Students will travel to Samoa to learn about the islands and their people, and will gain an understanding of, and appreciation for, Samoans as they live their lives at the crossroads of island living and global flows. A central goal of the course is for students to have an interesting and safe, as well as fun and educational, individual and group experience.

Students will stay in communal housing in village settings and will receive two meals a day. Both prior to and during the trip, students will have basic Samoan language instruction. During the trip, they will meet in discussion groups each day.

Learning will be in Samoan style, which is based on observing, listening, adapting, and "providing service," rather than on classroom lectures. Students will learn through a variety of ways including on-site field-based research (in conjunction with individual projects); visits to industries or organizations of economic and political significance (fish canneries, transnational corporations, women's cooperatives, etc.), and formal and informal meetings with government officials, teachers, writers, and artists. Students are required to complete two major assignments. One is to keep a daily journal of reflections on their experiences. The other is to pursue a research topic of personal interest and present the results to the group at the end.