Students will have an opportunity to travel to Munich, Prague and Berlin during spring break 2014.
By VANESSA GARCIA and AMANDA CASTRO-CRIST
Ranger Staff
Application requirements and deadlines were announced this week for students who wish to participate in the first Amarillo College Educational Global Travel Certification course.
The course gives selected students and faculty members a chance to embark on world travel. Those accepted will travel to Munich, Prague and Berlin March 7-16 during the spring 2014 semester.
Judy Carter, honors program coordinator, said deadlines for applications and fees will come fast and furious because flights and hotels have to be secured this semester. Students who hope to participate will need to obtain a passport and make sure it is the “book” passport, not the “card,” Carter said.
“You can only travel to Canada and Mexico with the card,” she said.
The first deadline is Oct. 2, Carter said, when the application and a $100 processing fee are due. Those selected will be notified by Oct. 8, and Carter said anyone not selected will be refunded the fee.
Applicants are required to have at least a 2.5 grade point average, be enrolled in at least six semester hours this fall and be in good standing with the college. Carter said students accepted will be enrolled in an elective class, HONR 1013, for the spring semester.
The next deadline will be Nov. 4, when the first deposit of $1,400 will be due by noon, with the remainder, another $1,400, due by noon Dec. 2.
While the total cost of the trip is $3,300, Carter said 18 students will be eligible for $500 awards from Student Life to help offset the cost of the trip.
Students will not be responsible for tuition for the spring class, but Carter said they must meet at noon each Monday. Coursework will include research and presentations before and after the trip that relates to each student’s major and chosen international topic.
Last week, faculty members Mike Haynes, a mass communication instructor and student media adviser; Angie Ross, an associate degree nursing instructor; and Mark Shadix, a physical sciences instructor and chemistry club sponsor, were chosen to lead the group of students.
“It’s an awesome opportunity for students,” Shadix said.
“They get to see modern stuff and experience what you don’t usually experience.”
Shadix said he’s been to Prague, but not Munich or Berlin. He’s excited to share the historical sights, both science and non-science-related, he said, with the students.
“The U.S. is a young nation, and Munich and Prague are ancient,” he said. While many in the United States think something like a coin from the 1800s is old, he said, their perspective is likely to change when they find coins dated 400 A.D. in Prague.
Haynes said traveling to other countries is a way for students to really understand history and the figures associated with it.
“When you put your feet on the same ground where Charlemagne or Gutenberg walked, the feeling you have is better than anything in a book,” Haynes said.
For Ross, the trip is a way for her students to broaden their knowledge about medical practices around the world.
“I hope to educate students in international health care policies and to be able to compare and contrast health care in Munich, Prague and Berlin to that of the U.S.,” Ross said. “I hope that we will be able to visit a hospital setting and speak with members of the health care team in these countries.”
Students interested in applying for the trip should respond to the email sent by Carter through AC gmail or send an email to honors@actx.edu.
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