** This program is only open to incoming first year students who are a part of the The Faith and Globalization LLC **

ABOUT THE LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITY:
Globalization in the 21st Century is a major force in the world. This Living Learning Community (LLC) will be designed to broaden students’ perspective of the world community and engage them in campus/community dialogue and international travel. It is hoped that this opportunity to travel abroad on a short-term trip early in their academic career will lay the foundation for further international opportunities. Faith is frequently overlooked as an integral dynamic in relationships, culture and the physical world. The relevance of this understanding transcends all disciplines. This program is designed for students of all majors with an interest in religious perspectives, international travel, and challenging academics who appreciate the interconnected nature of our world today.

The Faith and Globalization LLC is the culmination of over two years of brainstorming and planning. This work has resulted in Salisbury University being invited to join a select list of distinguished international institutions as an associate program of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s Faith and Globalization Initiative. “This initiative is designed to promote an understanding of religious motivations and the causes of religious tension and conflict in an informed and thoughtful way.” (www.fgi-tbff.org)

This LLC will thematically address the role that faith and religion play in communication, culture, politics, geography, personal leadership and decision-making on a global scale.

FALL 2014:
Students take two courses in the fall. CMAT 100: Fundamentals of Communication will provide students with a micro view of faith and globalization. It will provide them with opportunities to explore and define their own attitudes and understanding regarding the role that religion plays in an individual’s belief system and decision-making. IDIS 279 Interdisciplinary General Education: Social Science Leadership, Ethics, and Globalization will offer students a macro view and give them an opportunity to explore and understand the role that faith plays in national and global leadership, politics, and events.

WINTER 2015:
Tentative dates for the Global Seminar are January 2 - January 18, 2015 (subject to change 2-3 days in either direction depending on flight cost and availability). This is not going to be a typical tourist jaunt focusing on sights like Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. This Global Seminar is ONLY open to students in the Faith and Globalization Living Learning Community (LLC). It must be understood that while traveling abroad in an SU program, student conduct is governed by the SU Global Seminaa code of conduct and violation of that code is punishable by such things as being sent home early at student expense, University sanctions, dismissal from the LLC program, and even dismissal from the university.

While a finalized list of activities will be distributed in fall 2014, the following provides examples of potential activities that will be a part of the Global Seminar course:

- Meeting with officials in London at the Tony Blair Faith Foundation to discuss the Faith And Globalization Initiative;
- A visit to Canterbury Cathedral, the site of the famous murder of Thomas Beckett. We plan to meet with church officials to discuss the role of the Church of England in British culture and policy making;
- A visit to the Belfast and or Derry (Londonderry) area to explore and discuss the age old conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland;
- Conversations with British citizens regarding the role of faith, immigration of peoples from differing faith backgrounds, and the role faith plays in British culture and politics.
- The schedule will include a few days for students to do site seeing on their own (at their own expense).

CLASS: One of the major components of the LLC is a Salisbury Global Seminar in January to Great Britain and Ireland. This region offers a unique opportunity to study Faith and Globalization from multiple perspectives in both historical and contemporary contexts. Students will take IDIS 278: Interdisciplinary General Education: Humanities: Religious Conflict New and Old: A study of the role of Faith in Great Britain and Ireland. This course will build on the work of the fall courses and provides student with practical application to view faith and globalization from a human perspective. This will be a rigorous academic course focusing on people and places that speak to the role that differing religious perspectives have played in the history, politics, and culture of the British Isles. This will be an opportunity for students to speak with people who have experienced the impact of interfaith conflict first-hand. Students will have the opportunity to interact with representatives of immigrant groups who are finding ways to express the faith of their homeland while adapting to life in a new culture. We will discuss the influence of faith on domestic and international policy with religious and political leaders. This program is designed to forever change the way students look at and think about the role of faith in our world.

We will be preparing students for this travel experience throughout the fall semester covering everything from the etiquette required of ambassadors from SU to packing tips.

HOUSING: We will be staying in modern and comfortable hostels in the various cities we will visit. Our home base will be the London Central Youth Hostel that can be viewed at http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/london-central.

SPRING 2015:
Students will take GEOG 141: Current Issues in Earth Science: The Impact of Globalization on the Physical World. This course will build on the work of the fall and winter courses and provide students with a view of faith and globalization from a physical perspective. This course will explore the impact of globalization on the stewardship of natural resources from a variety of philosophical and Faith Based perspectives.

For more on LLCs and to apply go to: http://www.salisbury.edu/housing/Llc/

APPLICATION:
To apply to the Faith and Globalization Living Learning Community indicate that preference on your housing form or call 410-543-6040.

Also, select "Apply to this Program" below and submit your application through the Salisbury Abroad online application.

The application deadline to the program is May 15th along with the housing deadline for The Faith and Globalization LLC.