Students to study abroad

Northwestern College students will travel to China, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Great Britain and Tanzania this summer through study abroad programs offered by NWC faculty.

Dr. Dean Calsbeek, a professor in the kinesiology department, will lead a three-week course in China that examines that nation’s “body culture.” Students will study current and past practices and traditions in medicine, physical fitness and sport. They will take classes and stay at Bei Wei University in Beijing, but will also participate in weekend excursions to the Great Wall and to the Shaolin Temple, a Buddhist monastery where they will learn the ancient martial art of tai chi chuan.

Rick Clark, a Northwestern Spanish professor born and raised in Ecuador as the son of missionary parents, will lead a four-week trip to that South American nation. Students will study Spanish at the Andean Studies Center in Quito, learn about Ecuadorian society and culture, and live with host families. They will also participate in guided excursions to an indigenous tribe in northern Ecuador, to the Amazon rain forest, and to an Afro-Ecuadorian community on the Pacific Coast.

The Ethiopia study abroad course will immerse students in the contemporary culture of that country through the visual identity of people and place. Students will explore the city of Addis Ababa, recording their findings through drawings, writings, collections, sound recordings or photography. They will also meet rural Ethiopians and travel to the Blue Nile Falls. Arnold Carlson, an art professor and son of missionaries to Africa, will teach the three-week course.

Theatre professors Jeff and Karen Barker are leading a course that examines British culture through art and theatre. Students will attend at least a dozen theatre productions and visit at least eight museums. They will also explore some of England’s many cathedrals, markets, restaurants, parks and squares. A homestay with English families in Gloucester will begin the three-week course.