SEA Semester: Documenting Change in the Caribbean (Humanities/Social Sciences)

- Multi-Country

Locations in the Carribbean

  Caribbean

Term: Spring, Trimester 
Dates: February - May, 2010 (exact dates TBA)

Description: SEA Semester combines academic work on shore with research at sea to learn about the enormous changes the islands of the Caribbean have seen in the last five centuries. Based in the world-renowned scientific community of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, Sea Education Association provides undergraduates with the opportunity to study the ocean from a multitude of academic perspectives, and do to it from the platform of a traditional sailing vessel. Our four diverse SEA Semester options are the only full-credit programs in the world that combine an engaging academic and research curriculum with the sailing adventure of a lifetime.

SEA SEMESTER: DOCUMENTING CHANGE IN THE CARIBBEAN
Like all of SEA's programs, SEA Semester: Documenting Change in the Caribbean combines academic work at our campus in Woods Hole with practical application of skills & original research at sea. This Humanities & Social Sciences-intensive semester studies how the enormous changes the islands of the Caribbean have seen in the last five centuries. Europeans brought with them devastating diseases that decimated the native population, and transported some five million enslaved Africans into the islands to work plantations of newly introduced crops. Early naturalists described amazing new species of plants & animals even as they were being exterminated and replaced by species introduced intentionally or accidentally. Today there is a dynamic mix of cultures & biota in the islands that bears little resemblance to the world encountered by Christopher Columbus. As a tourist destination, the Caribbean continues to change as new demands are placed on limited resources. SEA Semester: Documenting Change in the Caribbean explores how we can document these changes using the source materials & methodological approaches of both the humanities and sciences.

SHORE COMPONENT - WOODS HOLE
For the first 6 weeks, students take academic classes and labs on our campus in Woods Hole to prepare for their voyage. Students take two concurrent 4-credit classes, Maritime History & Culture and Marine Environmental History, team-taught by a scientist, history and sea captain. Maritime History & Culture explores political, cultural & demographic changes in the Caribbean from the arrival of Europeans to the present. Marine Environmental History traces the role of ships & sailors as agents of environmental, social & economic change. Students look at the marine resources that drove European expansion in the Caribbean, and look at the impact of introduced species, human development and pollution on the ecosystems of islands & coastal areas. Students also examine the efforts to mitigate the damaging effects of human activity on the environment, and at the effectiveness of regional and international management schemes. Students live in communal housing on the SEA campus and have the chance to enjoy the beaches & culture of Cape Cod. They're also able to take advantage of the rich maritime and oceanographic resources in the Woods Hole area including the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University and research laboratories, libraries, archives and lectures available in the Woods Hole community.

SEA COMPONENT - CARIBBEAN VOYAGE
During the second 6 weeks, students participate in a research cruise through the Caribbean. They are full working members of the scientific staff & crew of SEA's 134' steel brigantine, the SSV Corwith Cramer, a state-of-the-art sailing research vessel. In two 3-credit Oceanography labs, students conduct sampling surveys of the Caribbean biology, geology, chemistry and physics. As members of the crew, students earn 3 credits in Nautical Science, operating & navigating the vessel. At port stops in Jamaica, Hispaniola and the Leeward Islands, students explore the natural, historical and cultural landscapes. Students' scientific data and laboratory facilities will be made available to visiting students from the University of the West Indies and local environmental organizations.

Highlights: For more than 35 years and 1,000,000 nautical miles, SEA has educated students about the world's oceans through a fully accredited off-campus study program. Combining perspectives from the sciences, humanities and social sciences, SEA offers extraordinary opportunities for interdisciplinary project-based learning on shore and the immediate application of that newfound knowledge at sea. SEA admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all SEA Semester programs.

No matter your major, SEA considers ocean studies to be an essential component of a liberal arts education. Why should you study the ocean? You can't afford not to. The ocean has a daily impact on your life, and you on it. SEA offers students a connection to this invaluable resource, an experience that you will likely never have access to again.

SEA vessels fly the United States flag and are inspected and certified by the United States Coast Guard as Sailing School Vessels (SSV). Sailing School Vessels are required to meet stringent safety standards that differ from those of a passenger vessel on a comparable route. Our shipboard labs are funded by the National Science Foundation & are among the most advanced oceanographic research vessels in the world.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Minimum Education: High School

Cost in US$: Visit our website for information on costs, affordability & financial aid

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 2-3

Scholarships are Available. numerous merit based scholarships are available.

Application Process Involves:

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Letters of Reference
• Phone Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Job and Internship Network
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Year Founded: 1971