Students interested in justice and the service of others may have the opportunity to study abroad while enrolled in a summer program offered by the ACU Honors College. The program, called Justice Along the Meridian or JAM for short, will last a total of six weeks between May and June 2016.
The six weeks will be divided between Oxford and London, England, Barcelona, Spain and Accra, Ghana. These are three very different communities that expand the mission of the Justice Urban Studies Team on campus.
JUST, as it’s called, is based on the idea of exploring social justice and poverty in an urban setting. Initially an expansion of JUST, JAM took those issues presented at a local scale, in Dallas, and made them global.
With this emphasis on justice issues, the courses offered are HIST 340 The European Social Justice Tradition in Global Context, GLST 340 Poverty and Justice on the Meridian, and BCOR 310 The Search for Meaning.
The faculty sponsors, who will be leading the courses and excursions, are Dan McVey, Dr. Ron Morgan and Dr. Janine Morgan.
The first JAM trip was offered in 2014. Prior to that year, the Honors College only contributed to non-honors Study Abroad trips, giving honors students grants for those other trips.
JAM offers honors level classes to a mix of JUST and non-JUST students. The program is open to non-honors students as well, but they will need to meet the honors level requirements for completion of the courses.
The activities that students participate in vary each year, as the Morgans work with their contacts abroad to create individual experiences. The experiences are based upon what the enrolled students are interested in and what is going on locally and globally during the time period they will be abroad.
In the past, students have visited Spanish monasteries and spoken with Catholic monks, visited non-profit organizations, as well as worshiped with evangelicals in England and Ghana. In one instance, students received the chance to go visit a Christian ministry in a deprived neighborhood located in East Oxford.
The fee of the program totals $6,700. The cost includes transportation, housing, field trips, most meals in Ghana, and basic medical and travelers insurances. A student’s block tuition may be put toward the fee.
All honors students who participate will automatically receive a $1,000 scholarship toward the trip. No application is necessary.
Applications, along with a $250 application fee, must be accepted no later than Feb. 15. Students must be in good standing with the university and have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 to be accepted into the program.
There is priority to students who are enrolled in the JUST degree plan, but any honors or non-honors students may apply.
For further information, students may contact the Study Abroad office at study_abroad@acu.edu or Alison Spencer at alison.spencer@acu.edu.
