2013: Greece: The Cradle of Civilization
Dr. Justin McBrayer
In 2013, the Philosophy Department and Continuing Education partnered to offer a new innovative month trip to Greece during the first summer session of 2013. The trip was called Greece: The Cradle of Civilization and focused on the cultural and philosophical contributions of classical Greece. As part of education for global citizenship, the course explored some of the recent turmoil in Greece including the Euro crisis.
When: First summer session of 2013 (3 days of class in Durango and 19 days in Greece)
Where: 4 cities on the mainland and 3 Greek islands
2012: France Through Art & Philosophy
Dr. Justin McBrayer and Mr. Paul Booth
This course introduced students to France and French culture with a focus on art and philosophy. The class traveled from Paris to Tours to Vezelay to Dijon and finally back to Paris. Cultural/Academic sites included the Louvre, Musee ‘d Orsay, Gaite Lyric Museum, the palace of Versailles, Chartres Cathedral, Giverny (home of Monet), Centre Pompidou, Notre Dame Cathedral, the hometown of Rene Descartes, and more. We also had a dinner cruise on the Seine river in Paris, a bike ride through portions of the Loire valley, and a canoe trip outside of the medieval hamlet of Vezelay.
2011: Italy Through Art & Philosophy
Dr. Justin McBrayer and Mr. Paul Booth
This course introduces students to Italy and Italian culture with a focus on art and philosophy. The class traveled from Rome and the Vatican City to Orvieto to Florence and finally to Venice. Cultural/Academic sites included the Pantheon, the Coliseum, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, Ostia Antica, the caves under Orvieto, the Uffizi Gallery, the Florentine duomo, and much more.
2010: India: Theory & Practice of Meditation, Yoga & Service
Dr. Reyes Garcia
This course introduces students to the theory behind yoga and the practice of yoga. The class travelled to Dharamsala, India, home of the government-in-exile of Tibet and its head of state, the 14th Dalai Lama. The goal of the course is to become acquainted with Mahayana Buddhist meditation, especially as practiced at the Tushita Meditation Centre in nearby Dharamkot and with Hindu meditation and yoga as taught at the three ashrams (Hindu retreat centers).
2008: India: Theory & Practice of Meditation, Yoga & Service
Dr. Reyes Garcia
The goal of the course is to become acquainted with Mahayana Buddhist meditation, especially as practiced at the Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamkot and with Hindu meditation and yoga as taught at the three ashrams (Hindu retreat centers) that we will stay in: Rishikesh, “yoga capital of the world,” an ashram near Uttarkashi directed by the reknowned Swami Premanand, and Gangotri, the village in the Himalayas nearest the glacial headwaters of the Ganges. The pinnacle of the trip is a stop in Dharamsala, home of the government-in-exile of Tibet and its head of state, the 14th Dalai Lama.