Brock Experiences offer an intellectual twist to summer

Does your student have plans for the summer?

If not and you’d like to give them the opportunity to expand their horizons—and their minds—right here in the United States, consider the Brock Experiences.

One of Longwood’s signature programs, Brock Experiences are a rotating offering of faculty-led courses that take participants throughout the U.S. to grapple with some of the big questions facing society today. This summer students will be going to Yellowstone National Park, Alaska, San Francisco and Arizona.

All of the courses except Alaska are still taking applications.

All provide 3 hours of academic credit that fulfill a Civitae Core Curriculum requirement. Program costs vary, but are in the neighborhood of $2,500, which includes
—Tuition
—Travel in the field
—Lodging
—Most meals
—All educational activities
—A rough estimate of the travel cost to the program site (students make arrangements and pay for this separately) also is included in the $2,500 estimate

Students may also apply for scholarship support.

Below are some of the details for each of the programs still accepting applications, as well as links to the applications. (Students have to fill out the application—but you can share this post.)

If you have questions, feel free to email Josh Blakely, the program director, at blakelyjk@longwood.edu.

Stewardship of Public Lands

How do we best manage our diverse natural landscape?
Yellowstone National Park

This intense, two-week journey through Wyoming and Montana in the country’s most famous national park opens students’ eyes to the myriad issues impacting the preservation of our natural resources. As they gaze out at majestic mountains and lakes, students ponder what our responsibility as a country is to protect our precious natural resources while recognizing their value in driving commerce for thousands of communities near the park.

Dates: On-campus pre-departure workshop, May 8-10; travel portion: May 14-24
Locations: Cody and Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Gardiner, Montana; Yellowstone National Park; Grand Tetons National Park
Civitae Core Curriculum: Fulfills one Perspectives requirement
Apply here for Yellowstone program.

Being Human: Genetics and Society

What does it mean to be human in the 21st century?
San Francisco

Under the microscope in this course are our genes and their contribution to who we are as individuals, as a culture and as a species. The San Francisco Bay Area of California is the ideal location for this exploration. In cities surrounding the bay, research institutions with world-leading human genetics and bioethics programs are dissecting the human genome and inventing medical tools for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Students will interact with stakeholders from a variety of different disciplines.

Dates: On-campus pre-departure workshop, May 9-11; travel portion, June 7-14
Location: San Francisco, California
Civitae Core Curriculum: Fulfills one Perspectives requirement
Apply here for San Francisco program.

Immigration

Who comes to the U.S., and why do they make the journey?
Arizona

There is perhaps no more hotly contested issue in the United States today than immigration—who crosses our borders, and why do they make the journey to a foreign country to settle? How do they get here, and what challenges do they face once on American soil? Students will meet immigrant families, employers and border security officers as they explore this extraordinarily complex issue.

Dates: On-campus pre-departure workshop, May 9-11; travel portion, May 24-31
Locations: Tucson and Nogales, Arizona; Saguaro National Park; Tubac National Park; Richmond, Virginia
Civitae Core Curriculum: Fulfills one Perspectives requirement
Apply here for Arizona program.

—Sabrina Brown