Office of Study Abroad and BreakAways

NAVIGATION

Office of Study Abroad and BreakAways

Past BreakAways

2008-2009

Democratic National Convention, Denver, CO

August 15-29, 2008

Faculty Leaders: Karen Dean and Nick Capo

Estimated Cost: $ 4,450 (without BA subsidy)

Application Due Date: April 30, 2008

Program Summary (pdf)

2007-2008

Road of Stars

May 25-June 15, 2008
Leaders: Steve Gardner, Bernd Estabrook

Estimated cost: $2,790

Applications due Oct. 31, 2007

First payment due: $500 by Nov. 1, 2007
Detailed program information (pdf)

Ancient Greece Breakaway

March 15-24, 2008

Leaders: Adam Porter, Nancy Taylor Porter

Estimated Cost: $1985

Applications due Oct. 31, 2007

First payment due: $500 by Nov. 1, 2007

Detailed program information (pdf)

Kingdom of Morocco

January 3-12, 2008

Leaders: Nausser Jamali, Adam Porter

Estimated cost: $1995

Applications due Sept. 28, 2007

First payment due: $1,000 by Oct. 1, 2007

Detailed program information (pdf)

2006-2007

Views of Japan
May 21-June 7, 2007
Leaders: Mioko Webster and Nick Capo
Estimated cost: $2,200
Application due Monday, November 20
Detailed program information (pdf)

Vines of France
May 26-June 4, 2007
Leaders: Jennifer Brown and Brent Yoder
Estimated cost: $1,790
Update: Application due Monday, February 19, 2007.
Detailed program information (pdf)

Ecotourism in Poerto Vallarta and the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico
May 28-June7, 2007
Leaders: Deborah Beal and Kent Elwood
Estimated cost: $1,700
Detailed program information (pdf)

Florentine Renaissance: Florence, Siena, Assisi, Rome
March 9-19, 2007
Leaders: Randy Norris and Jim Kerbaugh
Estimated cost: $2,700
Detailed program information (UPDATED November 9, pdf)

Ireland BreakAway: Limerick, Belfast, Dublin
March 9 or 10-18, 2007
Leaders: Kevin Klein and Jamie Klein
Estimated cost: $2,500 total ($2,250 plus $250 spending money)
Application due Monday, November 20
Detailed program information (pdf)

Spring 2005

Views of Japan Trip, May 23-June 9, 2005
Leaders: Winston Wells, Adam Porter
The sixth annual Views of Japan study-tour will introduce students to Japan and its culture through a short-term immersion experience that takes advantage of our academic exchange relationship with Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. Our 18-day journey to Kyoto, Nara, Kanazawa, Takayama, Hiroshima and Tokyo will be the culmination of seven weeks of introductory study designed to provide participants with various views of Japanese culture and life, from the traditional to the modern. The cost of the trip, which will include airfare, transportation in Japan, lodging, most admissions, and some meals is estimated to be $2200 per student. Japanese language training is not required. The study-tour will be led by Professors Adam Porter and Winston Wells.

Florentine Renaissance, March 11-20, 2005
Leaders: Jim Kerbaugh, Randy Norris
A ten-day sojourn in the Italy of Dante, Saint Francis of Assisi, Michelangelo, and the Medici. Based in Florence, with daytrips to Siena and Assisi. Great museums (Uffizi, Bargello), churches (Duomo, Santa Maria Novella), and other historic sites (Palazzo Vecchio, Casa di Dante).

Fall 2004

Art and Music and Plays Oh My!--New York City Has It All!, Thanksgiving Break 2004
Leaders: Garrett Allman, Brian Anstedt
Planned adventures include: Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Broadway Shows, Museums such as The Metropolitan, Moma, Guggenheim, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, United Nations Complex, Churches and Cathedrals, and the World Trade Center site will also be visited.
*Since we are there over Thanksgiving we will also get to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade LIVE!!!

Spring 2004

Road of Stars: Walking the Pilgrimage Route of St. James in Germany, France and Spain, May 24-June 13, 2004
Leaders: Jennifer Brown, Bernd Estabrook, Steven Gardner, Margaret Marek
We will make a pilgrimage along the Route of St. James, beginning in Germany, passing through France and ending in Spain at the tomb of St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The trip will take place at the end of Spring Semester 2004 and will last for 3 weeks. We will spend two weeks in France and Germany and one week in Spain, walking the most interesting parts of the pilgrimage route and taking the train the rest of the time.

Storm Viewing Breakaway, May 21-30, 2004
Leaders: Fred Pilcher, Winston Wells
This unique trip will provide you with a rare opportunity to learn about tornadoes, lightning, and other phenomena through the direct observation of severe thunderstorms. Tempest Tours, one of the nation's leading storm chasing companies, will guide our Breakaway across the high plains of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. They will provide vans and tour drivers who are highly experienced in safe observation of severe storms. A typical day will begin with an early morning assessment of the potential for severe storm development, followed by a drive of up to several hundred miles to that day's most favored storm-viewing location. On any day the odds of encountering a severe storm are roughly 2 out of 3! Space is limited, so reserve your spot now!

Views of Japan, May 17-June 4, 2004
Leaders: John Fritsche, Clayton Spencer
The Views of Japan study tour is currently being planned in collaboration with Ritsumeikan University of Kyoto for the late spring of 2004. This program is being offered to introduce Illinois College students to Japan and its culture through a short-term immersion experience which takes advantage of the unique Illinois College-Ritsumeikan University academic exchange relationship. Besides fostering new understandings and appreciations of Japanese culture, the study-tour will provide an excellent opportunity for students who have participated in the College's Intercultural Exchange Program with Ritsumeikan to complete the cycle of exchange, and to live with and learn from Ritsumeikan University students who previously have spent five weeks in study on the IC Campus.

Literary London, March 6-13, 2004
Leaders: Robert Koepp, Kelly Dagan
The Breakaway will include visits to the National Gallery, the British Museum, the Globe Theater, Tower of London, and Windsor Castle, as well as a full-day excursion to Cambridge. Also included will be two evenings of London Theater. Participation is limited to 10 students.

On Freedom's Trail, Atlanta to Memphis, Spring Break
Leader: Karen Dean

Tropical Ecology, Costa Rica, Spring Break
Leader: Lawrence Zettler

Habitat for Humanity, January 4-10, 2004
Contact: Stephanie Dugan
Illinois College students will be building/renovating a home for a needy family in Fort Smith, Arkansas, a large urban city of 85,000 people. A typical week is a Sunday arrival, Monday - Friday safety orientation, building and meeting the homeowner family, and free evenings to relax or explore the community. Saturday morning depart.

Spring 2003

Berlin, May
Leaders: Bernd Estabrook, Robert Kunath

Views of Japan, May 19-June 6, 2003.
Leader: Winston Wells
This unique Breakaway trip takes advantage of Illinois College's institutional linkage with Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. The trip is a study-tour, in that participants are strongly encouraged to enroll in IDS 202 Views of Japan for three credit hours in the spring semester. In addition to the Breakaway grant, scholarships and other forms of financial aid may be available. The trip includes visits to Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Tokyo, as well as to smaller Japanese communities such as Kanazawa and Takayama. Knowledge of Japanese is not required for this trip.

Florida Keys BreakAway, March 7-March 16, 2003
Leaders: Larry Zettler, David Robinson
The cost includes lodging, travel, and boat charter offshore to Looe Key Marine Sanctuary. Students are expected to pay for food and for snorkeling gear. Most of the trip (5 days/nights) is spent at a small private resort that also serves an outdoor marine research laboratory. Students may be expected to collect and identify invertebrate species (e.g., Portuguese man-o-war, sea stars, sea urchins, crustaceans), vertebrates (e.g., small sharks, stingrays, reptiles), and algae. Many additional specimens are often collected at night using flashlights. Students also are expected to photograph coral reef animals underwater during snorkeling trips to Looe Key. The ecology of the mangrove community is also studied in detail, both in lecture and on site. Two evening trips are scheduled for Key West after collections are completed. Finally, students will likely travel through the Everglades and up the peninsula to Horseshoe Beach, FL on the Gulf of Mexico, where they will collect and identify organisms inhabiting the inter-tidal zone. Enrollment is limited to 12 students, and all must sign up for the trip in advance to gain entry into the course. Although 12 students have already signed up for the upcoming trip, there is a waiting list; students on previous waiting lists have often gained entry in the course following registration. During the trip, Professor. Robinson will secure potential nesting sites for anticipated sea turtle research at Illinois College for biology students interested in pursuing graduate studies.

Renaissance Italy, March 7-16, 2003.
Leaders: Rudy Zuiderveld, Bruce McCoy
Beautiful weather waits in Florence, Bologna, Pisa, and Siena for lovers of art, architecture and music.

Three Cultures of Southern Spain, March 7-16, 2003
Leaders: Flora Breidenbach, Adam Porter, Steven Gardner
This BreakAway includes visiting and studying southern Spain to investigate the development of Christianity, Judaism and Islam over a 1000-year span and its impact on Spanish culture. This experience is designed to help students better understand the complexities of the modern world which are often a consequence of clashing religious and cultural identities of various peoples who live side by side. The group will journey back through history by studying the conflicts, accommodations, and suppressions that existed with these three major world religions on Spanish soil. Professor Porter will provide his religious expertise. Professor Gardner will be able to provide the practical advise about living and traveling in Spain (as he has done so off and on for the last 10 years). Professor Arce will give the students a better understanding of the overall implications of three major religions on Spain's historical and political evolution. The group will be in Spain for 7 to 8 days, flying into Madrid, traveling to Toledo, to Granada, to Sevilla, to Cordoba, and back to Madrid in order to return tothe United States.

Fall 2002

From Tuscany to Rome: A Tour of Italy, November 20-December 1, 2002
Leader: Jim Kerbaugh, Randy Norris
We'll be visiting galleries such as the Uffizi, and the Vatican, churches, including the Duomo and St. Peter's, and the Casa di Dante.

Spring 2002

Poetry and Politics in England, Wales and Ireland, May 28-June 8, 2002
Leaders: Robert Koepp, Karen Dean
From Shakespeare to Seamus Heaney, from the Tower of London to the Irish Parliament, from British/Irish tradition to contemporary life, from the city to the countryside--this 12-day study-tour will have emphases on the literary and political life of the British Isles. Visiting literary and political/historical sites and museums, and attending concerts and plays will be the principal features of the tour.

Views of Japan, May/June, 2002
Leader: Winston Wells
An 18-day study-tour of Japan, 'Views of Japan' takes advantage of Illinois College's academic exchange relationship with Ritsumeikan University. Using Ritsumeikan's main campus in Kyoto as a base and drawing on the resources of the university, its students and faculty, this experience will offer students multiple perspectives on traditional and contemporary Japanese culture and society. Besides Kyoto, participants will visit Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nara, Kanazawa, and Takayama.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference, Las Vegas, NV, April 21-24, 2002
Leader: Todd Oberg
At this conference students will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and sessions related to the teaching of mathematics. They will be exposed to current and new teaching methods and ideas that have worked in classrooms across the country. During free time, students will also have the opportunity to explore Las Vegas and its culture, a culture markedly different from that of central Illinois.

Vienna Past and Present, Spring Break, March 10-16, 2002
Leader: Bernd Estabrook, Kevin Klein, Elizabeth Rellinger
This trip will explore the "intersections of culture, psychology, environment, and economics" in Vienna, Austria, a city which offers its visitors a fascinating mix of both Old and New Europe. Join Professors Estabrook, Rellinger, and Klein on this 7-day study-tour which is designed to provide students with new perspectives on this city's rich cultural past and on the evolving European Union of today.

Tropical Ecology and Astronomy Trip to Costa Rica, Spring Break, March 9-17, 2002
Leaders: Lawrence Zettler, Fred Pilcher, Juanita Leonhard
For the third time in 6 years, Dr. Lawrence Zettler will be taking IC biology students to the rainforest of Costa Rica as the lab requirement for Tropical Ecology (BIOL 325). This year's trip will also be accompanied by physics professor Fred Pilcher, who will conduct evening astronomy field trips that emphasize the identification of stars and constellations of the southern latitudes (e.g., Southern Cross). The breakaway group is expected to tour the city of San Jose and spend some time near the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Trips to Arenal Volcano may also take place.

Fall 2001

BreakAway to Turkey, Thanksgiving Break, November 16-26, 2001
Leaders: Louis Eason, Jim Davis
The purpose of this experience is to introduce students to the missionary effort of the apostle Paul through visits to various sites in Turkey. Students will also be exposed to Middle Eastern culture and to Islamic religion, thus gaining a wider worldview and a greater appreciation and tolerance of the cultural and religious diversity which exists in the world today.

Castles and Cathedrals of England and Scotland, Thanksgiving Break, November 16-25, 2001
Leaders: Jim Kerbaugh, Randy Norris, J. Norris
This is a trip into medieval England, which includes a visit to Scotland as well. Special sites on this tour will be Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Canterbury Cathedral, Lincoln Castle and Cathedral, York Minster, Durham Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, and Holyroodhouse. There will be walking tours of London, Lincoln, and York, and opportunities for theater, concerts, and shopping.

Shakespeare Festival, Stratford, Ontario, Canada, Fall Break, October 11-14, 2001
Leaders: Naomi Hahn, Pat Kiihne, J. Klein
Plan a brief respite from the fall semester by traveling to Ontario, Canada to enjoy the professional theater experience offered by the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Plans for this short BreakAway include two performances: Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Henry the Fifth. Also included will be a backstage tour, some shopping, and fine dining. Check the Stratford Festival website for more information on the festival.

Spring 2001

Views of Japan, May 23-June 9, 2001
Leader: John Fritsche
An 18-day study-tour of Japan, 'Views of Japan' takes advantage of Illinois College's academic exchange relationship with Ritsumeikan University. Using Ritsumeikan's main campus in Kyoto as a base and drawing on the resources of the university, its students and faculty, this experience will offer students multiple perspectives on traditional and contemporary Japanese culture and society. Besides Kyoto, participants will visit Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nara, Kanazawa, and Takayama.

American Chemical Society's National Conference, San Diego, April 1-5, 2001
Leader: Darren MacFarland
Intended principally for chemistry students of Professors McFarland and Spencer, this BreakAway trip to a national professional conference will give student participants an opportunity to present results of their research and/or attend conference presentations of the world's leading chemists, thereby gaining insights into the highest level of chemistry research. Participants will also have free time to explore San Diego.

BreakAway to Spain, Spring Break, March 10-19, 2001
Leader: Jose Arce
With Madrid as a base, participants on this trip to Spain will have the opportunity to experience Spanish culture fully, visiting historically significant sites, museums, churches, and art galleries. Day trips will enable students to see places outside of Madrid as well: visits to Toledo, Avila, and Segovia are planned. Besides sightseeing, sampling Spanish cuisine, browsing in shops, and perhaps even attending a bullfight are among the activities which will keep this BreakAway group actively engaged. Participation is open to Spanish majors and non-majors alike.

On Freedom's Trail, Spring Break, March 10-17, 2001
Leader: Karen Dean
Students taking part in this BreakAway tour will retrace some of the most significant events in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. Repeating a successful tour first offered in the spring of 1999, this trip will include visits to Atlanta, Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham, and Memphis (and possibly New Orleans as well), with featured stops at the King Center, the National Voting Rights Museum, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the National Civil Rights Museum, among others. Participants will also attend theater and concert performances.

Marine Biology in the Florida Keys and Everglades, Spring Break, March 8-18, 2001
Leader: Lawrence Zettler
Designed as a field trip for Biology 325, Tropical Ecology, this BreakAway experience requires enrollment in this spring semester course. Participating students will visit aquatic ecosystems in south Florida, collecting plants and animals. Other activities include snorkeling, a tour of the University of Florida campus, a trip to Key West, and canoeing on a freshwater lake.

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