Journeys and Explorations

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Journeys and Explorations
Humanities Course
Course CodeJOUR
Year Opened1998
Sites OfferedSPE, WLA
Previously OfferedALE, BDA, LAJ, NRS, OMS, SAN, STP, WIN
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CTY Courses
Category · Template · CAA Courses
Sites
Bristol · Collegeville · Los Angeles · San Rafael · Santa Cruz
Alexandria · Baltimore · La Jolla · New York · Portola Valley · Sandy Spring · Venice · Baltimore (MSC)
Humanities
Model United Nations and Advanced Geography
The Ancient World
Journeys and Explorations
Big Questions
Writing
Being a Reader, Becoming a Writer
Heroes and Villains
Writing Workshop: Modern Fantasy
Behind the Mask: Superheroes Revealed
Math
Math Problem Solving · Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
Geometry and Spatial Sense
Great Discoveries in Mathematics
Numbers: Zero to Infinity
Data and Chance · Introduction to Robotics
Science
Marine Ecology · The Physics of Engineering
Inventions · Examining the Evidence
Through the Microscope · The Sensory Brain
The Edible World · Crystals and Polymers
Be a Scientist! · Cloudy with a Chance of Science
One Week Courses
Toyology · Science Spoilers · Space: To Infinity and Beyond
Defunct Courses
World Folklore and Mythology
Colonial America · Civil War Studies
The Middle Ages · The Renaissance
Worlds in Motion
Railroads: Connecting 19th-Century America · Pirates: History and Culture
The Olympics
Chinese · French · Spanish
The Art of Writing: Process and Product · Elements of Drama
Writing Workshop: Where Art Meets Science
Stories and Poems
Writing Workshop: Images and Text
Animal Behavior · Flight Science
Forest Ecology · Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils
Meteorology · Bugs and Butterflies
Dynamic Earth · Bay Ecology II

Course Description

From the CTY Course Catalog (1999):

Since the beginning of time, people have longed to travel, to seek out foreign lands, and to contact unfamiliar cultures. From the expeditions Sacajawea guided through the Pacific Northwest to Carmen San Diego’s world treks—real and imagined—have fasc inated us. In this course students follow the journeys of people as well as the evolution of objects and ideas.

First, they follow in the steps of great explorers. For example, one student may decide to sail with Marco Polo to China in search of silk and spices, and another may take the giant leap to the moon alongside Neil Armstrong off the lunar module Eagle . Then, students retrace the journeys of objects and ideas. An example of such an anthropological journey is following the evolution of the printed word. From handwritten texts transcribed by monks to the word processor, students analyze the differ ent uses, physical changes, and cultural significance of the written word. Throughout the course, the class explores the United States as a group by planning and following a cross-country trip. Along the way they stop off to learn about the people, poli tics, and history of each state. Through research that ranges from a state’s song to its industries, students gain a greater appreciation of the diversity and commonalities within the United States.

By studying famous explorations, cultural artifacts, and their own country, this course introduces students to the fields of intellectual and cultural history. Students understand better how ideas and societies have developed through exploration and inno vation, and they develop the research and reporting skills necessary to follow their own intellectual pursuits.