If you are interested in learning and experiencing exotic cuisines, traditions, history, culture, and the arts of various countries in Asia, then this unit is for you! During this unit, we will learn the unique customs, languages, religion, music, and dance, as well as virtually visiting these beautiful countries. Most importantly, we will be trying delicious dishes from various countries throughout the continent, such as Japanese, Korean, Thai, Afghani or Turkish, Indian, and Persian cuisine. 

In this unit, we will not only taste different foods from these amazing countries, but also learn about different spices, herbs, and vegetables that are used in their cooking. A food critic will be brought to school to introduce students to all these interesting life experiences. This will allow the students to not only learn but also enjoy and taste the flavors of these beautiful countries. 

Student Capacity: 18

Tentative Travel Dates: Tuesday, May 23 - Tuesday, May 30, 2023

By 2025, the Dutch have a goal to provide 50% of their electricity through renewable sources like wind and solar.  What measures have they taken to begin reducing their carbon footprint?  Are you passionate about environmental sustainability and learning how to be a better citizen of the world? Do you want to understand principles of how recycling, reusing and repurposing can apply to your daily life?   

Throughout this unit, we will explore the Netherlands through the lens of environmental sustainability.  The Netherlands, famous for its tulip fields, windmills and bicycle culture is also home to the largest offshore wind farms and largest floating solar energy parks in Europe.  In this unit, students will visit three locations – Amsterdam, The Hague, and Leeuwarden.   In each location, students will explore various topics from sustainability to recycling and reusing materials.  In Amsterdam, students will examine sustainable solutions that we might not even recognize!  Things like water saving taps, solar panels on roofs and buildings that run on wind energy, fuel the Dutch’s pursuit of reducing their carbon footprint.  

We will experience the beauty of the Netherlands. Students will take a bike tour of Amsterdam and see fabulous sights such as the Joordan, Vondelpark and scenery with windmills.  In addition, we will be able to meet with a local environmental activist who will help us learn about the damage humans are doing to the planet, especially to our beaches.  We will utilize all we have learned and conduct a beach clean-up.   

No trip to the Netherlands would be complete without a visit to the Anne Frank Museum, where the girl made famous by her diary lives on in the museum.  As part of this visit, students will get to see the space in which Anne Frank, her family and family friend’s hid from the Nazis for two years.  We will be able to see the original pages of her diary and learn more about her story and how it fits in with the narrative of World War II.  

Student Capacity: 18

Tentative Travel Dates: Tuesday, May 23 - Thursday, June 1, 2023

“...a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” 

- Thomas Jefferson 

This unit explores what it means to be subject to oppression, what it means when tyrants fall, and what it means when those formerly oppressed take power.  We will use two Central European rulers—a 20th-century communist dictator whose reign is described in the novel, I Must Betray You, and a 15th-century prince who inspired the character of Dracula—as our models for study.  We will see where these tyrants were both victims and instruments of tyranny, where they had greatest power, and where they fell.   

Along the way, the stories of these two leaders will take us to medieval castles that inspired Hogwarts, giant construction projects sparked by fear and madness—including environmental areas and what Top Gear called “the world’s best road”—fortress churches, Roman outposts, the beautiful Transylvanian countryside, and the heaviest building in the world.  This unit experience not only provides an opportunity for cultural immersion in a region that is rich in history, but also offers students opportunities to see and experience successful responses to environmental and humanitarian crises. Students will reflect on these situations as they shed light on current world events. 

Opportunities to learn and serve include food distribution, refugee resettlement centers, and schools for displaced children among others. Partners will include U.S. and foreign governmental agencies as well as non-governmental agencies and local congregations. Flights to and from the region will run through Bucharest, the capital of Romania. 

Student Capacity: 18-20

Travel Dates: Tuesday, May 23 - Saturday, May 27, 2023

“Like an idea whose time has come, not even the marching of mighty armies can halt us. We are moving to the land of freedom.” 

--Martin Luther King, Jr.  

When Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his transformational “I Have a Dream” speech, he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and his message of justice and equality reverberated around the world. During the civil rights movement, activists like King, along with Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and John Lewis, among thousands of others, both black and white, demonstrated their commitment to a more just nation by marching nonviolently throughout the South. You now can follow in their footsteps, tracing the path they forged to inspire the nation they loved to live up to its founding ideals. We will walk along these pathways to freedom not only to celebrate those American heroes, but also honor those who died to protect the ideals we all hold so dear. 

We will begin our journey in Washington, D.C., where we will visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial and the National Museum of African American History. From there, we will travel to Montgomery, Alabama, where we will visit historical sites like the Rosa Parks Museum and the State Capitol, as well as the newly opened National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum. Students will also have the chance to interact with social justice advocates at the Southern Poverty Law Center and/or the Equal Justice Initiative. In Selma, we will tour the National Voting Rights Museum and walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the place of an historic march in 1965. Moving on to Birmingham, we’ll visit the 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of one of the galvanizing tragedies of the movement, a bombing which resulted in the deaths of four young girls, pause to reflect upon the memorials that now stand in Kelly Ingram Park, and tour the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Finally, in Atlanta, we will visit the Center for Civil and Human Rights and the Martin Luther King, Jr. historical site. 

By following in the footsteps of America’s civil rights heroes, we hope to provide the students with an unforgettable and unique opportunity to witness and appreciate the making of history by visiting these sacred spaces and places. In so doing, we will also open a larger conversation about how these events have been memorialized and understood in American history. A consideration of contemporary civil rights scholarship, along with recent documentaries and films on the subject, will provide an analytical framework for our experiential approach and help students not only to challenge the “traditional narrative” of America’s civil rights movement but also to gain deeper insights into this critical part of our history. 

Assessments will include discussions and daily reflections in a journal or blog. 

Student Capacity: 35

This is a “DREAM UNIT” for Gill students. Have a blast and become part of the next generation of Sports Broadcasters. 

Livingston, New Jersey’s own Bruce Beck of NBC 4 New York is bringing his Sports Broadcasting Camp to Gill. Bruce was recently named the top local Sports Anchor in the entire country. The 8-time New York Sports Emmy Award winner loves what he does and is eager to share his passion for this exciting and challenging profession with you. 

Whether you dream of being in front of the camera or working behind the scenes on the production side, this unit will give you a fascinating insight into the world of television and radio. 

This unit allows you to get hands-on experience and to learn the fundamentals of broadcasting. Mr. Beck and his team of professionals have developed an exciting program that will enable you to interact with some of the best announcers in the New York Metropolitan area - and gain valuable insight into every facet of the field. 

You will learn how to write for television and radio broadcasts, read off a teleprompter, co-host a sports talk radio segment, be a public address announcer, do field reports, debate other students in a talk show format – and even interview a former or current professional athlete. If safety protocols permit, there will be off-campus day trips, including a visit to MetLife Stadium. 

This class has been a home run whenever it’s been offered in the past. Ask other students who have participated. Bruce will become your friend for life. If you want to get in on the action and create even more action, THIS CLASS IS FOR YOU. It promises to be the experience of a lifetime. 
 

Calling all dinosaur enthusiasts! Have you ever wanted to be a part of the Jurassic Park world? Have you ever wanted to see a live Tyrannosaurus-Rex or pet a fully grown Velociraptor? Well, you can’t because they went extinct 65 million years ago. However, you can do the next best thing! You can find their remains in the rocks!  

Paleontology is a branch of science that deals with fossilized organisms. In this course, the basic principles of paleontology will be primarily conveyed through one of the most captivating and notaries fossil groups, dinosaurs. Using these prehistoric creatures as a canvas for comparison, the basic concepts of geology, paleobiology, and evolution will be examined in intricate detail as students conduct an extensive search for fossils across the Garden State. Guided by expert and enthusiastic faculty, students will hunt for Megalodon teeth at Shark River Park, analyze dinosaur tracks at Riker Hill, and forage for Hadrosaur bones at the Big Brook Nature Preserve. 

 If being outdoors and searching for the smallest clue that could lead to a major fossil find sounds like your ideal spring day, then come join us as GSB embarks on their own Mesozoic adventure! 

"Public history describes the many and diverse ways in which history is put to work in the world." -The National Council on Public History 

After an initial workshop on the history of, and best practices in, public history as a field, this unit will take students on a chronological journey through NJ history as told through its public history sites: museums, battlefields, archives, memorials, and more. 

Students will end the unit with a more complete understanding of the history of the state of NJ; an ability to assess NJ as a microcosm of the US and, more broadly, the world; and an ability to think critically about the efficacy of history done outside the classroom.  On two or three days, we will be eating lunch in the communities near each site, which will continually reinforce the discussion of the many positive impacts of heritage tourism covered by guest speaker, Professor Melissa Ziobro in her orientation workshop.  

Student Capacity: 18-20

Travel Dates: Tuesday, May 23 - Saturday, May 27, 2023

“Like an idea whose time has come, not even the marching of mighty armies can halt us. We are moving to the land of freedom.” 

--Martin Luther King, Jr.  

When Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his transformational “I Have a Dream” speech, he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and his message of justice and equality reverberated around the world. During the civil rights movement, activists like King, along with Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and John Lewis, among thousands of others, both black and white, demonstrated their commitment to a more just nation by marching nonviolently throughout the South. You now can follow in their footsteps, tracing the path they forged to inspire the nation they loved to live up to its founding ideals. We will walk along these pathways to freedom not only to celebrate those American heroes, but also honor those who died to protect the ideals we all hold so dear. 

We will begin our journey in Washington, D.C., where we will visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial and the National Museum of African American History. From there, we will travel to Montgomery, Alabama, where we will visit historical sites like the Rosa Parks Museum and the State Capitol, as well as the newly opened National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum. Students will also have the chance to interact with social justice advocates at the Southern Poverty Law Center and/or the Equal Justice Initiative. In Selma, we will tour the National Voting Rights Museum and walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the place of an historic march in 1965. Moving on to Birmingham, we’ll visit the 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of one of the galvanizing tragedies of the movement, a bombing which resulted in the deaths of four young girls, pause to reflect upon the memorials that now stand in Kelly Ingram Park, and tour the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Finally, in Atlanta, we will visit the Center for Civil and Human Rights and the Martin Luther King, Jr. historical site. 

By following in the footsteps of America’s civil rights heroes, we hope to provide the students with an unforgettable and unique opportunity to witness and appreciate the making of history by visiting these sacred spaces and places. In so doing, we will also open a larger conversation about how these events have been memorialized and understood in American history. A consideration of contemporary civil rights scholarship, along with recent documentaries and films on the subject, will provide an analytical framework for our experiential approach and help students not only to challenge the “traditional narrative” of America’s civil rights movement but also to gain deeper insights into this critical part of our history. 

Assessments will include discussions and daily reflections in a journal or blog. 

Do you love to cook and invent new culinary creations, or do you need help just boiling water for a cup of tea? Whichever category you fall into, if you would like to learn how to cook like a pro, this course is for you. 

Participants will be hands-on as they learn basic kitchen skills and techniques at the Natirar Cooking School in Peapack. Discover the benefits of sustainable seasonal ingredients, learn basic knife skills, and how to make global cuisines or family-friendly meals. Students will then have the opportunity to practice their new cooking skills by experimenting with their own culinary creations or recreating some personal family favorites.  A visiting guest chef will also teach students some tricks of the trade, and how minor tweaks to a recipe or a preparation can affect the overall product. Students will also be taught how to read a recipe and plan for time and ingredients. Throughout the unit, students will be encouraged to share their family traditions regarding food, and to keep a file or recipe catalog that they could use even after this course is through. Sample topics/creations may include and are not limited to: 

• The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie 
• Home-made pasta 
• Fudge Brownies 
• Home-made pizza 
• How to knead dough / working with yeast 

(Topics will be determined based on student input and interest.) 

Participants will also have a field trip to a local restaurant for a behind-the-scenes tour and lunch and will visit JT’s Confections for a lesson in candy-making. 
 

If you are interested in learning and experiencing exotic cuisines, traditions, history, culture, and the arts of various countries in Asia, then this unit is for you! During this unit, we will learn the unique customs, languages, religion, music, and dance, as well as virtually visiting these beautiful countries. Most importantly, we will be trying delicious dishes from various countries throughout the continent, such as Japanese, Korean, Thai, Afghani or Turkish, Indian, and Persian cuisine. 

In this unit, we will not only taste different foods from these amazing countries, but also learn about different spices, herbs, and vegetables that are used in their cooking. A food critic will be brought to school to introduce students to all these interesting life experiences. This will allow the students to not only learn but also enjoy and taste the flavors of these beautiful countries. 

Who isn’t interested in food? We like it. We need it. Sometimes, we crave it. During this Unit, students will study both the serious and fun side of food and farming.  

The questions we will tackle in this Unit include: 

• Where does our food come from and how is it produced, preserved and distributed?  
• What recent trends are changing the way we eat now and will our diets change significantly in the coming years? 
• How do our food preferences develop and why do we crave certain foods?  Have the food giants hooked us? 
• What makes the bubbles in bubble tea and how did potatoes improve your Wi-Fi signal? 
• How does our American diet compare to diets from other regions of the globe? 
• Are farms across America more like Homewinds or more like factories? 
• Are vertical farms the wave of the future? 
• What is the impact of politics and economics on farmers and food production? 
• Can you really make good, flavored popcorn at home? 

Drawing from texts, field trips, activities and experimentation on campus, we hope to gain insight into all of these questions.  

Potential Activities and Projects: 

• Grow Seedlings both outdoors in GSB’s greenhouse and indoors under LED light to compare  
• Create or Use a Robot that Accomplishes a Farming Task (Note: need to discuss with Ned) 
• Discuss with food service professionals trends in Food Science and preparation (Molecular Gastronomy) 
• Flavor Experiments in GSB’s new Teaching Kitchen 
  • Blind Taste Test – who has a well-developed palate? 
  • Craft your own gourmet popcorn flavors 
  • Create your own specialty ice cream flavors 

Possible field trips (in the NJ/NY area) include: 

• Valley Shepherd Creamery (making cheese at a dairy farm) 
• AeroFarms (a large vertical farm in NJ) 
• Rutgers University – Food Science (?) 
• NorthFork Bison Ranch  
• International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc. 
• A fish farm, large food processing plant, or slaughterhouse 

Texts / Resources: 

• What the World Eats 
• Fast Food Nation 
• Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us 
• Diet For a Small Planet 

A student once described history as “the story of rich people who lived thousands of miles away and died three hundred years ago”. Although this is certainly one way of looking at the past, history also consists of peoples of diverse social economic and ethnic backgrounds, can be viewed and studied through local lenses and is indeed ongoing. Our location in central New Jersey offers unique opportunities to delve into the diverse history of our students’ local area. This spans the period from the Lenni Lenape, early colonial settlers, the revolutionary war and the early immigrant experience. 

Each day students will visit various historic sites and follow expert-led guided tours. Possible locations may include the following: 

• Lenape Village at Waterloo Village  
• Netcong Historical Museum  
• Watchung Reservation  
• Deserted Village  
• Princeton University 
• Sirview Lake 
• The Great Divide Campground 
• The Ellis Island National Museum  
• The Drake House 
• Museum of Indian Culture  

Are you up for the challenge of being crowned the Iron Chef of GSB? Are your skills top notch or do you want to improve upon the skills you already have? Learn the art and science of cooking. From the seemingly simple to the complexities of Molecular Gastronomy, we will be learning the techniques of the humble Chef. Try your hand at the "simple” French omelet while your friends work on spherification. Learn why molecular gastronomy works and just what is the Milliard reaction? Culminate your cooking skills in an Iron Chef Competition with a secret ingredient! Whose cuisine will reign supreme? 

Learn the fundamentals of the sauté, what is meant by deglazing a pan, and many more. What are the methods of preserving food and are they used today? Make a batch of Kimchi and see your effort bubble to life. This unit is a must do for those who don’t want to eat Ramen every day in college. 

While prior cooking experience is a boom, no previous cooking skill is required. You will master the simple chop to the julienne. Other activities include learning the art of making fresh pasta, as well as a batch of Mozzarella cheese. Finally, enjoy a fine dining experience for lunch at a Michelin Starred Restaurant in NYC. 

Student Capacity: 10

Many of us play cards and board and video games. But did you ever stop and think about where they originated from? Why they are so popular? And how does one become involved in this industry? The gaming business is a constantly evolving world that continues to push its limits in all directions. From the individual perspective of an indie game designer to the content creator to massive companies with thousands of employees and numerous top-selling franchises. It is hard to ignore just how much of an influence the gaming industry has on all of us.    

In this unit, students will learn the history and origin of the most popular games through hands-on learning (aka playing the games duh). Students will have an opportunity to speak with professionals in the gaming industry, visit local arcades, experience an escape room, and even design their own board game that they will present to fellow students at the unit presentation. All while learning the ins and outs of the gaming industry, a multi-billion-dollar market that shows no sign of slowing down. 

If what you’ve read above sounds interesting to you, that’s awesome and we’d be happy to have you. But there is also a side of gaming that is often forgotten. Games bring people together. Whether it is an icebreaker when meeting new people; passing time during a difficult situation; a family tradition over a holiday; or a way to connect with a learning buddy, we can time and time again rely on games. Yet not everyone has access to them. In hopes of even helping a few individuals, this unit will also be running a school-wide collection of card and board games (new or gently used) to be donated locally.    

Student Capacity: 20

Did you know cosmic background radiation was discovered right here in New Jersey? Have you ever wondered why we are called The Garden State? The answers to these questions will be unearthed during this year’s “Secret Sciences of New Jersey” Unit! 

This campus-based Unit will feature individual day trips to scientifically significant sites around the state. From indoor skydiving at the Liberty Science Center to canoeing on the Delaware River to visiting the Jersey Shore, this survey-style Unit will touch on a variety of the sciences that call New Jersey their home, including physics, environmental science, limnology, geology, kinesiology, animal science, food science, and sustainability. Day trips will take place exclusively during the school day, making this unit perfect for both athletes and homebodies alike. Come join our Unit and see the depth of science available right here in our New Jersey home! 

DETAILS: A draft schedule of this Unit is below: 

• Monday, May 22 – Liberty Science Center (general science) 
• Tuesday, May 23 – Canoeing on the Delaware River (limnology) 
• Wednesday, May 24 – I-Fly indoor skydiving (physics) 
• Thursday, May 25 – Six Flags Great Adventure (engineering) 
• Friday, May 26 – Lakota Wolf Preserve/ Rizzo's exotic animal display (animal science) 
• Tuesday, May 30 – Sandy Hook Beach (environmental science) 
• Wednesday, May 31 – Rock Climbing & Circle Lanes (kinesiology) 
• Thursday, June 1 – Turtleback Zoo, Ropes Course, and South Mountain Preserve (sustainability) 
• Friday, June 2 – Healthy Italia (food science) 

Each day we will leave after the start of school and return before the end of the school day. Each day focuses on a particular science, listed above, which students will receive basic instruction on prior to arriving at the destination. Students will then write a reflection journal entry for each day to demonstrate their new understanding of that field of science. Associated risks include those associated with general physical activity, with special concern for indoor skydiving, rock climbing, and the ropes course at Turtleback Zoo.

Student Capacity: 21

Age: 16 and Up

Do you have what it takes to be a first responder? In every community the role of First Responders is essential to the health and safety of the public.  From saving lives to search and rescue missions to locking your keys in the car, the public depends on the commitment and training of all our public servants.  

This unit will give students first-hand training with a variety of First Responders including Police, Firefighters, and EMTs. Students will learn the basics of firefighting, searching for a missing person, providing first aid, and deploying a team for a mass casualty event. Training will take students on-location to Watchung Rescue Squad, Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy, and the Union County Dispatch Center. Throughout the two-week program there will be opportunities for students to learn the ins and outs of what goes into dispatching a Medivac helicopter, how the K9 unit works with search and rescue missions, and how heavy an actual fire hose is when being used to put out a fire. Upon completion of this unit, each student will walk away with CPR Certification and a variety of experiences that will last a lifetime.  

This program is being led by Denise Wilson, a Crew Chief, EMT, 2nd Lieutenant and Training Coordinator with The Watchung Rescue Squad, and Instructor/Aide at Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy.

Student Capacity: 14

Travel Dates: Monday, May 22 – Friday, June 2, 2023

What goes down at the scene of a crime? How do criminologists, forensic scientists, judges, attorneys, law enforcement officers, and criminal psychologists actually process mountains of evidence, question suspects, and make sense of it all? How do they ensure that the guilty do time and the innocent go free? For over a dozen years, Drs. Christine Tartaro and Josh Duntley have been introducing high school students to the behind-the-scenes workings of the talented people in this fascinating, cross-disciplinary area as part of a summer camp at Stockton University. As the co-founders of the popular Stockton CSI Camp, they will lead our Unit Program as if we were rookies on a crime scene or in a courtroom. 

During the course of the unit, students will engage in a host of challenging activities, such as: 

• collecting evidence at a mock murder scene 
• taking fingerprints and evidentiary samples 
• filing evidence requests and analyzing the results 
• interviewing witnesses and persons of interest 
• preparing a case for a criminal murder trial 

In addition, there will be time set aside to meet professionals in the field (including the Stockton Police Department, K-9 units, lie-detector operators, and more) who will answer questions and provide a real-world perspective on their challenging professions. By exploring three basic areas of inquiry—evidence, questioning, and courtroom—GSB students will gain even more knowledge and hands-on experience. Students will get a rare opportunity to learn about and engage in a powerful criminal justice tool: the use of DNA technology. DNA can be used to clear suspects and exonerate people mistakenly accused or convicted of crimes. In addition, students will have the opportunity to get a sneak peek of college life, including residing in a dorm for the duration of our stay and exploring the campus. 

Student Capacity: 10

Many of us play cards and board and video games. But did you ever stop and think about where they originated from? Why they are so popular? And how does one become involved in this industry? The gaming business is a constantly evolving world that continues to push its limits in all directions. From the individual perspective of an indie game designer to the content creator to massive companies with thousands of employees and numerous top-selling franchises. It is hard to ignore just how much of an influence the gaming industry has on all of us.    

In this unit, students will learn the history and origin of the most popular games through hands-on learning (aka playing the games duh). Students will have an opportunity to speak with professionals in the gaming industry, visit local arcades, experience an escape room, and even design their own board game that they will present to fellow students at the unit presentation. All while learning the ins and outs of the gaming industry, a multi-billion-dollar market that shows no sign of slowing down. 

If what you’ve read above sounds interesting to you, that’s awesome and we’d be happy to have you. But there is also a side of gaming that is often forgotten. Games bring people together. Whether it is an icebreaker when meeting new people; passing time during a difficult situation; a family tradition over a holiday; or a way to connect with a learning buddy, we can time and time again rely on games. Yet not everyone has access to them. In hopes of even helping a few individuals, this unit will also be running a school-wide collection of card and board games (new or gently used) to be donated locally.    

According to psychologist Kendra Cherry, “gratitude is a positive emotion that involves being thankful and appreciative and is associated with several mental and physical health benefits. When you experience gratitude, you feel grateful for something or someone in your life and respond with feelings of kindness, warmth, and other forms of generosity.” 

In May of 2020, Gill St. Bernard’s alum Paul Mulcahy launched the Grateful 4 Foundation, with the idea that even amidst the challenges of our daily lives, we all have things to be grateful for. The mission of the foundation is to “spread the idea of gratitude and inspire a chain reaction of selfless acts.” 

In this unit, students will explore the idea of gratitude in their own lives and partner with the Grateful 4 Foundation to make a difference in the GSB community and beyond. Specifically, students will watch TED talks on the importance of gratitude, hear from experts in the field of gratitude, create their own gratitude practice and journal, and then turn their gratitude into action by designing and performing a service project on campus and partnering with the Grateful 4 Foundation for various service opportunities. 

Some of the potential projects with the Grateful 4 foundation are: 

• Refurbishing a city basketball court 
• Volunteering with Embrace Kids Foundation 
• Helping with a Special Olympics event 

Student Capacity: 18

Tentative Travel Dates: Tuesday, May 23 - Thursday, June 1, 2023

“...a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” 

- Thomas Jefferson 

This unit explores what it means to be subject to oppression, what it means when tyrants fall, and what it means when those formerly oppressed take power.  We will use two Central European rulers—a 20th-century communist dictator whose reign is described in the novel, I Must Betray You, and a 15th-century prince who inspired the character of Dracula—as our models for study.  We will see where these tyrants were both victims and instruments of tyranny, where they had greatest power, and where they fell.   

Along the way, the stories of these two leaders will take us to medieval castles that inspired Hogwarts, giant construction projects sparked by fear and madness—including environmental areas and what Top Gear called “the world’s best road”—fortress churches, Roman outposts, the beautiful Transylvanian countryside, and the heaviest building in the world.  This unit experience not only provides an opportunity for cultural immersion in a region that is rich in history, but also offers students opportunities to see and experience successful responses to environmental and humanitarian crises. Students will reflect on these situations as they shed light on current world events. 

Opportunities to learn and serve include food distribution, refugee resettlement centers, and schools for displaced children among others. Partners will include U.S. and foreign governmental agencies as well as non-governmental agencies and local congregations. Flights to and from the region will run through Bucharest, the capital of Romania.