Travel Courses

This fall semester course presents an in-depth study of the biology and taxonomy of corals while examining the ecology of the coral reef system and the future of reefs, concluding with a field lab. You will snorkel in the beautiful lagoons of Ambergris Caye, the Hol Chan and Bacalar Chico Marine Reserves. The group is housed in a field station on the northern tip of Ambergris Caye with access to the reef ecosystem, mangroves, seagrass beds, and jungle.

In this fall course, you will learn about Egyptian culture including history, government, economics, customs, and religion. The trip itself will be for two weeks in early January. You will spend roughly 5 days in Assiut (a city of 400,000 approximately 5h south of Cairo) at Assiut University. Assiut University is home to 75,000 undergraduate and nearly 20,000 graduate students as well as two hospitals. Physical therapists in Egypt work predominately with patients who have musculoskeletal impairments. You will  engage with physical therapists and patients in the hospital and private PT clinics, as well as attend orthopaedic rounds and observe surgeries. Bookending the trip will be visits to historic and cultural sites such as pyramids, tombs, temples, museums, and of course, the Nile River.

This spring semester course offered every other year includes travel to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands for 11 days at the end of the semester. The semester includes lectures, discussions, research, and presentations focusing on endemic species and the natural history, ecology, behavior and evolution of the animals and plants that inhabit the islands. For the laboratory portion of the course, you will visit the Galápagos Islands aboard a private yacht. Highlights of the trip include exploring the Otavalos Market (Ecuador’s largest indigenous market), walking in Darwin’s footsteps to explore the sites that inspired his legendary theory of evolution, and encountering species such as flightless cormorants, Galápagos penguins, Galápagos tortoises and marine iguanas. You will also observe and discuss the effects of development on the islands, hike, stargaze aboard the boat, and snorkel with Galápagos sea lions, turtles and other marine wildlife. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to explore one of the world’s most inspiring ecosystems.

Open to first year OT students, this spring course will provide you with knowledge regarding cultural competency and sensitivity through classroom learning and clinical observations in Guatemala. You will begin by researching and examining some of the differences between the US and Guatemala in the areas of OT education, health care, and culture while on campus in Portland. As the course progresses, it will move the study of cultural competence beyond the classroom and into the world around you. You will travel to Guatemala for 12 days in March to visit hospitals, rehab settings, and non-governmental healthcare related organizations and local OT programs. These experiences will provide you with opportunities to demonstrate cultural sensitivity with a variety of populations.

This course is open to first and second year PT students. In this spring course, you will spend one week in Guatemala assisting in running a sports camp and PT clinic for children with disabilities at Transitions Foundation in Antigua, Guatemala. In addition you will visit programs serving people with physical disabilities and discussing disability issues with local healthcare providers. An overnight trip to Lake Atitlan and other cultural experiences will be included. Preparatory class meetings will include assigned readings, discussions, and planning.

This spring semester course provides an in-depth study of the unique ecosystems for marine and terrestrial organisms, as well as the unique human history and culture of Iceland. You will explore geological features like volcanic craters and geysers, hike in the fault line between the American and the European plate and learn about adaptations to a subarctic climate. You will also explore the Viking history of Iceland, which is tightly related to the discovery of America, and Iceland's sustainable energy production.

Tourism is one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors in the world, thus the demand for proficient workers is increasing continuously. In its 2017 Global Economic Impact Report, the World Travel and Tourism Council reported that, "Over the next 10 years, the sector will support 23% of new jobs created." This course will focus on Arctic marketing, management and communication relevant to the adventure tourism industry. You will gain theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to design and produce sustainable nature-and culture based experiences. The program's values are based on respect and concern for nature and culture. This course has a travel component which includes travel to Iceland in May where you will participate in activities related to Arctic adventure tourism and meet with local business owners in this field.

This spring semester course will investigate comparative education theories and philosophy to examine education in different contexts. By investigating contexts locally, nationally and globally, you will extend your knowledge about society and how this is enacted through the institution of its schools. In Ireland, students will visit schools and learn about Irish culture by touring castles, the Cliffs of Moher, Connemara, Kylemore Abbey, and the EPIC Museum. Other highlights include the Ring of Kerry, Galway, Kinsale, Killarney and Dublin.

This summer course will provide you with knowledge regarding cultural competency and sensitivity through classroom learning and clinical observations in Ireland and/or Iceland. You will begin on campus in Portland by researching and examining some of the differences between the U.S. and Ireland/Iceland in the areas of PT education, health care, and culture. You will then travel to either Ireland or Iceland or both. The Ireland travel component will run for 7 days in mid-August and include clinical visits and meetings with PT leaders. You will also travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Immediately after, the Iceland component will run for 8 days in late August. You will visit the University of Iceland and attend a classroom learning activity, a PT clinic, ÖSSUR Motion Lab, and other clinical and cultural sites as available.

Travel to Italy to discover the intriguing connections between human anatomy and the art of the Classical and Renaissance masters, including Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Bernini. You will tour historic sites in Rome, Siena, Pisa, Florence, and Bologna, representing the birthplace of modern anatomical science in some of Europe’s oldest universities.

You will spend two weeks in Italy visiting unique programs serving people with physical disabilities and discussing disability issues with Italian health professionals, clients, and students. Cultural experiences will be included in all aspects of the course. Preparatory class meetings will include assigned readings, discussions, and planning.

You will spend two weeks in Italy visiting unique programs serving people with physical disabilities and discussing disability issues with Italian health professionals, clients, and students. Cultural experiences will be included in all aspects of the course. Preparatory class meetings will include assigned readings, discussions, and planning.

This is a spring semester course offered every other year with a 22-day field experience in Kenya in late May/June. Students study Kenya’s contemporary environmental, health and community development issues within East Africa’s political, cultural, and historical contexts. During the field experience you will visit leading universities, museums, and national parks and take an overland journey from Nairobi to Kisumu through the Great Rift Valley. In addition, you will stay with Kenyan families, hike in the Kakamega Rainforest, boat and bird on Lake Victoria, work with local partner organizations on soil conservation projects, and learn from and with community-based conservation researchers at a Maasai-owned educational resource center and conservancy in Kenya’s South Rift.

This spring semester travel course fulfills the Citizenship graduation requirement and includes a nine-day trip to Mexico during spring break. You will spend their first few days in Cuernavaca, an important cultural center in Central Mexico, where you will live with host families and immerse yourself in the community. You will then travel to the nearby village of Amatlán, where you will stay at an ecotourism center, teach English in a local school, and learn about Amatlán’s unique cultural heritage.

This fall semester elective course for second-year Occupational Therapy (OT) graduate students provides advanced study in occupational science, occupational therapy without borders, and interprofessional practice with emphasis on the cultural context of occupation. You will explore the transaction of place, objects, and people as they engage in everyday occupation and service to expand occupational participation in Morocco. Occupational experiences with agencies and organizations in Morocco will provide population-based reflection and hands-on experiences. This course includes the development of a sustainable project with outcome measurement based in ecological theory. Designed to immerse you in a new culture, this course will facilitate renewed perspectives of occupation, occupational therapy, interprofessional practice, and global understanding of the value of occupation in society. You will travel to the University of New England campus in Tangier, Morocco in early to mid-January.

This spring semester course will provide you with knowledge regarding cultural competency and sensitivity through classroom learning and learning experiences within the community in Tangier, Morocco. You will begin on campus in Portland by researching and examining some of the differences between the U.S. and Morocco in the areas of public health, health care, and culture. As the course progresses, you will study cultural competence beyond the classroom and into the world around us. You will travel to the University of New England campus in Tangier, Morocco, in mid-May in order to further experience the different cultures and engage in learning activities that will provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate cultural sensitivity with a variety of populations and in a variety of settings.

This spring semester course covers topics in history and geology of the Caribbean with an emphasis on the island of Bocas del Toro in Panama. You will study topics such as terrestrial, island, and marine biodiversity, and the ecology and evolution of populations. You will explore both Panama City and the Bocas del Toro, where you will stay at a field station for the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation. Highlights include a boat tour of the Panama Canal, a cacao farm tour, and snorkeling and hiking in Bocas del Toro.

This Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) provides you with a Spanish language and cultural immersion experience, as well as two courses at the University of Granada. Through lectures and experiential learning, you will examine the Spanish healthcare system within the European and U.S. context and reflect upon the changing healthcare landscape in the U.S. and abroad.