Sabbatical Leave Proposal and Report

I propose to spend the Spring 2005 semester getting generally reinvigorated for and reinvested in my next ten or more years as a teaching faculty member at Parkland College. Specifically, it is my intention to spend all or most of the semester in Europe, particularly in France, in order to 1) update my familiarity with contemporary French culture and idiomatic language usage; 2) collect and catalog cultural artifacts, photo essays, and participatory experiences to enhance and inform my teaching. Additionally, it is my intention to travel outside of France to explore as much of the former Roman and Byzantine Empires as possible so that I might improve my competence to teach the HUM 101/102 course sequence: Cultural Values of the Western World I & II. While in my current capacity as Director of International Education I am familiar with the content of these courses, I have never taught them; the prospect of doing so excites and invigorates me, yet I admit my lack of comfort with the depth and breadth of the material-particularly prior to the Middle Ages. By necessity, much of my exploration will have to be done through select readings-but what a joy to have the time to devote to such an activity! I have the support of my direct supervisor, who has been assured that my responsibilities will be covered during my absence from campus