May Term - Intensive Learning

The College provides a wide array of Intensive Learning opportunities, including travel courses as well as on-campus courses. The majority of these courses are offered in May, during a three-week term, although some travel courses may run a little over or a little under the three-week period.

Examples of Past Intensive Learning Courses:

African Faces and Voices: Political Science
Students learned about the political culture of Tanzanians through informal interviews of rural voters. The second objective of the course wass to give students an appreciation of political behavior in a typical African state. (Instructor: J. Rubongoya)

Tropical Marine Biology

Biodiversity, ecology, and taxonomy course on a tropical island, Eleuthera, in The Bahamas, involving identification and classification of animals and plants and their interactions and organizations as species, and as part of communities and ecosystems; chemical and physical factors are also treated. Emphasis on coral reef, seagrass flat, and rocky shore habitats. (Instructor: J. Cawley)

A Realistic Look at Human Disease and the Rise of Drug Resistant Organisms
An exploration of plagues in human history and a reflection on the appearance of drug-resistance in microorganisms. Students will learn through research, lecture, reading, a lab exercise and film, the history, politics, biology, and potential modern significance of human diseases, such as Plague, Tuberculosis, Influenza and Cholera and the pathogens that cause them. (Instructor: B. Crozier)

Demystifying Food: Why We Eat What We Eat
In this course, we will examine an activity we do on a daily basis: eating. We will explore some of the biology and biochemistry of the plants, animals and fungi which make up our diet. We will look at the ancestors of certain food organisms and discuss how agricultural practices transformed them into the foods we include in our diet. Next we will bring biology into the kitchen-how do we transform the plants and animals from the field into cuisine at the table? We will explore the mechanisms behind the transformation of milk into cheeses and ice cream, the transformation of grains to breads and beer, and techniques involved in food preservation. Finally we will discuss the politics of food and food production, including aspects of organic food and Genetically Modified Organisms. The role of food in our culture and traditions will be incorporated throughout this course. ( Instructor: M. Ramesh)

Learn more about the Intensive Learning program.