Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Point Me in the Right Direction
The Tour Guide, Moscow and St. Petersburg in a Nutshell
You would think a week would be enough time to get to know a city. It seems like a long time, especially when you're traveling. I can't tell you how many times I've been on trips for two days here, two days there. The classic, "If this is Tuesday, it must Belgium.” I've been to Paris, but I don't think I know it.
The goal here is to do a lot more than see a city. That just scratches the surface. I hope to spend enough time in a place to begin to appreciate how its parts fit together. Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for almost 40 years, I think I know it well enough to understand it. One of the things I understand is that it would take a lot more than two weeks to show a stranger what it takes to know San Francisco the way a local does. You have to leave some things out.
The question is what to do and what to skip. Not surprisingly, that same dilemma confronts me at each of my stops. The guidebook was supposed to help me sort that out. For Russia, I chose Nelles Guide. It got great reviews online for its cultural perspective. Perfect, I thought, as I ordered one from Amazon. I had never heard of them, but a European perspective and copies in good condition for less than $10! All good.
It is good. Just a little out of date. Published 1998. Still, it provides a great perspective. A snapshot of the country newly freed from the Soviet era, learning how to cope with the massive changes. In 1998 they were having a lot of trouble figuring out what to do with all the relics of the Soviet past. Ten years later, I am guessing they have come to terms. I can't wait to see what those terms are.
It also confirmed my worst fears, two weeks is nowhere near enough. Moscow and St. Petersburg hold dozens of treasures. The Hermitage alone deserves more than a day. I'm already sad think of all we will miss, but at least now I think I know how to decide what to miss. Just won't have time for that third church...
You would think a week would be enough time to get to know a city. It seems like a long time, especially when you're traveling. I can't tell you how many times I've been on trips for two days here, two days there. The classic, "If this is Tuesday, it must Belgium.” I've been to Paris, but I don't think I know it.
The goal here is to do a lot more than see a city. That just scratches the surface. I hope to spend enough time in a place to begin to appreciate how its parts fit together. Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for almost 40 years, I think I know it well enough to understand it. One of the things I understand is that it would take a lot more than two weeks to show a stranger what it takes to know San Francisco the way a local does. You have to leave some things out.
The question is what to do and what to skip. Not surprisingly, that same dilemma confronts me at each of my stops. The guidebook was supposed to help me sort that out. For Russia, I chose Nelles Guide. It got great reviews online for its cultural perspective. Perfect, I thought, as I ordered one from Amazon. I had never heard of them, but a European perspective and copies in good condition for less than $10! All good.
It is good. Just a little out of date. Published 1998. Still, it provides a great perspective. A snapshot of the country newly freed from the Soviet era, learning how to cope with the massive changes. In 1998 they were having a lot of trouble figuring out what to do with all the relics of the Soviet past. Ten years later, I am guessing they have come to terms. I can't wait to see what those terms are.
It also confirmed my worst fears, two weeks is nowhere near enough. Moscow and St. Petersburg hold dozens of treasures. The Hermitage alone deserves more than a day. I'm already sad think of all we will miss, but at least now I think I know how to decide what to miss. Just won't have time for that third church...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
PROPOSED OBJECTIVES AND EVIDENCE OF COMPLETION (Short Form)
This is a summary of the specific tasks and evidence required, with links provided. For the complete amended original, see the 'long form' (linked here)
Institutional study
Objective: 9 units (16 ECTS) of graduate level political science/history courses and 40 hours of Open University coursework.
Belgian University Evidence:
- Attendance Verification letters signed by the Instructor,
- Politics of the EU class notes,
- Comparative Federalism class notes,
- Cultures and Mentalities class notes,
- syllabus for an offering of Pol Sci 240, Political Theory.
- An outline of course content
- My notes on course lecture material.
- For each of the course taken, a 500 word review of the readings, lectures and my evaluation of the topics presented in the course.
Travel
Objective: Directed Visitation of five selected national capitals.
Evidence: For the Travel Semester I will produce three journals. (Represented here as Blog entries)
- Preparation Week Journal: For each of the five countries, (Russia, Germany, Turkey, Cuba, China) each activity discussed in a journal entry.
- Travel Journal: In each country, (Russia, Germany, Turkey, Cuba, China) each of these activities discussed in a journal entry.
- Photo Journal: Supplementing the Travel Journal pictures of those sites and of their artifacts. (Integrated into the Blog entries and available in their entirety, here)
PROPOSED OBJECTIVES AND EVIDENCE OF COMPLETION (Long Form)
Approved changes from the original application are presented in red. For convenient links to the required evidence, see the 'short form' (linked here)
(The Sabbatical Leave Committee will utilize this information as the basis for scoring Rubrics 5 and 6)
Identify specific objectives and describe in detail the evidence that will accompany your report, which indicates that you have met each objective. The product of your approved sabbatical leave program will be subject to review by the Sabbatical Leave Committee at the time of making your final report. Examples follow:
Institutional study
Objective: 9 units ((18 16 ECTS*) of graduate level political science/history courses as indicated on Form A will be taken at l’Université Libre de Bruxelles – and/or its Dutch sister school, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). * and 40 hours of Open University coursework:
Introducing philosophy (8 hrs)
Rights and justice in international relations (13 hrs)
Two concepts of freedom (20 hrs)
Rights and justice in international relations (13 hrs)
Two concepts of freedom (20 hrs)
*European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard for comparing the study attainment and performance of students of higher education across the European Union and other collaborating European countries. For successfully completed studies, ECTS credits are awarded. One academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS-credits. ECTS are referred to as “studiepunten” in the Dutch system.
Evidence: For the Institutional Study Semester: I will provide a transcript from the University, or Attendance Verification letter signed by the Instructor, class notes, and a syllabus for an offering of Pol Sci 240, Political Theory.
Open University Evidence:
· An outline of course content
· My notes on course lecture material.
· For each of the course taken, a 500 word review of the readings, lectures and my evaluation of the topics presented in the course.
Travel
Objective: Directed Visitation of five selected national capitals.
The proposed objective is to observe the institutions of several of the societies about which I teach for the purpose of collecting examples that can be used to illuminate for students the ways in which culture expresses itself in social and economic life and then how those cultural values shape government and politics in those places
Evidence: For the Travel Semester I will produce three journals.
1) Preparation Week Journal: For each of the five countries, each Preparation Week activity (6 x 5, 30 total) will be discussed in a journal entry of no less than 250 words. The Prep Week Journal will total a minimum of not less than 7,500 words. This journal will provide evidence of my preparation for each visit. It will provide a daily commentary of the local news of the day, impressions of films seen and a summary of the books read.
2) Travel Journal: A second Journal will record my observations, which result from the completion of the eighteen distinct travel activities in each country. Each of these activities (17 x 5, 85 total) will be discussed in a journal entry of no less than 250 words. The Travel Journal will total a minimum of not less than 21,250 words.
3) Photo Journal: Supplementing the Travel Journal, at each site, I will take pictures of those sites and of their artifacts for use as visuals in class and to be presented in an electronic Photo Journal. On return, these records will be reproduced and presented to students as a reader and as a model for their own observations and analysis, presented as a class assignment.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Transit to Russia
Getting to Russia is not easy. It's not just that Moscow is remote, hundreds of miles away - even from central Europe. That is part of the problem, but it's more. It is hard to buy train tickets, their website only works in Russian. There are not a lot of airlines that fly there, but then that could be because they're not a lot of tourists who go there and that could be because Russia seems to go out of its way to make things difficult.
It starts with your Visa. Almost everyone requires a visa to visit Russia. That is not all that unusual. I have dealt with that before. In 1980 before the Berlin wall came down, MC and I traveled through Eastern Europe. We needed visas, so we got them. You get to the country, they interview you, take a few coins from you and let you in.
Not Russia. It's a little more complicated. Step one, you fill out their form. The form of Americans use is used by just two other countries -- the United Kingdom and Georgia. Yes, we are in the same class as Georgia, the country they were shooting at only a couple of years ago. Then they want the name, address and a contact person at every school you attended since high school and all your jobs for the last 10 years. Then, they charge you $140, but only after you pay your hotel $35 to issue you an "invitation". Then, they won't accept your paperwork by mail, so you either walk it in to a consulate or send your passport to a stranger and pay them to walk again. Five weeks later, you may get your passport back with a visa in it.
I walked mine in.
The process is enough to give you second thoughts about going. You wonder, if things were easier wouldn't more people visit? And wouldn't that be good for Russia? So what gives?
Well, its easier to understand after you check out how the US treats visitors from Russia. Believe it or not it is worse. They have to go for an interview and surprise! The Visa costs... can you guess? $140.
So in the grand tradition of US-Russian relations, we play tit for tat. Some things never change.
It starts with your Visa. Almost everyone requires a visa to visit Russia. That is not all that unusual. I have dealt with that before. In 1980 before the Berlin wall came down, MC and I traveled through Eastern Europe. We needed visas, so we got them. You get to the country, they interview you, take a few coins from you and let you in.
Not Russia. It's a little more complicated. Step one, you fill out their form. The form of Americans use is used by just two other countries -- the United Kingdom and Georgia. Yes, we are in the same class as Georgia, the country they were shooting at only a couple of years ago. Then they want the name, address and a contact person at every school you attended since high school and all your jobs for the last 10 years. Then, they charge you $140, but only after you pay your hotel $35 to issue you an "invitation". Then, they won't accept your paperwork by mail, so you either walk it in to a consulate or send your passport to a stranger and pay them to walk again. Five weeks later, you may get your passport back with a visa in it.
I walked mine in.
The process is enough to give you second thoughts about going. You wonder, if things were easier wouldn't more people visit? And wouldn't that be good for Russia? So what gives?
Well, its easier to understand after you check out how the US treats visitors from Russia. Believe it or not it is worse. They have to go for an interview and surprise! The Visa costs... can you guess? $140.
So in the grand tradition of US-Russian relations, we play tit for tat. Some things never change.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Plan, Explained
Ok, so now you know basically what I'll be doing. If you are interested in the details, what follows is the long version that explains why I'm doing all this... Remember, I warned you there would be a bunch of boring stuff until we actually started travelling.
The Plan (long form)
For each country, I will spend at a minimum one week of intensive preparation to familiarize myself with its historic and current challenges, ancient and popular culture and important points of interest. This Preparation Week includes six specific activities:
A) Preparation Week:
The observation program begins with a week of familiarization with the social, political and economic life of each place. I begin with a guide-book to provide a general overview of the country and a daily reading of a local, national newspaper (available online). Daily reading of a newspaper not only gives you insight into the political issues of the day, it provides an opportunity to appreciate what that society cares about. It provides insight into its cultural fascinations, its human-interest stories, its athletic dramas; all of these provide insight into where a society is at any given moment. My goal is to appreciate that society at that moment. Following their press on a daily basis will allow me to do that.
In addition to the popular pulse reflected in the press, I want to add the depth that would be provided by sampling more established sources of culture, cinema and literature. I will choose a recent novel that has captured the popular imagination and sample films that have received popular acclaim demonstrated either by box office performance or the receipt of industry awards. I seek also to broaden my academic understanding of these places. To this end, I will select and read a history of the country, or of a significant era or person in that country’s history. Finally, I will read the relevant parts of a second academic text that would be suitable for use in my course. In other words, a text I do not currently employ for the course, in order to provide me with a second opinion to the one with which I am already quite familiar.
B) Travel Week
The second (travel) week is designed to give me the opportunity to experience the country beyond the capital. Capitals are often intentionally designed to be the showpiece of the nation. As such, they often present a very different picture of a society. A presentation of a society as it wants to be seen. Appreciating that image is certainly part of what I hope to accomplish, but that image needs to be placed in its larger context.
If one were to travel to the United States and visit only Washington DC, they would have a very limited and distorted picture of what America was really like. Because my goal is to understand the countries I am visiting, not just their capitals, it requires me to get out into the countryside. In each country I will select and visit a secondary site at some distance from the capital, known for either its cultural or historic significance. The purpose of this second trip is to provide a context that will balance the impressions gained from a visit to the capital.
Appreciating that context is the goal of the travel week. The destination selected will be a place of historic or cultural significance outside of the capital region. The goal is to travel to these locations slowly, so that I have the opportunity to see the countryside and to meet some of the people who live in it. Once there, I intend to continue to move slowly, taking the opportunity to visit not only the attraction which drew me there but also the elements of everyday life, the neighborhoods and shops, the things which will allow me to make comparisons to what I will see in the capital.
C) Visiting the Capital
Institutions:
The elements, which are part of the formal visitations are all selected because understanding them sheds great light on the culture and specific nature of a place.
Some elements are pretty obvious: You visit the Seat of Government and a Legislative proceeding to appreciate the architecture of its setting, the content of its discussions, the nature and origin of its traditions. They are tangible expressions of a government and its philosophies. They have a lot to say about a society.
A society’s schools and the activities organized for its youth speak to its future and existing perspectives on how that future will be shaped. What are the buildings like? What technologies are employed? What subjects are required? Who are the students? How do students and teachers interact with each other, with peers? Are there significant differences between schools? The answer to these and many other questions will provide insight into the cultural values important to society. One would expect that the values around which a school is organized would also be reflected in the government and politics of that society. Further one would expect that the culture of a school would have a lasting and growing impact on the rest of society over time.
The Police Station and Court provide an opportunity to observe the interface of government and society and the principles on which it takes place. At a Medical Clinic you can gauge the state of a society’s technological development and perhaps its social stratification. The preference of certain
Sporting and Cultural Events shed light on the particular qualities and skills valued by society.
There are fascinating studies about the connection between national cultures and sports. (For example: “How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization” Franklin Foer) The purpose of this activity is to have the opportunity to observe that connection in order to better understand those things I have already learned about the subject. Some of the questions I would ask are: Why do the British have problems with Football violence? Why do Indians have a passion for Cricket? How does Sumo relate to modern Japan? Do Chinese women play basketball?
In the realm of culture, there is much to learn from a country’s choices in what they designate “National Treasures”. American examples might include Jazz, or Nashville. Those choices speak volumes about us as a people. In the future, will we celebrate the birthplace of “Rap”? What was it about Geisha that made it important to Japan? Has it lost that importance? What will replace it? Investigating these questions tells you more about a society than what music they like. The values that shape these realms are not exclusive to sport and culture. They seep into politics.
A Shopping District/Commercial Center or even a Grocery Store speaks volumes about both where a society is economically as well as it speaks to its aspirations. What can you learn by going to a store? You might be surprised. Here in California, I can walk into a store, select exactly the apple I want to eat, pay for it and leave without ever interacting with another human being. Why is that? When was the last time you negotiated the price of something you bought? In my class, I point out that the structure of our commercial experience is dictated by the same cultural values that drive the structure of our political institutions. Americans prefer our institutions impersonal and individualistic. We prefer the speed of the “self-checkout” to a relationship with a grocer. We demand to select each and every piece of our produce our self, something you cannot do even in Eastern Canada. When I was last in Germany there was a person at each counter who selected your produce for you. How is it done in Russia? These proclivities translate into politics. Our impersonal and individualistic nature is reflected in the fact that we will vote for a person we have never met and we expect and reward politicians who are independent of their political party. Other societies have different relationships with their politicians and their grocers.
If you want to understand political life, observing economic life is a great place to start. But it does not end with observing the conduct of economic transactions. Where do people do their shopping? In their neighborhoods? At malls and chain outlets or in markets with merchant stalls. What is offered for sale in the stores? Is it locally produced or imported? Imported from where? Do people have an affinity or aversion to products from one source or another? In the 1990’s when Japanese students began dressing like American youth of the 1950’s it said a lot about who they wanted to be. I think it enabled one to predict that they would not show the same deference to party elders shown by their parents. Should it have been a shock that they would elect a ground-breaking Prime Minister who idolized Elvis? (Koizumi)
In every country, religion has played a pivotal role in the development of government and the expression of politics. I will attend a religious observance in order to provide texture and context to that contribution. I could talk about the connections here as well, but I am hoping by now you get the point:
All of a society’s institutions are connected. The values of one are often transmitted to the other. All of them have an important influence on politics. That is what I hope to understand.
The Plan (long form)
For each country, I will spend at a minimum one week of intensive preparation to familiarize myself with its historic and current challenges, ancient and popular culture and important points of interest. This Preparation Week includes six specific activities:
A) Preparation Week:
- 1. Daily Review of Periodical.
- 2. Tour Guide
- 3. Literature
- 4. History
- 5. Academic Treatment
- 6. Recent Cinema (two genres)
The observation program begins with a week of familiarization with the social, political and economic life of each place. I begin with a guide-book to provide a general overview of the country and a daily reading of a local, national newspaper (available online). Daily reading of a newspaper not only gives you insight into the political issues of the day, it provides an opportunity to appreciate what that society cares about. It provides insight into its cultural fascinations, its human-interest stories, its athletic dramas; all of these provide insight into where a society is at any given moment. My goal is to appreciate that society at that moment. Following their press on a daily basis will allow me to do that.
In addition to the popular pulse reflected in the press, I want to add the depth that would be provided by sampling more established sources of culture, cinema and literature. I will choose a recent novel that has captured the popular imagination and sample films that have received popular acclaim demonstrated either by box office performance or the receipt of industry awards. I seek also to broaden my academic understanding of these places. To this end, I will select and read a history of the country, or of a significant era or person in that country’s history. Finally, I will read the relevant parts of a second academic text that would be suitable for use in my course. In other words, a text I do not currently employ for the course, in order to provide me with a second opinion to the one with which I am already quite familiar.
B) Travel Week
- 7. Arrival,
- 8. Transit to secondary destination,
- 9. Primary Site Visitation
- 10. Secondary Site Visitation
- 11. Second city exploration - most important points of interest
- 12. Transit to Capital
The second (travel) week is designed to give me the opportunity to experience the country beyond the capital. Capitals are often intentionally designed to be the showpiece of the nation. As such, they often present a very different picture of a society. A presentation of a society as it wants to be seen. Appreciating that image is certainly part of what I hope to accomplish, but that image needs to be placed in its larger context.
If one were to travel to the United States and visit only Washington DC, they would have a very limited and distorted picture of what America was really like. Because my goal is to understand the countries I am visiting, not just their capitals, it requires me to get out into the countryside. In each country I will select and visit a secondary site at some distance from the capital, known for either its cultural or historic significance. The purpose of this second trip is to provide a context that will balance the impressions gained from a visit to the capital.
Appreciating that context is the goal of the travel week. The destination selected will be a place of historic or cultural significance outside of the capital region. The goal is to travel to these locations slowly, so that I have the opportunity to see the countryside and to meet some of the people who live in it. Once there, I intend to continue to move slowly, taking the opportunity to visit not only the attraction which drew me there but also the elements of everyday life, the neighborhoods and shops, the things which will allow me to make comparisons to what I will see in the capital.
C) Visiting the Capital
- 13. National Art Museum
- 14. National Historic Museum
- 15. Primary Site Visitation
- 16. Secondary Site Visitation
- 17. Capital city exploration - most important points of interest
Institutions:
- 18. Seat of Government/Legislative Proceeding,
- 19. School/ Youth Activity,
- 20. Police Station/Court,
- 21. Medical Clinic,
- 22. Sporting/Cultural Event,
- 23. Shopping District/Grocery Store,
- 24. Religious Service,
The elements, which are part of the formal visitations are all selected because understanding them sheds great light on the culture and specific nature of a place.
Some elements are pretty obvious: You visit the Seat of Government and a Legislative proceeding to appreciate the architecture of its setting, the content of its discussions, the nature and origin of its traditions. They are tangible expressions of a government and its philosophies. They have a lot to say about a society.
A society’s schools and the activities organized for its youth speak to its future and existing perspectives on how that future will be shaped. What are the buildings like? What technologies are employed? What subjects are required? Who are the students? How do students and teachers interact with each other, with peers? Are there significant differences between schools? The answer to these and many other questions will provide insight into the cultural values important to society. One would expect that the values around which a school is organized would also be reflected in the government and politics of that society. Further one would expect that the culture of a school would have a lasting and growing impact on the rest of society over time.
The Police Station and Court provide an opportunity to observe the interface of government and society and the principles on which it takes place. At a Medical Clinic you can gauge the state of a society’s technological development and perhaps its social stratification. The preference of certain
Sporting and Cultural Events shed light on the particular qualities and skills valued by society.
There are fascinating studies about the connection between national cultures and sports. (For example: “How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization” Franklin Foer) The purpose of this activity is to have the opportunity to observe that connection in order to better understand those things I have already learned about the subject. Some of the questions I would ask are: Why do the British have problems with Football violence? Why do Indians have a passion for Cricket? How does Sumo relate to modern Japan? Do Chinese women play basketball?
In the realm of culture, there is much to learn from a country’s choices in what they designate “National Treasures”. American examples might include Jazz, or Nashville. Those choices speak volumes about us as a people. In the future, will we celebrate the birthplace of “Rap”? What was it about Geisha that made it important to Japan? Has it lost that importance? What will replace it? Investigating these questions tells you more about a society than what music they like. The values that shape these realms are not exclusive to sport and culture. They seep into politics.
A Shopping District/Commercial Center or even a Grocery Store speaks volumes about both where a society is economically as well as it speaks to its aspirations. What can you learn by going to a store? You might be surprised. Here in California, I can walk into a store, select exactly the apple I want to eat, pay for it and leave without ever interacting with another human being. Why is that? When was the last time you negotiated the price of something you bought? In my class, I point out that the structure of our commercial experience is dictated by the same cultural values that drive the structure of our political institutions. Americans prefer our institutions impersonal and individualistic. We prefer the speed of the “self-checkout” to a relationship with a grocer. We demand to select each and every piece of our produce our self, something you cannot do even in Eastern Canada. When I was last in Germany there was a person at each counter who selected your produce for you. How is it done in Russia? These proclivities translate into politics. Our impersonal and individualistic nature is reflected in the fact that we will vote for a person we have never met and we expect and reward politicians who are independent of their political party. Other societies have different relationships with their politicians and their grocers.
If you want to understand political life, observing economic life is a great place to start. But it does not end with observing the conduct of economic transactions. Where do people do their shopping? In their neighborhoods? At malls and chain outlets or in markets with merchant stalls. What is offered for sale in the stores? Is it locally produced or imported? Imported from where? Do people have an affinity or aversion to products from one source or another? In the 1990’s when Japanese students began dressing like American youth of the 1950’s it said a lot about who they wanted to be. I think it enabled one to predict that they would not show the same deference to party elders shown by their parents. Should it have been a shock that they would elect a ground-breaking Prime Minister who idolized Elvis? (Koizumi)
In every country, religion has played a pivotal role in the development of government and the expression of politics. I will attend a religious observance in order to provide texture and context to that contribution. I could talk about the connections here as well, but I am hoping by now you get the point:
All of a society’s institutions are connected. The values of one are often transmitted to the other. All of them have an important influence on politics. That is what I hope to understand.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sabbatical Leave Application, with approved revisions
Contra Costa Community College District
SABBATICAL LEAVE APPLICATION
| Name Scott MacDougall | Date 1/20/2010 |
| College Diablo Valley College | Teaching field(s) Political Science |
| Sabbatical leave period requested One Year F2010, Sp 2011 | Years of service in CCCCD 13 years |
| Have you had previous Sabbaticals? If "yes" give time period(s) and activity (activities). NO | |
| Indicate type of Sabbatical program (see United Faculty Agreement, Section 12.5.6) If program can be categorized by more than one type, check where applicable. Institutional study (complete Form A) Travel (complete Form B) G | |
| GENERAL SUMMARY OF SABBATICAL PROGRAM (GIVE A 100-WORD MAXIMUM STATEMENT) The purpose of the sabbatical is to refresh my academic training in Political Theory (PS 240) and Comparative Politics (PS 220) and to provide me with the experience, knowledge and resources to enliven the curriculum of DVC’s Political Science 220, Introduction to Comparative Politics. To this end, there are two primary objectives: Institutional Study at the graduate level at the Université Libre in Brussels (ULB), Belgium. The second objective is to travel to the capitals of the countries, which are the focus of PS 220 in order to acquire first hand experience with those countries and their governmental institutions. | |
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VALUE TO EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM (The Sabbatical Leave Committee will utilize this information as the basis for scoring Rubrics 1, 2, 3 and 4) Describe how the proposed sabbatical will benefit the educational program. In particular: 1. How will it benefit students, programs, or staff/colleagues? 2. How will it enhance and/or improve your professional competence? The Travel Semester will enable me to expand and broaden the set of countries about which I can speak about from direct personal experience. For this larger set of countries, it will enable me to provide specific examples of concepts, equivalent to those I currently provide when discussing the countries with which I already have direct personal familiarity. On my return, my model and journal for each country will be presented to students for their use in conducting their own field observations and for use as a basis for comparing their local results to a foreign environment. The Institutional Study Semester will prepare me to offer a section of Political Theory (PS 240) which will increase the diversity of our offerings for students and increase the flexibility of our area (Political Science) in offering the courses students need to complete our new AA degree. Summary: 1a) Students: greater depth and breadth in offerings of PS 240. More current and personal presentation of PS 220. 1b) program: more flexibility and continuity in the offering of PS240. 2) Competence will be broadened and refreshed. Detail: Introduction to Comparative Politics (PS 220) and Political Theory (PS 240) are two of the newer courses offered in Political Science at Diablo Valley College. They represent our attempts to continue to expand and develop our offerings to support students who seek to major in Political Science either in pursuit of an A.A. or in preparing to transfer into that major at a four year school. I have not taught PS 240, primarily because it is a sub-field of Political Science that I have not studied since graduate school. Since then, my focus has been elsewhere, on the subjects I have been teaching: American Government, Comparative Politics and International Relations. I am comfortable teaching all of them. I have not been comfortable teaching Political Theory. This has caused some complications in our program as we have only two full time instructors in Political Science. There are times (like Sp 2009 and Sp 2010) when I am the only Full Time instructor available. Unlike American Government (PS 121) or Introduction to Political Science (PS 120), it is often difficult to find qualified Part-time instructors in Political Theory. Our area would benefit from significantly greater flexibility in our offerings if I were able to teach all of the courses we currently offer. The Institutional Study element of the sabbatical will give me the opportunity to revisit the concepts at the core of Political Theory and enable me to refresh the foundation of my academic training. It will enable me to prepare a course in Political Theory. My Comparative Politics students will also benefit from an instructor who has been able to refresh his academic training. They will benefit from his opportunity to expand, deepen and test his own ideas about democratization and comparative politics in an extraordinarily distinctive and rigorous environment. The travel portion of the sabbatical will enable the instructor to experience first-hand the societies about which he has been reading and teaching. It has been more than 20 years since I was last in the classroom as a graduate student studying Political Science. In those twenty years there have been dramatic changes in the governmental structures of scores of countries. The countries of the Soviet Bloc have shed their Marxist/Leninist societal structures and many are developing democracies. The absence of a super-power sponsor for the Leninist model has elevated the status of Western Liberal Democratic systems as an alternative without rivals, creating pressure on many non-democratic regimes to adopt its institutions. The challenges of these adoptions in non-Liberal societies are becoming manifest and have recently become the subject of robust academic debate. While it is possible to follow this debate in books and publications, it is far better to immerse oneself in a setting where the debate unfolds and allows for your participation. That can only happen in a classroom full of scholars who share one’s interest in the subject. But that begs the question, why Université Libre in Brussels (ULB), Belgium? I have long thought that one can learn the most about politics from people who approach it from a perspective different to your own. I have studied politics in the United States, Canada and Germany. In each of those places I was impressed by the unique insights born of different backgrounds and experiences. I expect that I will find a similar environment in Belgium. In fact, Brussels' status as the capital of Europe will attract to ULB greater diversity of perspective than I could find anywhere else. ULB offers an impressive range of courses on subjects of great interest to me personally and great utility to me professionally. Subjects of particular interest are very well represented in the ULB curriculum and offer many opportunities to study: I am interested in Comparative Politics in general and the theoretical questions of the conditions which influence the success and failure of democracy and influence of culture on the development of political systems The travel portion of my sabbatical is designed to allow me to systematically observe five of the countries that are part of the curriculum of my Comparative Politics course. The central element of that course is an attempt to understand the politics and institutions of representative models of different social, economic and political systems. To that end we compare several different countries (currently: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, China, Mexico, Iran, India & Nigeria). Some of these countries I have had the opportunity to experience first hand. Others I know only from books and the media. In the cases where I have had the opportunity to visit the countries personally, I have found that I have been able to find living examples of the conceptual points made in lecture. Students derive considerable benefit as they are able to see the connections between concept and the “real life” of the “other society” in terms as close as possible to the connections we are to make between concepts and “real American life”. Currently, the set of countries with which I am personally familiar is somewhat limited and relatively Eurocentric. The purpose of the second part of the sabbatical is to expand that set and enable me to speak with authority about a much larger range of political systems. In 1831 a young French aristocrat, Alexis de Tocqueville, departed on a journey through America. He traveled from place to place, gathering observations. Eventually he published the collection of those observations along with his analysis in what has become one of the classic works of Political Science and Comparative Politics; Democracy in America. An underlying theme of Democracy in America is a notion that has become one of the foundations of the study of Comparative Politics: that the culture of a place has a profound impact on both the practice of politics as well as the institutional structure of the political system. Among other things, de Tocqueville observed that, “Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.” This cultural principal of egalitarianism expresses itself in the extreme democratization of American life. In his time, he found evidence in social life, in economic life and of course in politics. Today, the legacy of that cultural value still influences life in these United States. With our ballot initiatives in California it seems we vote on anything and everything. Everybody participates in significant political decision-making. Our own college and the educational system of which it is a part is an expression of this value. Community colleges exist because the public rejects the notion that higher education should be the province of an economic or political elite. Similar institutions do not exist everywhere, but then neither do those extreme egalitarian values. The fundamental theme of my Pol Sci 220, Introduction to Comparative Politics is that if you want to understand the politics of any given place, you must first understand the culture of that place. The centrality of that theme is expressed in the final exam essay students write for that course: “A political system springs from the political culture of the society that produces it. Given this, evaluate the prospects of Liberalism today in your choice of one of the Ex-Colonial countries discussed in class…” During the course of the semester we spend considerable time exploring the cultural values of the societies we study. The underlying hypothesis is that those cultural values will express themselves in all aspects of everyday life: social, economic and political. A political system that values egalitarianism should also express that value in economic and social life. If it does not, it would be reasonable to question the long-term viability of the value in the political sphere. Politics will become what economic and social life are. Hence, if you want to understand the politics of a place, you can learn a lot by observing its everyday life. It was true in de Tocqueville’s time. It is still true. Detailed observation of a diverse set of societies and cultures will provide me with the resources I need to more effectively teach this to my students. Getting the most out of my visits to the countries I choose requires considerable formal preparation. I have created a model for preparation and execution that I think will help me accomplish the societal immersion I hope to achieve. Model Plan & Itinerary - Summary Overview: For each country, I will spend at a minimum one week of intensive preparation to familiarize myself with its historic and current challenges, ancient and popular culture and important points of interest. This Preparation Week includes six specific activities: A) Preparation Week: 1. Daily Review of Periodical. 2. Tour Guide 3. Literature 4. History 5. Academic Treatment 6. Recent Cinema (two genres) The observation program begins with a week of familiarization with the social, political and economic life of each place. I begin with a guide-book to provide a general overview of the country and a daily reading of a local, national newspaper (available online). Daily reading of a newspaper not only gives you insight into the political issues of the day, it provides an opportunity to appreciate what that society cares about. It provides insight into its cultural fascinations, its human-interest stories, its athletic dramas; all of these provide insight into where a society is at any given moment. My goal is to appreciate that society at that moment. Following their press on a daily basis will allow me to do that. In addition to the popular pulse reflected in the press, I want to add the depth that would be provided by sampling more established sources of culture, cinema and literature. I will choose a recent novel that has captured the popular imagination and sample films that have received popular acclaim demonstrated either by box office performance or the receipt of industry awards. I seek also to broaden my academic understanding of these places. To this end, I will select and read a history of the country, or of a significant era or person in that country’s history. Finally, I will read the relevant parts of a second academic text that would be suitable for use in my course. In other words, a text I do not currently employ for the course, in order to provide me with a second opinion to the one with which I am already quite familiar. B) Travel Week 7. Arrival, 8. Transit to secondary destination, 9. Primary Site Visitation 10. Secondary Site Visitation 11. Second city exploration - most important points of interest 12. Transit to Capital The second (travel) week is designed to give me the opportunity to experience the country beyond the capital. Capitals are often intentionally designed to be the showpiece of the nation. As such, they often present a very different picture of a society. A presentation of a society as it wants to be seen. Appreciating that image is certainly part of what I hope to accomplish, but that image needs to be placed in its larger context. If one were to travel to the United States and visit only Washington DC, they would have a very limited and distorted picture of what America was really like. Because my goal is to understand the countries I am visiting, not just their capitals, it requires me to get out into the countryside. In each country I will select and visit a secondary site at some distance from the capital, known for either its cultural or historic significance. The purpose of this second trip is to provide a context that will balance the impressions gained from a visit to the capital. Appreciating that context is the goal of the travel week. The destination selected will be a place of historic or cultural significance outside of the capital region. The goal is to travel to these locations slowly, so that I have the opportunity to see the countryside and to meet some of the people who live in it. Once there, I intend to continue to move slowly, taking the opportunity to visit not only the attraction which drew me there but also the elements of everyday life, the neighborhoods and shops, the things which will allow me to make comparisons to what I will see in the capital. C) Visiting the Capital 13. National Art Museum 14. National Historic Museum 15. Primary Site Visitation 16. Secondary Site Visitation 17. Capital city exploration - most important points of interest In the capital, I will experience its highlights. Often these sites are the source of great national pride. Exploring them opens windows to a nation’s character, self-image and ambitions. The Guidebook I have read will help me prioritize and decide what I have time to visit. In every case I intend to visit the national museums of history and of indigenous art. The remainder of my time in the capital will be given to visiting the country’s institutions. Institutions: 18. Seat of Government/Legislative Proceeding, 19. School/ Youth Activity, 20. Police Station/Court, 21. Medical Clinic, 22. Sporting/Cultural Event, 23. Shopping District/Grocery Store, 24. Religious Service, The elements, which are part of the formal visitations are all selected because understanding them sheds great light on the culture and specific nature of a place. Some elements are pretty obvious: You visit the Seat of Government and a Legislative proceeding to appreciate the architecture of its setting, the content of its discussions, the nature and origin of its traditions. They are tangible expressions of a government and its philosophies. They have a lot to say about a society. A society’s schools and the activities organized for its youth speak to its future and existing perspectives on how that future will be shaped. What are the buildings like? What technologies are employed? What subjects are required? Who are the students? How do students and teachers interact with each other, with peers? Are there significant differences between schools? The answer to these and many other questions will provide insight into the cultural values important to society. One would expect that the values around which a school is organized would also be reflected in the government and politics of that society. Further one would expect that the culture of a school would have a lasting and growing impact on the rest of society over time. The Police Station and Court provide an opportunity to observe the interface of government and society and the principles on which it takes place. At a Medical Clinic you can gauge the state of a society’s technological development and perhaps its social stratification. The preference of certain Sporting and Cultural Events shed light on the particular qualities and skills valued by society. There are fascinating studies about the connection between national cultures and sports. (For example: “How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization” Franklin Foer) The purpose of this activity is to have the opportunity to observe that connection in order to better understand those things I have already learned about the subject. Some of the questions I would ask are: Why do the British have problems with Football violence? Why do Indians have a passion for Cricket? How does Sumo relate to modern Japan? Do Chinese women play basketball? In the realm of culture, there is much to learn from a country’s choices in what they designate “National Treasures”. American examples might include Jazz, or Nashville. Those choices speak volumes about us as a people. In the future, will we celebrate the birthplace of “Rap”? What was it about Geisha that made it important to Japan? Has it lost that importance? What will replace it? Investigating these questions tells you more about a society than what music they like. The values that shape these realms are not exclusive to sport and culture. They seep into politics. A Shopping District/Commercial Center or even a Grocery Store speaks volumes about both where a society is economically as well as it speaks to its aspirations. What can you learn by going to a store? You might be surprised. Here in California, I can walk into a store, select exactly the apple I want to eat, pay for it and leave without ever interacting with another human being. Why is that? When was the last time you negotiated the price of something you bought? In my class, I point out that the structure of our commercial experience is dictated by the same cultural values that drive the structure of our political institutions. Americans prefer our institutions impersonal and individualistic. We prefer the speed of the “self-checkout” to a relationship with a grocer. We demand to select each and every piece of our produce our self, something you cannot do even in Eastern Canada. When I was last in Germany there was a person at each counter who selected your produce for you. How is it done in Russia? These proclivities translate into politics. Our impersonal and individualistic nature is reflected in the fact that we will vote for a person we have never met and we expect and reward politicians who are independent of their political party. Other societies have different relationships with their politicians and their grocers. If you want to understand political life, observing economic life is a great place to start. But it does not end with observing the conduct of economic transactions. Where do people do their shopping? In their neighborhoods? At malls and chain outlets or in markets with merchant stalls. What is offered for sale in the stores? Is it locally produced or imported? Imported from where? Do people have an affinity or aversion to products from one source or another? In the 1990’s when Japanese students began dressing like American youth of the 1950’s it said a lot about who they wanted to be. I think it enabled one to predict that they would not show the same deference to party elders shown by their parents. Should it have been a shock that they would elect a ground-breaking Prime Minister who idolized Elvis? (Koizumi) In every country, religion has played a pivotal role in the development of government and the expression of politics. I will attend a religious observance in order to provide texture and context to that contribution. I could talk about the connections here as well, but I am hoping by now you get the point: All of a society’s institutions are connected. The values of one are often transmitted to the other. All of them have an important influence on politics. Continued next page… Exhibit 1:
When I have completed this model, I will not only have collected a wealth of information about the societies observed, I will have a basis for comparison with the other countries I visit. At the conclusion of the sabbatical, I will have a set of five observations, which I intend to present to students to afford them the opportunity to draw their own conclusions about the connections between the societies, cultures and governments of the countries we examine in Pol Sc 220 – Comparative Politics. The model will also be used as an assignment for that course. Students will be asked to follow the model in conducting their own observations of American life and then to choose one of my observations to use as a basis for an essay in which they are asked to make comparisons and connect their conclusions to observed differences between societies and their forms of government. 3. How will it relate to your ongoing professional assignment? My professional assignment includes teaching Comparative Politics. Teaching Comparative Politics requires familiarity with the politics, culture and institutions of the countries about which you teach. For several of the countries about which I teach, I rely upon book knowledge and media, information that has passed through the producers’ own biases and filters. I do not have direct independent experience that would allow me to form my own judgments and test my own conclusions. That hinders my effectiveness in teaching about those societies. The purpose of my observations is to expand my direct knowledge and competence in teaching one of the courses I am assigned to teach. The sabbatical will enable me to teach a new course in our program (PS 240), and will improve the presentation of the course I already teach (PS 220). The Institutional Study semester will give me the opportunity to revisit the concepts at the core of Political Theory and enable me to refresh the foundation of my academic training. It will enable me to prepare a course in Political Theory. Studying Comparative Politics at the ULB will enable me to refresh my academic training. I will have the opportunity to expand, deepen and test my own ideas about democratization and comparative politics in an extraordinarily distinctive and rigorous environment. The Travel semester will enable me to experience first-hand the societies about which I have been reading and teaching and will enliven my course as a result. 4. How are the breadth and depth of the project appropriate for the sabbatical leave rather than the regular teaching year? I intend to be in Brussels for an entire semester Sept - Jan. The travel portion of the sabbatical builds upon the opportunities afforded by the semester in Belgium. The expense of traveling to Europe is not insignificant, but the opportunities afforded at the ULB make it worthwhile to me to pay that cost from my own funds. Because Brussels is on the other side of the world, being there creates the opportunity to keep flying east on the return to California. My intent is to purchase an “around the world” fare in order to visit places I do not think I would be able to afford to visit on a separate trip. On the way to Brussels and back, I intend to make extended visits for the purpose of extensive observation in at least 5 other countries. As detailed in Exhibit 1 (above), each of these visits will require a minimum of 3 weeks of preparation and execution. It is not a vacation. From a tourism perspective, these places hold little interest for me. My interest is in the politics and culture of these places. The intent, as you have seen in the model and detailed below (see FORM B) in the sample plans and itineraries, is not to spend a week sight seeing in Tokyo (or anywhere else for that matter) rather to systematically explore several countries in order to later make formal comparisons of many aspects of their culture, politics and daily life. In total, I expect that the visits will require at minimum 680 hours (see Exhibit 1, above), at 40 hrs a week, 17 weeks. More than a year in advance of an actual visit, it is difficult to say with certainty whether it will be safe and legal to visit all of the places on this list. The top priorities include Iran and Cuba, countries where the political situation is relatively volatile, and the relationship with the U.S. uncertain at best. Once approved and at a time much closer to the actual visit, I would make a judgment about whether visitation of these countries was possible. Only at that time would a specific itinerary be established. Regardless, I would commit to making visits to five different countries, at minimum one country from each of the three sub-sets, representing the three political systems studied in Pol Sci 220. Each of the three sub-sets represents a distinct political environment and resulting political system. Some of these countries are Liberal, like the United States. Some are Leninist or recently post-Leninist and as a result intentionally opposed to our political system. Still others fall into the amorphous category of “developing states”. The purpose of this travel is to broaden my familiarity with diverse political systems. This structure accomplishes that. The countries are listed below (within the sub-sets) in order of the priority I would place on visiting them. All of the countries would be acceptable and useful and would satisfy the purposes envisioned in this project. The final selection of visits from this list will reflect political, logistical and financial considerations prevailing in the last months prior to departure. Leninist/former Leninist Countries · Havana, Cuba · Beijing, China · Moscow, Russia Developing/Ex-Colonial Countries · Tehran, Iran · Ankara, Turkey · Mexico City, Mexico · Delhi, India · Nairobi, Kenya Liberal/Democratic Countries · Tokyo, Japan · Paris, France · Berlin, Germany · London, England · Ottawa, Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10-22-92, 11-1-94, 10-31-95 (Sabb\Forms\app.frm)
SABBATICAL LEAVE APPLICATION Page 3
Name Scott MacDougall |
PROPOSED OBJECTIVES AND EVIDENCE OF COMPLETION (The Sabbatical Leave Committee will utilize this information as the basis for scoring Rubrics 5 and 6) Identify specific objectives and describe in detail the evidence that will accompany your report, which indicates that you have met each objective. The product of your approved sabbatical leave program will be subject to review by the Sabbatical Leave Committee at the time of making your final report. Examples follow: Institutional study Objective: 9 units (( Introducing philosophy (http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2741) Nationalism, self-determination and secession ( http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2675) The politics of devolution ( http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2545) Rights and justice in international relations ( http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3535) A Europe of the Regions? ( http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2667) Managing the European economy after the introduction of the Euro ( http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2632) Two concepts of freedom ( http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2745) Who are Europeans? (http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2634) *European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard for comparing the study attainment and performance of students of higher education across the European Union and other collaborating European countries. For successfully completed studies, ECTS credits are awarded. One academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS-credits. ECTS are referred to as “studiepunten” in the Dutch system. Evidence: For the Institutional Study Semester: I will provide a transcript from the University, or Attendance Verification letter signed by the Instructor, class notes, and a syllabus for an offering of Pol Sci 240, Political Theory. Open University Evidence: · An outline of course content · My notes on course lecture material. · For each of the course taken, a 500 word review of the readings, lectures and my evaluation of the topics presented in the course. Travel Objective: Directed Visitation of five selected national capitals. The proposed objective is to observe the institutions of several of the societies about which I teach for the purpose of collecting examples that can be used to illuminate for students the ways in which culture expresses itself in social and economic life and then how those cultural values shape government and politics in those places Evidence: For the Travel Semester I will produce three journals. 1) Preparation Week Journal: For each of the five countries, each Preparation Week activity (6 x 5, 30 total) will be discussed in a journal entry of no less than 250 words. The Prep Week Journal will total a minimum of not less than 7,500 words. This journal will provide evidence of my preparation for each visit. It will provide a daily commentary of the local news of the day, impressions of films seen and a summary of the books read. 2) Travel Journal: A second Journal will record my observations, which result from the completion of the eighteen distinct travel activities in each country. Each of these activities (17 x 5, 85 total) will be discussed in a journal entry of no less than 250 words. The Travel Journal will total a minimum of not less than 21,250 words. 3) Photo Journal: Supplementing the Travel Journal, at each site, I will take pictures of those sites and of their artifacts for use as visuals in class and to be presented in an electronic Photo Journal. On return, these records will be reproduced and presented to students as a reader and as a model for their own observations and analysis, presented as a class assignment. |
10-22-92, Rev. 11-1-94 (Sabb\Forms\app.frm)
SABBATICAL LEAVE APPLICATION Form A
| Name Scott MacDougall | |
| INSTITUTIONAL STUDY | |
| Name of Institution L’Université Libre de Bruxelles | Place of Institution Brussels, Belgium |
| Period of Attendance Sept 2010-Jan 2011 | UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL N/A | GRADUATE LEVEL q Semester units to be attempted* 9 Units (18 ECTS*) |
| Accepted for Admission: Other If "Other," explain: My proposal has been made to and accepted by the head of the Department, Prof Eric Remacle. | ||
| List courses and unit value from the institution's catalogue. In case your choice of courses is not available, please indicate substitutions. (The Sabbatical Leave Committee will utilize this information as the basis for scoring Rubric 7. Be sure that the scope of your studies is clearly defined.) The following courses represent my preferred course of study, based on the 2009-2010 schedule of offerings. I would choose 4 courses, representing at minimum 18 ECTS (9 US equivalent units) (Course Title translation available on request) POLI-D-515 Théories de la démocratie POLI-O-405 The Political System of the European Union POLI-D-510 L'idée d'Europe au XXè siècle POLI-D-403 L'idée de nation en Europe POLI-D-436 Identities and Public Spaces in Europe HIST-B-449 La construction des identités nationales : Canada et Etats-Unis ESP-SOCO-10071 European Cultures and Mentalities in Historical and Comparative Perspective (@ VUB) The courses below represent other courses currently offered by the University, any of which would be suitable subjects for study. Some of these courses would supplant options listed above, were they to be offered in the 1st as opposed to the 2nd Semester. Continued next page… SOCA-D-408 Ethnicité, nationalisme et invention des traditions POLI-O-403 The EU and international relations POLI-D-443 Political and Social Actors in Central and Eastern Europe POLI-D-437 Le système politique des Etats-Unis POLI-D-512 Genre et politique POLI-D-513 Religion et politique POLI-D-537 Partis et vie politique aux Etats-Unis POLI-O-503 Les partis politiques et l'Union européenne POLI-O-507 Comparative federalism Europe, U.S.A., Canada - Other 400 or 500 level courses offered by the Political Science Department ULB, subsequently added to the schedule may (on approval) be substituted for courses appearing on this list. *European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard for comparing the study attainment and performance of students of higher education across the European Union and other collaborating European countries. For successfully completed studies, ECTS credits are awarded. One academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS-credits. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Credit_Transfer_and_Accumulation_System * A full load is considered to be 12 semester units of undergraduate work or equivalent, or 9 semester units of graduate work or equivalent at an accredited college/university. | ||
10-22-92, Rev. 11-1-94 (Sabb\Forms\app.frm)
SABBATICAL LEAVE APPLICATION Form B
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Plan: Itinerary (The Sabbatical Leave Committee will utilize this information as the basis for scoring Rubric 7. Be sure that the purpose, duration, and schedule of your travel are clearly delineated.) More than a year in advance of an actual visit, it is difficult to say with certainty whether it will be safe and legal to visit all of the places on this list. The top priorities include Iran and Cuba, countries where the political situation is relatively volatile, and the relationship with the U.S. uncertain at best. Once approved and at a time much closer to the actual visit, I would make a judgment about whether visitation of these countries was possible. Only at that time would a specific itinerary be established. Regardless, I would commit to making visits to five different countries, at minimum one country from each of the three sub-sets, representing the three political systems studied in Pol Sci 220. The countries are listed below (within the sub-sets) in order of the priority I would place on visiting them. All of the countries would be acceptable and useful and would satisfy the purposes envisioned in this project. The final selection of visits from this list will reflect political, logistical and financial considerations prevailing in the last months prior to departure. Leninist/former Leninist Countries · Havana, Cuba · Moscow, Russia · Beijing, China Developing/Ex-Colonial Countries · Tehran, Iran · Mexico City, Mexico · Delhi, India · Nairobi, Kenya Liberal/Democratic Countries · Tokyo, Japan · Paris, France · Berlin, Germany · London, England · Ottawa, Canada Continued next page… Model Plan & Itinerary - A) Preparation Week: 1. Daily Review of Periodical. 2. Tour Guide 3. Literature 4. History 5. Academic Treatment 6. Recent Cinema (two genres) B) Travel Week 7. Arrival, 8. Transit to secondary destination, 9. Primary Site Visitation 10. Secondary Site Visitation 11. Second city exploration - most important points of interest 12. Transit to Capital C) Visiting the Capital 13. National Art Museum 14. National Historic Museum 15. Primary Site Visitation 16. Secondary Site Visitation 17. Capital city exploration - most important points of interest Institutions: 18. Seat of Government/Legislative Proceeding, 19. School/ Youth Activity, 20. Police Station/Court, 21. Medical Clinic, 22. Sporting/Cultural Event, 23. Shopping District/Grocery Store, 24. Religious Service, Continued next page… Exhibit 1:
Continued next page… Sample Plan & Itinery - Tokyo, Japan (Specifics subject to change) A) Preparation Week: Daily Review of Periodical. http://www.asahi.com/english/ Tour Guide: The Rough Guide to Japan. Review: “A new resident in Japan finds this invaluable. In the past I have found it both a bonus and a sadness that the excellent Rough Guide books do not seem to be well known outside of Britain. It is sad because their books are generally excellent - not only are there guides to destinations but a superb Rough Guide to World Music guides and CDs on different world music types, a guide to world cinema, to the millennium, etc- but it is a bonus also because when you are traveling you don’t find yourself drawn to the same places as all those other Lonely Planet and Fodors users.” http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R2UORI48D5GH13/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R2UORI48D5GH13 Literature: “The Boat of Golden Pothos” (Potosuraimu no Fune), Kikuko Tsumura: “depicts the life of a single woman in her late 20s who works extra jobs to supplement her low wage as a contracted factory worker.” http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/culture/20090116TDY02309.htm History: “The Taming of the Samurai: Honorific Individualism and the Making of Modern Japan” by Eiko Ikegami “A modern classic, essential to understanding Japan. Professor Ikegami examines the evolution of the samurai as a social institution from its beginnings nearly 1,000 years ago up to the formal dissolution of the samurai in the late 19th century, as well as the continuing influence of samurai society on modern Japan. She shows that the concept of honor was central to the samurai throughout their history, but also demonstrates that their concepts of honor changed greatly. The samurai are presented not as distant, inscrutable creatures of a mysterious culture but as human beings constructing and living within a society adapted to their needs and circumstances. Their combination of ferocity and refinement are made comprehensible.” http://www.amazon.com/review/R3AG4OFLU8A3YG/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R3AG4OFLU8A3YG Academic Treatment: “Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges” Charles Hauss, 2009, Cengage. Hauss’ book is a text that I have reviewed and considered using for Pol Sc 220, should I decide to change texts. In the chapters I read, I found Hauss had an engaging perspective on the countries of interest. His book will broaden and deepen my understanding of the governments of the countries I visit. Recent Cinema, Action/Thriller: “Battle Royal” Plot: “In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act. Could you kill your best friend?” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266308/ Recent Cinema, Comedy: “Dog Star” Plot: Shiro is a seeing-eye dog whose blind master is run over by a truck. The master re-appears to Shiro and says he can't enter heaven until he has done a good deed so he grants Shiro one wish. Shiro wants to be human so he can visit the girl who raised him as a pup. Complications arise when the human Shiro falls in love with the girl who is now grown up. A fantasy comedy with a good canine performance by actor Toyokawa.” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0336300/ B) Travel Week: Kyoto/Tokyo Arrival, Narita. Transit to secondary destination, Kyoto Primary Site Visitation Day trip to Nara. The capital of Japan from 710 to 784, Nara was considered the cradle of Japanese culture, arts, and crafts–today its many treasures are registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List” Nijo Castle, the Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa Shogun. The castle was built in 1603 and is noted for the contrast of its solemn appearance and gorgeous interiors. Secondary Site Visitation Kinkakuji Temple, the home of perhaps the world's most authentic and exquisite Japanese garden, as well as the celebrated Golden Pavilion. Exploration: Kyoto Historic Neighborhoods. Get a feeling for the city by exploring the historic neighborhoods in eastern Kyoto, starting with Higashiyam and then moving onto Pontocho Alley. Higashiyama translates to ‘Eastern Mountain District’, a literal description of its location on the East side of the Kamo River, at the base of the Higashiyama mountain rage. It’s perfect strolling territory, with narrow stone-paved lanes that wind their way through tidy, aged neighborhoods; spires of pagodas that peak above silvery rooftops and the crisscrossing patterns of electrical lines; and temples and shrines that intermingle with modern day shops and homes–a sight that becomes familiar at every turn, but still manages to surprise.” http://travelblog.viator.com/top-things-to-do-in-kyoto-a-5-day-itinerary/ Transit to Capital C) Capital Visitation NATIONAL MUSEUM OF JAPANESE HISTORY - Sakura City, Japan “The permanent galleries draw on the long course of Japanese history and culture to present topics of significance to contemporary society, with special emphasis on the history of everyday life.” http://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/english/events/regular/index.html TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM - “Established 1872, the Tokyo National Museum is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. The museum collects, houses, and preserves a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing on Japan.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_National_Museum Primary Site Visitation: Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Shinjuku. Secondary Site Visitation: Yasukuni-jinja, Chiyoda. A large, torii gate stands at the entrance to this shrine built in memory of those who lost their lives defending Japan. Many officials still come and offer prayer annually on August 15, the anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II. Capital city exploration: There are many options - A somewhat random sampling: In Tokyo, as in most places, the problem will not be what to do, but what to leave out… Sensoji Temple (Asakusa Kannon), Taito. According to legend, two brothers kept trying to return a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, to the Sumida River only to have it returned to them the next day. This temple located in Tokyo's Asakusa district was built to honor her. Edo-Tokyo Museum, Sumida. This fascinating museum displays artifacts and architecture that tell a tale of Tokyo's history. Exhibits include replicas of an ancient Kabuki theatre and the original Edo Castle. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g298184-Activities-Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html The Tsukiji Market, Chuo. The largest Fish Market in the World - TSUKIJI – D) Institutional Visitation The details of this week of visits would be worked out well in advance of my arrival in each country. I anticipate it will take some considerable time and the mining of many contacts in order to make possible the types of visits I envision. I need to find people with connections in Tokyo who can facilitate access to these sites and events. Specifics cannot be provided for something the timing of which is at best uncertain and that will not happen unless the sabbatical is granted. In Japan, (and any other country where my linguistic skills are inadequate to work on my own) I would have to arrange for a translator/guide for many of these visits. The guide, once chosen, would be relied upon to advise as to the details and logistics of the specific sites to be visited. Nonetheless, where legally and logistically permissible, I would visit each of the following: · Seat of Government/Legislative Proceeding, · School, Youth Activity, · Police Station/Court, · Medical Clinic, · Sporting/Cultural Event, · Shopping District/Grocery Store, · Religious Service. Where not permissible, I will have the benefit of the experience of having made the attempt and understanding the reasons for the denial. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10-22-92, Rev. 11-1-94 (Sabb\Forms\app.frm)
SABBATICAL LEAVE APPLICATION Form C
Name |
PROFESSIONAL STUDY AND/OR CREATIVE STUDY |
(The Sabbatical Leave Committee will utilize this information as the basis for scoring Rubric 7. Be sure the kind and scope of your study methods, resources, and activities are clearly delineated. Include an estimate of the time that will be spent engaged in various activities.) N/A |
10-22-92, Rev. 11-1-94 (Sabb\Forms\app.frm)
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