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CAU > Seminars and Study Tours > Las Vegas: On a Roll: The Psychology, Business, and Culture of the Gambling World

Las Vegas: On a Roll: The Psychology, Business, and Culture of the Gambling World

March 16-20, 2008

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Please contact us if you have any questions.

Overview

America's Xanadu, Las Vegas is a vast desert oasis, a mecca for millions seeking pleasure, riches, the thrills of risk taking, opulent entertainment, bright lights, and a fleeting escape from everyday cares, rules, and inhibitions. Precisely because Las Vegas symbolizes the very antithesis of Ivy League intellectualism and probity, we decided to find a way to examine, understand, and enjoy this fabulous, curious place. If, like so many people, you've often found yourself intrigued by Las Vegas but hesitant to go, then let us persuade you to gamble on a visit there with us.

Our classroom will be the city, our laboratories its casinos and night clubs, as we examine the games people play, for what reasons, the strategies of playing, and the playing fields. From our acquaintance with Las Vegas, we hope to come away with a keener understanding of gambling as a social institution and as a mirror of ourselves, our psyches, and American life and values.

Faculty

Our chief gamer, Glenn Altschuler, is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies and dean of Cornell's School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions. Glenn will focus on Las Vegas as a peculiar icon of American popular culture—the coming together in the desert of gambling, the Mafia, and popular entertainment. He will also look at the history of gambling in America, especially the deeply American clash between the Puritan ethic of restraint and the lore of the Western gambler, and at the evolution of nightclub entertainment. (Glenn also does a terrific Wayne Newton.)

Itinerary

Our home for the program will be the highly rated Mirage, located along "The Strip," Las Vegas's glittering main street. Each day will mix faculty lectures and discussions with site visits led by local specialists with Cornell connections. We expect, for example, to meet with casino managers, a hotel executive, and/or specialists in the design and development of the casinos. Each evening we'll partake in dining, gaming, and entertainment extravaganzas at leading hotels. And we'll set aside some free time for you to stroll, explore, and hit the slot machines.

Program Cost and Travel Arrangements

The program fee of $1,990 (per-person, double-occupancy) includes all lodging, most meals, all ground transportation, site visits, nightclub entertainment and tickets, taxes, gratuities, and the full educational program. The supplement for single occupancy is $460. Participants will be responsible for their own transportation to and from Las Vegas.