UMF 2024 Travel Course Destinations
Winter/Spring: Senegal
Spring Break: Costa Rica and Washington D.C.
May Term: Iceland, Germany and Scotland
SENEGAL
POS 177S/IGS 177
Faculty: Linda Beck, Linda.Beck@maine.edu
Travel Dates: January 2024
Course Date: January – March 2024
This is unique travel course is part of UMF’s Global Classrooms initiative. Students will begin this Global Seminar with a week-long program in Senegal where they will work and study with a group of Senegalese students at the Université de Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar. Together they will travel to the Senegal River Valley to discuss regional and global environmental challenges such as desertification and climate change. Upon return from Senegal, the UMF and UCAD students will continue to work collaboratively in a Virtual Global Experience to develop proposals on how they can help address environmental issues in their local and/or global communities. The course will end mid-semester at Spring Break. All students will be eligible for a scholarship from the US Department of Education under UMF’s Undergraduate International Studies & Foreign Language grant.
Costs (including airfare):
Course Fee: $3,500
Additional Expenses: $250
Total Estimated Costs: $3,750 + Tuition (3 credits).
COSTA RICA
ENV 130N/BIO 130N/ENG 130: Tropical Nature: Exploring Costa Rica
Faculty: Jeff Thomson, Drew Barton – jeffrey.thomson@maine.edu, barton@maine.edu
Travel Dates: March 2024 (Spring Break)
For two weeks, we will explore the astonishing diversity of many of Costa Rica’s ecosystems, including rain forests, cloud forests, mangrove swamps, and beach ecosystems. The course will emphasize natural history, field studies of ecological patterns, tropical conservation, and reflecting on and writing about your experiences.
Costs (including airfare):
Course Fee: $3,350
Additional Expenses: $0
Total Estimated Costs: $3,350 + Tuition (4 credits).
WASHINGTON, D.C.
POS 177 (POS 101S equivalency): The Politics and Diversity of Our Nation’s Capital
Faculty: Linda Beck – linda.beck@maine.edu
Travel Dates: March 2024 (Spring Break)
This travel course to Washington, D.C. examines the political workings of the American federal government through visits to and meetings with representatives of the executive, legislative and judicial branches. During tours of the White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, and several national monuments and museums, we will explore the evolution of American politics and the incredible diversity of the American public as reflected in our nation’s capital.
Costs (including airfare):
Course Fee: $1,000
Additional Expenses: $100
Total Estimated Costs: $1,100 + Tuition (1-3 credits)
GERMANY
INS280, POS 264S: German Political History
Faculty: Scott Erb (scotterb@maine.edu)
Travel Dates: May 2024
For more information, check out Dr. Erb’s FAQ presentation HERE.
This travel course weaves together visits to historical sites to explore Germany’s diverse political history and understand the story of a country often misunderstood and under-appreciated. You’ll appreciate the beauty, excellent food (out of the world cakes and pastries) and friendly people alongside the culture and sites. We’ll take a cruise on the Rhein River, visit the Cologne Cathedral, history museums in Bonn, and Leipzig where the protests began that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. In Berlin, we will see remnants of the divided city and tour the Reichstag. We end in Munich where we will get to see the Bavarian Alps (as pictured above), visit more museums, the Olympic tower, and the first Nazi concentration camp in neighboring Dahau. While each day will be filled with amazing experiences, beautiful scenery and delicious food, you’ll also develop a deeper understanding of Germany’s unique history and, more importantly, how Germans have overcome the horrors of the Third Reich and subsequent division.
Costs (including airfare):
Course Fee: $2,750
Additional Expenses: $ 600
Total Estimated Costs: $3,350 + Tuition (3 credits)
ICELAND
BIO 177N/ENV177N: Aquatic Ecosystems of Iceland
Faculty: Julia Daly & Rachel Hovel – dalyj@maine.edu, rachel.hovel@maine.edu
Travel Dates: May 2024
This course will travel to Iceland to explore Atlantic salmon-bearing rivers on the west coast and newly de-glaciated rivers and landscapes of the south coast. We will focus on field observations of geology and ecology; students will collect data in streams and rivers to understand the watershed processes that influence biological communities in aquatic ecosystems. Other themes of the course will include climate change, Iceland’s volcanic history, and comparison to Maine’s North Atlantic ecosystem.
Costs (including airfare):
Course Fee: $3,100
Additional Expenses: $175
Total Estimated Costs: $3,275 + Tuition (4 credits)
SCOTLAND
ECH 477/ECH 577/EDU 477: Nature-Based Education UK
Faculty: Patti Bailie & Leigh Ann Fish – patti.bailie@maine.edu, leighann.fish@maine.edu
Travel Dates: May 2024
This course is for those interested in nature-based education and outdoor learning. We will visit several nature-inspired schools around Scotland including the award-winning Auchione forest kindergarten. We will observe children engaged in outdoor pedagogy and will participate in professional development sessions with experts in the field. Also included is time in Edinburgh and Loch Lomond areas to explore a sense of “place” in Scotland.
Costs (including airfare):
Course Fee: $3,550
Additional Expenses: $300