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Service Learning Program in Montreal
- Earn 2 academic credits and Worldstar Points
- Have a meaningful service-learning experience
- Get to know a French-speaking culture
- 10-day program fee of $2,474 includes air fare, housing, meals, and excursions.
NOTE: You must register for this course (COLG 170 – 2 credits) along with your other Spring 2007 courses. Students who register for more than 18 credits will be charged an overload fee for Spring. Some additional work for this course will be required during spring semester.
First Year Interim Abroad: Montreal
Dear Students of French 111-212:This year for the first time CSB/SJU will offer a January Intersession service learning course in Montreal. The course is intended primarily for first year students, but I’d be glad to hear from interested second-year students as well. No previous experience in French is required – so encourage CSB/SJU friends who aren’t in French to consider the program. Montreal is a multi-cultural and bilingual city. Everyone will learn a few expressions in French and you will certainly learn interesting things about Montreal and the French-Speaking culture of Quebec. Participation in this course earns points in the CSB/SJU Worldstar program.
We will do some brief readings about the history of Quebec and French-speaking Canada focusing especially on the “Quiet Revolution” of the mid-twentieth century that led to the cultural and economic equality that Quebec shares with Anglophone Canada today. We will visit sites of historical and cultural significance in and around Montreal. But perhaps the most exciting aspect of this new program is the service-learning component.
Students will serve about 40 hours over an 8-day period at Welcome Hall Mission in Montreal (also known as “La Mission Bon Acceuil”). Welcome Hall serves a diverse population including many immigrants at its men’s shelter, soup kitchen, food bank, and after-school programs. Students will keep a journal of their experiences, participate in discussions about the readings, excursions, and service learning, and will write a 5-page research paper that will be due in late January.
The group will leave Minneapolis on January 2, 2007 and we’ll start our work at Welcome Hall Mission on the 3rd. We will have eight days of work experience at Welcome Hall, mostly staffing their food bank, clothing and furniture distribution center, and helping with some inventory-related tasks. I spent a few days in Montreal in September and very much enjoyed working a shift at the food bank and getting to know some of the staff, volunteers, and clients. In addition to the service work we will have brief class/discussion meetings on weekdays and some visits to cultural sites in the city during the week. The program price includes travel within the city and entry fees for scheduled excursions (some museums and other sites in Montreal, a Candiens hockey game) and a weekend trip either to Quebec City or Mont Tremblant. We will return to Minneapolis on January 12.
The cost of the program is expected to be $2,474 per student (including round-trip air fare Minneapolis-Montreal), but might be a bit less if we have 15 or more students enroll. We will stay at the International Youth Hostel in Montreal.
I look forward to introducing CSB/SJU students to the history and culture of Montreal and Quebec and to bringing our Benedictine tradition of service to a very worthy organization. This is an excellent opportunity for American students to reach across borders and across language barriers and to serve in the global community. I hope that you will be able to join us!
Sincerely,
Camilla Krone, Prof. of French
CLICK HERE FOR THE ONLINE APPLICATION FORM!