Summer 2024 Thematic Seminars

Course list subject to change before registration begins.

Quest Literature

Nate Parker – Study Abroad

Students will be based in Oslo, “Fjord City,” with the opportunity to travel to the coastal cities of Bergen (via the Flam Railway, a stunning route that rises into snow-capped mountains with views of deep ravines and waterfalls along the way), historic Stavanger (gateway to Pulpit Rock fjord), and idyllic villages like Flam. Excursions and day-trips include kayaking, hiking, and visitations to world-renowned museums such as Munch, Fram, and Nobel. The heart of the program will be the study of the archetype of The Hero’s Journey in the mythology and literature of adventure; our primary text will be J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. This is coupled with a travel writing component which focuses on communicating the unique experience of cultural exploration.

Apply on the Study Abroad website

Tropical Entomology – CANCELLED

Kendra Abbott – Study Abroad (Maymester)

This will be a fun, but intensive field-focused class in tropical entomology. Our home for the two-week course will be Ecuadorian Amazonia. We will set up shop at the remote Waita Lodge (https://www.waitalodge.com/) deep in the Amazonian jungle where the class will be introduced to the field of entomology broadly, but also focus on a particular group in need of study. We will also work with a local community to understand how the insects and plants are utilized in their daily lives. The plan will be to generate a collection and to collaborate with an Ecuadorian University. This will be the definition of experiential learning and provide undergraduate and graduate students with the experience of how real field biology happens.

Apply on the Study Abroad website

Improving Visual Presentations

Joe Lambert – MTWRF 2pm-3:45pm

This course is designed to introduce students to the skills needed to produce effective visual presentation of data, interpretations, concepts, and so on in a range of formats (hard copy prints, posters, PowerPoint presentations). The basics of Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Golden Grapher (free demo) software programs will also be learned. The Adobe Creative Cloud Suite is available to all UA students at no cost. Students will need a computer capable of running these programs and a webcam/microphone for Zoom class meetings.