Immerse yourself in the waters of Mexico! This course will provide the opportunity to obtain YMCA Basic Open Water Certification as well as to improve cardiovascular conditioning through an individualized program of aerobic training. After spending two weeks on-campus learning the required technical and theoretical skills necessary for certification and completing the aerobic section of the course, participants will travel to Mexico for the last 8 days and 7 nights of the course to dive the waters off the island of Cozumel, one of the world’s most famous and popular dive sites. A final day trip will be spent visiting the Mayan ruins on the northern end of Cozumel.

Prerequisites: Swimming skills test prior to registration. Personal interview.
Grading: S/D/U only
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $1,890
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $175

Vive le français! Vive le Québec ! This course is an immersion experience so that you may improve your skills in the French language while enjoying the hospitality of the francophone population of Chicoutimi, a town in northern Québec province. You will have classes in the morning, activities in the afternoon, interaction with your host family in the evening. The course is provided by the Ecole de langue française et de culture québecoise at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.

Special Conditions : Students are NOT accompanied by an Austin College faculty member on this trip. Upon arrival in Chicoutimi students are taken in charge by the Ecole de langue française and are housed with an approved family.

Prerequisites: French 101. To satisfy the language proficiency requirement students need to have completed French 102 (or equivalent) BEFORE taking this course.
Grading: S/D/U only
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $2,500
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $200

This course is an immersion experience in Prien at the Goethe Institut to improve your skills in the German language. Classes are held 3-4 hours per day. Room and board is provided in a dorm. A variety of excursions and activities outside of class is offered.

Special Conditions: Students are NOT accompanied by an Austin College faculty member on this trip. Upon arrival in Prien students go to the Goethe Institut and are housed in a dorm operated by the Institut. Price subject to fluctuations in the dollar vs. the euro.

Prerequisites: German 101. Course open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. To satisfy the language proficiency requirement students need to have completed German 102 (or equivalent) BEFORE taking this course.
Grading: S/D/U only
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $2,250
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $600

In this course, sixty years after war’s end, we travel to Europe to see the places of World War II: London, Normandy, Berlin, Auschwitz, and a host of battlefields, museums, cemeteries, and other sites associated with this enormous event. We will visit London’s many sites, including the Imperial War Museum, the National Museum of the Army, etc. We will cross the Channel to Normandy, visit both the beaches and the cemeteries, go to Paris, where we will work on a number of sites related to France’s complicated war history and eventually to Belgium, where we will get onto the actual battlefield of the Battle of the Bulge, which ended in early January 1945. From there we will cross Germany to go to Krakow, the main site there being Auschwitz, where we will arrive just sixty years after the Russians liberated the camp. Thence to Dresden, which the Allies bombed into oblivion in February 1945, and to Berlin, rich in sites related to the war.

Prerequisites: Ability to do substantial walking in cold, wet conditions. Email instructor for personal interview.
Grading: S/D/U only
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $3,225
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $500

We will travel to Rome to experience the grandeur and mystique of the city that is responsible for the birth of Western culture. By studying the art, literature, and monuments of Rome’s past, we will learn about the contexts in which the ancient Romans became rulers of the Western world, the early Christians defined themselves and their faith, the Renaissance was born, and European artistic standards were developed and put into practice. We will also have opportunities to observe how a thriving, vivacious, modern city embraces its heritage and makes sacrifices to accommodate important monuments of its past. There will be regular visits to archaeological sites and churches, excursions to nearby cities, Tarquinia, Palestrina, and Pompeii, and ample time for students to observe the modern Roman lifestyle. Students must be physically fit and prepared for lots of walking over rough terrain.

Prerequisites: Good physical condition needed as substantial walking is required. Personal interview.
Grading: S/D/U only
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $3,500
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $350

This off-campus course will explore the Heritage of Western Culture from ancient times down to the beginnings of the modern world in the places where it actually happened: in the great cities of Europe. In addition to Rome, Paris, and London, we plan to make stops in Florence and Venice, with additional day trips to places such as Pompeii, Chartres, Versailles, and Bath (including a visit to Stonehenge). Study abroad will allow us to experience the great art works, monuments and public spaces of Europe, and to reflect on the ways in which they represent or exemplify the moral choices of individuals, societies and their rulers – as symbols of faith, civic order, and cultural exuberance, on the one hand, but of empire and exploitation, on the other. To receive credit for both a Jan term course and the HWC requirement, students must enroll in the preliminary course (8 to 10 class meetings plus assigned readings) in the fall semester of 2004. Students must achieve a passing grade in the preliminary course to receive HWC 101 (22) credit.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of fall pre-departure course required. Personal interview.
Grading: Optional
Cost to be collected by Business Office:$3,375
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $250

A brash, learned, mathematician, philosopher and instrument maker, declaiming momentous astronomical discoveries. A Pope preoccupied with his appearance of weakness in the midst of the carnage of the Thirty Years War. Pestilence. Palace intrigue. Kindred intellectual aspirations and joys as well as rivalries among churchmen and scholars. The lilting music of the lute.

Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, Brunelleschi had left their legacies in Florence, birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. This is the story of the emergence of modern science, and the singular role played by the greatest renaissance man, Galileo Galilee. Our itinerary will include some of the world's most extraordinary artistic and architectual treasures, and we will explore the link between this creative fount, explorations of nature, and new views of humans and their place in the cosmos.

Florence will be our home for two and a half weeks as we become acquainted with its Renaissance legacy through visits to museums (including the Uffizi), palaces, and gardens. Galileo lived here intermittently up to the time of his appointment as the official mathematician and philosopher of the Medici court in 1610. He then resided in Florence until his death in 1642. We will visit the Museum for the History of Science in Florence which contains several Galileo artifacts, including two of his original telescopes. In the southern Florentine hills we will visit the home where Galileo was confined the last ten years of his life. His beloved daughter's convent still exists only a short walk away. We will also journey to Padua and Venice, where Galileo made several of his most important discoveries. Naturally, a trip to the Western port city of Pisa must be included in our Galileo itinerary. Siena was also both one of Galileo's first teaching sites, and a waystation on his return from his humiliation in Pope Urban VIII's Vatican. Our trip will culminate with a tour of Galileo-related sites in Rome.

Students must enroll in a zero credit preliminary course in the Fall. Background readings will be assigned for discussion in nine scheduled meetings, accompanied by presentations on aspects of Galileo's discoveries and their relation both to contemporary Renaissance and to twenty-first century science.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of fall pre-departure course required. Personal interview.
Grading: Optional
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $3,325
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $550

This course will be held partly on campus (eight lectures, Fall Term) but mostly in Europe (approximately three weeks, mainly London and Paris). The general subject of this course is the development of great scientific ideas, their connections with one another and society as a whole, their influences on and manifestations in the modern world. The course will focus on the works of five great chemists (Robert Boyle, Antoine Lavoisier, John Dalton, Michael Faraday and Louis Pasteur) and the programs for chemistry which they initiated, influenced or influenced them.

In addition, the interaction of science with larger society will be examined in the case of William Perkin's synthesis of mauve, the first artificial dye.

After covering those topics, the class will travel to Europe (London and Paris) to see some original apparatus of the scientists mentioned earlier, some of their laboratories and residences as well as to visit world-renown museums, the British Museum and the Louvre.

In Europe the students will have a period of several days to travel independently to any destination in Europe of their own choosing which is relevant to the theme of the course. Destinations chosen in the past have included Rome, Edinburgh, Prague, Munich, Amsterdam, Bern, etc.

One great benefit of studying the history of science is to confront the evidence for scientific beliefs. Another is to appreciate the effort expended in order to establish a fact stated briefly in a textbook. Yet another is to see how scientific ideas developed in connection with the societies around them. In short, history can make science real. Another important aspect of this course is travel, especially travel in a foreign country, a mode of education which is unique and increasingly important in our era of globalization. To see a copy of Newton's Principia annotated by Newton himself; to see the actual apparatus used by the great experimentalists of the 19th century, to visit the apartments where Pasteur last lived, brings to life the scientists and ideas written of in textbooks. In short, travel can make history real.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or above.
Successful completion of fall pre-departure course required. Personal interview.
Grading: Optional
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $3,000
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $1,500

New York City is the most exciting city in the world; you could be spending two weeks there this January! NYC has the best museums, the best music, incredible architecture, and more to do than anywhere else. We will attend concerts - - opera, symphony orchestra, chamber music - - of music we study before leaving Sherman. We will visit the Museum of Modern Art, The Frick Collection, The Guggenheim, The Metropolitan, The Cloisters, and others. We will see the Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Grand Central Terminal, the East Side Tenement Museum, and many other sites. There will also be free time to see shows, theater, comedy clubs, art galleries, and just enjoy the different neighborhoods (Chinatown, SOHO, Greenwich Village). If you’ve never been, this will be a great introduction. If you have been, don’t you want to go back?

Prerequisites: Students classified below junior status must meet with instructor.
Grading: Optional
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $1,205
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $350

The American Center for International Policy Studies, a DC and Grayson County-based nonprofit educational institution, is offering Austin College students, and students from other institutions, the opportunity to go to Washington, DC for two weeks to study foreign policy, to receive briefings from foreign policy makers, and to compete in a "Decision-making Game" with students representing various components of the National Security Council System plus Congress and the media. Austin College has tentatively been assigned two such groups: The Department of State and the DC press corps. Other colleges will represent such agencies as the Department of Defense, the Intelligence community, etc. In preparation for the Game, the groups will receive briefings by State Department officials and media representatives. The game will revolve around finding policy solutions for three major foreign policy issues (e.g., Middle East Peace, trade with China, and arms control).

The Game has been designed by Shelly Williams, and he will play a major role in the course. The trip to DC will occur January 2 - 14, 2005. Upon returning to campus each student will write an analysis of "lessons learned" in the Decision Game and will write an in-depth analysis of one of the issues covered, due by the end of Jan term. AMCIPS staff will provide the briefings, give background lectures, and provide logistical support. Two AC graduates, Greg Williams (1991) and Chris Harris (2004) will organize the sessions.

Prerequisites: Personal interview with instructor
Grading: Optional
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $1,100
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $325

Experience the challenge of rigorous mind/body work, including power yoga, hiking, guided imagery, meditation, whole-food nutrition, fasting, mindfulness and "being one" with nature. Take a journey into the unexplored elements of self, looking beyond the ordinary and expected. Examine the course of others who have traveled this path before you. This challenge is not for the faint at heart! Defy the status quo and march to the beat of a different drum! Join us in the Desert Southwest at Ghost Ranch for a magnificent encounter.

Prerequisites: Physical exam and stress test administered by AC Health Center. Personal Interview.
Grading: S/D/U only
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $1,570
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $variable

 Introductory engineering courses will be offered at the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, from December 27, 2004 through January 11, 2005. Courses are intended for liberal arts college students who are interested in a 3-2 engineering program. These courses require substantial effort and commitment with classes typically meeting on a full-day schedule, six days a week. The total cost of the program includes tuition, hotel, textbooks, and most lunches.  For information about registration procedures, contact Don Salisbury, ext 2480, dsalisbury@austincollege.edu. Registration deadline is November 19, 2004.

Course offerings and prerequisites:
Engineering Mechanics I           Prerequisites: Math 151; Phy 111
Intro to Electrical Networks      Prerequisites: Math 151 and 152; Phy 111 and 112
Grading: Optional
Cost to be paid directly to Washington University: $1,680 (includes non-refundable registration fee)
Out-of-Pocket Costs: Travel to and from St. Louis and some meals

1. Improve your Spanish. Help fulfill your AC language competency, or improve your skills, no matter what your level. This course is for students of all levels, beginning, intermediate, or advanced (even native speakers). Live with great families for three weeks in Buenos Aires. Get to know the Argentine culture "from the inside."

2. Iguazú Falls. The Iguazú Waterfalls on the border between Brazil and Argentina are much bigger than Niagara. They are actually 275 individual cascades strung out along the rim of a crescent-shaped cliff about 4 miles long, and they plummet up to 269 feet into the gorge below. The thunderous roaring can be heard from several miles away. The waterfalls are known for the abundant array of rich vegetation and the ever-present rainbows above the water. The four-day excursion will lead you to the San Ignacio Ruins (backdrop for the movie The Mission) and the Wanda Mines.

3. Buenos Aires. Take classes in the mornings, and in the afternoons, experience world-class museums, talk politics in a traditional café, visit Evita’s tomb in la Recoleta (the most beautiful cemetery in the world), wander around La Boca (the brightly painted Italian immigrant neighborhood), take Tango lessons, see an Argentine soccer match, eat delicious empanadas or an Argentine steak, or go shopping in one of the most stylish cities in the world. In the evenings, interact with your host family.

4. Patagonian Glaciers. Have you ever hiked on a glacier? Have you ever seen icebergs crashing into the ocean? Have you ever seen a wall of ice over 200 feet high and three miles long? Visiting the Moreno Glacier at the southern tip of the world is no less an auditory than visual experience as huge icebergs fall into Iceberg Channel. From a series of catwalks and vantage points visitors can see, hear, and photograph the glacier safely as these enormous chunks of ice crash into the water. This five day, four night excursion is to one of the most beautiful regions of the world. Hike to the base of Mt. Fitz Roy. Check out the wildlife. Have a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Other excursions during this Janterm include a trip to the lovely beaches of Punta del Este (the Uruguayan Riviera), Montevideo, and Colonia del Sacramento (a quaint colonial town).

Students need not be proficient in Spanish in order to participate; only Sp 101 is required.

Prerequisites: Span 101. Students seeking language competency must have completed Span 102. Personal interview.
Grading: Optional
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $4,500
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $300

This course is an immersion experience to improve your skills in the Spanish language. The course will be held at Intercultura of Heredia (Costa Rica). Classes are held 4 hours per day. Room and board is provided with a host family. A variety of excursions and activities will be offered.

Prerequisites: Span 101. Students seeking language competency must have completed Span 102. Course open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Personal interview.

Grading: S/D/U only
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $2,450
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $200

This course is an immersion experience to improve your skills in the Spanish language. The course will be held at the Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca (ICO). Classes are held 4 hours per day. Room and board is provided with a host family. Cultural workshops and conversation groups are offered 3 hours per day.

Special Conditions: Students are NOT accompanied by an Austin College faculty member on this trip. Upon arrival in Oaxaca students are taken in charge by ICO and housed with an approved family.

Prerequisites: Spanish 101. Course open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. To satisfy the language proficiency requirement students need to have completed Spanish 102 (or equivalent) BEFORE taking this course.

Grading: S/D/U only
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $2,150
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $300

This course is an immersion experience to improve your skills in the Spanish language. The course will be held at the language school CLIC in Seville (Centro de Lenguas e Intercambio Cultural). Classes are held 4 hours per day. Room and board is provided with a host family. A variety of excursions and activities is offered.

Special Conditions: Students are NOT accompanied by an Austin College faculty member on this trip. Upon arrival in Seville they are taken in charge by CLIC and housed with an approved family. Price subject to fluctuations in the dollar vs. the euro.

Prerequisites: Spanish 101. Course open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. To satisfy the language proficiency requirement students need to have completed Spanish 102 (or equivalent) BEFORE taking this course.

Grading: S/D/U only
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $2,650
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $650

 This practicum is designed to allow students to engage in an on site observation/investigatory public health care policy exploration learning experience. Students will be involved with public health care policy procedures and practices only. Clinical and administrative settings will be identified according to specific public health interest. Guiding questions will include, but not be limited to: 1) What specific public health policy(ies) are apparent? 2) Are these PH policies serving said purpose? 3) What types of PH policies are lacking and why? 4) What suggestions and/or changes are recommended to ameliorate any PH policy concerns within the setting?

Prerequisites:  Junior or senior standing with two courses in areas of Soc, Psy, Comm or Biol. Instructor permission required.
Grading: S/D/U
Cost to be collected by Business Office: $0
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $135-$550