Belize: Comparative Psychology and Cultural-Historical Studies

Credits: 4(PSY 3730) Fall Semester course with travel in Belize over winter break 
Instructors: Bob Swoap (Professor of Psychology) and Christine Swoap (Professor of Spanish Language)
Travel Dates: Dec. 27-Jan.6

Comparative psychologists study the behavioral patterns & minds of a wide array of animal species, including humans. There is an emphasis on discovering similarities & differences across species that may shed light on evolutionary & developmental processes. Belize has a rich marine life as well as diverse cultural and language traditions. We will use a comparative & cross-cultural lens to focus on marine species and on learning from the people of Belize. After the fall semester, we will travel together for an 11-day field course to Belize to assist researchers from EcoMar (focusing on conservation issues & marine research) and to learn about the country, its people, and its traditions. We will visit & learn about Mayan ruins, cultural heritage sites, etc. We will stay at a Belizean family-owned villa where Spanish and Mayan languages are spoken with regular opportunities to immerse ourselves in the culture and daily Belizean life.

Application Fee: $75.00
Course Fee: $2,300* + airfare (est. $900-$1100)
*(Limited amounts of need-based financial aid available)
GPA Requirement: 2.5 minimum
Application Deadline: March 1tst, 2023

Costa Rica: Bricks to Bread: Intercultural Community Engagement in Costa Rica 

Credits: 2 (SWK 3750) Fall term 2 course with winter break travel
Instructors: Lucy Lawrence (professor of social work) & Diamond Slone-Couch (Associate Director of the Bonner Leaders Program)
Travel Dates: Dec. 29-Jan. 12

Through the distinct and interconnected lenses of social justice, community engagement, and intercultural development, students examine myriad and interdependent social, environmental, political, economic, and cultural issues in Costa Rica, from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Students develop an intercultural understanding of resiliency and approaches to social justice, and they examine ways in which Costa Rica's distinctive culture influences current societal issues. In the 2-week field study in Costa Rica, students in this course have the opportunity for intercultural exchange through immersive PEG2-designated community engagement. Students will collaborate with a rural Costa Rican community in building a brick oven that will lead to entrepreneurship and economic independence of generations of women.

Application Fee: $75.00
Course Fee: $1,800* + airfare (est. $900-$1,200)
*(Limited amounts of need-based financial aid available)
GPA Requirement: 2.5 minimum
Application Deadline: March 1st, 2023

Greece: Climate Change in Mediterranean Ecosystems

Credits: 4 (BIO 3XXX) Spring semester course with May travel in Greece for two weeks
Instructors: Alisa Hove (professor of biology) & Brian Conlan (Director of the Library)
Travel Dates: May 12-24, 2024

In recent years, global climate change has emerged as a complex and contentious issue facing humankind. This course introduces students to the discipline of Global Change Biology, which focuses on the biosphere's responses to large scale perturbations to the Earth system. The course will introduce the scientific basis for our understanding of the Earth's climate system, discuss how knowledge of past climate change informs our understanding of current impacts, and consider the predicted effects of climate change in Mediterranean type ecosystems (MTE's). MTE's cover 2% of Earth's land (only occurring in California, Chile, the Mediterranean basin, South Africa, & Australia), but harbor extremely high biodiversity. In part due to their characteristic climate, MTE's are experiencing some of the most intense effects of climate change. We will use case studies in conservation biology, fire ecology, & sustainable agriculture to consider the impacts of climate change in MTE's.

Application Fee: $75.00
Course Fee: $2,300* + airfare (est. $1,300-$1,500)
*(Limited amounts of need-based financial aid available)
GPA Requirement: 2.5 minimum
Application Deadline: October 6th, 2023

Mexico: Rights, Revolution, and Ruins 

Credits: 2 (GBL 3750) Term 4 course with May travel in Mexico for two weeks
Instructors: Jay Lively (Integrated Advising Coach) and Paul Bobbitt (Associate Dean of Work)
Travel Dates: May 12-26, 2024

This course will take a look at Mexico through the lens of human rights and how the past influences present-day life for Mexicans. From the bustling streets and museums of Mexico City, to the beautiful colonial town of San Cristobal de las Casas, and then deeper into the southern state of Chiapas with its' beautiful mountains and jungles and home to some of North America's most marginalized and isolated communities. Students will learn about the history of the Mayan Empire in southern Mexico and will visit ancient ruins, providing a geographical and historical context to the struggles that those of Mayan descent experience today and during the past century. This struggle extends to a lack of basic necessities for many who call Chiapas home, specifically a lack of clean water, a topic that students will spend time learning about as well as engaging with local schools who are addressing the issue by building their own water filtration systems and more.

Application Fee: $75.00
Course Fee: $1,400* + airfare (est. $700-$900)
*(Limited amounts of need-based financial aid available)
GPA Requirement: 2.5 minimum
Application Deadline: October 6th, 2023

Ireland: A Personal Book of Hours

Credits: 4 (PSY/ART 3750) Spring semester course with May travel in Ireland for two weeks
Instructors: Cristina Reitz-Krueger (professor of psychology) & Jessica White (professor of art)
Travel Dates: May 12-26, 2024

This Art & Psychology course is an introduction to the medieval Book of Hours and how it can be adapted to contemporary life. Especially popular in the Middle Ages, Books of Hours were devotional manuscripts that contained daily prayers and meditations that covered topics in everyday life from weather, to travel, to death and grief. Students will make personal books of hours using traditional European medieval materials and
techniques, then fill the books with texts utilizing a variety of calligraphy scripts and illuminated drawing techniques. Alongside our bookmaking, we'll explore the psychology behind mindful journaling, art as a form of meditation, and personal narrative. This course is a study abroad course
which includes a trip to Ireland where we will learn from primary sources held in the Special Collections at the Royal Irish Academy and the Book of Kells at Trinity Library.

Application Fee: $75.00
Course Fee: $1,900* + airfare (est. $1,100-$1,300)
*(Limited amounts of need-based financial aid available)
GPA Requirement: 2.5 minimum
Application Deadline: October 6th, 2023

Cuba: Social Justice and Sacrifice: Expressions of Resiliency in Cuba

Credits: 4(SWK 3779) Fall semester course with January travel in Cuba for two weeks
Instructors: Lucy Lawrence (professor of social work) & Melissa Davis (Warren Wilson College writer)
Travel Dates: TBD

Through the distinct and interconnected lenses of social justice and self-expression, students examine myriad and interdependent social, environmental, political, economic, and cultural issues in Cuba, from both historical and contemporary perspectives. They develop an intercultural understanding of resiliency and approaches to social justice, and they examine ways in which Cuba has developed policies, programs, and practices that create a safety net to address current societal issues.

Application Fee: $75.00
Course Fee: $2,300* + airfare (est. $900-$1,200)
*(Limited amounts of need-based financial aid available)
GPA Requirement: 2.5 minimum
Application Deadline: March 25, 2022

Germany: Poets & Dictators: Philosophy, Art, and Politics in Modern Germany

Credits: 4 (PHL 3XXX) Spring semester course with May travel in Germany for two weeks
Instructors: Jay Miller (professor of philosophy) & Brian Conlan (Library Director)
Travel Dates: TBD

This course will be an immersive experience that will provide students with a rich understanding of the major cultural and intellectual developments of modern Germany. We will begin our sojourn with the art, politics, and philosophy of the nineteenth century and trace the growing tensions among these through the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. Coupling in-depth analysis of key texts with on-site experience of the modern urban center of Berlin (with day trips to Weimar and Dessau), we will focus critical attention on the collision between artistic culture and political dictatorship that defines modern Germany.

Application Fee: $75.00
Course Fee: $1,700* + airfare (est. $800-$1,200)
*(Limited amounts of need-based financial aid available)
GPA Requirement: 2.5 minimum
Application Deadline: October 7th, 2022

Indonesia & Singapore: Fields, Markets, & Kitchens: Gender & Food in Singapore and Indonesia

Credits: 4 (ANT 3XXX) Spring semester course with May/June travel in Singapore and Indonesia for three weeks
Instructors: Siti Kusujiarti (professor of anthropology) & Matt Hoffman (professor of religion)
Travel Dates: TBD

This exploratory, innovative course sits at the intersection of two important aspects of daily life: gender and food. Join Siti Kusujiarti and Matt Hoffman as we explore society, culture, food systems and gender dynamics in Singapore and Indonesia. Our time in Singapore will center around the creation of and co-existence of communities and culture through food, religion, gender dynamics, and street food cultures. In Indonesia, we will explore the unique cultural and social environment of Yogyakarta, a city known for education, religious pluralism, and varied approaches to understanding gender. Yogya sits at an interesting crossroad defining and reimagining Javanese food connected to gender, religious, and agricultural identities. In addition to touring various sites in both countries, students will have the opportunity to build deep connections with locals through homestays and service-learning opportunities.

Application Fee: $75.00
Course Fee: $1,900* + airfare (est. $1,000-$1,300)
*(Limited amounts of need-based financial aid available)
GPA Requirement: 2.5 minimum
Application Deadline: October 7th, 2022

Netherlands: Growing Resilience: Care Farming

Credits: 4 (SWK 3XXX) Spring semester course with May travel in the Netherlands for two weeks
Instructors: Sarah Himmelheber (professor of social work) & Alisha Strater (garden manager)
Travel Dates: May 15th - 29th

Students will develop an understanding of the principles and practices of care farming, with special attention to the development of this modality as a treatment approach with multiple populations including older adults, people with SPMIs, people with ID/DD diagnoses, people coping with addiction, among others. During the campus-based portion of this course, students will also visit multiple facilities in the region that utilize interaction with plants and animals as therapeutic interventions. Students will draw critical comparisons between domestic provision of services for their target populations.

Application Fee: $75.00
Course Fee: $1,700* + airfare (est. $800-$1,000)
*(Limited amounts of need-based financial aid available)
GPA Requirement: 2.5 minimum
Application Deadline: October 7th, 2022