Program List with Pictures.xlsx

Faculty Leaders
Program
Australia [North Queensland] Natural Resources (Summer I) : This program will examine the natural (and related social) history and environmental conservation of Queensland, Australia. In addition, exploration of the network of national parks, reserves, offshore islands, and coastal areas of northeast Queensland will be conducted. In the field, explore marine wildlife and coral of the Great Barrier Reef, learn about Aboriginal culture and history, investigate costal management practices of the offshore islands, and explore the rainforest of Daintree National Park to study the diverse flora and fauna of northeastern Australia. Our program will focus on topics related to sustainable development (sustaining human societies and the natural environment) through educational travel, field trips, active participation, lecture presentations and seminars, and coursework exercises.
Mike Schuett
Australia Agroecology (Maymester) : Examines the role agriculture as part of the natural ecosystem. It takes into account financial, society, & natural resource uses associated with agriculture production. Farms not only supply humans with food, fiber & fuel, but also jobs, natural habitat for plants, animals, & microbial species. Farms are an integral component of global carbon sequestration & can have a substantial affect on soil & water quality for urban & rural areas alike. Australia is unique in that it is an economically developed country, but still has vast areas of sparsely populated land. In addition, it has a wide range of ecosystems & climates. These factors make it an ideal country to examine agroecology for undergraduate students.
Steve Hague
Australia and New Zealand Natural Resources (Wintermester) : This course uses two distinct contexts to explore issues of sustainability, conservation, and biodiversity. Beginning on the South Island of New Zealand, we explore topics related to sustainable development (sustaining human societies and the natural environment) through educational travel, field trips, active participation, lecture presentations and seminars, and coursework exercises. The goal of the New Zealand Program is integrate different perspectives drawn from the natural, biological, and social sciences to improve understanding of relationships between human societies and the natural environment.
In Sydney, the program’s focus moves from the remote natural environments of New Zealand’s South Island to an urbanized, human‐influenced context. The Sydney program focuses on urban sustainability in/around the metropolis of Sydney, a city that is home to nearly a quarter of Australia's population. Topics include urban sustainability (including energy use, carbon emissions, and global climate change), conservation of natural resources for human use (tourism/ recreation, agriculture, and preservation), and urban planning (land use and transportation).
Belgium Environmental Science and Engineering (Summer II) : The “low” countries of Belgium and the Netherlands are among the leaders in the world in hydrology and in the recycling of wastes and development of alternative waste treatment methods. In this 5‐week program, students will learn about the hydrologic cycle and water and waste treatment technologies and will compare U.S. and European practices and environmental policies. In addition to course activities, students will have three‐ and four‐day weekends to explore Europe on their own. Popular sites include Paris, Amsterdam, London, and Berlin.
Mike Schuett
Clyde Munster
Brazil Agriculture and Food Production Systems (Wintermester) : Students will learn about and see soil, water, and rain forest conservation and management in Brazil; learn about different cultures of peoples across Brazil; tour and learn about Amazon River and watershed, Parana and Iguaçu Rivers, rain forest, farm, ranch, livestock, and floral production systems; agricultural cooperatives and research centers; sugar and alcohol production; and phosphate mining and production. Sam Feagley
Brazil Comparative Ruminant Production (Maymester) : This course will expose students to two contrasting and different scenarios of ruminant production in Brazil. Ruminant animals have an unambiguous characteristic: they can convert human‐inedible resources into animal products for human consumption. Globalization has imposed changes in economic and political arenas. Certain changes in the international agriculture have created new opportunities for efficient production of ruminants in different parts of the world. Brazil and the US together have the largest commercial herd of ruminant animals in the world and different production systems.
Luis Tedeschi
Brazil Cultural Pluralism in Agriculture (Maymester): This program is for those who desire to broaden their knowledge of an international and pluralistic society. Cultural differences are more than just differences in language, food, appearances, and personal habits. A person's culture reflects very deep perceptions, beliefs, and values that influence his or her way of life and the way a person views the world. Students who experience cultural differences personally can come to truly understand where other cultures are coming from. Brazilian culture is a culture of a very diverse nature. The culture of Brazil has a great mix of religion, ethnicity, colorful heritages, exciting celebrations and much more. People from all over the world with a variety of cultural backgrounds call Brazil their home. Alvin Larke
Cruise Tourism Management (SummerII/Fall) : Students of all majors have the exciting opportunity to study cruise management and cruise tourism from the vantage point of passengers on a Norwegian Cruise Line Ocean Liner bound for islands within the Caribbean region. The program will allow student's to experience first‐hand various on board positions including, but not limited to: Hotel Management, Cruise Programming, Dining Services, Hospitality Management, and Youth/Teen Programming. Additionally, students will be exposed to the impacts of tourism on the host communities.
Specific topics which the course will cover include: an introduction to cruise tourism; management of service sectors; understanding of cultural aspects of places traveled; cruise marketing/decision making; geography of cruising; youth programming; agri‐tourism; and identification of issues related to the economic, technological, and political aspects of cruise tourism.
Jim Petrick
Specific topics which the course will cover include: an introduction to cruise tourism; management of service sectors; understanding of cultural aspects of places traveled; cruise marketing/decision making; geography of cruising; youth programming; agri‐tourism; and identification of issues to the economic, technological, and political aspects of cruise tourism.
China Bioenvironmental Sciences (Summer I) : The program is based in Fuzhou, the political, economic and cultural center of Fujian Province in southeastern China. Fujian is one of China’s chief exporters of agricultural products and a central government‐designated “Experimental Zone for Cross‐straits Agricultural Cooperation”. This location provides a perfect environment for demonstrating real‐
life application and the direct impact of population, regulation, monitoring and remediation and international cooperation through the United Nations and other International Organizations to help address environmental and economic issues.
BESC courses in this program will teach students the principles and techniques of environmental sampling through field experiences. Furthermore, students will learn how environmental regulations and laws differentially impact public and private sector monitoring practices in the U.S. and China. Highlights of the program include environmental site visits and teaming up with local Chinese students for project such as developing mock companies, peer job interviews and performance evaluations.
Dan Ebbole and Won‐bo Shim
Costa Rica Agricultural Leadership (Wintermester) : Graduate students will be trained on the use of participatory rural appraisal to collect need assessment data in the local community. Under‐graduates develop case studies and multimedia components that reflect technological change in Costa Rica. The courses are related to diffusion and other innovative practices for sustainable development and biodiversity. Students experience first hand practices and principles of technological change in the international and rural environment of Costa Rica. This program is open to all majors.
Robert Strong & Landry Lockett
Dominica Tropical and Field Biology (Summer I) : Students conduct field research and complete class projects at the Archbold Tropical Research and Education Center and adjacent Morne Trois Piton National Park. Individual and group research projects include insect ecology, veterinary studies, plant‐animal interactions, aspects of Dominican environmental policy and related cultural questions. Students design projects, collect data, analyze results, and prepare a professional research article.
Tom Lacher Jim Woolley
Fiji and Australia [North Queensland] Natural Resources (Summer I) : Combination of Fiji and Australia [North Queensland] Natural Resources programs. Look to each program for more details
Mike Schuett
Mike Schuett
Fiji Natural Resources (Summer I): Examine human and cultural aspects of Fijian ecology and the conservation, preservation, and management of Fiji’s unique system of marine, coastal, and mountain/rainforest natural resources. Students will use applications in cross‐cultural analysis and techniques to explore the management and conservation of natural resources with a focus on issues related to human use of plant, forestry, wildlife, ecology, recreation and tourism, and/or costal/water resources. The goal of this course is using the Fijian case to integrate the different perspectives of diverse natural, biological, and social science disciplines to improve understanding of relationships between human societies and the natural environment. The impact of humans on natural resources and their sustainable use and conservation will be emphasized.
France Agribusiness: From the Farm to the Table: A Sustainable Food Chain (Summer I): Combination program consisting of a faculty‐led and reciprocal exchange components. During a month‐long trip, the students are exposed to a series of lectures on specifics of food production, processing, and distribution in France. Additional lectures discuss France’s role in the European Union, its history, and the rich heritage of French culture. Field trips and cultural visits are a major part of the program providing the students with an up‐close experience of French agriculture and food industry.
Dmitry Vedenov
France Agriculture Production Systems (Summer I): France is the European leader in agriculture, however it is constantly facing new challenges and has undergone major changes. It is known worldwide for the quality of its food and its specialty products and luxury beverages. These courses will teach Aggies about the French Food Production Systems, how geography, politics, heritage and history play a role in shaping the future of French agriculture, and contrast this with food productions systems in Texas and the world. These courses will offer students a chance to experience French culture and way of life to enhance students’ views on international agriculture. During the second part of the program, students will spend several days based in Paris, taking excursions to visit the gardens of a number of French châteaux.
Cecilia Tamborindeguy
Germany: History of Medicine (Wintermester or Summer II): This program is heavily freighted with field trips including many overnight excursions. These include visits to museums, medical and veterinary schools, hospitals, research institutions, and sites of general cultural and historical importance throughout Germany and neighboring EU countries. In addition, great emphasis is also placed on bringing in European guest speakers, experts in the history of medicine in Europe as well as authorities on the current state of the medical and veterinary medical professions in Europe. The program is designed to maximize the international impact for students interested in pursuing careers in human or veterinary medicine or in biomedical research.
The Program will take place in Bonn at Akademie für Internationale Bildung (AIB), our host institution. Bonn is virtually synonymous for modern Germany and German lifestyle. Set in the beautiful Rhine valley between the mountain ranges of the Siebengebirge and the Eifel, Bonn enjoys a rich heritage from its 2,000‐year history. Baroque royal seat of the former princes elector, site of a major university and the birthplace of Beethoven—Bonn is naturally committed to the arts. Jeremy Wasser
Greece International Leadership (Summer I): This program will provide students the chance to study leadership theory and personal development in an international context. With ancient monuments such as the Acropolis and Parthenon as a backdrop, students will gain a greater understanding of the evolution of leadership while recognizing how our cultural lens shapes decision making and critical thinking skills.
Chanda Elbert & Kim Dooley
Guatemala Agricultural Leadership and Service‐Learning (Maymester) : The primary academic goal of this program is to encourage students to recognize the impact of leadership, education, and communication as a mechanism for change regardless of culture. Students will participate in sustainable agriculture related service‐learning projects that directly benefit rural communities in Guatemala. Weekly field trips and daily cultural activities provide holistic experience.
Lori Moore & Gary Wingenbach
Guatemala Horticulture, Ecosystems, and Society (Maymester) : Guatemala, with its lush jungles, majestic volcanoes, stunning lakes and a rich Mayan culture is the perfect place to study tropical horticulture and ecosystems. The rich soils of Guatemala make it one of the best places to grow coffee, cacao, banana, sugar cane and other tropical crops. This 3‐week program will allow one to visit Guatemala’s tropical and mountainous regions with excursions to food production and food processing sites
Tim Davis & Davis Byrne
Italy ‐ Horticulture/All Majors (Summer I in even‐numbered years) : This program is unique in that it offers a centralized campus community in the beautiful Tuscany region of Italy. The objective of the course is to teach the students about popular and lesser known horticultural commodities and how geography, culture, politics, and history play a role in influencing what we eat and enjoy in the landscape and our homes every day. Particular emphasis will be given to those horticultural products that are represented in the Italian cuisine and gardens. The course will also educate the students on how to ‘read’ and interpret historical gardens. The field trips will increase the students’ understanding and culture of Italy and the production and marketing of horticultural products in Europe.
The Texas A&M Santa Chiara Study Center allows students to live in a familiar setting within the beautiful hill town of Castiglion Fiorentino while they interact with the Italian culture and experience the country’s rich history, art and architecture. The center sits on the south‐east edge of the walled city, overlooking the vineyards and olive groves of the Val di Chiana. Castiglion Fiorentino is 63km south of Florence which is the city of origin for Renaissance art and architecture.
Leonardo Lombardini
Italy ‐ Mediterranean Nutrition and Food Processing (Summer I): This program will provide students the opportunity to explore, learn about, and experience Mediterranean nutrition, food processing and the culinary arts, winegrowing and viticulture/enology in the context of Italian culture, history and policies. During the program participants will travel from the program's head quarters in Cinque Terre to Parma‐Modena, Florence‐Siena, and Rome‐Perugia. In addition to manufacturing operations, food and food processing companies, and vinyards, the program will experience historical and artistic sites in the cities it visits.
Susanne & Stephen Talcott
International Agricultural Research Centers ‐ Mexico (Summer II): Students will experience the culture of agricultural production systems ranging from subsistence to modern, large‐scale production. Through the programs at CIMMYT and INIFAP, students will learn first‐hand about efforts and programs designed to alleviate world hunger through the development of crop cultivars adapted to subsistence production systems and to modern, high‐tech production practices. Students will be immersed in Latin America, and more specifically, Mexican culture and thought processes. Students will gain an international perspective of food, fiber, and feed production issues and opportunities. Students will gain a better understanding of international organizations and philanthropic organizations designed to help feed and clothe people in developing nations through interaction with international scientists, economists, statisticians, dieticians, policy‐makers, and administrators at CIMMYT and INIFAP.
Seth Murray
Gary Wingenbach & Tracy Rutherford
Namibia Photojournalism and Cultural Pluralism in Agriculture (Summer II): Understanding and communicating Namibia’s agricultural issues through word and illustration are necessary skills for communicators of such issues. Students will partner with University of Namibia students, Gobabeb Research and Training Centre, Cheetah Conservation Fund, and local Namibian agribusinesses to complete program assignments. Cultural trips include Estosha National Park, Cheetah Conservation Fund, Skeleton Coast, craft markets, and more. Program is limited to 20 students. Participants may receive multiple travel stipends.
Peru ABS Amazon Field School (Maymester) : ABS Field School in the Peruvian Amazon introduces students to the social and biological realities of conservation and research in Latin America. Students have firsthand investigation into key resource management systems, and apply conservation research techniques. Students complete case studies of important resources found in lowland tropical forests of southeastern Peru. Students interact with a mix of native peoples, colonists, conservation organizations, loggers, gold miners, and eco‐tourism experts.
Don Brightsmith & Amanda Stronza
Poland‐Eastern Europe Leadership and Culture (Summer II/Fall): Students will learn about and observe leadership prac ces in Poland―as evidenced in agricultural systems, politics and government, education, religion and cultural arts―will be observed and compared and contrasted with the U.S. case, even as students learn about how to identify the elements of culture, how to recognize their influence on individual's behavior and how to adapt to different cultural settings and contexts. Students will visit important historical and cultural sites for both Poland and the US.
Cathryn Clement & Jim Mazurkiewicz
South Africa Biodiversity and Nature‐Based Tourism (Summer I): The goal of the class is to explore the interactions between ecological, human, and land tenure aspects of biodiversity conservation and nature‐based tourism in a developing country. Course objectives are: 1) appreciate the cultural diversity of South Africa; 2) appreciate the high floral and faunal biodiversity; 3)understand the complexity of ecological and human interactions affecting nature‐based tourism in South Africa; 4) understand the role of public, private, and communal lands in biodiversity conservation and nature‐based tourism in South Africa.
Robert Shaw & Urs Kreuter
UK Natural Resources and Agricultural Sustainability (Maymester) : Scotland will serve as a case study to compare U.S. and Scottish natural resource use, agricultural production, and management practices. Through cultural activities and projects with Scots, students will also develop an understanding of how culture, history, and geography lead to economic and environmental sustainability issues and their affect on the implementation of solutions. Topics to be covered are: 1) Conservation; 2) Energy Production; 3) Farming; 4) Fisheries; 5) Forestry; 6) Manufacturing; 7) Sustainable Land Use; 8) Tourism; and, 9) Soil Sampling.
Jacqueline Aitkenhead‐Peterson