Travel Study Programs

Native American Service Learning Partnership Travel Study

Dates: May 16 - May 24, 2013
This 9-day travel service learning and travel study course is designed to give students the opportunity to connect course content with a service experience at a tribal school in South Dakota.  Enemy Swim Day School is kindergarten through 8th grade tribal school affiliated with the Sisseton Wahpeton tribe in Northeast South Dakota and serves children who are Native American. Students in this purposeful mentorship gain cultural awareness, leadership skills, and professional experience through guiding students in activities on high school graduation, college admission, and career development. (3 undergraduate credits; Department of Social Work)

Ecology & Geology of Yellowstone and the Upper Great Plains – July

Dates: July 15 - July 28, 2013
This fourteen-day, 4 credit General Laboratory (GL) course open to all. This course is suitable for anyone with an interest in the sites covered. The course is designed to introduce the student to the natural history, geology and ecology of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and surrounding regions. It will also provide an introduction to the techniques of field biology and geology. In travel to and from YNP we will introduce the student to the geology, ecology and natural history of the upper Great Plains and the Black Hills. Students will explore some of the philosophies of conservation being applied to the regions of study. Students will participate in fieldwork in ecology, geology and natural history. This course has been designed to be accessible to those with physical disabilities.

Natural History of Yellowstone National Park & Upper Great Plains – August

Dates: August 5 - August 24, 2013
This 19-day field experience and travel study course to South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming will give students, educators and teachers-in-training an opportunity to learn how to conduct ecological research, gain an appreciation of present-day ecosystems, interpret the events in the earth’s history that shaped the various study sites, and use equipment such as global positioning systems receivers. Participants will return with a wealth of classroom materials including slides and photos, minerals and fossils. (3 undergraduate or graduate credits; Department of Biological Sciences or Department of Geography and Geology).

Civil Rights - Social Justice Travel Study Spring Break

Dates: Spring Break, 2014 (Dates TBA)
This inspirational week-long bus tour will be touring noteworthy cities that played substantial roles during the civil rights movement. Students will tentatively travel to Cincinnati, Montgomery, Selma, Jackson, and Memphis. This is an opportunity to learn about a transformative chapter in American history as student’s visit the places where history was made. The trip will highlight both the movement as it happened and as it is remembered in public spaces ranging from major civil rights museums to nondescript bridges. There will be opportunities to meet people involved in civil rights struggles past and present. This will truly give students a wealth of knowledge on the civil rights movement and its legacies. (3 undergraduate credits; Department of History; a non-credit option is available).

Natural History of Yellowstone National Park – Winter

Travel Dates: TBD, January, 2013
This nine-day field experience and travel study course to Montana and Wyoming will allow students exposure to the conservation and natural history of Yellowstone National Park. Students will study the diverse biomes/life zones and ecology of the region, the geology of the region’s geothermal features, and the natural and political issues that affect the Park. Prior to leaving for Yellowstone, UW-W students will be required to participate in a Cougar Ecology Verification workshop held on campus. Also, included is a winter ecology workshop conducted by Dr. Jim Halfpenny at the Track Education Center in Gardiner, Montana. (2 undergraduate or graduate credits; Department of Biological Sciences).

Winter Ecology & Tracking of Wisconsin Wolves

Dates: January 2015 (Dates TBD)
Each winter the Wisconsin DNR uses volunteers to help them track wolves. Students in this 7-day, 2 credit travel study course will participate in a field class that will help the WI DNR in their wolf program. The course will focus on wolf ecology and management practices, tracking techniques and general winter ecology. The course is designed to provide a foundation in the techniques of field biology and wolf ecology.

For more information about these programs or to request an application, please call 262-472-1003 or 800-621-5376 and ask for Kari Borne in the Continuing Education Office. You may also submit your request by email to cetravelstudy@uww.edu.

For information on international programs, contact the Center for Global Education.