AUIP Antarctica: The Fragile Continent

  Antarctica

  Argentina

• All Other Regions of Argentina: 
Ushuaia

Term: Winter 
Dates: December - January

Description: Antarctica has been described as the "coldest, windiest, driest, highest, quietest, most remote, and least understood continent on earth." It is also one of the most fascinating to the human imagination. This study abroad course explores the Antarctica and adjacent sub-Antarctic region (such as Tierra del Fuego and the Southern Ocean), including its history, geology, climate, and marine and terrestrial biology. Special attention is given to contemporary legal, psychological, and anthropological aspects of human activity in the region, conservation of ecosystems, and sustainable use of natural resources. Students attend weekly lectures during fall (available anywhere via webcast), prepare a research essay in their area of primary interest, and then participate in a 2-week field study in Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego during winter break.

Highlights: A 2-week field program in the Antarctica and adjacent sub-Antarctica region occurs during the Winter Break. We will spend 10 days aboard one of the luxury cruise liners on the way to the Antarctica Peninsula and on the ice-shelf itself as well as another 3-4 days exploring the natural and cultural systems of Tierra del Fuego and the tip of South America. December and January is summer in the southern hemisphere, though temperatures will vary considerably.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the coldest, windiest, driest, highest, quietest, most remote, and least understood continent on Earth. After a full semester of weekly webcasts, you will spend 10 days aboard an expedition cruise ship to the Antarctic Peninsula, with the chance to see vast glaciers flowing into the sea, penguin colonies, whales and orcas, and massive icebergs. Also spend 3 days in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

This program explores contemporary issues in Antarctica and the adjacent sub-Antarctic region, including Tierra del Fuego and the Southern Ocean. We will learn about topics such as:
- Antarctica's history and exploration
- The continent's geology, climate, and marine and terrestrial biology
- Legal, psychological, and anthropological aspects of human activity in the region
- Conservation of fragile polar ecosystems
- Sustainable use of natural resources

During your visit to South America and Antarctica, you will stay in comfortable hostel-style accommodation (on land and at sea) with the rest of the students in the group. You will get the chance to make life-long friends with others in the group, and our accommodation adds to this experience. If you are traveling with someone, you may request to room with that person for the duration of the trip. AUIP will provide all meals during the field portion of the program.

By the end of the program students will:
1. Develop, through lectures and assigned readings, an holistic, inter-disciplinary understanding of the physical and social history and current issues in the Antarctic region, including their inter-relationships;
2. Develop specialized understanding, through independent research, of the issues in one specific area of Antarctic enquiry related to their major (e.g., history of science/exploration, environmental ethics, geology and global climate change, marine bird or southern forest conservation, etc.);
3. Through field-based studies, students will develop a nuanced understanding of issues in exploration, exploitation, conservation, and sustainable use of the Antarctic region.

Cost in US$: 6,595

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American Participants.

Participants Travel Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups of up to 20 students in the group

Application Process Involves:

• Transcript
• Written Application

AUIP - American Universities International Programs's Mission Statement: To provide enjoyable, yet academically rigorous, educational and travel study abroad programs that enable students to experience the culture, society, and natural environments of the host country. Select universities will work with students one-on-one to ensure that the program meets their academic needs and is personally and academically rewarding.

Year Founded: 1971