Geography Study Abroad
Kilimanjaro: Adventure Travel in Tanzania Study Abroad
Students will apply geographical principles of adventure travel and global studies to learn through experience about adventure travel and conservation programs in Tanzania. Students will climb Mount Kilimanjaro with local guides, attend lectures and field trips at the College of African Wildlife, learn Swahili, and travel with local guides through National Parks and game reserves to apply academic principles to actual experiences.
Established in 2017 as part of a partnership with the Mweka College of African Wildlife. This program gives students opportunities to apply geographical principles of adventure travel and global studies to learn through experience about adventure travel and conservation programs in Tanzania. Students will climb Mount Kilimanjaro with local guides, attend lectures and field trips at the College of African Wildlife, learn Swahili, and travel with local guides through National Parks and game reserves to apply academic principles to actual experiences.
Landscapes and Nations in Western Europe
This geographical journey through Western Europe will visit five countries (Ireland, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, and Spain) and multiple non-state nations (Scotland, North Ireland, Wales, Flanders, Basque Country, and Catalonia) to understand better historical and contemporary issues stemming from nations and nationalism. We will consider political, cultural, linguistic, and religious influences in the formation of nation-states, the aspirations of separatist regions, the impact of immigrants and minorities on national identity, and the role of post-nationalism as represented by the European Union. Along our way, we will meet with folks from all walks of life to better understand their experiences living in the dynamic political landscape of Europe.
Additionally, we will hike, bike, walk, ferry, and ride through many other geographical landscapes: urban and rural, agrarian and industrial, religious and secular, mountain and shore. We will climb Ben Lomond in Scotland, walk a section of Offa’s Dyke—an ancient border between Wales and England, and hike the first leg of the Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail over the Pyrenees Mountains from France into Spain. We will also bike through the WWI battlefields and memorials in Flanders Fields and through the vineyards of Southern France. We will visit castles, cathedrals, restaurants, beaches, museums, monuments, headquarters, and neighborhoods. Students will also have ample free time to explore iconic cities like Edinburgh, Belfast, Derry, Dublin, London, Canterbury, Bruges, Brussels, Paris, Bordeaux, San Sabastian, Bilbao, and Barcelona.
Exploring British Family, Church, and Local History
Get out of the classroom and come experience England! Students will experience the intimate connection between the lives of early British converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the history and geography of the places in which they lived, and the Church communities they joined and built. Each student will have the opportunity to guide the group through the life of a British convert, with a firsthand experience of the historical and modern landscape of his or her community. For those students with British ancestry (not required), this study will forge an especially strong connection to their own religious heritage. Ideally, students will take an applicable family history research course during winter semester 2023 to prepare for the study abroad experience, but this is optional.
Students will place these personal experiences in the broader context of heritage tourism (including religious and genealogical tourism) as an aspect of economic development in modern British communities (including the modern Church). Students will also have opportunities for mentored research in these areas using British scholarly resources such as archives and libraries.