L'Arche Seminar

THEO 33968 / PSY 23852 / CSC 33968

Seminar Learning Agreement

Immersion Dates: Sunday, March 8 - Saturday, March 14, 2009

Location: Washington, D.C., and Toronto, Ontario; Canada
Size: 11 students (5 or 6 per site)

Cost: $250
Application Deadline: Thursday, Jan. 22nd

Online Application: (online application will be availible sometime in the fall)

Seminar Directors: Cynthia Toms Smedley and Nichole Maguire

Overview

L'Arche communities were created by Jean Vanier (winner of the Notre Dame Award for international humanitarian service) to provide places where people with disabilities and people without disabilities can live and work together in the spirit of the beatitudes. There are over 110 communities in 30 countries.   The mission of L'Arche is to create homes where the unique value of each individual is realized and celebrated. L'Arche began in 1964 in Trosly-Breuil, France when founder Jean Vanier, invited two men with developmental disabilities to live with him. He named the home, L'Arche, in reference to Noah's Ark--to be a place of refuge and new beginnings. L'Arche USA is comprised of 13 communities and two projects throughout the United States. Please visit the websites of L'Arche USA and L'Arche Canada at www.larcheusa.org and http://www.larchecanada.org

Each of the communities across North America is different.   The largest community, "Daybreak" in Toronto, Ontario is home to over 100 people while the Washington, D.C., community is home to 15 people. All of the residents seek to create communities where people with disabilities ("Core Members") can actualize their potential through a full life that guarantees their fundamental human rights -- to a home, to meaningful relationships, to an education, to satisfying work, and to enjoyment.

Despite the fact that the individual homes are interspersed throughout the city and nearby suburbs, a strong sense of community life and contact among households prevails. The Core Members live family style with people without disabilities ("Assistants"). Numerous assistants come from across the globe, and these varying nationalities and stories enrich the community. Some assistants reside in the community for a year or two, but others have made it their long-term home -- even marrying and raising their family in L'Arche.

A central tenant of L'Arche is that core members have a unique gift for communicating deep spiritual values due to their simplicity and vulnerability. Assistants, visitors and volunteers from all over the world can bear witness to the deep and lasting impact that core members have had on their lives.

The goal of the L'Arche Seminar is to introduce students to the philosophy of Jean Vanier and to the model of service that his writings inspired. Students will also witness how living in a L'Arche community has influenced the lives of the core members, assistants, and others.

Notre Dame/Logan Collaboration

For over thirty years Notre Dame and Saint Mary's students have volunteered at LOGAN Center, a local agency serving people with disabilities and their families. In recent years this relationship has been formalized through direct collaboration between the Center for Social Concerns and LOGAN that stresses community-based learning. This Seminar is an outgrowth of that collaboration in that LOGAN staff members serve as both resource people and participants.

Course Objectives

1. To experience life in the L'Arche/Daybreak Community.
2. To gain exposure to the spiritual writings of both Jean Vanier and Henri Nouwen.
3. To gain a deeper understanding of and appreciation for persons with disabilities.
4. To get to know professionals from LOGAN Center who work with people with disabilities and to gain an understanding of the services available in South Bend.
5. To formulate an attitude of inclusion towards people with disabilities, and to recognize the strengths and talents of people different than ones self.

Course Requirements

This Seminar is a one-credit course offered through Theology, Psychology and the Center for Social Concerns.  The Seminar is graded as "Satisfactory" or "Unsatisfactory."   Student requirements for an "S" grade are:

1. Attend all classes both before and after the immersion (see calendar for class dates and times).
2. Complete the readings & actively participate in class discussions.
3. Participate in all activities, spending time with and getting to know both core members and assistants at L'Arche.
4. Write a final paper (5 pages) that integrates the course readings with the experience.

Application Process

• The deadline is January 22, 2009 (online application will be availible sometime in the fall).
• Saint Mary's College students must contact Sally Burns for application and registration instructions.
• By completing the application, you are agreeing to all requirements of the L'Arche Seminar.
  All applicants will be notified regarding seminar selection by email on or before Sunday, January 25, 2009. If you are applying to more than one seminar, you will receive a single email noting whether or not you have been selected to participate.

Criteria for Selection

This Seminar is open to any student in good standing at Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College. Space is limited to 11 student participants and one LOGAN staff person. Students will be selected on the basis of their willingness to fully participate and learn about L'Arche Communities. No prior experience with people with disabilities is necessary; however an openness to meeting persons with different gifts and challenges is required.

Course Registration

• You will receive email notification on a) whether you have been selected to participate in a seminar and b) which seminar you have been selected to participate in. (This circumstance applies if you have applied to more than one seminar.) Subsequently, the course instructor will email instructions for course registration, and you will need to register within the first seven days of the semester.
• Contact the Assistant Dean's office of your College if you are over the maximum number of credit hours (Maximum Hours Exceeded) allowed by your College. The assistant deans of your college will be able to grant special approval. Contact Sally Burns at the Center for Social Concerns if you have a class time conflict.

Fees and Expenses

• The cost of the Seminar is $250. This fee will be assessed through Student Accounts. This fee contributes to van rental, gas, loding site fees, course packets and tolls. 
• Students should bring extra spending money to cover any souvenirs and meal expenses incurred during travel to and from Toronto and Washington, DC. American money may be exchanged at the US/Canada border or at ATMs in Toronto.
• If you are accepted into the Seminar, and you decide not to participate in the Seminar before the final drop day, noted on the calendar below, your student account will be billed a $40 cancellation fee.   If you are accepted into the Seminar, and you decide not to participate in the Seminar after the final drop day, your student account will be billed the full $250. This is necessary because the Center has pre-paid the Seminar expenses based on your acceptance into the program, which may have precluded someone else from participating.
• Limited financial aid is available. To apply for financial aid, please contact Sally Burns prior to the first scheduled class.

Miscellaneous Information

• Life/Work in Community - L'Arche exists to foster relationships among people. Students will participate in the normal activities of the home to which they are assigned. Some of the time will be spent simply in getting to know the core members and assistants, conversing, taking walks, etc. Work may include assisting with household chores, cooking meals, shopping, recreational activities, visiting the core members' work sites, etc. One afternoon will be free to see the city and spend time with the group from Notre Dame.
• Housing- Students will stay in L'Arche homes. Meals, linens, and transportation are provided.
• Dress- Comfortable casual clothing.
• Travel Hints - The trip to Toronto takes eight hours, and the trip to Washington, DC takes 9-10 hours. Each site team will be traveling in a 7 passenger mini-van, so there will be limited space: please pack lightly. If you are traveling to Canada a passport is required to cross the border . If you take prescription medication, please bring enough with you for the week. It should be in the original pharmacy container, to avoid difficulties at the border checkpoint. Over the counter medication (Tylenol, cold medicine, allergy medicine, etc.) should also be in its original container.

Withdrawal from the Course

• Please notify the Seminar Director if extenuating circumstances prevent your participation in the Seminar. Final day to drop is noted on the calendar below. To withdraw from this course, an Academic Course change form (obtained from the Center for Social Concerns), must be completed and signed by the Center's Seminar Director. Saint Mary's students must complete the SMC drop-slip, signed by the student's academic advisor and the Seminar Director, and processed through the SMC Registrar.
• Drops after the final day to drop noted on the calendar and failure to follow proper withdrawal from course procedures will automatically result in a grade of "U."   

CALENDAR SPRING 2009

Thurs., Jan. 22, 2009
Online application deadline.

Sun., Jan. 25
Acceptance confirmed by email. If you apply to more than one seminar, you will receive ONE email for the seminar you have been admitted into.

Wed., Jan. 28
Last date to register. You must register with ND's online system by the end of the day.

Fri., Jan. 30

Final day to drop. Change of course forms must be turned into the CSC

Tues., Feb. 10
REQUIRED: L'Arche Seminar Class I  - Time and Location TBA

Tues., Feb. 17
REQUIRED: L'Arche Seminar Class II  - Time and Location TBA

Tues., Feb. 24
REQUIRED: L'Arche Seminar Class III  - Time and Location TBA

Thurs., Mar. 5

Seminar Send-Off Mass, 7 pm; Alumni Hall Chapel

Sun., Mar. 8 - Sat, Mar. 14
Immersion; exact dates and time TBA

Tues., March 24
REQUIRED: L'Arche Seminar Class IV  - Time and Location TBA

Questions about registration specifically may be addressed to Sally Burns at the Center for Social Concerns (574) 631-5293.