Details for the University's inaugural voyage as the host of the Semester at Sea program have been finalized for the academic summer term of 2006.
According to the Semester at Sea Web site, the preliminary itinerary for the first trip will last 65 days and travel to Sapporo and Kobe, Japan; Pusan, Korea; Hong Kong; Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam; Singapore; Taipei, Taiwan; and concluding the expedition in Seattle, Wash.
This itinerary may be subject to some changes before the boat departs this summer and is composed primarily of Asian countries, but the Semester at Sea route is not limited to Pacific countries, said Associate Director of Study Abroad Marina Markot.
The shorter summer sessions alternate between Asian and European destinations, while the regular semester-long programs literally travel all around the world, said Dudley J. Doane, director of summer and special academic programs.
The summer schedule route rotates so that students are able to plan their semester at sea around their academic interests, Markot said.
The normal cost of a summer trip ranges between $9,275 and $9,925, said Jeff Hanna, Senior Director of University Relations in a personal e-mail. This price covers tuition, room and board, with the price of board varying depending on the number of portholes in a cabin, he added.
As a special offer to commemorate the University's inaugural voyage with SAS, the first 100 students to complete the University study abroad application, the SAS application and to be approved by the Dean of Students office will receive a scholarship that will cover half of the fees for the program.
The currently developing curriculum is composed of integrated selections of Arts and Sciences courses that relate to each other as well as to the destination, said J. Milton Adams, vice provost for academic affairs.
On this summer voyage, students will be required to attend class every day, even weekends, while aboard the ship and once docked students will forgo classes to attend cultural events that relate to their studies, Doane said.
"This is a very unique experience," Markot said. "Usually travel abroad programs provide one in-depth experience. This is an expansive and comparative experience; as you go along you can compare how issues are dealt with in each country."
Another benefit of this program is that it covers many countries, and will hopefully be a prelude to increasing the number of students who have abroad experiences, Adams said.
The hope is that this program will cultivate in students the comfort, enthusiasm and interest for continued study abroad in one location, he added.
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