Study-Travel
Birmingham-Southern offers to students the opportunity to travel and study abroad. Each year during the January interim, several study-travel projects are available. Students who choose to travel spend two to three weeks in their chosen country. Upon return, students complete the academic component of the experience which might include keeping a journal of one's experiences, analyzing some aspect of the foreign culture in a research paper, or presenting one's observations or findings to a group of faculty and peers.
Interim 2008 study travel projects included the following destinations London, Paris, the Galapagos Islands, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, India and San Francisco. During Interim 2009, BSC faculty will travel with students to many destinations (described below), and our students are encouraged to speak to faculty early to learn more about them.
Applying for Study-Travel:
Students interested in Interim study-travel for January 2009 are required to complete the Statement of Interest in Interim Travel-Study and several forms they will receive after submitting the latter. Both faculty-led study travel and independent, contracted study-travel require submission of these forms. These forms make clear the student’s responsibilities and collect pertinent information to ensure that students are well protected in case of emergency. Students provide all information on a voluntary basis.
These forms are available from the faculty leader of the study-travel project and from the Office of Interim and Contract Learning. Any student who is interested in a study-travel experience should contact the faculty sponsor directly; those who will travel independently should obtain the form when submitting the contract.
Students traveling independently for academic credit during Interim are required to participate in a pre-departure orientation to international education. Students register for the ¼-unit “Pre-Departure Topics for Study Abroad” course (IS101B).
Interim 2009
AR: New York – Boston: A Visual and Performing Art Experience
Steve Cole and Kevin Shook
Through this project, students will spend 9 days in New York and 5 days in Boston immersed in world-class museums, theatre, architecture, poetry, jazz, and other cultural experiences. Evaluation will be based on a formal presentation or a twelve-page paper on a topic predetermined and approved by the instructors. For senior project credit, students must complete additional requirements in their discipline. Tentative destinations include The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Guggenheim Museum, American Museum of Natural History, Broadway Theatres, Hayden Planetarium, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, and Museum of Bad Art. Estimated cost: $2500
ARH: Sacred Spaces: Art, Architecture, and Religion In Rome
Timothy Smith
This travel Interim will acquaint students with the significant intersection of art, architecture, and religion in one of the most vibrant centers of religious and artistic imagination in the West: Rome. With a focus on the formative medieval period, the project will trace the parallel developments of church architecture and decoration on one hand, and the history of Christianity itself on the other. We will begin with the catacombs and early house churches of the 3rd century and end with the initiation of work on New Saint Peter’s in 1506. Topics to be considered include the influence of pagan concepts of sacred space, the visualization of theology, the cult of saints and relics, and the use of spolia, or recycled architectural elements, to reference the sacred past. The Interim will also include two day trips to Assisi and Ravenna. Students will be evaluated on the basis of their daily journals, on-site oral presentations, 5-page written versions of their oral reports, and participation, both in Rome and on campus before and after traveling. Estimated cost: $2900
BA: Moving up the food chain: Vertical integration in European Agri-business firms
Bert Morrow
Students will visit Italy and the Czech Republic to study agri-business firms engaged in food production. Particular emphasis will be given to the issues of vertical integration and the extent to which technological innovations have been adopted in a firm’s value chain. We will also explore how these firms acquire inputs, access distribution channels, and manage their labor and product markets. After returning to campus, students will spend the remainder of the term preparing an oral presentation of a substantial research project on a topic of their choosing that has been approved by the professor. While in the Czech Republic, we will be based in Prague, where we will visit local producers and processors and meet with local and national business and governmental leaders. While in Italy, we will be staying in Bologna. The area around Bologna (including Parma), provides a good base for visiting local growers and producers of olive oil, wine, pasta and the world famous Parmigiano Reggiano and Parma Ham. Estimated cost: $4440.
BI: Coral Reef Ecology and Dolphin Behavior
Andy Gannon
After 2 weeks at BSC learning about the ecological processes and organisms that form coral reefs, we will spend the next 14 days experiencing coral reefs first-hand at the Institute for Marine Sciences (IMS) , in Roatan, Honduras. We will interact with dolphins and dive and snorkel on one of the most beautiful reefs in the world as we participate in ongoing IMS and BSC reef monitoring research projects. Seniors will conduct research projects of their own design, for which all students will help collect data. Students will be evaluated on their performance on practical and written exams, a natural history journal, a group oral report on coral conservation, and a reflective paper written about their experience with Honduran culture. There may be an optional side trip to explore a mainland tropical rainforest. This project will be limited to students that can swim. SCUBA certification is encouraged but not required. Estimated cost: $2600
CL/EH: Classical and Renaissance Italy: The Major Cities and the Places In Between
Samuel Pezzillo and Michael McInturff
After a series of orientation sessions early in the Interim, this three-week travel-study experience will visit major cultural and historical sites in Italy. We will examine the world of the ancient Romans and Etruscans. We will explore the foundations of modern Europe in medieval and Renaissance Italy. We will focus in particular on how art, architecture, and urban life express cultural and intellectual history. We will be based in Rome, Florence, and Venice. We will visit Pompeii, Orvieto, Pisa, Padua, and other areas. Evaluation: Students will prepare three written docent topics for group presentation at appropriate times. For seniors in Classics or English, a substantial paper and presentation will be required. Estimated cost: $4850. For more information, visit Dr. Pezzillo's web page.
GEN: Archaeoastronomy in the Maya Ruins of Mexico and Guatemala
Pete Van Zandt
It has long been known that the ancient Maya of Mexico and Central America were highly skilled astronomers. This travel interim will investigate the observation methods developed by the Maya and what astronomy may have meant to them as a people. Beginning in Villahermosa with an introduction to the Olmec civilization, participants will travel to the ruins of Palenque, Bonampak, Yaxchilan, and Tonina. At most of these sites, we will conduct measurement experiments on recently excavated temples to see if they align with important stations of the sun or with visible planets such as Jupiter and Saturn. The group will then cross into Guatemala and travel to the island of Flores, in beautiful Lake Peten. While on the island, participants will learn about the Itza Maya, the last group of holdouts against the Spanish conquest. Venturing out from Flores, we will explore Tikal, the largest city ever built by the ancient Maya. In Tikal, participants will learn how to read the calendar dates on its monuments and about how the city timed its battles to key risings and settings of Venus. Finally, on our return to Villahermosa, we will stop to visit the unexcavated Lacanja ruins and hike through the Lacandan rain forest to examine typical plants used by the ancient Maya. Please note that this course will involve strenuous hiking and climbing through poorly maintained ruins and dense jungle trails. Estimated cost: $3,000.
GEN: Interim at Sea
Duane Pontius
Spend three weeks sail training in the Caribbean aboard a classic two-masted schooner. Participation involves the following:
- Learn how to work and sail a wooden tall ship
- Hold assigned responsibilities, including standing watches at all hours
- Obey orders from the professional crew
- Participate actively in cleaning and maintaining the vessel
- Learn about Caribbean culture
- Keep a personal journal
Additional tentative activities include studying colonialism, hiking through rainforests, viewing Montserrat's active volcano, snorkeling on coral reefs, and observational astronomy.
This is an arduous project, requiring personal commitment, physical stamina, and willingness to endure some degree of privation. Do not expect a comfortable, stress-free cruise. We will be on a working ship, and everyone works. Those truly interested in the experience of a lifetime should not be discouraged, but everyone should realize what they're signing on for. For more information: http://panther.bsc.edu/~dpontius/interim.html
GEN: Discovering the Pacific Northwest: A City/Nature Exploration
Peter Donahue and Larry Brasher
This course focuses on the city/nature relationship so vital to the Pacific Northwest. After an on-campus orientation, we spend 14 days in Seattle participating in environmentally-oriented service projects, studying the history and literature of the city, and making day-long excursions to such places as Victoria, BC. We then travel to the Olympic Peninsula and stay three days at the Olympic Natural Resources Center, our base for venturing to the Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic coast, and Makah Indian Reservation. Finally, we ferry to Whidbey Island in Puget Sound and stay four days at the Chinook Learning Center, where we further study the natural history of the region. Prerequisite: Sturdy shoes and rain slicker. This course entails a fair amount of city walking, wilderness hiking, and rigorous outdoor activity. Cost: $2,400. A deposit of $400 is required. For more information, contact Dr. Donahue (x7841) or Dr. Brasher (x4863).
GEN: Service-Learning in Mozambique
Fred Ashe, Sara Doughton, and Barry Spieler
Following an intense fall orientation, participants will spend approximately three weeks in Cambini, Mozambique. The project focuses on cultural immersion through service, allowing students to examine and reflect on issues of poverty, politics, economics, and cross-cultural interaction and adaptation. Participation in this project is a major commitment—both prior to and during January—requiring that students be self-motivated and self-disciplined. Requirements include participation in service work, participation in and leading of discussions, careful examination of readings, a reflective journal, and a final reflective essay on your experiences. Evaluation will be based on the student's participation in fall weekly meetings, the researched presentation, the reflective journal, participation in service projects and reflections during January, and the final reflective essay. Students interested in this experience as part of their senior project must contract for individualized study with a faculty member in their major. Estimated cost: $4,500. For more information, visit the Service-Learning Interim Projects web page
GEN: Service Learning in San Francisco
John Tatter and Kristen Harper
Following an intense fall orientation, we will spend approximately three weeks in San Francisco, California, serving with the homeless population. The project focuses on cultural immersion through service, allowing students to examine and reflect on issues of poverty, homelessness, politics, economics, and society. Participation in this project is a major commitment—both prior to and during January—requiring that students be self-motivated and self-disciplined. There will be a three to four day reflection time at the end of the work period. Requirements include participation in fund raising in the fall, service projects both in the fall and on-site in January, participation in and leading of discussions both in our fall class meetings and our meetings on-site, careful examination of readings, a researched presentation, a reflective journal, and a final reflective essay. Evaluation will be based on the quality of your work on each of the requirements listed above. Students interested in this experience as part of their senior project must contract for individualized study with a faculty member in their major. Estimated cost: $2,300. For more information, visit the Service-Learning Interim Projects web page
GEN: Southeast Asia: History, Culture, Politics and Development
Robert Slagter
Project participants will travel to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia to explore Southeast Asian history, culture, politics and economic development. Cities to be visited include Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat. Prior to departure students will demonstrate completion of assigned readings and during the trip will write an analytic journal to be submitted for evaluation. The itinerary may be customized to accommodate individual student projects including those for senior credit. The trip will take almost all of Interim term and much travel will be in areas considered underdeveloped. Such travel is demanding. Students enrolled in this project should be physically fit, cooperative, punctual, able and willing to endure discomfort in pursuit of learning adventures, tolerant and sensitive regarding cultural differences, personally resourceful and committed to developing an understanding of Southeast Asia. The estimated cost of this trip is $4500.
MFL / SN: Buenos Aires: A Latin American City that Foreshadows All Others
Barbara Domcekova and Janie Spencer
This project is a three-week immersion in language and culture of Argentina, with a particular focus on Buenos Aires. It is open for all students. The participants in the project will study Spanish at the BAESP language school, according to their language proficiency (from beginner’s level to advanced) and will have four hours a day of class taught by an Argentine instructor. Afternoons and evenings will be dedicated to a series of cultural activities in Buenos Aires, from theatre performances, films, cafés, art exhibitions and museum visits to tango lessons, cooking classes and city tours following the footsteps of such historical figures as Evita Perón, Carlos Gardel, and Diego Maradona. Students will be staying with Argentine families to further explore the local way of life. This Interim will also have out-of town excursions, including a visit to a natural wonder – the Iguazú waterfalls on the border with Brazil and Paraguay. Estimated cost: $4,200.00.
ADVANCE NOTICES:
Added at least 2 years before the project, advance notices received to date include the following.
Advance Notice: Interim 2010
A Tale of Two Cities: The Museums and Monuments of London and Paris
Timothy Smith and Kathleen SpiesAfter Apartheid: South Africa
Sandra Sprayberry and David SmithBuenos Aires: A Latin American City that Foreshadows All Others
Barbara Domcekova and othersClassical and Renaissance Italy
Samuel Pezzillo and Michael McInturffThe Footsteps of Jesus in Galilee
Bishop Robert MorganNOTE: This project will occur only if the U.S. State Dept. lifts its Travel Warning to Israel by January 1, 2010. See http://travel.state.gov for details. If the Travel Warning is still in effect at that time, Bishop Morgan will offer an alternative travel study project, “The Footsteps of Paul in Greece and Italy”.
Exploring the Galapagos Islands: Wildlife, Ecology, & Conservation
Megan Gibbons and Pete Van ZandtInterim at Sea
Duane PontiusPerforming Arts Study at the Accademia dell’Arte, Arezzo, Italy
Jacqueline Leary-Warsaw and othersService-Learning
Kristin Harper and othersSoutheast Asia: History, Culture, Politics and Development
Robert Slagter