HON 195/ENG XXX: Digital Documentary: Capturing Innovation & Texture in Iceland
Spring Break Travel Course
Travel dates: March 13-20, 2027
This Spring Break travel course will connect students to faculty scholars at Reykjavik University engaging in innovative research projects related to healthcare and sustainable energy, while also paying special attention to the sights, sounds, and texture of Iceland. In addition to time spent with experts at Reykjavik University, we will also explore the city of Reykjavik, experience geothermal energy first-hand, and tour the waterfalls and landscape Iceland is known for. Students will conduct interviews with faculty scholars and work toward the completion of a documentary-style podcast or video about their travel experience and the research happening at RU. This course will work in tandem with HON 315/ENG 399: Writing for the Real World. Registration for this travel course is by permission only with an application process. Please note that priority will be given for those students registering for the semester-long HON 315/ENG 307: Writing for the Real World course.
Faculty
Professor Amy Amoroso teaches writing in the Honors Program and English Department. Her courses include: Island Ink Literary Journal Publishing, Destiny and Disease: How Illness Shapes Science & Society, Narrative Medicine: Stories of Health & Illness, Thinking in Honors, Honors Capstone, and Story as Medicine with Elders, which won the Association of Jewish Aging Service’s 2025 Innovation Igniter Award.
Tracey Meagher is a Policy Associate with the Catherine Cutler Institute and serves as a project liaison for Maine Economic Improvement Fund (MEIF) funded programs focusing on North Atlantic projects.
Eligibility
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. Priority will be given for those students registering for the spring semester-long HON 315/ENG 307: Writing for the Real World course.
Tuition and Fees
We are excited to share that the program fee for the course is expected to be $1000 plus tuition, as a significant portion of the travel expenses will be funded by the Maine Economic Improvement Fund (MEIF). Tuition and fees are an additional expense. All participants on USM travel programs receive the in-state tuition rate regardless of residency.
The program fee includes roundtrip airfare, lodging, some meals, cultural and academic programming and excursions, and in-country transportation. Additional expenses include tuition, personal spending money, supplies/materials, and some meals during the trip.
Application
The application deadline is Friday, October 23, 2026.
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 Emily Zider (emily.zider@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.