Lyman Briggs Study Abroad Programs

July 2010
"Art & Science in Paris" (http://www.msu.edu/~luckie/paris) is a study abroad program designed to educate you in: (i) foreign language and culture; (ii) the art of science vs. science of art; and (iii) scientific controversies in France & US. You will live at Cité Universitaire and have opportunities to take French classes at the famous University of Paris Sorbonne. You will make documentary films to exploring science from an international perspective, study the religious vs. secular history of Paris, complete introductory biology [145] laboratory research projects, and have the time of your life.

Summer 2011
During the first half of the twentieth century, two major new theories shook the foundations of physics: relativity and quantum mechanics. In this course, we will follow the footsteps of the main characters in this drama: Planck, Heisenberg, Bohr and Einstein. The stations on our journey will include Bern, Munich, Copenhagen, Berlin, and Göttingen. Students will come away from this course with an understanding of both the history and the physics of these two fundamental theories, and will have experienced the environment in which they developed.

Science, Industrialism and Empire in Nineteenth-Century Britain

London is filled with the sights and sounds of 2,000 years of human history. It was at the center of Britain's worldwide empire for 300 years and has remained a major world city after the end of the empire, and is now a dynamic mixture of ethnicities and cultures from around the globe.

Summer 2009
Taking advantage of the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Origin of Species, this program investigates the Darwinian revolution in the places where it began. We will spend our three weeks from June 28 to July 18 on the move in England, visiting Cambridge University, Darwin's home in Down, Kew Gardens, the London Natural History Museum, Oxford University's Museum of Natural History, Westminster Abbey and many other sites.

May 2009
Tropical Biodiversity and Conserationin Panama is an intensive, short-term study abroad opportunity, designed to give students exposure to the diverse tropical ecosystems of Panama. This course is designed for science majors but is open to non-science majors with a strong background in the sciences. The course has been offered annually since 2002.

March 2009
We are excited to offer a one week, SPRING BREAK program to study the ecosystems and cultures of Nicaragua. This program is designed to give students an introduction to a world vastly different from their own, and develop further interest in learning in an international context.

The course will focus on exposing students to a wide variety of ecosystems and cultures in Nicaragua. Among the ecosystems visited will be rainforests, cloud forests, and dry forests. The great cultural diversity of Nicaragua will introduce students to the impoverished lifestyles of campesinos, cities on the Paciric side, and the Afro-Caribbean town of Bluefields.

Related MSU Study Abroad Programs

In the recent past, the United States has treated health care as a market commodity, while the United Kingdom has considered it a sacred element in its welfare state. This stark contrast dates from 1948, but roots of the different health care systems were evident almost 200 years ago.

At a time when all countries, including the United States, struggle to deliver equitable and affordable health care services that meet public needs and expectations, it is useful to see how other countries provide health care. This program examines the health care system in Costa Rica, a developing nation that has in many ways been successful in providing health care and other services. We will look historically and culturally at how its health care system came to be, and how it operates within the present political and social milieu. We will also examine from an ethical point of view the dilemmas that arise in providing health care effectively, efficiently and fairly, with limited resources. And we will compare how analogous issues arise and are dealt with in the United States.

Students will have the opportunity to experience and learn about earth system science in the unique setting of Antarctica - the only continent on Earth governed by a multinational treaty that promotes peace, advances scientific understanding and international collaboration. Biological and physical processes in Antarctica are fundamentally important to global phenomena such as climate change. Understanding these processes and linkages to global phenomena including the impact of humans is critical to managing for a sustainable Earth.

This program, offered through the College of Natural Science, focuses on the behavior of African mammals and the ecological variables that shape the behavior exhibited by each resident species. During the program, students begin by identifying and becoming familiar with resident mammals. They then move on to making detailed observations of individuals and groups, and monitoring their interactions. The group then discusses how the scientific method is applied to the study of behavioral ecology. Ultimately, students use a variety of techniques for systematic data collection to test hypotheses suggesting explanations for why each species engages in particular types of behavior. Students will also address problems germane to understanding effects of human populations on the behavior and conservation of Africa's fauna.