More from Melissa

I thought I'd post a quick note to those who, having noticed the title of the course, might be wondering, "Where's the law? Where's the social policy?" I've taken the approach of having us spend all of our time, save two days when we travel to Den Haag and Utrecht, in the city of Amsterdam. I prefer to avoid the If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium approach. And if you recognize that movie, well, let's just say you're probably not a university undergraduate!

I've opted for a different approach to cultural study/immersion. It's my goal that the students really get familiar with the city; that they will be able to find their way around on foot and, perhaps, become comfortable with the city transit system; that they may strike up conversations with a clerk they see more than once; that they may opt for the grocery store and notice some of the similarities and differences in foods, prices, packaging, etc.

Additionally, I think it imperative that we not ignore social history. When learning about the resistance movement, the students heard, again, about Dutch pillarization and its impact on society at various points in time. When visiting a cultural treasure like the Rijksmuseum, and seeing the funds being spent to maintain and improve it, I also think that we can learn
something about a people.

Of course, there are just some things that one must do when visiting Amsterdam, e.g., a canal tour. Even something as "touristy" as a canal tour offers important information, in my view, about things like, e.g., the social hierarchy. The types of homes and architecture from the different periods and where they are located on the old canal rings tell their own story.

Finally, I like to think I'm no fool and if we were to arrive- jet lagged and, perhaps, experiencing some culture shock - and jump right into the heart of it (i.e., sessions on housing, euthanasia,
prostitution, etc.), I don't know that anyone would remember much of it a week later. This way folks get their bearings, etc. and are, I think, in a better position to appreciate those talks next week.

This is all a way of explaining to those readers who might have wondered, "When are they going to get to the law and the policy stuff?" just what we're doing. In fact, next week we will visit the
Bijlmermeer housing area; meet with the executive director of the organization, Right to Die - Netherlands; hear from someone at the Prostitution Information Centre; and visit several open markets and talk about immigration issues.

BTW, the weather is still horrible. Rain, rain, rain. The only day in the 10 day forecast where rain isn't called for is next Wednesday. We'll see. Meanwhile, we'll keep slogging around!

Stay tuned if you can. Although I still don't have the technical kinks ironed out, I'll post what I can when I can. Thanks for visiting!