Study Abroad Opportunities

Ireland: The Pristine Landscapes of Connacht, led by Professors Kevin Raleigh of UC's Department of Geography & GIS, Professor Nancy Rogers of the Department of Psychology, and Mr. Jack Kunkle of CECH, is a short-term interdisciplinary study abroad program that explores physical and human-made landscapes of northwestern Ireland’s historic province of Connacht.  These landscapes are pristine in that they have endured centuries of existence and are among the oldest, most dramatic, most well-preserved, and least-visited across Ireland. These landscapes, as with other human-made relics in Ireland, date from the times of earliest known inhabitants of Ireland during Neolithic Age. Other landscapes and relics, created by the Celts, the Roman-Brits who brought Christianity to the island, Gaelic kingdoms, the Vikings, and the Normans, are also visible and well-preserved in Connacht.
 
On this international program, students will visit a variety of physical geographic landscapes, megalithic monuments, and structures associated with belief systems in order to witness, identify, and explain historical and contemporary human impacts upon these physical spaces. Access to these spaces is achieved through a number of means, including walking, hiking hilly terrain, boat, bicycle, horseback, so as to provide the most interaction and engagement with physical and cultural landscapes. It is through these cultural landscapes that we examine historical and current intersections among human geography, archaeology, religions / belief systems, and geomorphology, and assess what impacts these may have on present-day Connacht society.

Please visit UC's International Study Abroad page for more information on our Ireland: The Pristine Landscapes of Connacht program.

Ireland: The Ancient Landscapes of Leinster is a short-term study abroad program led by Professor Kevin Raleigh of the Department of Geography, Professor Nancy Rogers of the Department of Psychology, and Ms. Ekaterina “Kate” Katzarova, Program Manager for the School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies (SCFMS) and Adjunct Instructor from Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures (RALL). This program explores physical geographies and human-made landscapes of Ireland's historic province of Leinster, located in the southeastern corner of the island. These physical and human-made landscapes are ancient in that they have endured centuries of existence and are among the oldest evidence of European settlement in Ireland, dating from the times of earliest known inhabitants of Ireland during Neolithic Age. Other landscapes and relics, created by the Celts, the Roman-Brits who brought Christianity to the island, Gaelic kingdoms, the Vikings, and the Normans, are also visible and well-preserved in Leinster. Dublin, the capital city of Ireland, is located in this historic province, and features prominently in a unique aspect of the course as it serves as Ireland's ultimate ancient urban landscape.

On this international program, students will visit a variety of physical geographic landscapes, megalithic monuments, and structures associated with belief systems in order to witness, identify, and explain historical and contemporary human impacts upon these physical spaces. Access to these spaces is achieved through a number of means, including walking, hiking hilly terrain, boat, bicycle, horseback, so as to provide the most interaction and engagement with physical and cultural landscapes. It is through these cultural landscapes that we examine historical and current intersections among human geography, archaeology, religions / belief systems, and geomorphology, and assess what impacts these may have on present-day Leinster society. For students who have never traveled to Europe, this program may provide an outstanding opportunity for first-time travel abroad. English is spoken everywhere in Leinster; relative costs of things are generally lower than in other parts of Europe. Cities and towns in Ireland are compact and easily navigable on foot, allowing for both structured and extracurricular endeavors in exploring landscapes and local geographies.

Please visit UC's International Study Abroad page for more information on our Ireland: The Ancient Landscapes of Leinster program.

For the past ten years the Department of Geography, in collaboration with the Latin American Studies Program, as run on a biennial basis a filed trip to the Yucatan. The trip is usually scheduled during the break between fall and spring semesters. There are courses related to the trip: Geog 6050 (International Field Work) for Graduate students and Geog 1073 (Frshman Seminar:Yucatan) for Undergraduate students. The trip lasts one week, during which time students typically visit five archaeological sites (including Chicehn Itza, Uxmal, Coba, Ek Balam and Izamal), several colonial towns, churches and haciendas, traditional markets, a living Mayan community, a cooperative henequen robe factory, a community run monkey sanctuary and a modern maquiladora. The trip finishes with a free day in Cancun. The trip is run by experienced University of Cincinnati faculty and their Mexican colleagues. Every effort is made to have a physician or nurse as part of the tour group.

Course credit can be arranged through Geography or Latin American Studies. Cost per student is typically under $1,000, including airfare. $500 scholars are usually available for most students. Publicity regarding the trips and availability of scholarships is circulated in courses in Geography, Latin American Studies, and Romance Languages during the fall semester. 

For further information regarding the Yucatan Filed trip, contact:

Dr. Robert South
Department of Geography University of Cincinnati
ph: 556-3427

or the Director of the Latin American Studies Program

Dr. Nicholas Dunning
ph: 556-3436

Please visit UC's International Study Abroad page for more information on our Mexico: Landscapes & Legacies of the Yucatan program.