A three-week immersive study exploring race, social justice and theology. Through living and serving in various communities, students will have the opportunity to engage directly with diverse perspectives and experiences.
Transcultural and Transforming
Join Hesston College for an on-campus and traveling class that’s packed with adventure and experiential learning. SOC 234: Urban Life and Culture can help you gain these competencies:
- Improve cultural competency. Practice interpreting the complex social context of urban landscapes.
- Nurture empathy. Increase appreciation for city life focusing on African-American, Asian-American and Latino/a-American cultures.
INSTRUCTORS
Michele Hershberger, MATS in Biblical Studies
Peter Lehman, PhD in American Studies
There will also be local instructors, who function as “Indigenaries.” Working as indigenous bridge-builders, these leaders connect the class to the complex realities of the cultures from which they were born and raised. They are church and community leaders, people who care about the future of their neighborhoods.
TRAVEL
- This class is offered every other spring semester.
- Students meet weekly on campus in a classroom setting. The class functions to prepare students for the urban plunge experience and then to debrief that experience in an academic setting after the experience.
- Students spend 11 days visiting either Tulsa, Okla., or Philadelphia, Pa.
Fun Things to Do
- Hear about real life in the city. Learn how different cultures see the world, how they build relationships, how they face challenges
- Participate in local neighborhoods, via service, rituals and celebrations
- See the local treasures (people and places) that the average tourist never finds
- Visit a variety of museums
- See a local sports team
- Shop in downtown, locally-owned shops
- Eat great ethnic food
Daily Schedule
Every weekday morning we’ll spend two hours together learning about a particular culture. During the second part of the morning, we’ll engage in conversation with leaders from that culture who come to our “classroom.”
After lunch we’ll go into the city, visiting neighborhoods, museums, churches and other important cultural landmarks.
Evenings and weekends include special field trips, being together as a Hesston College community and attending a different church each Sunday we’re there. We’ll eat in ethnic restaurants, talk to a variety of people and…be transformed!
Logistics
Logistics such as lodging, food and transportation are arranged by the professors of the class.
COST
The cost varies depending on the location. The class fee includes lodging, transportation while in the city and most meals. It does not include transportation to and from Tulsa or Philadelphia, souvenirs or restaurant expenses for approximately eight meals.
TRAVEL DATES
The class travels the Thursday before spring break and is back on campus for classes after spring break.
ACADEMIC CREDIT
Students earn three college credit hours. This course can be transferred to some universities as the trans-cultural requirement for graduation.
