VT/WFP Nicaragua labor study abroad: July 3-13 (undergrad and graduatele

STUDY ABROAD IN SOCIOLOGY:
LABOR AND LABOR MOVEMENTS IN NICARAGUA
http://filebox.vt.edu/artsci/soc/wimberley/nicastudy/index.html
(please forward to others who may be interested)

Virginia Tech and Witness for Peace are offering a study-abroad 
course to Nicaragua July 3-13 as part of Virginia Tech's second 
summer term.  We will hear a wide range of viewpoints on that 
country's working conditions and union movements.  We will focus 
especially on the workers who make jeans and other clothes for export 
to the U.S.  Our planned itinerary includes meeting and talking with 
garment workers from the Nicaraguan free trade zone, other workers, 
labor union leaders, Nicaraguan and U.S. government officials, and 
businesspeople.  We will live in Nicaraguan workers' homes for a few 
days of the trip.

Participants won't see the world the same way after this program. 
For a taste of what the pilot program was like last year, see the 
students' final report at 
http://filebox.vt.edu/artsci/soc/wimberley/nicastudy/2000/report/index.html

Anyone can apply. Individuals not enrolled in Virginia Tech may apply 
as special students, transferring the credit to their home 
universities afterwards.

CREDIT: 3 semester hours in Sociology at either the undergraduate or 
graduate level (Sociology 4984 or 5984).

LOCATION OF STUDY: Students will NOT need to travel to Virginia Tech 
to participate in this course.  The distance-learning portion of the 
program, which will have a flexible schedule (accomodating work, 
other academic study, etc.), begins in June by email.

NICARAGUA: The Central American nation of Nicaragua - the 
third-poorest country in the western hemisphere and increasingly a 
source of clothes sold in the U.S. - has a revolutionary history and 
one of the most successful free-trade-zone union movements in the 
Americas.

THE INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Dale Wimberley is Associate Professor of 
Sociology at Virginia Tech.  He has travelled to Nicaragua four times 
since 1995 and currently is doing research on the cross-border labor 
solidarity movement between U.S. activists and garment workers in 
Nicaraguan free trade zone factories.  He first offered this program 
last year.

WITNESS FOR PEACE:  WFP was formed in 1983 as part of a movement to 
end U.S. military intervention in Nicaragua. Since then it has taken 
more than 8,000 individuals to Latin America and the Caribbean in 
study-abroad and citizen delegations. Witness for Peace is a 
politically-independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to 
support peace, justice, and sustainable economies in the Americas by 
changing U.S. policies and corporate practices which contribute to 
poverty and oppression. WFP consists of people committed to 
nonviolence and led by faith or conscience.
        Witness for Peace makes every effort to ensure participants' 
personal safety and security. With 17 continuous years of operation 
in Nicaragua, WFP is a leader in responsible educational travel.

COSTS:  Program costs are $850 (including meals, lodging, local 
transportation,  translation, and other program costs).  Airfare 
(estimated at $750) and tuition are not included.  Tuition is at the 
following reduced rates:
        Undergraduate credit, Virginia residents        $246
        Undergraduate credit, out-of-state residents     987
        Graduate credit, Virginia residents              495
        Graduate credit, out-of-state residents          831
This program is a great opportunity for students who'd like to do 
study abroad, but who haven't been able to afford the several 
thousand dollars many study abroad programs cost.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:  (1) Virginia Tech students may use financial 
assistance to which they have access through the university.  (2) 
 From private donations, Witness for Peace has funds available to 
assist some participants in this program, based on need and 
qualifications of applicants.  There are four $250 scholarships 
available, which may be combined into two $500 scholarships, 
depending on the needs of applicants.  (These funds may be used only 
to cover expenses incurred by Witness for Peace that would otherwise 
be part of the $850 program fee; the scholarships are not associated 
with or administered by Virginia Tech.)  Recipients of the WFP funds 
are not limited to Virginia Tech students.

The APPLICATION DEADLINE is MAY 2.  Space is limited.  A deposit of 
$250 is required by that date.  For application materials or more 
information, please visit the program website: 
http://filebox.vt.edu/artsci/soc/wimberley/nicastudy/index.html

or contact:

Dale Wimberley
Department of Sociology
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia  24061
(540) 231-8960 * Fax:  (540) 231-3860
dale.wimberley@vt.edu