Journeys and Explorations

Journeys and Explorations is a Humanities Baby CTY course where students explore the history of famous explorers and their travels. This course is offered at Alexandria, Sandy Spring (Second Session only) Los Angeles (Windward) and New York (Both Sessions).

Course Description

From the CTY Summer Catalog:

From Shoshone interpreter Sacagawea's pivotal role in the Lewis and Clark expedition to Ibn Battuta's 30-year journey through Africa, Asia, and Europe, people have always been compelled to travel and explore. Such extensive journeys seldom leave travelers or the places they visit unchanged. Encounters with other places and people alter not only how we view the world around us, but also how we view ourselves.

In this course, students follow famous explorers and examine the impact of their expeditions. For example, they may sail with Marco Polo in search of silk and spices, follow the Ming dynasty admiral Zheng He on his military expeditions to Africa and India, or consider the response of Aztec leader Montezuma to the invasion led by Hernán Cortés.

Inspired by what they learn, students plan and conduct their own virtual explorations, which entail researching a specific region's culture, politics, history, and environment. One student might choose to visit Lake Tanganyika and its chimpanzees with Jane Goodall, while another might explore the Amazon River Basin aboard the Calypso with Jacques Cousteau. Through their explorations, students develop the skills necessary to appreciate the diversity and commonalities of places and people around the world.