Interterm Travel

Interterm travel courses offer a study abroad experience in a few short weeks, giving you first-hand knowledge of another culture and inviting you to discover more about the world around you. From France to India and Hawaii to the Caribbean, travel and learn with BC.

Morgan Keplinger ’13

“My first trip outside the United States took me to South Africa for the Interterm class “The Politics of Social Change: Studying the Apartheid in South Africa.” This memorable experience allowed me to learn and gain knowledge about this country, their people and their journey to try to find unity as a people. I am so grateful that I was able to become informed and learn through traveling to South Africa and seeing it for myself.”

Interterm is an intensive three-week academic class session, with focus on a single course. Students can earn 1 to 4 credits for interterm classes. Travel courses often emphasize history, language, culture, communications, philosophy, art and music.

Register for Interterm Travel Courses

Preregistration begins in the spring prior to the trip, and professors often post information and hold sessions for interested students. In the fall semester immediately preceding the trip, students can also obtain a travel-specific Interterm preregistration form from the registrar's office.

Interterm 2014 Travel Courses

ART 307: Visual Arts of Spain
Professor: Hough
An introduction to the visual arts of Spain. Emphasis is on both historical and contemporary works of art and architecture, taking into consideration who and what influenced them. Students will also have a firsthand experience of the Spanish lifestyle through its food, music, market, historical landmarks, and varied landscapes. Visits will be to museums, artists' homes, castles and cathedrals.

General Education: Europe
Estimated Extra Cost: $3650

BIOL 257: Marine Ecology
Professor: Bolyard
This course takes place in Belize and offers a field-based introduction to the biology and ecology of marine organisms and their habitats. Students learn about 1) the ocean as an environment, 2) the characteristics of organisms living in and near the ocean with a focus on marine invertebrates and fishes, and 3) ecological principles that govern the distribution and abundance of those organisms. A major focus is on the ecology of tropical marine ecosystems. Thus, students spend much of their time in the water investigating ecosystems such as mangrove estuaries, sea grass beds, and coral reefs. Applied aspects of marine ecology including human impacts, managements, conservation, fisheries and tourism are included throughout the course. There is also time to explore terrestrial tropical ecosystems, such as freshwater mangrove forests and tropical forests, and cultural markets or archaeological ruins, depending on the field site.

Prerequisite: BIOL 100, 101, 110, or 112, or permission of instructor
General Education: Bachelor of Science
Estimated Extra Cost: $3300

COMM 333: European Media and Culture
Professors: Pierson and Suter
This course examines the historical similarities and differences between American media and European media. The course will involve approximately a week of classes on the Bridgewater campus prior to traveling to several locations throughout Europe. Three major themes will be explored: 1) the use of persuasion and propaganda techniques employed during World War II and the Cold War, 2) the development of the European television and film industry (prior to WWII and after it), and 3) issues of media conglomeration, globalization, and the influence of the American film and television industry on Europe. Cities be toured include: London and Paris. Additional costs associated with travel.

General Education: Europe
Estimated Extra Cost: $2850

FREN 308: Francophone Cultural Studies
Professor: Fleis
Travel course in the French Caribbean (Guadeloupe) requiring immersion homestay and language courses. Covers themes of Francophone Caribbean societies and cultures within their social and political contexts. Includes excursions to several different islands to gain a greater awareness of the varied societies within these regional contexts.

General Education: Global Diversity
Estimated Extra Cost: $3800

HIST 305: India Past and Present
Professor: Marsh
A travel course that offers a firsthand examination of the cultural, political, and religious legacies of three separate empires - the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, and the British Raj - in contemporary India. While expediting the vast array of Indian cultures in general, students will explore a number of past and current political and religion centers and examine the role of competing imperial frameworks in shaping the simultaneous unities and divisions in modern India. The course will focus on Northern India, including Delhi, Agra, the Great Indian Desert (Thar) in Rajasthan, British "hill stations" in the Himalayas, and the Hindu holy city of Hardwar on the River Ganges.

General Education: Global Diversity
Estimated Extra Cost: $3200

REL 315: The Lands of the Bible
Professor: Miller
A study of the history, sociology, and archaeology of Palestine as these disciplines relate to the literature, religions, and cultures of ancient Hebrew society and early Christianity. Following the first week of study on campus, two weeks are devoted to visiting sites of biblical and religious importance in Israel and Jordan.

Prerequisites: ENG 110 and REL 220
General Education: Global Diversity
Estimated Extra Cost: $4000

SPAN 308: Spanish Life & Culture
Professor: Ellison
History, culture, art, and geography of Spain are studied by traveling from the modern cultural centers of Barcelona and Madrid to the austere medieval castles and cathedrals of Toledo, Girona, and Zaragoza to the lush Islamic palaces and buildings of Granada, Córdoba, and Sevilla. We will visit the world class museums of the Prado and Reina Sofía, admire the architecture of Antonio Gaudí, and visit the room at the Alhambra where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella inadvertently commissioned Christopher Columbus to "discover" the Americas."

General Education: Europe
Estimated Extra Cost: $3650

THEA 315: Theatre in London
Professor: Cole
An exploration of the rich and varied theatrical scenes in London through nightly attendance at professional and nonprofessional productions. The group attends professional West End classical, modern, and musical productions. A music hall performance and holiday pantomime, as well as nonprofessional theatre in the London suburbs are on the itinerary. Daytime backstage tours, theatre workshops with working professionals, and visits to other locations of theatrical, historical, and cultural interest complement the experience, as do side trips to Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford.

General Education: Fine Arts
Estimated Extra Cost: $3500