Hawaii Travel Course

with Dr. Sumi Colligan

December 30, 2008 - January 12, 2009

(14 days)

COURSE DESCIPTION: Hawaii is often described as a multicultural paradise, a multi-ethnic society in which groups live in harmony and respect one another. Hawaii has the largest Asian population in the US, and within the past 30 years, a strong native Hawaiian cultural, linguistic and political movement. We will be critically assessing Hawaii’s claim to being a multicultural model for the rest of the country and the world

Approximate Cost: $2,670 (please note what this does and does not include)

If you are a student, you will officially register for this course when you sign up for your spring-semester courses.

Prerequisites: You must have my permission to take this course. If you are interested contact me immediately (s.colligan@mcla.edu). Preference will be given to juniors and seniors but sophomores are also welcome. You do not have to be a sociology major to take the course. May graduates and staff are welcome to participate (no auditing fee); community members may participate but are required to pay a $200 auditing fee.

PAYMENT PLAN:

• $170 (nonrefundable unless trip cancelled); will be applied to total cost (THE DEPOSIT DATE IS PAST DUE  BUT THE BURSAR’S OFFICE WILL ACCEPT THE DEPOSIT UNTIL SEPT. 15TH OR UNTIL THE COURSE IS CLOSED. THE SOONER YOU ARE ABLE TO PAY THE DEPOSIT, THE BETTER).
• Sept. 15th - $1,400
• Oct. 15th - $1,100 (this amount is not yet set; may be slightly more or less) 
• PLEASE NOTE: airfare costs are based on the purchase of 10 tickets; once you reserve your seat with the $170 initial deposit, the base price of the tickets are guaranteed but taxes (including fuel tax) are subject to fluctuation until tickets are paid in full.

Also, the total price of the trip may fluctuate slightly depending on the final number of participants.

Trip Includes:

• round-trip ticket from Hartford, CT to Honolulu and one inter-island flight between Honolulu and the Big Island of Hawaii
• dorm lodging at the University of Hawaii campus
• cafeteria-style food (dorm lodging and food from Dec. 30th to the morning of Jan. 8th)
• 4 lectures from experts at the University of Hawaii campus
• 4 major field trips on O’ahu, including transportation and entrance fees
• participation in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony
• pick up and delivery to and from UH campus to airport
• 1 luau (a buffet-style traditional Hawaiian dinner)
• 1 evening of Polynesian dance performance
• Big Island costs: approx. cost of van rental and gas for 4 days; entrance fees on the Big Island and 3 nights of Big Island lodging

DOES NOT INCLUDE:

• last 3 and a half days of food on the Big Island
• public transportation costs for O’ahu - buses are two dollars per ride or you can get a 4-day bus pass for $20 (unlimited rides)
• spending money, including any additional entrance fees

CREDITS: 3 upper-level credits (these can be applied to an anthropology minor, a sociology major or simply count toward your upper-level 39 credit requirement). If you are a full-time student, your tuition costs will be included in your spring tuition costs so you don’t have to pay extra for credits. If you are part-time, you have to pay per credit hour; if you are not a student, you have to pay a $200 auditing fee. May graduates, faculty and staff are exempt from the auditing fee.

ITINERARY (subject to change):

• Dec. 30 arrive in Honolulu
• Dec. 31 morning - lecture from Jon Osorio, a native Hawaiian professor, will speak on native Hawaiian history and culture; afternoon free
• Jan. 1 afternoon and evening at the Polynesian Cultural Center, includes luau and Polynesian dance performance
• Jan. 2 multicultural island tour (lasts about 6 hours)
• Jan. 3 service-learning field trip to help restore native Hawaiian sacred site; will have after 2pm free
• Jan. 4 free day
• Jan. 5 morning lecture from Ulla Hasager,a Danish anthropologist married to a native Hawaiian. She’ll be accompanying us on the service-learning field trip and she’ll be lecturing on native Hawaiian land rights; afternoon free
• Jan. 6 lecture from Jonathan Okamura, a Japanese-American anthropologist whose family roots in Hawaii go back to the 1880s. He’ll talk to us about contemporary ethnic relations in Hawaii; then a field trip to a historic plantation village
• Jan. 7 morning lecture (maybe on Filipinos in Hawaii); afternoon – traditional Japanese tea ceremony
• Jan. 8 leave for Big Island
• Jan. 8-11 visit Hawaiian language immersion preschool or kindergarten, visit Volcano National Park, visit amazing Hawaiian archaeological site
• Jan. 11 late afternoon, fly back to Honolulu, then from Honolulu to mainland
• Jan. 12 arrive back in Hartford

COURSE REQUIREMENTS (tentative):

1. Several scheduled meetings this fall and spring semester (before and after trip)
2. May be asked to watch 2 documentaries I’ll put on reserve
3. Short readings
4. Journal (including lecture notes, thoughts about assigned readings, thoughts about field trips)
5. 10-page term paper (you’ll have lots of topic choices)
6. Possibly group slide-show presentation to campus community
7. On O’ahu, you’ll be asked to use one block of your free time to visit any of the following sites (tentative list): Iolani Palace (where Hawaiian royalty once lived) Bishop Museum (a great museum if you’re interested in Hawaiian prehistory/archaeology) Pearl HarborJapanese Cultural Center

RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES: Swimming, snorkeling, body surfing, hiking