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Martinique

Courses and Academic Information

The Martinique program takes place during the spring semester.

Orientation

Students accepted to the Martinique Program are requred to participate in orientation sessions during Fall Semester prior to departure. Orientation prepares students for the intercultural experience and will include, reading, lectures, discussions, and other activities. Students will receive information on applying for a passport and a visa and on living in a tropical region. Students will receive 1 semester credit.

Coursework

Students will earn 18 semester hour credits for the successful completion of the program. They may also have the option of fulfilling one AWPE requirement wih the course Hiking in the Tropics.

The Geopolitical History of Martinique and the Caribbean: (3 Interdisciplinary credits) This course will be taight by UAG professors. Students learn about historical developments in the relationship of the island to France and to the rest of the Caribbean and are introduced to Martinique's contemporary economic and political challenges.

French Caribbean Literature (4 credits)

Creole Cultures and Societies: (4 credits) This course includes a work shop in local arts and crafts such as dance, wood carving, and steel drums through the SERMAC cultural center; excursions; and lectures on topics such as the environment, the media, the status of women, etc. Students will be requred to keep a journal and to participate in journal discussions as part of this course.

Reading and Writing in French: (3 credits) Students at intermediate level French will take this course offered through the Intisut Supérieur des Etudes Froconphones (ISEF).

Advanced Writing: (3 credits) Upper-level students will take this course also offered through ISEF.

Introduction to Creole: (2 credits) This course will allow students to begin communicating in a language that developed in the Caribbean and is present on several islands.

Ethnographic Study: (2 interdeprtmental, French or other, Pass/Fail) Based on a field study, this course will allow students to participate in and to observe a particular area of French Caribbean society. Topics developed by previous participants include theater, elementary education, autistic children, and Haitian refugees. Internships were carried out in such places as schools, restaurants, and performance halls.

Cultural Activities

In additon to excursions and activities with host families students will experience Carnival in Martinique. During Carnival, students will not attend classes but are asked to observe and to participate in parades, dances, and costume parties. In the past, students have also had the opportunity to attend theater and dance events, to meet a filmmaker, and to take part in activities on the UAG campus. Some accompanied host families or friends on visits to people living in isolated areas in the mountains, went to music concerts, joined a volleyball club, jogged in the rain forest, and participed in other activities of personal interest. The trip to Dominica, including a visit to the Cairb reserve, will involve hikes and the opportunity to gain comparitive historical and cultural perspective of the Caribbean.