Greece (HR), Spring Semester with travel May 24-June 3, 2025

Parthenon Building Greece

Earn 3 credits and satisfy an honors requirement and possible social science elective as Breadth of Knowledge (BOK) plus two of the four needed to earn the River Hawk Experience Distinction (RHED) in Global Engagement.

This voyage to Greece will explore how the past meets the present. Students will visit ancient Greece sites in Athens, visit a Greek school and travel to Delphi, Hydra and Aegina. Before leaving, students will choose a topic to 鈥渞esearch鈥� and complement this information through a photo journal that gives evidence of this topic. Topics chosen are student driven and can include Greek architecture, schooling, technology, mythology, topography, philosophy and philosophers, economy and the impact of Greek culture and ideas on the world. This photo journal will be due at the end of June. The final summative task will be the production of a Greek comedy or drama to be written and performed the last night of our stay in Greece. On the first day of our arrival, parts will be handed out and each day, students will have time to write the script.

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Galapagos, Ecuador (HR) - Spring Semester 2025 with travel May 31 - June 14, 2025

An aerial view of Galapagos islands in the ocean.

Earn 4 credits and satisfy an honors requirement and a Breadth of Knowledge (BoK) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and two of the four needed to earn the River Hawk Experience Distinction (RHED) in Global Engagement.

Phenotypic variation is pervasive in nature: species differ, individuals within species differ, and individuals even differ over time. Variation generates novel ways of interacting with the environment and is responsible for major evolutionary transitions in the history of life on earth. Variation also helps organisms adapt to their environment, can drive speciation, and has led to the incredible biodiversity we see today. Developmental pathways are the products of past evolution, yet they also influence potential for the evolution of new forms as filter through which new mutations must pass before becoming visible to natural selection. In this course, we will explore how biodiversity arises by applying concepts and mechanisms from development, evolution, and ecology, as these processes are inextricably linked. Travel to Ecuador is required.

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Seville, Spain - Spring Semester 2024 with travel during spring break

Bridge going over a river with the Plaza de España in Seville, Spain and a cloudy blue sky in the background.

Earn 3 credits and satisfy an honors requirement and an Arts & Humanities or Social Science requirement, and two of the four needed to earn the River Hawk Experience Distinction (RHED) in Global Engagement.

You couldn鈥檛 write a better story than the history of Spain. The rich and long history is filled with drama, war, love, and loss, and is very much alive today. This story is on display greatest in the city of Seville and the province of Andaluc铆a where the Moors ruled for over 800 years. The Moorish footprint is everywhere in Seville: culturally, architecturally, and gastronomically. As is the Catholic reconquest of the province. The Honors College鈥檚 eight-day spring break program in sunny Seville, Spain, will explore this fascinating story, immersing students in the sun-soaked region鈥檚 culture and its surrounding areas.

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Amsterdam - Spring Semester 2024 with travel during spring break

Houseboats and houses along river in Amsterdam
Earn 3 credits and satisfy an honors requirement and an Arts & Humanities and two of the four needed to earn the River Hawk Experience Distinction (RHED) in Global Engagement.听
This course will cover the history of Dutch speaking peoples from the 16th through 21st centuries. Topics will include Dutch and Flemish revolts against Spain, overseas trade, colonial imperialism, the first stock market, the Tulip bulb mania, engineering of dijks and dams, Dutch & Flemish art and architecture, religion, witch trials, the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, the world wars, and contemporary Dutch culture and environmentalism. Students will be encouraged to explore topics within their areas of interest or branch out into new fields.听

London - Spring Semester with travel May 2024

Students standing on cobblestone streets with London Tower Bridge in background.

Earn 3 credits and satisfy an honors requirement and an Arts & Humanities requirement and two of the four needed to earn the River Hawk Experience Distinction (RHED) in Global Engagement.

Tour major historical sites, including the Tower of London, Westminster Abby (recent funeral ceremonies for the Queen), the British Museum and Library, a two-day stay in Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare鈥檚 birthplace, family home and final resting place), and a variety of tours of the whole city! You鈥檒l see LIVE theatre productions! There are activities scheduled most days, but students will also have a lot of time to explore their own interests and places, such as Ireland, Scotland or France. Academically, this is truly a class for people with little to no experience with Shakespeare. Irrespective of major, students have a blast! For more information, please email:听Kevin_Petersen@uml.edu听or email:听Erin_Maitland@uml.edu.

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Belfast 鈥� Summer Session with travel June 17-30, 2024

Castle ruins on green cliffs above the coast of Northern Ireland.

Earn 3 credits and satisfy an honors requirement and an Arts & Humanities requirement and two of the four needed to earn the River Hawk Experience Distinction (RHED) in Global Engagement.

Belfast is home to a dynamic literary scene and vibrant student life, courtesy of one the world鈥檚 leading research-intensive universities: Queen鈥檚 University Belfast. There, on QUB鈥檚 campus, we will study for two weeks while also traveling around the island鈥檚 two countries 鈥� Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland 鈥� and studying the rich history of the island, with a particular focus on the past century and the political violence known as The Troubles that so defined the city.

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France, Germany & Switzerland - Summer 2023

Water next to a building in Strasbourg.

Earn 3 credits and satisfy an honors requirement and an Arts & Humanities or Social Science requirement, and two of the four needed to earn the River Hawk Experience Distinction (RHED) in Global Engagement.

This course on the history of the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, The Black Forest and Rhineland of Germany, and the city of Basel, Switzerland, features a nine-day cultural immersion trip to Strasbourg, France from May 26-June 3. Students will take day trips to Metz, Colmar, and Riquewihr in France, Heidelberg and Freiburg in Germany, and Basel in Switzerland. Specific sites include: Gallo-Roman artifacts (Metz), medieval fortifications and churches (Metz, Strasbourg, Basel, Colmar, Heidelberg) art museums with collections from ancient through modern (Strasbourg, Basel, Colmar), and the clock-making museum in the Black Forest.

Chile - Winter 2023

Students pose for photo in Chile with city in background.

Earn 3 credits and satisfy an honors requirement and an Arts & Humanities or Social Science requirement, and two of the four needed to earn the River Hawk Experience Distinction (RHED) in Global Engagement.

As tall as the United States is wide, Chile is a remarkably diverse country, home to some of the world's most celebrated poets and writers, a vibrant art and street art scene, and a recent history that includes them restoring their democracy that had been, in 1973, overthrown with possible assistance by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This study abroad experience takes students across the beautiful Central Valley of Chile, from Santiago to the seaside cities of Valparaiso and Vi帽a del Mar.