Even though Memphis is pretty great, sometimes you feel the urge to break out into the big, wide world. However, it can be hard to give up an entire semester at Rhodes. Solution: just choose one of the many summer programs offered instead. Here’s our Top Five for Summer 2014:
1. Russian Cinema in Rome
Professor Valeria Nollan will be teaching a course on Russian cinema at John Cabot University, a full-fledged American university in Rome. Students will watch and review two to three films per week (with English subtitles for those who aren’t sharp on their Russian) while also being able to explore the rich cultural landscape of Italy’s capital. The program runs from May 15 to June 21.
2. Holocaust Travel Seminar
From May 12 to 25, travel Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic with your peers. Lead by Professor Steve Haynes, this maymester will allow students to visit concentration camps and cemeteries and learn more about a dark time in the world’s history.
3. The Sociology of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Headquartered at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL, this three-week course from May 19 to June 6 will study Dr. Martin Luther King’s leadership in the St. Augustine civil rights movement, which ultimately helped end the filibuster in the Senate and pass the Civil Rights Act. Students will examine the sociological and intellectual roots of Dr. King’s ideology in the place where it all occurred.
4. Rocky Mountain Ecology
Interested in regional geology, the influence of topography and climate on vegetation, community interaction of plants and animals, predation and competition, community dynamics, succession, or disturbance? Then this program, held from June 1 to 14 in Jackson, Wyoming, may be for you. Students can study Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks through direct field courses while living in a rustic log cabin setting.
5. British Studies at Oxford
Under the tutelage of Professor Michael Leslie, students take classes pertaining to an era of British history that changes each year while living at the historic St. John’s College in Oxford University (Pictured above). This summer, classes in Medieval art, history, and literature, as well as travel to some of England’s most recognizable landmarks, are part of the package. The program is open to students from liberal arts schools across the country.