Courses Abroad

2020 J-Term Courses

HP 4152: Exploring the Ecosystem & Culture of Panama
Instructor: Patrick Kelley
jkelle24@uwyo.edu

This three-week course introduces students to the ecological culture of Panama and gives participants practical experience conducting tropical ecology research (focused primarily on animals). During Fall 2019, students occasionally will meet to discuss ideas and develop original research projects (in line with individual interests), which students will complete over a period of 10 days during the course. Ecology projects may explore the adaptive function of army ant swarms or function of bird song; conservation-related projects may explore the impact of habitat fragmentation on environmental noise or impacts of light on dancing birds; engineering-related projects may explore biomechanics of foraging of leafcutter ants or architectural properties of bird nests. Projects could transition into independent projects in later terms. The second half of the course will examine Panama’s ecological culture, including the ecological impact of the Panama Canal expansion (with visits to the Canal locks and surrounding forest fragments) as well as jaguar and ocelot conservation. Days will be spent primarily in the forest collecting data or visiting ecologically-relevant sites. Evening activities will include discussions with local, well-known scientists affiliated with local organization of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

HP 4152: Medicine, Science, and Art in Florence
Instructors: Breezy Taggart & Peter Parolin
vtaggart@uwyo.edu; parolin@uwyo.edu  

The Explorations of Medicine, Science, and Arts program in Florence, Italy, will offer experiential learning opportunities that emphasize the historical intersections between medicine, science, and the arts that are central to Florence’s history throughout the Renaissance and beyond. Visits to museums, libraries, and historical hospitals will elucidate the incredibly rich tapestry in Florence that focused on new knowledge of the human body and will allow students to share interdisciplinary perspectives that will provide a meaningful appreciation for the integration of the humanities, science, and medicine.

2020 Summer Abroad Courses

HP 2151: Modern Japanese Society and Culture
Instructor: Noah Miles
nmiles1@uwyo.edu

The Japan summer travel course introduces students to modern Japanese culture and society. After several meetings on the Laramie campus, students will travel to three important areas of Japan - Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima.  In Tokyo, we will explore modern Japan and the relationship between old and new. In Kyoto, the group will stay at a Buddhist Temple and visit many historically significant and beautiful sites. Finally, after two nights near Hiroshima, students will go to Mount Fuji to relax in a hot spring hotel, enjoy the mountainous landscape, and eat delicious country-style dishes.

Through observing Japanese culture and people, readings of literary and scholarly texts, and their own research, students will come to understand the complexities of Japanese life.

HP 4152: Political Revolucion, Cultural Evolucion: Study Abroad in Paris, Barcelona, and Ronda
Instructors: Lori Howe and Zach Taylor
lhowe@uwyo.edu; ztaylor1@uwyo.edu

The A&S Core Global aspect of the course compares ancient and modern geopolitical elements of Spain to those of the U.S., while the Human Culture aspect explores ancient and modern art, dance, music, food, architecture, and religions. Political revolution influences cultural evolution, and vice versa; this joint exploration illuminates the complex, ancient threads, woven together over millennia, depicting the vibrant nation of España.

After three splendid days in Paris, we will explore exciting, urban Barcelona before then moving south to the historic, iconic pueblos blancos, or white mountain towns, of Andalucía. We will be headquartered in the walled city of Ronda, famed for its ancient architecture, culture, food, and museums.

HP 4152: UW in Scotland: Stealing Culture
Instructor: Nicole Crawford and Darrell Jackson
nicole.crawford@uwyo.edu; darrell.jackson@uwyo.edu  

In one five-minute sequence, the new blockbuster Marvel movie Black Panther raises issues central to the modern museum world, including cultural appropriation and repatriation, the racial composition of museum staffs, and lingering stereotypes regarding visitors of color. Some of these concerns have been in the public consciousness since the 1980s, when the Greek government began campaigning forcefully — and so far unsuccessfully — for the British Museum to repatriate the Elgin Marbles, a group of classical sculptures removed from the Parthenon. But these issues have a fresh relevance today as society increasingly shifts away from a Eurocentric point of view and gains a renewed appreciation for the indigenous culture of formerly colonized nations.

By spending time with international experts and visiting relevant locations in Scotland, London, Amsterdam, and Paris, students will analyze all the different forms of theft that directly impact museums: cultural, fraudulent, and physical. This interdisciplinary class introduces students to the laws of governing and the circumstances behind topics regarding visual arts as cultural goods, international theft and smuggling of works of art, forgery, art museums, architectural preservation, and related matter.

HP 4152: Explorations in Health and Sustainability in Arctic Norway
Instructor: Joslyn Cassady and Karagh Brummond
jcassady@uwyo.edu; kmurph17@uwyo.edu

Norway is considered one the most eco-friendly, healthiest, and happiest nations in the world. Like Wyoming, it is also one of the world’s top fossil fuel exporters. How has Norway achieved this balance between healthy living, energy production, and environmental sustainability? While touring the majestic Norwegian coast and visiting Arctic communities, we will examine the many challenges of health and sustainable living in the 21st century. Topics include: Norway’s mineral wealth fund, public health outcomes, green initiatives, aquaculture, sustainable tourism, Norwegian sensibilities about healthy living, sustainable food practices and more!

HP 4153: Shakespeare in England and Italy
Instructor: Peter Parolin and Leigh Selting
parolin@uwyo.edu; selting@uwyo.edu

This class has three main goals: 1. To introduce you to the world and the plays of William Shakespeare as texts; 2. To introduce you to the world and the plays of William Shakespeare as performance; 3. To expose you to places in England and Italy that were important to Shakespeare and to consider how these places might have informed his work.

The class considers Shakespeare language and themes and helps students understand how he sets up stories, conflicts, and relationships that continue to speak to us powerfully. One of Shakespeare’s themes is performance: what does it mean to put on a performance, to perform for each other, to play a role, to understand life itself as a kind of theatre. Accordingly, we will explore how performing the plays helps us understand and bring to life deeply embedded aspects of Shakespeare’s scripts. In the process, we will consider how specific decisions that directors, actors, and designers make in performance shape the meaning of Shakespeare’s plays today.