HON 195: Iceland’s Changing Landscapes: from the Viking Age to the Present (3 credits)
SUMMER TRAVEL COURSE
Travel dates: May 20 – 29, 2025
This course will engage students in critical thinking about historical changes to the
Icelandic landscape and the role that human intervention has played—and can play—in
shaping Iceland’s environment. We will cultivate a historical perspective by considering the
different ways people have seen and interacted with the Icelandic environment over the
centuries; students will read medieval, early modern and modern texts describing that
environment and compare their own perspectives to historical ones. Students will be
encouraged to foster intellectual curiosity by looking at the landscapes they encounter–
both in our texts and in person—from several viewpoints (e.g., artistically, emotionally,
scientifically, historically), by reflecting upon their experiences, and then by articulating
their thoughts in a number of creative ways, such as via drawing, photography, poetry and
journaling. We will also engage with the community directly by meeting with Icelanders
who are concerned about their changing environment and who are active in raising
awareness about those changes. Students will exhibit leadership potential by articulating
possible solutions to the various environmental challenges that have been encountered
throughout the course.
Requirements: Honors Minor
Faculty
Mark Mullane, Honors Lecturer in History, mark.mullane@maine.edu
Bernadette Esposito, MFA, Honors Writing Instructor, bernadette.esposito@maine.edu
Eligibility
All students who have declared the USM Honors minor are invited to apply. Additionally, students should have a valid passport (with an expiration date no earlier than 6 months after expected return to US) or be in the process of applying for a passport.
Tuition and Fees
To be determined
Application
The application deadline is March 18, 2024
A complete application includes all of the following:
- Submit the program application form
- We recommend looking over the application before completing it so you have all parts ready, as unfortunately you cannot save as you go.
- A letter of recommendation from a faculty member or academic advisor
- Here is the link you can share with faculty/staff to complete a recommendation on your behalf: Online Recommendation for Travel Program
- Copy of academic transcript
- Information regarding requesting a transcript can be found here (It’s probably easiest to either follow the steps for “Electronic Delivery” or “Unofficial Transcript via Classic MaineStreet” and either way, send to Kimberly Sinclair (ksinc@maine.edu)
Once the application committee has reviewed applications, you will be notified of acceptance via email. At that time, all students accepted to the program will be asked to submit a $300 nonrefundable deposit and will be enrolled in the course in MaineStreet by a USM staff member.