From Aztecs
to Anglos:
Aging in the Americas - 2010
GRN 1140
Contents
Course of Study
Course
Description
Cruise
Itinerary
Course
Requirements
The Fine
Print!
Suggested
Reading
Non-student
Participants
Course of Study
This Jan Term course is designed to provide experiential as well as classroom
learning about aspects of aging in different cultures while enjoying a
fun-filled travel experience during a two-week cruise that includes a full
transit of the Panama Canal. Students will immerse themselves in learning from
older persons what it means to experience the aging process while examining the
impact of aging in persons of different socio-economic status and cultural
backgrounds. The overall course schedule is as follows:
January 4: Jan Term begins
January 5-7: on-campus meetings and trip preparation
January 8: depart BWI for Ft. Lauderdale; embark on ms Maasdam
January 8-22: cruising on the ms Maasdam (see cruise itinerary for
details)
January 22: disembark from ms Maasdam; return flight from San Diego to
BWI; Jan Term ends
Course Description
In this Jan Term study tour students will explore a variety of aspects of
aging in cultures of the Americas. The tour experience will be on a cruise
starting in Ft. Lauderdale, transiting the Panama Canal and terminating in San
Diego. Students will perform personal interviews and observations of older
persons as well as develop an understanding of aging as a global phenomenon,
including the vicissitudes of aging in different cultures.
The course objectives are as follows:
--define the state and status of older persons in cultures of the
Americas
--compare and contrast the realities of living for older persons in
cultures of the Americas
The faculty for this course will be Dr. Alva Baker, Director of The Center for
the Study of Aging at McDaniel College.
Cruise Itinerary
January 8 (Friday: start of cruise) - Embark on ms Maasdam in Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida. Get settled in your veranda suite and explore the ship. Enjoy
your first cruise dinner and evening activities.
January 9 (Saturday: day 1 of cruise; at sea) - After breakfast, participate in the
initial onboard workshop, then lunch and an afternoon of swimming, tanning or other
activities before enjoying the evening meal and the night's shipboard activities.
January 10 (Sunday: day 2 of cruise; at sea) - A full day of swimming, tanning or
other shipboard activities before enjoying the evening meal and the night's
activities. Today is a good day to do shipboard observations and interviews for
workshop material.
January 11 (Monday: day 3 of cruise) - Arrive at the tropical paradise island of
Aruba at 10:00 a.m.. No group meetings today; you have the day to enjoy
Aruba and/or do observations for workshop material. The Maasdam will dock in Oranjestad with its colorful floating
markets, wondrous co
ral reefs and landscapes dotted with curiously bent divi-divi trees. Possible shore activities include scuba diving (for
beginners or experienced divers), a land and sea (in a semi-submarine) tour, a
dive to depths of 150 feet to explore shipwrecks and and exotic marine life in
the submarine Atlantis, a snorkeling and beach getaway on a catamaran,
driving a four-wheel-drive vehicle off road for an adventurous sight-seeing tour
of the island, and a variety of other sight-seeing and water-activity
excursions. For full details of what's available in this and all the other
ports of call, visit
http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetailsShoreEx.action
and use the "Select Port" drop-down box to select a port and view the list and
descriptions of activities. Return to the ship in time for the 6:00 p.m. departure,
dinner and an evening of relaxation or enjoying the ship's activities.
January 12 (Tuesday: day 4 of cruise; at sea) - Morning activities include the
second workshop, then another afternoon of (yawn) swimming, tanning or
other shipboard activities (including doing your shipboard observations and
interviews for workshop material) before enjoying the evening meal and the night's
activities.
January 13 (Wednesday: day 5 of cruise) - Arise early to observe the entry into
the Panama Canal at Cristobal, Panama. The entire day is free for your
leisure, study and the opportunity to observe our passage through this man-made
wonder. We exit the Canal at Balboa, Panama at 7:00 p.m. You have the
evening free to pursue your activities of choice.
January 14 (Thursday: day 6 of cruise; at sea) - Morning activities include the
third workshop, then a free afternoon for swimming, tanning or
other shipboard activities before enjoying the evening meal and the night's
activities.
January 15 (Friday: day 7 of cruise) - We arrive at Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica
at 7:00 a.m. No group meetings today; you have the day to enjoy Costa Rica
and/or do observations for workshop material. It's wild, it's beautiful and Costa
Rica's eco-factor is off the charts. Here find steaming volcanoes,
lush rain forests and nearly half of all the animal species on earth. Sample
shore excursions include riding the tropical forest aerial tram visiting
Arenal Volcano & Thermal Waters, taking an all-day tour of San José, and going
on an Orchid Farm tour.
January 16 (Saturday: day 8 of cruise; at sea) - A full day of swimming, tanning or
other shipboard activities before enjoying the evening meal and the night's
activities. Today is a good day to do shipboard observations and interviews for
workshop material.
January 17 (Sunday: day 9 of cruise) - We arrive at Huatulco, Mexico, at noon.
No group meetings today; you have the day to enjoy Huatulco and/or do
observations for workshop material. Huatulco has everything you ever wanted in a
seaside resort: warm sun, sandy beaches and nine beautiful bays rimmed in every
shade of blue. Nearby are the low-growth caducifolia jungles teeming with
birdlife and the nesting grounds of endangered sea turtles. Sample shore
excursions include Five Bays by catamaran, the Copalita River white-water float
trip, deep sea fishing, a mountain bike tour. the bird-watching eco tour, and
the ATV Jungle Adventure.
January 18 (Monday: day 10 of cruise) - We arrive at Acapulco, Mexico, at 8:00
a.m. No group meetings today; you have the day to enjoy Acapulco and/or do
observations for workshop material.Acapulco is a world-class resort town
renowned for its beaches, magnificent tropical villas and hotels, and, of
course, the daring cliff divers of La Quebrada. Sample shore excursions include
Acapulco City Tour with Cliff Divers; the Shotover Jet Boat
adventure; Dolphin Adventure; Deep-sea Fishing; a Beach Getaway, and a trip to
release baby turtles into the ocean.
January 19 (Tuesday: day 11 of cruise; at sea) - Morning activities include the
fourth (and last!) workshop, then another afternoon of (yawn) swimming,
tanning or other shipboard activities (including doing your shipboard
observations and interviews for workshop material) before enjoying the evening meal
and the night's activities.
January 20 (Wednesday: day 12 of cruise) - We arrive at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico,
at 7:00 a.m. No group meetings today; you have the day to enjoy Cabo San Lucas
and/or do observations for workshop material. Cabo San Lucas is at the tip
of the Baja Peninsula, where the blue Pacific mingles with the Sea of Cortez in
a whirl of watercolors. The spectacular waters are teeming with marlin,
swordfish, sailfish, tuna and other fighting fish. There is exquisite
black coral to observe, and January in Cabo is the perfect time to take in the
annual migration of several species of whales. Sample shore excursions include sailing on
an America's Cup yacht, a Baja Jeep Safari, horseback riding on the beach,
certified and non-certified scuba diving, the Chileno Bay Sail and Snorkel
adventure, a whale-watching expedition, and the Extreme Outdoor Adventure (for
those who are adventurous and who are, shall we say, quite physically fit!).
January 21 (Thursday: day 13 of cruise; at sea) - A full day of (yup, yawn) swimming, tanning or
other shipboard activities before enjoying the evening meal and the night's
activities. By the time of our Jan Term Class Dinner Party on this day, you
should have completed all your work for the course!!
January 22 (Friday: day 14 of cruise) - We arrive in San Diego at 7:00 a.m. for
disembarkation and transfer to the airport for our flight back to BWI.
So it's home again, and
home again,
America for me.
My heart is turning home
again, and
there I long to be.
from "America for Me"
Henry van Dyke
Course Requirements
Text: None; any required reading will be material
provided by the instructor and posted on Blackboard
Class/workshop Time: 12 hours on campus prior to
cruise; 16 hours while on cruise
Experiential Program:
--Students will interview
five older persons who are residents of the United States and five older persons
from each of at least two countries other than the United States
--Students will perform
directed observations of older persons on board as well as on land
Performance Expectations - Academic:
--Attend all workshops on campus prior to cruise.
--Attend all workshops on board.
--Perform required
interviews and observations.
--Submit final paper
discussing one or more of several questions or statements provided by the
instructor; paper to be submitted by the end of the cruise on January 22.
Performance Expectations - Social and Behavioral:
--Be on time for all
scheduled activities, including ship and plane departures!
--Project a positive
image for the United States - avoid being an "Ugly American"
--Project a positive
image for McDaniel College - wear your institutional logo with pride!
--Demonstrate sensitivity
and respect for all older persons, wherever you encounter or interact with them
The Fine Print!
Students must be at least 19 years of age at the time of the cruise.
Passports are required, and they must be valid for at least six months after
January 22, 2010. It is the student's responsibility to obtain a passport
and to have one that meets this date requirement. As of July, 2009, none of the countries we will visit
require a visa.
As of July, 2009, there are no requirements for immunizations, but each
participant should discuss the trip and itinerary with his or her physician in
order to have personalized recommendations for medical preparation for the trip.
There will be four formal nights during the cruise; all of the rest of the
nights are casual. For the formal nights, the men are expected to wear a dark
suit with tie, but often the men wear sports jackets and ties, and that would be
OK dress for the guys. Women can get by with dressy pant suits or something
they might wear to an evening wedding, such as a cocktail dress. We will
have one group dinner, our Jan Term Class Dinner Party, on January 21, our last
night at sea.
Cruise fees are for a verandah (balcony) suite, double occupancy. It is
required that the entire group be housed in cabins in the same geographical area
on the ship, and these are the cabins we have been able to secure for our Jan
Term group.
Cruise fees do not include gratuities for the ship personnel (calculate: $11 per
passenger per day), on board alcohol, any food or drink purchased on land, or any
of the optional shore excursions. Please note that Holland America does
not serve alcohol to persons under 21 years of age.
The breakdown for the costs of the cruise are as follows:
The fee for the cruise itself as of July, 2009 is $2,999 per person, double
occupancy. This will not go up
and may go down as we progress to the date of embarkation.
Other costs are
Roundtrip airfare from BWI - $679
Transfers (airport to ship, ship to airport) - $36
Taxes - $281.97
Air taxes - $31.80
for a total of $4,027.77.
Platinum cruise protection (trip cancellation insurance, etc.), which is due at
time of booking, is an additional $359.00. If you want to include the insurance,
the total price is $4,386.77 per person based on double occupancy.
Other than passports, additional arrangements that would be the student's responsibility include
transportation from campus to BWI on January 8 and from BWI to campus on January
22. Several persons riding together in an airport shuttle is probably the
most cost-effective method of transportation unless you have friends or family
to get you to and from BWI.
McDaniel alumni and friends are welcome to join
this study-tour. For information, please contact Dr. Alva Baker at
abaker@mcdaniel.edu or 410.386.4609.
Friends of McDaniel students from other colleges and universities are welcome to
join, however, academic credits are
not available. McDaniel students having friends interested in participating
should contact Dr. Baker at the above email or telephone number.
Suggested Reading
An absolutely outstanding and fascinating book about the Panama Canal (history,
construction, importance, etc.) is The Path Between the Seas, by David
McCullough.