World Cultures
The Langara World Cultures classes provide an introduction to various cultures from around the world. Gain insights and appreciation for other cultures while enriching your traveling experiences.
Are you curious about the distinct nature of these prominent world cultures?
France: Embark with me on this trip to France and discover the culture diversity of its many regions through history, architecture, music, geography and of course its gastronomy. We will be constantly navigating between a national and a regional discovery approach, exploring in detail the regions of Provence, Alsace and Burgundy.
Follow me in my secret Paris, the small villages in Provence and discover the most German region in France: Alsace. But don't worry, we will also stop by Burgundy to enjoy wine, architecture and charming B&Bs!. I will also disclose some practical travel tips on every-day life style like how to wait for 8pm for dinner, how you should drive in Paris at Rond-point des Champs-Elysées or basic French sentences to can help you getting through typical vacation situations…
Be prepared to attend an interactive course in which your participation will be welcomed and the use of all media will be extensive.
Eastern Europe (Czech and Slovak Republic, Poland, Hungary): Travel with me to the to the former “Eastern bloc”, and learn about the changing environments of these dynamic nations. In this course you will learn about the historical events that shaped these countries, including the impact of the fall of the Berlin Wall. This course will also include information about the cultural aspects of each place, as well as travel tips, artistic and sporting experiences each of these nations can offer. You will get refreshing and surprising look at these countries.
India: The largest democratic nation and the second most populous nation of the world. This course is a broad overview of the multi facets of India. Ancient and modern history, contemporary issues, alluring contrasts and striking features, unity in diversity, Indian cultural facts, and role of religions. You will be introduced to landmarks of India through its architecture, music and visual arts. This course will prepare and enrich you for global competitions and wonderful experiences through interactions and traveling.
Italy: Discover Italy, a high-heeled boot peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea with 45 World Heritage sites and other 42 as tentative sites, where “the lemon trees bloom…the gold orange glows in the thickset’s glow, where a wind ever soft from the blue heaven blows, and the groves are of laurel and myrtles and rose” as a XVIII century German poet Goethe wrote after his Italian journey. Learn about the multicultural aspect of Italians of their traditions, religion, history, gesture language, superstitions, customs as well as the major attractions of 5 regions: Piedmont, Umbria, Lazio, Campania and Apulia.
Latin America: (Argentina, Brasil, Columbia) Welcome to vibrant Latin America, the land that has it all. Come and get to know how 560 million people live in this vast region of incredible contrasts.
If your passion is nature then this is your opportunity to learn about the Galapagos, the Iguazu Falls or the Amazon. If you are interested in history then you will be glad to know about Chichén Itzá, Machu Picchu or the Lost City.
You won’t be able to visit Macondo, but will enjoy the magic realism of García Marquez and the literary work of other Nobel laureates like Mario Vargas Llosa and Octavio Paz. If music is what you are into, then perhaps you have heard of salsa, samba or tango. Habla español? Fala portugués? Join us and learn some basic vocabulary of these beautiful Romance languages.
Russia: This course presents historical and cultural aspects of modern Russia. Along with the historical past, we present the contemporary life in the era of post-perestroika on the socio-political landscape of Moscow city. The modern life style of the Russians is about their customs and new habits, about new arts and traditional cuisine.
The history is reflected in the art and architecture of two capitals of Imperial Russia - Saint Petersburg and Moscow. The virtual tour of Moscow, the metropolis with more than eight hundred years of history, will take you to the Kremlin, designed and built by Italian architects in XII century for the Russian Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, and centuries after remains the residence of the Russian government. The Red Square, Bolshoi Theatre, glorious churches and Tretyakov gallery, the national treasure of the Russian fine art, illustrate different periods of the Russian culture. In Saint Petersburg, you will see the collections of the Hermitage, started by Empress Catherine in 1764, displayed in five historical buildings, including the Winter Palace – the former residence of the Russian tsars.
