Study Abroad and Global Learning

Greece, Costa Rica, and England are the destinations for the 2013 Gatton Academy international experiences. These experiences mark the sixth consecutive international travel/study series facilitated by the Gatton Academy. Each experience is described in brief below, with full details and applications found in the online brochures.

The Gatton Academy is also excited to announce a commitment of approximately $11,000 in scholarships for students who require additional financial assistance to travel and study abroad on Gatton Academy-led trips. Details on applying for these scholarships are found below in the Scholarship Opportunities section.

Gatton Academy students also have the opportunity to go on traditional, university-led study abroad programs. These other opportunities may be found at WKU Office of Study Abroad and Global Learning.

Greece

From January 4-15, 2013, Gatton Academy students will explore the cities, culture, and history of Greece, including the cities and sites of Athens, Meteora, Kalambaka, Veria, Thessaloniki, Delphi, Olympia, and Mycenae.

The cost for the trip is estimated to be $1,900. (The overall program cost is estimated at $3,200 with the Gatton Academy supplementing $1,300 of the total cost through dedicated Winter Term funding.) This includes roundtrip airfare   from Nashville, hotel accommodations in all destinations, on average of two meals per day while in Greece, admission to most historic sites and museums, and travel by chartered motor coach or train for excursions.

Full details are available in the online brochure.

Students must submit a complete application by Monday, October 8th to Julie Fryia in the main Gatton Academy office. The cost of the trip will be due to the WKU Bursar's Office on the 2nd floor of Potter Hall at billing intervals to be announced. Students must be eligible for return to the Gatton Academy in the spring semester 2013 to travel to Greece.

Questions about the Gatton Academy's trip to Greece should be directed to Beth Hawke at sara.hawke@wku.edu.

Costa Rica

From January 1-16, 2013, sixteen Gatton Academy students will earn upper-level Biology credit (BIO 485: Honors Costa Rican Biodiversity Studies and Research) while studying and researching in Costa Rica. Sites visited will include the Goldring Marine Biology Field Station on Playa Grande to observe leatherback turtle nesting research, Cloudbridge Nature Reserve in the cloud forest of southern Costa Rica's mountains where students will carry out their own research projects in small teams, Corcovado National Park, and Isla del Caño for snorkeling.

The cost for the trip for students and families will be $950. (The overall program cost is $2250, with the Academy supplementing $1,300 of the total cost through dedicated Winter Term funding.) This includes roundtrip airfare from Louisville, accommodations in all destinations, an average of two daily meals, admission and fees for all items listed in the itinerary, travel by chartered motor coach and boat, and three credit hours' tuition.

Full information and an application are available in the online brochure.

The application deadline is Friday, September 14, 2012. Students must submit a complete application with parental signatures and a 250-word essay by the deadline to Julie Fryia in the main Gatton Academy office. Space is limited to eight males and eight females who will be selected based on essay responses. Equal representation of the junior and senior classes will be sought. Students will be selected on Monday, September 25. The cost of the trip will be due to the WKU Bursar's Office on the 2nd floor of Potter Hall at a billing date to be announced. Students must be eligible for return to the Gatton Academy in the spring semester 2013 to travel to Costa Rica.

Questions about the Gatton Academy's trip to Costa Rica should be directed to Derick Strode at derick.strode@wku.edu. [DBS1] 

 

The Harlaxton Experience

From July 20 - August 10, 2013, members of the Gatton Academy's class of 2014 have the opportunity to earn English 200—Honors Introduction to Literature credit while exploring the literature and culture of the United Kingdom. Through study, students will develop an appreciation for literature, authors, and place. Based at Harlaxton College's beautiful manor house campus in Grantham, England, students will visit locations throughout the United Kingdom.

The itinerary for the Summer 2013 trip has not been finalized, so please note that site visits are tentative. 2013 students will likely be reading Shakespeare and going to the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London and the bard's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon. They may read Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and make an homage to the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth, followed by an afternoon hiking on the rolling, desolate moorland to Top Withens, which might have been Bronte's inspiration. They will likely read a Jane Austen novel and visit sites associated with the novel's setting, as well as the Jane Austen Center in Bath. On average, half of the days of the trip are spent in the field doing site visits and half of the days are more restful class days at Harlaxton Manor.

The cost for the trip is being planned at $3950. (Students who participate in an unfunded Winter Term learning opportunity will carry forth $1300 of dedicated winter-term funding to apply to the cost of the program, effectively lowering the price to an estimated $2650.) This includes roundtrip airfare from the United States, accommodations in all destinations, about half of the meals while in England, admission and fees to activities, historic sites, and museums, travel by chartered motor coach or trains for excursions, and three hours' tuition.

Full information and an application are available in the online brochure.

Students must submit a complete application by Monday, October 8th to Julie Fryia in the main Gatton Academy office. The cost of the trip will be due to the WKU Bursar's Office on the 2nd floor of Potter Hall at billing intervals to be announced.

Students interested in The Harlaxton Experience are required as a pre-requisite to have passed English 100—Intro to College Writing or have credit for English 100 through an alternate path, such as CLEP credit or by scoring a 29 or higher on the English section of the ACT exam.

Students interested in The Harlaxton Experience should not enroll in English 200 for the fall or spring semesters.

Questions about the Gatton Academy's trip to Harlaxton should be directed to Dr. Pokey Bowen at christopher.bowen@wku.edu.

Scholarship Opportunities

The Gatton Academy will provide six scholarships to students who require financial assistance. Two full scholarships will be provided for each of the three trips. Winter-term 2013 non-credit learning opportunities must be pursued by scholarship recipients for the Harlaxton Experience to carry forth their winter-term funding to summer. Students wishing to apply for one of our international scholarships must submit the following items via hard-copy to Derick Strode no later than Friday, September 14:

• a copy of their parents' 2011 tax return;
• a student statement, not to exceed 500 words, describing her or his reasons for wanting to travel abroad, which single destination of this year's three they are interested in traveling to, as well as the impact they expect going abroad will have on their overall Gatton Academy experience.

Student scholarship selection will occur on or before Monday, October 8th. For students who are offered scholarships, receipt of the actual scholarship is contingent upon the individual's eligibility to return for the semester following their trip.