For those students who were stuck in a foot of snow during winter term this year, winter term 2018 promises multiple travel courses to warm, exotic and interesting places. However, these courses require either a prerequisite or a related preparatory course which students need instructor consent to take, so it would be best to contact professors and register as soon as possible.
First up is a biology trip to Galapagos and Ecuador. Students will spend about two weeks hiking, snorkeling, doing field observations, taking visits to educational sites and reading and presenting articles. There are two versions of this trip, one for non-science majors and an upper-division version for biology majors and minors. Contact professor Joanne Odden or professor Liesel McCormick for more information.
Next up is an anthropology and social work course that goes to Trinidad and Tobago. While visiting these tropical islands, students will design their own research projects, set goals for conducting and completing their projects, meet with Trinidadians they contact themselves and analyze the data they collect. Contact professor Aaron Greer for more information.
For a more structured experience, there is a gender and sexuality studies course that goes to India. Students will stay at Lady Doak College and interact with students there. Participants will also visit the ancient and ornate Meenakshi Temple, then take a cross-country train trip that ends with a writing retreat. For more information, contact professor Moriah McGrath.
One of the new courses for next year is a philosophy and theater course that travels to Athens, Greece. Since ancient Athens was so steeped in philosophy and theater, this course is a cross-listing of the two.
“Students will spend about a week around Athens, visiting the ancient sites and discussing the origins of philosophy, theater and western culture in relation to those sites,” professor Ian O’Loughlin said.
Next, they will see the temples and theaters of Delphi and lastly spend the last week touring the Argolic countryside. Contact O’Loughlin or professor Ellen Margolis for further information. For students who would rather have a classic study-abroad experience in two weeks, there is the education course to Africa. Students will study at Egerton University in Kenya with daily educational excursions to cultural, natural and development sites that complement on-campus class work. For even more details, contact professor Richard Paxton.
For students who love the great outdoors, winter term offers an exotic 88-mile rafting trip in the jungles of Mexico. Participants of the outdoor leadership course will camp on pristine beaches, explore Mayan ruins, and participate in cultural immersion.
“This is an ideal first international expedition,” professor Samuel Morrison said.
No experience is required for the rafting component of the trip that will last about six days of the two-and-a-half-week trip. Contact Morrison for more information.
The cheapest trip on the list are two art studio classes that travel to the island of Oahu.
“These courses are great opportunities for students who live on Oahu and prefer to stay in paradise instead of returning to the wet and cold northwest in early January,” professor Doug Anderson said.
Students will meet as a class each day for about three hours developing artistic ideas and skills at aesthetically interesting locations. There are two versions of this course, one for students with no drawing or watercolor experience and another for students with some experience. For more information, contact Anderson.
For the film buffs out there, media arts is going to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah again this year. Students will view films based on a chosen topic and others for their own enjoyment and will keep a journal on their experience. It is highly recommended that students take MEDA-120 or MEDA-220 beforehand so they have a foundation for understanding the art of film.
“Students need to commit to traveling and make payments in the semester previous to the trip,”professor Jennifer Hardacker said. “If they wait until registration in October to decide to go on a travel course, it will be too late.”
For further information, contact Hardacker.
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