Each May Term, faculty offer short-term study courses in a variety of domestic and international destinations.
A May Term trip is a great option for students who can’t or don’t want to dedicate an entire summer, semester, or year to studying away from campus. It’s an exciting chance to get outside the classroom and learn by experiencing the world first-hand.
For three weeks, Mary Baldwin students have the opportunity to study or perform community service in locations such as France, Costa Rica, South Africa, Peru, and Japan. Each trip is different; some tour several sites or countries, while others stay in one place. Students stay in homes or small hotels and often travel by public transportation. But one thing is always the same; students are always taught and accompanied by one or more full-time members of the Mary Baldwin faculty with expertise in the subject and location.
May Term courses are offered in many disciplines. Language programs improve students’ speaking and listening skills and provide cultural context for the language. Cultural programs take students to locations such as Italy, London, and Vienna to learn about art, music, theatre, history, business, or politics.
Visit the study abroad library at the Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement for more information. Students may be eligible to apply financial aid; contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information.
The completed May Term Study Abroad application, Participation Agreement, and non-refundable deposit of $500 are due December 1. [Starting in the 2012-13 academic year, the deposit will be $1,000 due on November 1] Balance of payment due February 1. Interested participants may contact the instructor directly to request admission to the course after the deposit deadline.
Destination: Window Rock, AZ; northern AZ, southern Utah
Course Number: ED 110 Practicum in Education
Approximate Cost: $3,000
Instructors: Dr. Lowell Lemons
Contact Information: tllemons@mbc.edu, (540)887-7147
This experience will combine a practicum placement in a classroom serving Native American students with an exposure to the geography and culture of the southwestern United States. Working with students in classrooms is important for pre-service teachers and is also a valuable experience for those focused on other careers. This is an opportunity for a unique immersion experience.
Destination: Costa Rica (San Jose, Caribbean slope, Talamanca Highlands, Central Valley, etc.)
Course Number: BIOL 250 Neotropical Ornithology
Approximate Cost: $2,500
Instructor: Dr. Paul Callo
Contact Information: pcallo@mbc.edu, (540)887-7107
This course will introduce you to ornithology, the study of birds. Both the diversity of birds and their scientific study in tropical and temperate settings will be examined, highlighting the fundamental differences between tropical birds and their temperate zone counterparts. Upon successfully completing this course, you will have a good foundation in the basics of bird biology, ecology, behavior, and how it differs between the tropics and the temperate zone. You will also understand how bias affects our knowledge base in science. This course will consist of daily hikes in all weather, in both Costa Rica and for one week in Virginia. Sights in Costa Rica will include volcanoes of the Cordillera highlands, the Central Valley, both Caribbean & Pacific lowland rainforests, dry tropical forests, swamps, and ocean beaches.
Destination: Tokyo region (sites in Tokyo, Kamakura, Fuji-Hakone, Nikko and Kyoto-Nara) with possible extension
to Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzen and Canton.
Course Number: AS 200 Introduction to Asia or AS 246 Modern Japan (3 credits) with an additional 3 credits for AS 257 (The Chinese Century), if we visit China.
Approximate Cost: $3,500
Instructor: Dr. Daniel Metraux and Dr. Jim McCrory
Contact Information: dmetraux@mbc.edu, (540)887-7063; jmccrory@mbc.edu, (540)887-7182
We will explore Tokyo, one of the most exotic and beautiful cities in the world and witness both traditional and modern Japan. We will visit a Japanese school, major university, museums, the national parliament and converse with a major political leader. We will visit stunning Fuji-Hakone National Park, the historic seaside capital Kamakura, the incredible mountainside shrines of Nikko, the beauty of Kyoto / Nara, and much more. If there is interest there will be an optional visit to Hong Kong / Macau and Canton, China.
Destination: Prague
Course Number: ART 2XX - Drawing in Prague
Approximate Cost: $3,500
Instructor: Prof. Paul Ryan
Contact Information: pryan@mbc.edu, (540)887-7196
This is a two-week studio art course with an emphasis on drawing (both wet and dry media) and collage. Drawing on site in the context of one of Europe’s most beautiful cities -- surrounded by Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Art Nouveau, Cubist, Modernist, and Post-Modernist architecture -- students will create representational and abstract images through traditional and experimental approaches. There will be daily drawing from observation at various sites in Prague, creating work based on the study of artwork and architecture observed at various museums, galleries, and cultural sites in Prague. Inspiration will be drawn from the artistic intentions and styles of 20th century and contemporary Czech artists, and social and cultural contexts. The course will also include various theme-oriented projects (such as drawings inspired by the shadows on Charles Bridge, the absurdity of Kafka’s writings), studio visits with artists, talks by curators and gallery directors in Prague, participation in regular group and individual critiques, and portfolio reviews with faculty at the end of the program.
Destination: Perquín, El Salvador
Course Number: INT 287 Creating Community: Human Rights and the Arts, or COMM/FILM, or BUAD 287/387 Business & Civic Engagement Internship.
Approximate Cost: $1,800
Instructor(s): Dr. Marlena Hobson, Prof. Allan Moye, Artist-In-Residence Claudia Bernardi, and Prof. Lallon Pond
Contact Information: mhobson@mbc.edu, amoye@mbc.edu, lpond@mbc.edu
INT 287 is a community based, collaborative, multi-layered, full immersion course that will take place in Perquín, in which MBC students will learn how to envision/place in praxis and fully develop projects that will engage children, youth, adults, and the elderly. The course is designed for students to partake in the effort to build community by sharing their knowledge, interest and skills. Students will create a collaborative art project with members of the community that will expand from creativity towards conflict resolution, judicial concerns, and the demand for respect for social and human rights. Students will develop professional skills in the arts, Spanish language, film and documentation, and practical expertise in the acquiring of leadership roles while contributing to the peaceful development of communities.COMM/FILM students will work with Prof. Moye to visually document the art and Spanish projects involving MBC students and community members. They will also work closely with Perquín residents to create their own film. BUAD 287/387 students will work with Prof. Pond and Colleen Pendry ’09, helping local women develop markets for their handicrafts. Students will study relevant distribution models and determine what distribution system would be most likely to work for the people of Perquín.
Destination: Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice, Orvieto, Assisi, Vicenza, and/or Siena)
Course Number: ARTH 342 Renaissance Studies in Italy
Approximate Cost: $3,800
Instructor: Dr. Sara N. James
Contact Information: sjames@mbc.edu, (540)887-7195
This May Term course offers intense immersion into the study of major monuments of Italian art and architecture, focusing on the Italian Renaissance. In addition to discussions on-site in Italy, students actively participate in the teaching and learning: Each student will be an enthusiastic guide at two sites of her choice. Students will keep a daily journal, which will be an important keepsake of their trip. Students gain confidence in their body of knowledge about art, improve skills in research techniques, hone their ability to think critically and organize their thoughts, and become comfortable speaking before a group and navigating foreign travel. The small size of the group allows flexibility in scheduling. Prerequisite: Minimum of 6 s.h. of related Art History coursework.
Destination: Cuernavaca, Puebla, and Mexico City, Mexico
Course Number: SPAN 218 May Term Abroad
Approximate Cost: TBD
Instructor: Dr. Brenci Patiño
Contact Information: bpatino@mbc.edu
Spanish 218 will be taught in Cuernavaca, Mexico with excursions to Mexico City and Puebla. Students will stay with local families. This total immersion experience is vital for students’ understanding of Hispanic culture in general, and of Mexico in particular. There is space for 10 students, with a minimum of five.
