May Term
May Term travel courses have been a tradition at the college since the early 1980s. Roanoke students travel abroad under the supervision of one or more professors to study for the month of May while earning a course credit. Destinations have included Australia, England, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and other countries. Trips to museums, plays, and local landmarks are just some of the enhancements to learning usually offered. Courses in all areas of study, but English courses usually are offered. Open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Minimum GPA of 2.0.
Examples of Past Intensive Learning Courses:
INQ 277 Vampires, Witches
Travel Course: Poland and far western Ukraine
Professor: Dr. Martha Kuchar
Who are the "undead" in the context of Slavic culture, and why has this region been so rich in their expression, from Dracula to Baba Yaga to Vovkulaka? Why have witches, vampires, and other mythological creatures so captivated the minds of pre-Christian and Christian Slaves that a rich and persistent iconography has risen around them? This course examines the mythology and beliefs about the vampire, witch, and werewolf because they are central to Slavic beliefs about death and the afterlife, concepts which form the broad canvas of the course. The vampiric "undead," the shamanic witch, and the metamorphic werewolf stand at the boundary between two worlds, the living and the dead. Other mythological creatures will be included in the study: dragons, firebirds, and the like. We will read about them in histories, legends, myths, and folk tales. The course will challenge students to separate historical fact from popular
INQ 177 Scotland: Artistic Legacies & Cultural Identities (May 2020)
Travel Course: Scotland
Professor: Dr. Dana-Linn Whiteside
This course is a multidisciplinary study of Scottish art and identity as manifested in art, literature, and landscape. Students will gain a broad understanding of Scotland as a case study of European cultural history. Ideally, students will take away from this course not only a deep understanding of an important European
Symbolic Narrative: The National D-Day Memorial (May 2019)
On-Campus and Travel Course: Bedford Memorial
Professor: Dr. Tom Carter
Restoration Comedy: Sex, Text, and Performance (May 2019)
Professor: Dr. Kenneth McGraw
See the final performance that the class did here!
Contemplative Travel Writing
Travel Course: Vietnam
Professor: Dr. Katherine Hoffman
INQ 277: 20th Century American Films and the Novels that Inspired Them: Exploring the American Experience (May 2018)
Professor: Dr. Anita Turpin
This course explored the visions of America presented through literature and film adaptations of that literature. The novels and films represent a diverse vision of American culture and mythology-from America as a frontier nation to America in the late 20th century. The class looked at how the myth of the American West still pervades the culture, at the ways in which the American South creates its own milieu and wields its own influence across the continent, and at the ways in which immigrant cultures of the 20th century have further diversified an American culture which has always been formed by multicultural groups.
Greek Landscape and Literature (May 2018)
Travel Course: Greece
Professor: Dr. Wendy Larson-Harris
Arthurian Britain (May 2017)
Travel Course: England
Professor: Dr. Dana-Linn Whiteside
Travel Writing Course (May 2016)
Travel Course: Vietnam
Professor: Dr. Paul Hanstedt