Australia

The history of Australia, the world’s smallest continent and largest island, has been molded by its aboriginal population and diverse geography as well as by emigration from Europe (especially the British Isles) and Asia. Over the last two hundred years it has grown into a multicultural society with ninety percent of its population living in urban areas. This physically and intellectually rigorous program pays particular attention to the role of the environment, immigration, and settlement in shaping Australia’s history and society.

Australia Spring 2018

Students participating in this program will learn about Australian culture, history, and indigenous Australian studies. This program also focuses on biogeography and venom biology.

Australia Spring 2017

The early part of the program will be spent in Sydney and Brisbane, where lectures and excursions are aimed to provide you with insights into the historical, political and social contexts underpinning the development of modern Australian society as well as introduce you to important contemporary issues. You will be strongly encouraged to compare and contrast the structure and functioning of Australian society with that of the United States, and critically analyse how differences between the two societies impact on their respective citizens’ lives. You will have a lecture series in Sydney, held at the University of Sydney. In Brisbane you will also have a lecture series and live in homestay with Australian families. Later in the program you will spend four days with Aboriginal people, learning first hand about elements of the traditional culture of indigenous Australians and you will also spend extended periods of time in the field, studying and experiencing life in isolated rural communities and Australia’s diverse ecosystems such as rainforests, coral reefs and arid eucalypt forests.

Australia Spring 2016

Based in Brisbane, the 17 students on this program study the history, literature, culture, natural history, marine biology, and contemporary issues of Australia’s urban coasts.This physically and intellectually rigorous program pays particular attention to the role of the environment, immigration, and settlement in shaping Australia’s history and society.

Australia Spring 2015

A program with 17 student participants, they were based mainly in Brisbane. Study focus is on the history, literature, culture, natural history, marine biology, and contemporary issues of Australia’s urban coasts. Includes excursions to Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, rainforests, and other locations of ecological and ethnic importance. The students live in hostels, tents, and with host families. They become acquainted with the diversity of Australian cultures,

Australia Spring 2014 | go directly to external site...

The 14 students participating in the program became acquainted with the diversity of Australian cultures, Australia’s place in the British Empire from the early penal colonies through its participation in the two World Wars, its relations with the rest of the Pacific Rim, and the historical and contemporary dynamics of Australian ecosystems.

Australia Spring 2013 | go directly to external site...

This program provided unique opportunities for students who are interested in ecology, in environmental, cross-cultural and imperial history, and in ethnic studies; it also offers a comparative perspective on democratic political institutions, Pacific Rim international relations, and socialized health care.