Student Diplomacy Experimental College (SDXCO)

The Story:

College starts now. Earn four college credits this summer on a liberal arts college campus on the outskirts of Baltimore. Walk in the shoes of a college student with classmates from across the country. Experience dorm life and become part of clubs or affinity groups. Living in one of Maryland’s most vibrant hubs of arts and culture, go on a private tour of Baltimore Museum of Art with a curator. Build meaningful relationships with professors from top universities while discussing topics from immigration and civil rights to environmental futurism. Explore Baltimore’s inner-harbor or visit the Chesapeake Bay. Meet with admissions officers and share a meal with current students after touring some of the area’s top colleges. This summer, live in a great American city and take advantage of the opportunities and community of college life.

The Program:

Your SDXCO adventure will take place on the campus of Goucher College in Towson, Maryland. Spend the first few days building bonds with your fellow Student Diplomats through scavenger hunts and late-night pizza in the dorms. Learn to navigate a college campus, explore Baltimore’s world-renowned arts institutions, and visit local hot spots. Discover the joys of living on campus alongside Student Life Advisors – young adults recently graduated from college who will be your mentors and campus life support throughout the summer. Share a meal with your professor and dive into the life of a college student. Mornings may start with yoga, meditation, tai chi, or a conversation with classmates. Catch up with friends over a quick breakfast in the dining hall, then grab your books and head to class. While debating the role that race and class play in immigration policy, or workshopping a peer’s poem in your Hawaiian literature & comedy class, build connections, community, and healthy discourse with your classmates and teaching team. When classes wrap up at the end of the day, head to your professor’s office hours, join a study group to tackle the night’s reading or enjoy a well-deserved break on the volleyball court. Grab food in the dining hall, then participate in a spoken word performance; listen in on an admissions counselor’s pointers on the college application process; or meet with your Student Life Advisor to get feedback on your final paper proposal. When the weekend rolls around, you’ll be ready to take a break from studying and catch a live show at the Center Stage theater or head downtown to check out ArtScape, one of the country’s largest free art festivals. You’ll also have an opportunity to meet administrators and students at nearby colleges and universities like University of Maryland Baltimore County, Washington College or Morgan State; or hike the nature trails at Cromwell Valley Park with SDXCO students, professors, and staff. At the end of the summer, celebrate your incredible accomplishments with a program-wide graduation ceremony.

Previous Courses Include:

SOCIAL SCIENCES

• Ethnography – Latinx Migrant Narratives in the United States
• Anthropology – Indigenous Hip-Hop of the Americas
• Public Health –  A Social Work Analysis of Healthcare in Underserved Communities

HUMANITIES

• Ke Kanaka ‘Aka’aka: The Laughing Hawaiian
• Pacific Voices: Pasifika Women’s Poetry and Literature

THE ARTS & ETHNOMUSICOLOGY

• The Power of the Word – A Study of Hip Hop through Social Justice

STEM & HUMANITIES

• Imagining Environmental Futures
• The Economics of Water