Apply NowAntarctica: Fall Semester
The Fragile Continent
Fall 2010 (mid August 2010 — early January 2011) for 15 weeks webcast and 2 weeks field
6 Credits (no pre-requisites)
Overview
Survey and field study of Antarctica and adjacent sub-Antarctic region, including human and natural history, geology, climate, and biology of the continent and legal, psychological, and anthropological aspects of human activity in the region, conservation of its ecosystems, and sustainable use of natural resources. It also includes a required field trip (study abroad) to Antarctica during the winter break. 15 weeks late August to early December (once-a-week 2 hour webcast lecture via internet) and mid December, 2010 to early January, 2011 (2 week field program)
Credits & Costs
6 credits, no pre-requisites or co-requisites for ALL MAJORS
Credit is available at the undergraduate and graduate levels in one or more of the following disciplines:
Forestry and Natural Resources (FANR) 4272/6272
Marine Sciences (MARS) 4272/6272
4272 courses are for undergraduate students and fulfill 3000+ level elective requirements for UGA students.
6272 courses are for graduates and honors students.
Students attend once-a-week lectures in the fall (available through the internet as a live/archived webcast anywhere in the world) and then participate in a two-week field study in Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego during winter break. The webcast course can also be taken without the field course in Antarctica for 3 semester credits. The course takes an interdisciplinary perspective to examine the contemporary issues in Antarctica.
The program cost includes orientation, accommodation and all meals in South America and Antarctica, group activities, and all in-country transportation. Tuition (HOPE applies and out-of-state students pay in-state tuition) and international airfare (group rate available) are additional. For students taking only the webcast course there are no program costs but only tuition costs (HOPE Applies and out-of-state students pay in-state tuition).
Description
Antarctica has been described as the "coldest, windiest, driest, highest, quietest, most remote, and least understood continent on earth." It is also one of the most fascinating to the human imagination. This study abroad course explores the Antarctica and adjacent sub-Antarctic region (such as Tierra del Fuego and the Southern Ocean), including its history, geology, climate, and marine and terrestrial biology. Special attention is given to contemporary legal, psychological, and anthropological aspects of human activity in the region, conservation of ecosystems, and sustainable use of natural resources. Students attend weekly lectures during fall, prepare a research essay in their area of primary interest, and then participate in field study for 15 days which includes a cruise of the Antarctic Peninsula and exploration of the natural and cultural systems of Tierra del Fuego and South America.
Students will develop, through lectures and assigned readings, an holistic, inter-disciplinary understanding of the physical and social history and current issues in the Antarctic region, including their inter-relationships, and will develop specialized understanding, through independent research, of the issues in one specific area of Antarctic enquiry related to their major (e.g., history of science/exploration, environmental ethics, geology and global climate change, marine bird or southern forest conservation, etc.). Through field-based studies, students will develop a nuanced understanding of issues in exploration, exploitation, conservation, and sustainable use of the Antarctic region. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.