AUIP Antarctica: The Fragile Continent (6 credits)

  Antarctica

Rural Areas

Term: Winter 
Dates: Dec 2010 - Jan 2011

Description: This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the coldest, windiest, driest, highest, quietest, most remote, and least understood continent on Earth. This 6-credit experiential program explores contemporary issues in Antarctica and the adjacent sub-Antarctic region, including Tierra del Fuego and the Southern Ocean. Students attend weekly lectures during the fall semester (available anywhere around the world via webcast), prepare a research essay in their area of primary interest, and then participate in a 2-week field study in Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego during winter break.

Objectives:

1. 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.
2. 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.).
3. Through field-based studies, students will develop a nuanced understanding of issues in exploration, exploitation, conservation, and sustainable use of the Antarctic region.

Highlights:
* Few people have had the chance to visit the remote and beautiful White Continent. For those of you seeking an adventure - this is your ultimate chance.
* Where else would you have the chance to see huge glaciers rolling into the sea, vast penguin colonies, whales, seals, orcas, icebergs, and more?
* Antarctica has the world's greatest concentration of wildlife in the world. It is perhaps the last true wilderness left on our planet.
* Our expedition ship has a fleet of Zodiac landing crafts, which allow us to take daily excursions ashore onto the continent for spectacular scenery and close encounters with wildlife.
* Experience 24 hours of daylight - take stunning photos at midnight and spot wildlife at all hours of day and night!
* AUIP is one of the only study abroad organizations in the world to offer programs in Antarctica. All AUIP programs offer the highest quality academics at the lowest costs available.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: ~ USD 6,995

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American and Canadian Participants.

Participants Travel to Antarctica Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups of up to 20 students in the group

Application Process Involves:

• Transcript
• Written Application

AUIP - American Universities International Programs's Mission Statement: The mission of AUIP is to nurture and foster a global citizenry that respects the diverse cultures and environments of the world in which we live. More specifically, we hope that students who participate in programs with AUIP are better prepared to use this global knowledge in their home community with both short-term and long-term implications. No prior knowledge of the subject areas or environmental issues is assumed, and the courses and programs are suitable for all undergraduate students.

Year Founded: 1971