.

Art history classes were taught
by two women who were hi L'
qualified, academically,
historians. Although a three»
student advanced art history
seminar ran Into formidable
personal conflicts with the two
women. it nevertheless found quite
a degree of success due to Student
interest, Somewhat inadequate
Italian language classes were
taught by instructors at the
Linguaviva school for foreigners,
as they will be this fall.

Nearly every week, a trip.
another Italian city was scheduled
for the seventeen ACM students
and their professors. This past
Ravenna, Pruto, Assisi, Rome,
Pompeii, Bologna, Parma, and
Padua were some of the cities
visited.

Dr Charles Speel, professor at
Monmouth College, and his wife
were instrumental in making the
program a success. Their door was
always open to anyone who wished
to study, cook, or converse. Dr.
Speel, although arriving in
Florence only Shortly before the
students, nevertheless Single-
handedly made connections W
somc of the most religious
politically, and academically
prominent Florentine citizens, The
Contemporary ltaly lrcredit
seminar featured these people as
speakers.

Much of the yearly success of me
program depends on the individual
competence of that year’s director,
recruited from the ACM! Next
year's director, Steve Bailey of
Knox College (recently at Grin-
nell), appeared highly enthusiastic
about the program, indicating that
he would retain favorable aspects
of the program, and endorse
changes where he saw fit.

en-

 

as ‘1, \< s

