Marine Studies Term Abroad
Offered Every Other Spring Term
Led by Professor Ilene M. Kaplan and Professor Barbara Boyer
The Marine realm covers seventy percent of the earth's surface. It is the place of life's origin and continues to shape much of the world's environment. The diverse resources of the oceans are crucial to the well being of most nations and have played a major role in the shaping of societies and the organization of social structure. Environmental issues, especially with regard to social, ecological and technological concerns, help guide our investigations on the impinging and often infringing nature of the relationship between people and the sea. Our program compares marine issues in temperate, subtropical and sub-arctic locations.
The Marine Studies Program is an intensive and interdisciplinary experience. It will convene in Woods Hole on Cape Cod where we begin our studies of marine biology, marine policy and environmental issues that confront the marine world. Since New England represents the beginning of our country's maritime heritage, it is especially appropriate that we begin our program in this temperate location. While in New England, the focus will be on the emergence of large, regional fishing communities, coastal habitats, tidal processes, and the social, biological and technological adaptations to the marine environment. We will be using the facilities of the internationally renowned Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory. Federal policy and international issues will also be studied at the National Marine Fisheries Service. Other communities to be visited include Nantucket, New Bedford, and Provincetown.
After the New England experience, the group will reconvene in St. George's, Bermuda where course participants will begin their studies of sub-tropic marine environments. The open sea, coral reefs, mangrove forests and the societal and technical response of the human community to these resources will be examined. It is here that students can vividly assess island lifestyles and concomitant environmental problems and concerns of the marine world. In addition, the readily accessible snorkeling areas will provide excellent ways to observe marine species in their natural environment. While in Bermuda, we will be using the facilities of the Bermuda Biological Station in St. George's.
We will spend the remainder of the term in Newfoundland, Canada and use the town of St. John's and the facilities of Memorial University as our base of operations for the East Coast of this provincial island. The ecology of sub-arctic waters will provide fascinating points of comparison to our previous sites. Lifestyles of North Atlantic fishermen, technological adaptations and policies of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will also be emphasized. After St. John's, we depart for Gros Morne National Park on the West Coast of Newfoundland. The rocky intertidal and timeworn fishing traditions exemplify this unique part of the program. The Newfoundland component serves as a capstone marine experience and provides the opportunity to synthesize what we have learned about the marine environment.
Course of Study
Sociology 358T
Marine Policy and the Maritime Environment. An examination of social life in maritime communities and the shaping of national and international marine policies.
Biology 256T
Coastal Biology. Study of the diversity and adaptations of marine organisms in their environment, with emphasis on subtropical, temperate and sub-arctic communities.
Terms Abroad 355T
Images of the Sea. An examination of environmental, technological, and social issues that are associated with the marine environment.
Prerequisites
An overall 2.3 cumulative average; at least a 2.0 average for the previous term; one sociology or one biology course; permission of the instructors and certification by the Dean of Students. Students also must pass a swim test.
Expenses
The inclusive fee covers tuition, room, board, and group excursions. It does not cover personal expenses, or airfare. Travel to and from New England, to and from Bermuda, and to and from Newfoundland, is the responsibility of the student. Students are also financially responsible for their local transportation expenses in Bermuda. All scholarships apply to the program, with the exception of work-study.