Our theme in 2008 was Banned in the USA: A Study of American Freedom. Topics included our founding documents, the Civil Rights Movement, the ban on gay marriage, banned books, gambling, the war on drugs and more. On the road we explored Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, PA, Selma and Montgomery, AL, New Orleans, LA, and Memphis, TN.

In 2006, we looked at American Culture through the lens of Disney. Don't be fooled though: this was no Mickey Mouse course! We looked at the history of travel and tourism; issues of race and gender; propaganda; myth; corporate America and more. Our adventures outside the classroom took us to Williamsburg, VA, Asbury Park, NJ, Times Square, the Okefenokee Swamp, and of course, Walt Disney World.

Our theme in 2005 was inspired by the recent reality TV craze. And with some clever punning, we expanded the theme to include Idols (the people we admire), Idylls (our ideal landscapes and sacred places), and Idles (how Americans spend their leisure time). Our adventures on the road took us to Falling Water, Mount Rushmore, the Mall of America, and the Corn Palace, among other places.

America Exposed

With the theme "America Exposed," our 2004 program took on such topics as "Who Owns the Flag," "Crime and Punishment," and "Guilty Pleasures." In our Voices class, we talked to a judge, a cowboy, and our very own college President, Kathleen Gill Bowman. On the road, we visited the West Virginia State Prison, Colonial Williamsburg, Hershey Park, and the Woody Guthrie Archives in New York City.

One of our summer programs, "Fields of Dreams" explored the role of sports in American Culture. Students discussed sports in relation to business, gender, education and more. Our travels took us to Fenway Park, Little League fields, the African American Sports Hall of Fame,  and ESPN studios. Along the way, we spent a day with The Carolina Courage, the women's soccer team. We also met coaches, journalists, trainers and other voices with unique perspectives.

Americans In Paris

In 1903, Gertrude Stein moved to Paris and took up residence. During the next four decades, many other American writers, artists, musicians and performers followed her, deciding that Paris offered the creative climate they were seeking. With "Americans in Paris," students participated in a week-long on-campus seminar, then traveled to Paris to follow in the footsteps of Stein, Ernest Hemingway, and their fellow expatriates. We met an American artist currently residing in Paris, took a tour of Montmartre, and cruised on the Canal Saint Martin through Belleville.

This five-week program examined the literature and culture of New England with an on-campus seminar followed by four weeks of travel through the region. With a focus on the works of Emerson, Thorough, Melville, Hawthorne, Kerouac and O'Neil, students explored the landscape that inspired some of America's most important literary works.  We read Walden on the banks of Walden Pond, walked the Freedom Trail in Boston, went on a whale watch off the shores of Nantucket, met a contemporary witch in Salem, Mass., and walked through Robert Frost's woods.