Curriculum Structure
A Typical Week in Encuentro Dominicano
The time periods are merely suggested and could be altered. They were designed with the following considerations in mind:
- leave the daytime hours for students to take required classes, study, and do service work
- daytime hours will also enable visiting Creighton professors to prepare for class, to explore the area, and possibly to do their own service hours or research
- meals are served at specific times at the Center: 8:00 breakfast, 12:30 lunch, 6:00 dinner
- the time period for Elective #2 will include Creighton's fall/spring break, so that the professor has the option to miss only 2 weeks (instead of 3) of teaching other courses on Creighton's campus
- if students are not taking one of the elective classes in the evening, they may use this time to study or work on projects and other courses
- the last day of each 3-week session could be assessment day (major test or project or other assessment measure)
Typical Semester Schedule
Course Contact Hours
1. EDP 361 / JPS 361 - Social Justice in the Dominican Republic (6 credit hours). This course will be taught/facilitated/supervised by the Academic Director for the Encuentro Dominicano program in collaboration with the Executive Director of CESI with regard to service-learning and immersions. It will include the following components:
- 36 class hours during the 8:45-10:45 time period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This period allows flexibility for class lecture or guest speakers;
- 36 hours of volunteer service in designated sites (about 4 hours per week) during the 8:30-12:30 time period on Mondays and Wednesdays, which will connect course content with practical experience and provide the foundation for directed journaling and other assignments. The large time block will allow flexibility in transportation and site availability;
- 20 days of immersion living with families, to provide students with fuller Dominican life experiences and enable them to make connections to topics from class; and
- 3 total days of retreat (split into 2 and 1 overnight) at the end of each 10-day immersion period
2. SPN xxx - Spanish class (3 credits)
There will be various levels offered (beginning, intermediate and advanced), and the students will be placed in the classes based on their ability levels. A Dominican instructor from a local university will teach these courses for 36-45 contact hours during the 2:30-3:45, 3:45-5:00 and 5:00-6:00 time periods on Monday-Thursday.
3. Elective Courses - Creighton professors (3 credits each)
The professors will teach for 36 contact hours Monday-Thursday during the 7:00-10:00 time period for the three weeks when they are in the Dominican Republic.