Colorado College students have the opportunity to study on many different programs throughout the world. These programs range in length from one block to a full academic year, and meet a wide range of academic interests.
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Syria
In the spring of 2006, CC student Nicholas Wilson (class of 2007) spent the semester in Jordan studying with the School for International Training (SIT). Joined by ten other students from across the country, Wilson’s travels frequently took him off the beaten path. The story below recounts part of a ten-day excursion into Syria.
His name was Iman and he was our “tour guide.”
Umayyad MosqueHe was tall and slim with dark hair and fair skin. The silver cross around his neck told us he was part of the large Christian minority in Syria and also stylishly accessorized the dark, professional looking coat he always wore. He was a grim fellow who never smiled and used only enough words to complete a sentence before falling back into total silence. Though it was never stated outright, it was understood that he was a Mukhabarat – one of many Syrian secret service officers that enforce the rules when least expected.
Germany
Jane White with friends in Freiburg, GermanyGermany — that was the plan. I came to Colorado College with a German major in mind, and simply ecstatic to take advantage of the Block Plan’s inherent compatibility with studying abroad. My advisor introduced me right away to the German department’s semester-long program in Lüneburg. Seeing as this was my freshman year, I wasn’t too eager about the idea of leaving CC so soon and for so long. Instead I opted to go abroad only for seventh and eighth blocks, so that I could get the experience of the program and still manage to root myself in Colorado. I feel it was a wonderful decision for me.
Lüneburg is a little town outside of Hamburg in Northern Germany famous for its salt-trading history. The guest family I’m staying with lives within biking distance of the city center and the university, and I have a bus and train pass for the entire region.
Sacred Places, Spiritual Practices, and the Potential Impacts of Natural Gas Drilling at the Baca National Wildlife Refuge
Each of the twenty-plus religious groups adjacent to the Baca National Wildlife Refuge understands the land as sacred in its own way. Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Shinto, Native American, Sufi – their varied perspectives converge around the negative impact that proposed exploratory drilling by Lexam Energy Exploration would have on their ability to carry out their meditative, contemplative and ceremonial practices in this emergent international religious center.
Colorado College’s advanced seminar "Anthropology 326: Religion and Ritual" spent a week in the San Luis Valley performing team fieldwork on conceptions of sacred place, and the potential impact of natural gas drilling on local spiritual practice.
Visit the class website and read more about "Sacred Places, Spiritual Practices"
La Tierra de Mis Sueños: Climbs in the Bolivian Andes
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Click the Play button above to hear Rob's narrative.
In May and June of 2006, Rob Detlefsen traveled to the land of his dreams: the Cordillera Real of Bolivia. Traveling alone to the country, he met up with a small team consisting of an Aymara guide, porters and one other American to attempt several peaks in the Bolivian Andes. They successfully climbed Pequeno Alpamayo, Huayna Potosi and Illimani over the course of one month. He visited the ruins of Tiwanaku, explored the Altiplano and practiced his Spanish while conversing with the Aymara men and women of Tuni and La Paz. He hopes to return in 2008 to assist local communities with health and medical projects. While there, of course, the mountains will call and he will again climb in the Cordillera.
More information, resources, and related links
At CC, professors often hold classes off campus — for a day, a week, sometimes for an entire block. This is another one of the principal benefits of the Block Plan.
The Departmental Major/International Affairs option is designed to allow students the advantage of a traditional major along with the development of an understanding of international affairs.