This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
More than 150 students will be spending their winter break in countries such as the Czech Republic, Kenya, Austria, Guatemala, France, and England through Lafayette’s interim-session abroad program.
This is the 29th year in which Lafayette is offering concentrated, three-week courses during interim session led by faculty well-suited to teach them by virtue of their experience and expertise. In many courses, students meet prominent business people, cultural figures, government officials, and academics, learning directly from these experts about the subject matter they are studying. In May, students will also head to Paris and numerous national parks in the Western United States to take similar faculty-led, concentrated courses following the final exam period. (See course descriptions below.)
Students share their experiences and images of interim-session courses in “Through My Eyes, In My Words.”
Many participants in both January and May will experience these courses without payment of program costs as a benefit of being a Marquis Scholar.
Lafayette offers a variety of faculty-led and other study abroad programs. For information, contact Roxanne Lalande, director of study abroad programs and professor of French in the department of foreign languages and literatures, (610) 330-5918 or lalander@lafayette.edu. Her consultation hours are 10 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m. Monday and Wednesday in 409 Pardee Hall and 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday and Thursday in 1 Markle Hall.
A close relationship between faculty leader and students is the hallmark of Lafayette’s faculty-led semesters abroad in Athens, Greece; Brussels, Belgium; Madrid, Spain; Bremen, Germany; Dijon, France; and Kumasi, Ghana.
Students take classes from Lafayette faculty as well as faculty of host institutions. They also take part in field trips planned and led by Lafayette faculty with the help of local organizers. The cost is the same as a semester on campus and includes airfare. Grades and financial aid are fully transferable for the extent of each semester abroad.
The Lafayette faculty members help students with problems they may encounter with local transportation, living with their host family, or other aspects of adjustment to a new culture and living environment. Students can travel on their own and integrate themselves into the new culture.
In the spring semester, students will be participating in a faculty-led semester in Bremen, led by William Hornfeck, professor of electrical and computer engineering.
In addition to the faculty-led programs, Lafayette has affiliations with many colleges and other organizations through which students study in many countries. Grades and financial aid are fully transferable. In the fall, students participated in affiliated programs in Australia, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, and Switzerland. Students are scheduled to participate in affiliated semester-long programs in some of those countries plus Africa, Argentina, Hungary, Chile, China, Ecuador, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, and South Africa, this spring.
Here are the descriptions of the courses in January 2007:
The Open Wall and the New Europe of the 21st Century: Berlin, Prague, and Munich
Taught by Rado Pribic, Williams Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures and chair of the international affairs program, and Robert Weiner, Jones Professor of History
With the opening of the Berlin Wall, Germany and the rest of Europe are facing rapid political, social, and economic changes. This course reexamines the events leading to two world wars, the division of Europe, and the new European reality in the 21st Century. Through visits to historical sites, meetings with people in East and West, readings, and class discussions, students obtain an understanding of the events and ideologies that made history and today’s new reality in Europe.
Modern Sub-Saharan Africa: Kenya and Tanzania
Taught by Rexford Ahene, professor of economics and business and coordinator of Africana studies, and Kofi Opoku, visiting professor of religious studies
This course combines a first-hand look at the socio-cultural environment and natural resources that shape development and change in Kenya and Tanzania. Particular attention is devoted to the rich indigenous history and traditions that provide social and economic purpose for art, the foundations for democratic institutions, support for dignity, industriousness, and accommodation for development. This course examines the degree to which Kenya and Tanzania have achieved their development objectives by managing cultural acculturation, natural resources, and modernization.
The Colorful Sunset of the Habsburg Empire: Fin-de-Siècle Vienna’s Apocalyptic Waltz (Vienna/Salzburg/Munich)
Taught by Edward McDonald, professor of foreign languages and literatures, and Robert Allan, associate professor of psychology
World War I ended in the disintegration of the Habsburg monarchy that for centuries had united peoples of widely differing races and languages. This course focuses on the cultural upheaval in the twilight years of the empire (c. 1870-1919) by indicating how these apocalyptic years found expression in the culture, art, and intellectual work of the most famous luminaries of the period.
Guatemala: Innovations in Development
Taught by Mark Crain, Simon Professor of Political Economy and chair of Policy Studies, and Nicole Crain, visiting professor of economics and business
This course explores opportunities for and impediments to economic progress in Central America, focusing on Guatemala as a case study. Preliminary lectures and readings will examine the historical, cultural, religious, and social background of Guatemala and Central America. Subsequent discussions and seminars led by political and business leaders address policy initiatives and explore the elements underlying successful policies and enterprises.
Medieval Architecture in Northern Europe: Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands
Taught by Leonard Van Gulick, Matthew Baird Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Ellouise Van Gulick, visiting part-time instructor of mechanical engineering
This course entails on-site study of medieval architecture in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. The architecture is considered as an expression of northern medieval European society and technology. The technical accomplishments of medieval builders are emphasized; Roman architecture, based on large-scale use of masonry arches and vaults, is studied as medieval architecture’s foundation. Study of history from the Roman through the medieval period enables students to place the architecture in a societal context.
French Commerce and Culture in the European Union: London, Paris, and Brussels
Taught by Rose Marie L. Bukics, dean of studies and Jones Professor of Economics and Business, and Susan Averett, professor and head of economics and business
This course serves as an introduction to the business environment of France and its role in the ever changing economic marketplace of the European Community. The course examines French culture and its impact on the financial, production, and marketing processes through first hand experiences in the EU organizations and the French marketplace.
The London Theatre
Taught by Michael O’Neill, associate professor of English and director of theater, and Mary Jo Lodge, assistant professor of English
The rich theatrical tradition of the English-speaking theater is continually affirmed by the excellence and variety of theatrical productions in the U.K. Students attend ten to twelve plays in Dublin (the Abbey and fringe theaters), Stratford-upon-Avon (Royal Shakespeare Company), and London (The National, the RSC, the West End, and fringe theaters). The course focuses on the literary and performance aspects of Shakespeare and modern plays, with special emphasis given to post-colonial influences on playwriting and staging both in Dublin and London.
Two courses will be offered in May/June, following final exams:
A Moveable Feast: American Writers in Paris
Taught by Bryan Washington, associate professor of English, David Johnson, associate provost
American writers have always gone to Paris, but the question is why. The answer lies both in the city itself and in the literature it has inspired. Twentieth-century writers like Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, James Baldwin, and Gore Vidal are among the literary expatriates we’ll consider as we explore their Paris. Their Paris, vividly imagined and also literally experienced, still exists–if you know where to look for it and what to read.
Geology from A (Arches) to Z (Zion): The Geology of National Parks in the Western United States
Taught by Larry Malinconico, associate professor of geology and environmental geosciences, and David Sunderlin, assistant professor of geology and environmental geosciences
The National Park System in the Western United States provides a unique opportunity for us to examine how geological processes shape the Earth. In the course, we will travel to different National Parks in Arizona, and Utah to develop an understanding of basic geological processes. In essence, we will be able to study many of the topics covered in an intro-geology course, but do so with an experiential field course instead of the traditional semester lecture-lab model. For example, in the canyonlands we will be able to examine processes of sedimentation, igneous intrusion and erosion. We will also consider the record of life on Earth by examining the fossil record preserved in the rocks. And various locations will give us the opportunity to discuss natural hazards like volcanism (Sunset Crater) and global catastrophes like impact events (Meteor Crater). The course will begin with two days of intensive study at Lafayette, learning basic geologic concepts and earth materials. We will then begin a circuit of the following parks: Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Grand Staircase of the Escalante, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Goosenecks of the San Juan, Monument Valley, Sunset Crater and Meteor Crater. The trip will include a three-day rafting trip on the Colorado River.