Program Highlights

At-a-glance

• Spend five weeks learning and living in London, England
• Take a Religious Studies and Chemistry course
• Fulfill two Gonzaga core requirements while studying abroad
• Classes meet Monday - Thursday with Wednesday reserved for class field trips around and outside London
• Visits to museums and sites of historical and cultural interest
• Shared student housing is located within walking distance to school and just blocks from the British Museum.
• Open to all students regardless of major

Program Dates:
May 21 - June 22, 2012

Courses

• RELI 370 (3 credits)
  Spirituality: A call to Justice
  - Dr. Patrick McCormick
• CHEM 180 (3 credits)
  Chemistry & Art
  Dr. Gemma D'Ambruoso

Application Deadline:
Extended to January 31, 2012

Program Cost
Estimated Program Cost: $4,900
For details of what's included in the program cost, click here.

Course Descriptions & Goals

RELI 370 Christian Spirituality: A Call to Justice (3 credits) -  Dr. Patrick McCormick
After initial explorations of the concept of "spirituality," this course will examine a biblical spirituality grounded in God's call to practice justice, compassion and mercy, look at how spiritual authors in the Christian tradition have stressed the need for social and global justice, and see how Christian Spirituality has been shaped by and responded to social injustices. After reviewing a chorus of biblical authors and Christian writers calling for an integral spirituality grounded in the practice of justice towards the neighbor and alien, there will be an extended unit examining Christian spiritual movements in England and the West responding to the injustices of colonialism, slavery, the industrial revolution, and globalization. In addition, we will see how the dialogue between Christian Spirituality and social movements is expressed in the art and architecture of England. Prerequisites: Completion of a 100 and 200 level religion class. (Fulfills core requirement for GU) RELI 370 Course Goals:

• To help students clarify the meaning of "spirituality" and to become familiar with the questions associated with it today.
• To become familiar with a biblical spirituality grounded in God's call to practice justice, mercy and compassion towards the neighbor and the stranger, and to be companions to and advocates for all of creation.
• To introduce a number of key Christian spiritual authors and uncover the essential role of justice, compassion and mercy in their writings.
• To provide students with an opportunity to reflect upon and attend to the development of an integral spirituality in their own lives.
• To uncover the ways our art and architecture express and shape our personal and communal spiritualities.

CHEM 180 Chemistry & Art (3 credits) - Dr. Gemma D'Ambruoso
After an initial look at light, color, and vision, this course will investigate the materials used in paintings, including the chemical composition of paints, varnishes and binders and the chemical processes that contribute to their aging and decomposition.  We will then focus on the study of the scientific instrumentation used for authentication and conservation of art.  Using resources provided by the National Gallery and other London museums, we will examine many case studies of art that involve dating, cleaning, or restoring art pieces using modern scientific techniques including infrared reflectography and x-ray radiography.  We will also go "behind the scenes" to observe in person the technical examinations and restoration efforts of art conservators. (Fulfills core requirement for GU).CHEM 180 Course Goals:

• To understand the basic principles behind light, color, and how we perceive light and color.
• To learn foundational chemistry principles involving atoms, ions and their subatomic particles and chemical bonding between them.
• To understand the chemical composition of paints, binders and varnishes.
• To understand the basic scientific principles behind the modern instrumentation used to technically examine paintings.
• To orally communicate scientific aspects of a painting or conservation study (from the National Gallery Technical Bulletin).

Faculty Leaders

Gemma D'Ambruoso  is a lecturer in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at Gonzaga University. She received her bachelors in Chemistry from Providence College and her doctorate in Organic Chemistry from the University of Arizona in 2005.  She then completed a teaching post-doctoral position in Organic/Materials Chemistry at the University of Arizona before moving to Spokane in 2006.  Gemma's primary teaching focus is in the general and organic chemistry curriculum at Gonzaga University, in particular the organic laboratory courses.  In 2009 she spent the summer teaching Chemistry & Art in Florence, Italy and has since co-authored an article in the Journal of Chemical Education on the Chemistry & Art course.

Pat McCormick is a professor of Christian Ethics and Moral Theology at Gonzaga University. He received his doctorate in Moral Theology from the Gregorian University (Rome) in 1984 and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Bioethics at the Cleveland Clinic in 1994. The author of Sin as Addiction (Paulist Press) and A Banqueter's Guide to the All Night Soup Kitchen of the Kingdom of God (Liturgical Press) and the co-author of Character, Choices & Community (Paulist Press) and Facing Ethical Issues (Paulist Press), Patrick has written over two dozen essays and chapters on Christian Ethics and Catholic Social Teachings, and for the past 15 years has written an award winning monthly column on Christianity and culture for U.S. Catholic.

Excursions & Activities

The program offers the opportunity for a variety of sightseeing adventures to places central to the history of English art and architecture and the Christian Church. Many of these will be planned as part of the courses. Student will also have the valuable opportunity to explore according to their own interests.

Program Requirements

Spirituality & the Arts of England is open to all undergraduates who have completed at least freshman year and meet the admission requirements listed below:

• Minimum 2.5 GPA
• Two letters of academic recommendation
• Student Life and Academic clearance
• Completion of a 100 and 200 level religious studies course

Program Cost

Estimated Program Cost: $4,900
Cost includes: Tuition for six credits, student housing and classroom space, as well as class related excursions, both in and beyond the city, a London Tube and Bus Pass (Zones 1 & 2), International Student Identity Card (ISIC). Airfare, meals, books, and spending money are not included in the cost. Student housing is equipped with kitchen facilities.

Application Procedure

When to Apply
Application Deadline:  January 15, 2012. Early application is encouraged. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis up to the application deadline or until the program is filled. The program is limited to 15 students. Operation of this program is subject to administrative approval and is dependent upon meeting the minimum enrollment (14 students).

Application

1. Application form (type directly into pdf and then print completed application)
2. $50 non-refundable study abroad application fee payable via Study Abroad CASHNet
3. Two (2) academic recommendations
4. Academic clearance online form
5. Student Life clearance online form
6. Return application to the Study Abroad office either in person (323 E Boone Ave) or by campus mail to AD Box 85.

Passport

Be sure that your passport is valid for six months after the end of the study abroad program.