Off-Campus Programs

Why is the experience of an off-campus program so valuable?

  1. Off-Campus Programs confront us with the world around us as a text, a text waiting to be processed, interpreted, appreciated, and respected.
  2. Off-Campus Programs draw our vision outward. They heighten our sensory awareness of the world by placing us in new situations, challenging us to process, reflect upon, and respond to things we have not previously noticed. For example, Off-Campus Programs, in many cases, awaken in us a greater awareness of social injustices in the world, and call us to get involved in redressing these injustices.
  3. Off-Campus Programs draw our vision inward. They serve to reveal the sort of character each of us is developing, and to further stimulate character development. In the process of interpreting a new context, each of us is confronted with a vision of ourselves from a new perspective. This vision is essential in empowering us to seek new strategies for changing the self and for finding new areas in which to grow.
  4. Off-Campus Programs provide us with the chance to practice the skills and sympathies that are vital to an effective Christian in the world – skills that have begun to develop in and out of the classroom on campus. In new circumstances, we may have and may notice more opportunities for practicing openness to new ideas, fair-mindedness, and self-criticism.
  5. Finally, Off-Campus Programs offer us ample opportunity to practice discernment of the central core of Christianity – to sort out the essential from the non-essential in our relationship to Christ.

Why do we strongly recommend that students include an off-campus program experience as a part of their undergraduate program?

Off-Campus Programs at Westmont have grown out of the same educational philosophy as our on-campus curriculum. All of Westmont’s programs are committed to developing in our students the competencies, the skills, the sympathies, the motivations, and the knowledge base that will make them effective as Christians in their chosen vocation. Westmont’s Off-Campus Programs are much more than mere duplication of learning on campus, however. While our educational program attempts to offer students the balance of challenge and support necessary for growth, off-campus programs intensify the challenge for our students by placing them in unfamiliar surroundings.

All of the programs listed below can serve to enlarge us as Christian learners and to enlarge our vision of God’s work in the world. Westmont provides a variety of approved programs that offer different levels of support for students. They range from programs taught by Westmont faculty for Westmont students to programs in which Westmont students participate as individuals and are taught by program faculty. Students must consult with their academic advisor and with the Off-Campus Programs Office to explore which type of program would best suit their individual needs.

For additional information and applications for the programs listed below, please visit our website at www.westmont.edu/ocp. A minimum 2.3 GPA is required unless otherwise noted. At least one-half of the upper-division major requirements must be completed on the Westmont campus or on a Westmont staffed off-campus program.

Westmont financial aid (institutional grants, scholarship and loans) may be used for any semester-long Westmont operated off-campus program, including Europe, England, Mexico, and San Francisco Urban semesters. However, Westmont financial aid may be used for one program only at a Westmont approved (versus Westmont operated) off-campus program.

Tuition for Westmont operated and Westmont approved off-campus programs is the same as tuition on campus (except in a few cases where tuition is even higher than Westmont’s tuition, in which case students are charged the higher amount). Other charges for all campus programs vary by program and are available through the Off-Campus Programs Office or from the hosting institution. Students who participate in these programs through Westmont are considered to be Westmont students. Therefore, they retain their standing and class priority for returning enrollment and class selection. Although students are allowed to attend more than one program, they may not enroll in off-campus programs in consecutive semesters.

Students who choose to access programs directly are not considered Westmont students during the period, do not have the support of the Financial Aid Office in obtaining financial aid from the program, do not receive any Westmont aid, including grants, scholarships or loans, are not eligible for any merit scholarships if and when they return to Westmont, are allowed to re-enroll at Westmont only as space is available during a subsequent semester, and must obtain their own transcripts from the programs when applying for graduate school or employment.

Westmont Operated Off-Campus Programs

England Semester

The England Semester program takes place during the fall semester of even years only. It is directed by English Department faculty and combines travel to literary and cultural centers with residential study in the British Isles. Students study English literature in the land of its origin, witnessing firsthand the birthplaces of major writers and the settings of their works. They attend theatre performances in Edinburgh, London, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Dublin and visit sites through out the UK and Ireland including Oxford, Cambridge, the Lake District of the Romantic poets, and Hardy’s country in southern England. Upper division English and Theatre credit is offered.

Europe Semester

The Europe Semester program, a travel/study program led by Westmont faculty, takes place every fall semester (except Fall 2006).

As of 2007, a new 12-unit umbrella course will be offered. IS 121, 122, 123 and 124 European Culture and Society, Past and Present (4,4,4) — studies various aspects of European history, thought, arts, society, culture, science, economy and politics while resident in Europe. Special effort is made to understand Europe’s heritage and contemporary society in relation to larger world contexts.

Emphasizes thoughtful consideration of Christian and cultural concerns through preparatory readings, lectures, extensive discussion, and essay writing. The courses offered will fulfill three of the following four Common Inquiries requirements:

Thinking Globally
Understanding Society
Performing and Interpreting the Arts
Thinking Historically

San Francisco Urban Program

Students may attend the Urban Program in either the fall or spring semester. The program combines living and working in a unique urban setting, offering an opportunity for the study of cultural, ethnic, political, and business-oriented aspects of modern society. While enjoying the relative security and intimacy of a self-determined community, students reside in the heart of the city. The core of the program is a pre-professional internship that involves a minimum of 24 hours each week. Tutorials and independent study in a variety of areas are available in addition to the core curriculum:

Participants must take the following courses:
IS 190 Urban Practicum (8)
IS 195 Seminar in Urban Studies (4)
Electives:
IS 194 Tutorial (1-4)
ENG 101 Film Studies (4) - Spring only
ENG 134 Ethnicity, Race, and the City (4) - Fall only

Westmont in Mexico (WIM)

Westmont in Mexico, a program offered every fall semester, is led by Westmont faculty and located in the beautiful, colonial city of Querétaro. On this program, students gain skills for effective cross-cultural living, experience incarnational ministry, and improve their Spanish language abilities. WIM offers students the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in Mexican culture through home stays, coursework, and field trips within the context of a supportive Christian community. Another distinctive feature is its integrated pre-departure, in-country, and re-entry training.

WIM is designed to be a part of the general education curriculum, and fulfills several GE requirements. Students from all majors are encouraged to apply. Students must have completed the equivalent of one semester of college Spanish prior to enrolling in WIM.

Course Offerings

Courses in WIM are taught by Mexican university professors and the Westmont faculty director. While in Mexico you may earn up to 16 semester units. The courses are:

Spanish Language: beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels (GE, Modern Language)
SP 005M Intermediate Spanish (4 units) Prerequisite: SP 2 (one year of college Spanish) or equivalent.
SP 006M Intermediate Spanish Conversation (2 units) Prerequisite: SP 2 (one year of college Spanish) or equivalent.
SP 100M Advanced Spanish (3 units) Prerequisite: SP 4 (two years of college Spanish) or equivalent.
SP 105M Language in Context (3 units) Prerequisite: SP 4 (two years of college Spanish) or equivalent.
(The following courses are open to advanced Spanish students who have completed SP 100)
SP 120M Advanced Composition (3 units)
SP 121M Advanced Oral Skills (3 units)
Mexican History and Civilization (GE, Thinking Historically)
HIS 160M Mexican History and Civilization (3 units) (Required of all WIM students.)
Principles of Art: Mexico (GE, Performing & Interpreting the Arts)
ART 121M Mexican Art (3 units)
Integrative Seminar: Engaging Culture (GE, Thinking Globally)
IS 193M Seminar: Engaging Culture (3 units) (Required of all WIM students.) This seminar is a continuation of the spring orientation course and is designed to deepen understanding of Mexican culture and to maximize your experience abroad. This course complements the activities of other WIM classes and provides a framework for examining the issues and questions they present. Students will participate in several field trips and projects outside of the classroom designed to help them “engage culture.” A cultural journal, reflective essays, and oral presentations will be regular parts of this course.
Latin-American Literature (GE, Reading Imaginative Literature)
SP 104M Survey of Latin American Literature (3 units)
SP 160M Survey of Mexican Literature (3 units)
SP 165M Introduction to Literary Translation (3 units) Prerequisite: one Spanish literature course.
Latin Dance (GE, PEA)
PEA 025M Latin Dance (1 unit)
In addition to these courses, WIM has a pre-departure orientation seminar during the spring semester preceding the fall semester in Mexico.
IS 192 Orientation: Westmont in Mexico (2 units)

Inoculum

This 12-day backpack trip in August to the northeastern wilderness area of Yosemite National Park is a special extension of the first-year student orientation program. Readings, discussions, and papers focus the course content on the uniqueness of a Westmont liberal arts education.

Participants must take the following course:
APP 90 The Inoculum: Wilderness/Orientation (2)
The APP 90 course will meet one of the four PEA requirements.

Off-Campus Mayterm

Westmont Mayterm and Summer Programs are short-term study excursions that often include both on-campus study and travel. Programs offering general education courses as well as programs offering major-specific curricula are available. A number of options are available in any given year; in the past, such programs have included trips to Europe, England, Egypt, Israel, Sri Lanka, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Oregon, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Honduras, Ireland, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.

San Francisco Urban Mayterm

This Mayterm takes place every year in Westmont’s newly purchased Victorian mansion on the edge of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Students can earn eight units while exploring the streets of San Francisco and attending ethnic celebrations, music, theatre, sporting, and cultural events across the city and around the Bay Area.

Westmont Approved Programs

Christian College Consortium Programs:

The Christian College Consortium promotes the development and articulation of the unique contributions that Christian higher education can make to contemporary society. The Visitor Program allows students to take advantage of different course offerings and to experience the culture of different regions of the country at the following Christian Colleges while maintaining regular standing at their home campuses. The other members of the Consortium are: Asbury College, KY; Malone College, OH; Bethel University, MN; Messiah College, PA; George Fox University, OR; Taylor University, IN; Gordon College, MA; Trinity International University, IL; Greenville College, IL; Seattle Pacific University, WA; Houghton College, NY; Wheaton College, IL. Westmont students may enroll for one semester at a consortium college, or at one of the off-campus programs sponsored by the consortium institution.

Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) Programs:

The Council for Christian College and Universities (CCCU) is a higher education association of more than 150 intentionally Christ-centered institutions around the world. There are 102 member campuses in North America and all are fully-accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 71 affiliate campuses from 22 countries are part of the CCCU. The Council’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.

Westmont students may enroll for one semester in one of the study programs sponsored by the CCCU. Programs currently available are in Australia, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, England, Russia, Uganda and the United States.

Other Approved Programs:

Westmont students may choose to enroll for one semester from a wide range of other national and international programs. Many of these programs are open to all students for general study, regardless of the student’s major (ex. Lithuania Christian College or Spring Semester in Thailand). In addition, Westmont has approved some programs that feature advanced study in a particular subject area, which are open only to students with a particular academic major or minor (ex. SACI program in Florence for art majors or USAC programs in Spain, Central and South America for Spanish majors). A complete list and description of programs available to Westmont students can be found on the Westmont homepage at http://www.westmont.edu/ocp/pages/.