Unexamined life abroad - is it worth credit?
By Barbara Phillips
"The unexamined life is not
worth living," the unofficial
motto of the Center for Off-
Campus Education, points out
one of the values of living and
learning in different locales
getting a broader perspective
on our lives. But another con
cern, which probably never
occurred to Socrates, is express
ed in the words of Cyril Harvey:
"The unexamined life is worth
living, it's just not worth aca
demic credit."
This semester, Bill Schmickle
is going to visit the Guilford
groups in London and Munich
to see for himself how well the
semesters abroad programs.
Bill Schmickle, who is taking
over the responsibility for the
Center for Off-Campus Educa
tion when ClaudeShotts retires
this year, is determined that the
academic dimension of the over
seas program will measure up
N.Y. seminar; still want to go?
The New York Seminar has
reached its maximum enroll
ment of 30 students and is
finalizing its program arrange
ments.
The six-day seminar will stu
dy first hand some of the
current social problems that are
facing all the major cities in the
U. S. The problems to be studied
include housing, crime, drug
rehabilitation, education, com
munity development, business,
and political issues.
The Housing and Community
Development studies will in
clude a study in four communi
ties. (1) Prospect-Lefferts Gar
dens; and (2) Peoples Fire
House Inc. in Brooklyn; (3)
Hope Community in East Har
lem; and (4) South Bronx Peo
ple's Action Council.
In these communities the
group will meet with social
action committees and discuss
organization and action by citi
zens.
Quaker seminar begins this evening
By Carolyn Welty
For the past two years,
Guilford College and North
Carolina Yearly Meeting have
team-taught an ejght week sem
inar on Quaker history. Offered
through the Center for Con
tinuing Education, the non
credit course has been open to
people interested in studying
the Quaker heritage. The course
has been of particular interest
to members and attenders of
Monthly Meetings, Clerks and
Meeting Chairpersons, and
Friends' pastors.
Mel Keiser, Associate Profes
sor of Religious Studies, is the
coordinator of this year's non
credit Quakerism seminar. The
seminar is scheduled on Tues
day evenings, September 30
through November 25 and has a
to Guilford standards in every
way.
"There are two reasons for
studying abroad," says
Schmickle. "One, it enables
students to study something
there better than they can study
it here." The language, litera
ture, politics, art and architec
ture of a country are best
learned within the context of
that country, he says.
"The other reason is the
intercultural benefits for the
student. The experience helps
break down provincialism and
parochialism. It enables stu
dents to deal better with many
of the problems that face
them."
He doesn't, however, empha
size one aspect over the other.
"Some of my friends are for the
academics, some of my friends
are for the inter-culturalism,
and I'm for my friends," he
smiles.
While Schmickle acknow-
Drug addictions are treated at
the Odyssey House where the
group will have an explanation
on the procedure by young
people who have been through
the program.
Crime A morning will be
spent studying the youth work
in community affairs at the
Ninth Precinct Police Station
and an evening observing the
Night Court in session.
Education- An afternoon at
"The Door" -- a school in
central Manhattan for students
from ages 12 to 20 who have
special education needs or in
terests. It is directed by the
International Center for Inte
grative Studies and stresses
individual initiative in educa
tion.
For Government, the group
will visit the City Hall and meet
with Councilwoman Marion
Friedlander and also the Com
munity Office of State Senator
Mendez in East Harlem.
full registration
Lecture-discussions will be on
17th and 18th century Quaker
ism, Quaker women, Friends'
testimonies, Quaker education,
Quaker ministry, and Quaker
attitudes towards nature and
the scientific inquiry. The last
session will be on Contempo
rary English and American
Quakerism. Each session is led
by two discussion leaders: a
faculty or staff member from
Cuilford and a member of the
Yearly Meeting. Readings are
required in Quaker history and
Quaker religious thought.
The Quakerism seminar is
part of a series of programs that
are cooperatively planned by
the College and the Yearly
Meeting. Since 1977, four sum
mer conferences for Yearly
Meeting pastors have been
ledges hearing the rumors that
the programs abroad are not
always "up to snuff," he says
+ie has no reason to feel any
unease about the quality of the
programs. "Some students
have been disappointed, others
have been more than pleased,
just like on campus."
"We ought to be proud of
being able to offer the quality of
the courses we do, given the
difficulty of arrangements. The
opportunities for failure are
much greater than the oppor
tunity tor success," says
Schmickle, cautioning against
the tendency to be too critical.
Schmickle thinks that study
ing with a foreign faculty mem
ber is a valuable experience in
itself. The faculty hired by the
programs come from respected
schools; "in fact, University of
London is far superior to Guil
ford."
Some of the complaints stem
from differences in technique
and expectations in U.S. schools
An economist in the Wall
Street district will conduct a
guided tour of lower Manhattan
including a visit to the Stock
Exchange. This will be followed
by a meeting and lunch at the
New York Telephone Company
with Walter Blass, a trustee of
Guilford
Thursday morning a candi
date for President or his cam
paign director will discuss the
"City Perspective on the Major
Issues in the Presidential Cam
paign."
The group will depart for New
York by car at 7:00 a.m. on
Saturday, October 18th, and
will return on Saturday, October
25th. In New York the address
will be the Vanderblt YMCA at
224 East 47th Street.
Though the full break trip to
New York cannot accept any
more students, a similar ex
perience can be arranged for
Thanksgiving time if there is
sufficient student interest.
offered under the direction of a
joint planning committee.
Conference themes meet spe
cial interests of community
pastors. Workshop subjects
have included "Ministering to
Families Under Stress," "Con
flict Management and Quaker
Procedure," and "The Quaker
Calling: A Dialogue on Quaker
Religious Thought." Resource
leaders have been Friends and
non-Friends in order to bring
diverse perspectives to the is
sues.
These programs are coordi
nated through the office for
Quaker programs. Judy Harvey
is the program coordinator and
her office is located in the
Center for Continuing Educa
tion
Page five
and abroad. Perhaps some of
the hired teachers have had
experience with foreign stu
dents before, and having taught
over their heads, they now aim
too low, suggests Schmickle.
Schmickle is committed to the
idea of overseas studies, and
says, "I can't imagine getting
through four years of Cuilford
without taking advantage of
Germany for $250." ($250 more
than a semester at Cuilford
London costs the same as a
semester on campus.)
According to Schmickle, Cuil
ford is committed to making the
programs available to as many
students as possible for as little
money as possible This is why
Cuilford runs the programs as
they do, rather than having
students actually enroll in a
foreign university as in the
traditional junior year abroad.
In a non-English, speaking
university, a student would
have to have at least 3 years of a
language, thus limiting partici
News from
Dear Editors
News from Munich • With
the exception of all the rain and
the shock some of us got as
skinnydippers in Englischer
Garten (a big park near the
University), Munich is fantas
tic. One of the unusual treats for
some of us has been meeting an
old East German soldier in
Englischer Garten While I tried
to translate his toothless
Deutsch to the non-speakers, he
banged his fist on the table or
his head, shouting, "Warum
krieg?" (Why war?). He also
played a make-believe piano to
the tunes of Joplin (Scott or
Janis -- which, I don't know),
Lowe gathers Munich group
Ed Lowe, the Director of the
1981 Munich Semester, is for
mulating the group that will be
spending a full semester at
Munich in the center of Europe.
Munich is recognized as one of
the great cultural, artistic and
educational centers of Europe.
Located at the foot of the
Bavarian Alps and the beautiful
mountain and lake area of
southern Germany, it is truly
one of the most beautiful locali
ties in Europe
- GUILFORDIAN, September 30, 1980
pation to language students or
others proficient in a language.
Also, it would involve applying
for admission at a foreign
universitv, which would mean a
full year commitment, not just a
semester, and there would be
more difficulty in fulfilling core
requirements than if the cour
ses were established by Guil
ford people.
Schmickle believes that stu
dents "trade off nothing aca
demically" when they partici
pate in the programs. "These
are not odd-ball courses, but are
conceived within the curriculum
of Guilford College."
The greatest difficulty about
the academic dimension of the
programs is convincing the
students that they are academic
programs, and that the courses
aren't just to legitimize living
abroad "If students only cared
enough," he says, "the courses
could be twice again as good as
they are Here on campus or in
London."
and told us of his love for Jane
Fonda and JFK. In between his
life story and his shouting at the
French at the other table, he
told us what he thought of
Carter and Reagan Rather than
translate literally, I will just say
he thought Carter is incompe
tent and Reagan is worthless.
Who would he vote for? JFK,
Jane Fonda, or John Wayne. I
will end this time with the only
phrase he knew in English --
"Good morning Captain, you
know what I mean, sir?"
Until next time,
Joallison Johnson and the
Munich Semester Group
There will be six courses
offered at Munich, of which
each student is expected to take
four. The courses are:
"An introduction to Opera
Appreciation," "History of
Modern Germany," "Govern
ments of Germany," "Art His
tory," and "German," 2 levels
offered.
All Guilford students who are
interested in the 1981 Munich
Semester should see Ed Lowe at
Dana, room 101.