Off-Campus Courses

Summer Session

Tropical Marine Biology – Caribbean

Biology 245 (Tropical Marine Biology) is a field course in coral reef biology offered on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands and Virgin Gorda, B.V.I., from June 1 to June 18. This field course serves as an introduction to the study of coral reef organisms and communities. Emphasis is placed on individual and collaborative class projects undertaken in the field. There are daily lectures and field trips to the diverse coral reef communities of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Students are expected to keep a daily record of their observations and projects in a field notebook that serves as the basis of their grades in the course.

  • Students should be able to swim. Scuba training is not required; snorkeling is taught the first day.
  • BIOL 245 is open to nonbiology (nonscience) majors. Science majors with an interest in marine biology can enroll.

Enrollment is limited. Contact Prof. Mitchell Chernin or Prof. Elizabeth Capaldi Evans (chernin@bucknell.edu or ecapaldi@bucknell.edu), as soon as possible for details and permission to enroll. Accepted students should register and enroll using the Course Registration Form enclosed in this catalog.

Economics Summer Program in Barbados

The department of economics will offer an intensive summer session program in Barbados, West Indies, from May 12 to June 1. The program will offer two courses for academic credit, although students are required to take only one.

ECON 266P Topic: Political Economy of the Caribbean. Prof. Winston Griffith and Prof. Michael Moohr will present formal lectures. Local experts will make presentations on aspects of Barbadian and Caribbean industry, tourism, religion, agriculture, unemployment, trade unionism, economic integration, banking, offshore services, the environment, technology and public policy. Field trips and visits to the Houses of Parliament and one elementary school are also planned.

  • Courses count toward the economics major and minor.

ECON 301/201 Independent Study. Students will investigate a topic of interest on some aspect of Barbadian and/or Caribbean development. On return to the United States, students will be required to undertake a lengthy written research report on the topic. Reports must be submitted to Prof. Griffith and Prof. Michael Moohr for a final grade no later than Sept. 15, 2009.

Interested students should contact Prof. Griffith and Prof. Michael Moohr as soon as possible at the Department of Economics, A156/A155 Coleman Hall, 570-577-1476. Deadline is Feb. 20. Accepted students should register and enroll using the Course Registration Form enclosed in this catalog.

Bucknell in Nicaragua

This is an intensive summer program (May 19 – June 7) in Nicaragua offering two courses, although students are only required to take Geog 237. Final papers for each course will be due two weeks after we return.

Geog 237 – Grass Roots Development in Nicaragua is an intensive servicelearning course offering an introduction to themes and issues of third world development, especially focused on grass roots, participatory, and sustainable initiatives in Nicaragua. Students will engage in servicelearning activities in a variety of settings, with priorities for the work stemming from the local community. Included will be work in a local health center and other work supporting local grass roots initiatives such as a women's cooperative constructing their own factory.

In addition to readings and discussions, there will be a number of field trips and special lectures by representatives of local and foreign NGOs, US government offices (embassy and US AID) among others. Excursions may include a variety of health facilities, both urban and rural, agricultural production units such as coffee growers, sesame growers, and honey producers. The combination of academic literature/class room type study and service learning/excursion activities are designed to reinforce and enrich overall learning and students’ appreciation of the issues.

  • Counts towards majors in: Geography, Anthropology, International Relations, Latin American Studies, and Environmental Studies. It satisfies the CLA Human Diversity requirement and the Natural and Fabricated World requirement.

Geog 320 – Independent Study

All students have the option of signing up for this independent study.

  • Counts towards major in: Geography, International Relations, or Latin American Studies

Students will focus on a particular development issue/question in Nicaragua and will write a paper due two weeks after the end of the program. Both local materials in Nicaragua and available resources in the U.S. may be used. The precise topic will be established in consultation with Prof. Susman, Geography Department.

See program website (www.bucknell.edu/inNicaragua) for more information about the program.

Program CoDirectors: Prof. Paul Susman (susman@bucknell.edu), Geography Department and Prof. Molly McGuire (mmcguire@bucknell.edu), Chemistry Department.

Bucknell in Northern Ireland

PSYC 330 (Conflict and Peace in Northern Ireland) and PSYC 231 (Community Organizations in Northern Ireland) are the core seminar and servicelearning courses, respectively, associated with the shortterm studyabroad program, Bucknell in Northern Ireland, (2009 program dates May 12 to June 7.) The purpose of this program is to teach students about the sectarian conflict and peace process in Northern Ireland by means of academic coursework and intensive cultural immersion. PSYC 330 consists of a series of seminars given by academic instructors and community leaders, primarily at Magee College (the L’Derry campus of the University of Ulster) on the social science of the conflict. PSYC 231 is a servicelearning, fieldplacement course, in which students are assigned (based on their experience and interests) to a nonprofit, community organization in Derry.

Both courses count toward the psychology major. Both courses count for geography major credit. Both courses may count toward other majors (e.g., education, political science, international relations), but students must appeal to the relevant department chair for such designations. PSYC 330 is a Human Diversity course and PSYC 231 is a W2 course. Enrollment is capped at approximately 20 students per year. See the program website (www.bucknell.edu/InNorthernIreland), or contact Prof. Bill Flack, Dept. of Psychology, codirector Bucknell in Northern Ireland, 570-577-1131, wflack@bucknell.edu or Prof. Adrian Mulligan, Dept. of Geography for information about the program and how to apply. Information sessions are held throughout the fall semester, and applications are due by Nov. 1. A series of required orientation sessions are held throughout the spring semester.