Semester at Sea: Academic Side

For a vast majority of my blog I have written about my travels and the people I’ve met. I haven’t exactly talked about my classes that much or what is expected of a typical student. So, this post will be strictly about academics.

When students first learn about Semester at Sea they have a picture in their head of a “cruise” not a voyage. Students believe that this will be an easy summer…I know, because I was one of them. But, of course, I was wrong. Semester at Sea is truly an academic experience. And like all universities, academics start in the classroom.

For those of you who have been following my blog, and for those we haven’t been, you should remember that I am in class everyday on the ship…including Saturdays, Sundays even Sea-sickness days. Everyday I attend Global Studies: Art History of the Mediterranean, Value of Negotiation, and Italy in the Age of the Renaissance.

Global Studies: quite a challenge for a business student. The whole class is a completely different mind set than business and I find it challenging being enthused about different paintings and sculptures. Fortunately, the class is balanced with information about the history, politics, economics and future outlooks of all the different countries on the itinerary. Everyone on the ship has an hour and a half of global studies. Another aspect of Global Studied: Field Directed Practica (FDPs). Each student is required to turn in two journal entries/academic reports about a UNESCO world heritage site they have visited, what they saw when they were there, and how it relates the material presented in class. For me, this is the hardest part. Never in my life have I had to write a journal entry. Heck, I didn’t even know what a journal entry was until SAS. As a business student, my extent of writing has been a twenty-page research paper my freshman year of English and some pages with bullet points for group projects. I literally had to go find English majors, Psychology majors and Communication majors to find out how to write a journal entry. Ridiculous. The last aspect of global studies: exams. My first exam occurred a third of the way into my voyage right before berthing in Spain. It was fairly easy recalling eight days worth of class material….quite a different experience for the second exam. Exam number two had the same amount of material, but it was spread out over one whole month. Lots to remember! It was really hard recalling certain artists from Spain five countries down the road. Overall the class is a great way to learn about the countries on the itinerary.

Negotiation: Definitely a highlight of my trip. Although there is a about twenty-forty pages of reading every night it is worth it. I’ve learned so much from this class! The whole summer I have been learning different negotiation techniques: how to effectively close a deal, understand different cultural aspects of business, as well as multiple in class simulations and first hand encounters. The best part of the class is being able to use what I have learned in real life. While visiting Turkey I was overly successful at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market negotiating with shopkeepers. I was so successful that friends of mine asked me to start bargaining on their behalf. As part of the course I have a quiz every other day, a discussion group that meets every other day, and a final paper. The final paper is written with a partner about a negotiation that takes place in port. My friend Ben and I decided to get together and go to the Grand Bazaar to carry out our negotiation for the final paper.  Ben ended up finding a decoder from WW2 in an antique store and we were both able to use the tools learned in class to form a relationship with the shop keeper (asking about photos of his father and children, asking about the items and where they came from, etc) while creating a target amount we wanted to pay for the item, a walkaway point, and the most importantly a BATNA (best alternative to Negotiation Agreement). We ended up with an amazing deal and an even more amazing personal experience. The class is still ridiculously hard, but worth every minute!

Italy in the Age of the Renaissance:  Another very challenging class for a Finance major. It seems like everyone in the class had already taken a history/religion course except myself. The class consists of two exams, a final, and one large field/journal report. MORE JOURNAL ENTRIES. Ugh. Regardless, I was been very interesting to learn about the Renaissance and the changes Italy has undergone. My final paper is going to be about the Whirling Dervish in Turkey in historical context.

The hardest part about SAS is time. Or lack of time. It is extremely hard to get readings and exams finished in only 23 hour days (loosing time crossing the Atlantic to the Mediterranean). After the first 8 days of class followed by port you think you’ve finally struck a balance between school and ship life…until more and more countries start coming every 1,2,3 days, along with the beginnings of papers, exams, group projects, seminars, and sleep. Right now I have finally caught up on everything. The past four days have been insane: seminars, four papers, two exams, three quizzes and two group meetings. Thank goodness I also gained two extra hours in the process and will gain another hour tonight. Right now I have completed 2/3 of the voyage. After Morocco I will have final exams and papers due.

SAS is a once in a lifetime opportunity! So be ready to put in lots of time and effort for an experience you will never forget.