Policies
The ES Program has a few requirements that affect study abroad by ES majors:
1. All five core courses must be completed by the end of junior year. This is because all five core courses are required for ES 401, the ES senior capstone course.
2. A maximum of two courses from abroad can count toward the ES major either as electives in the focus or as cognates (but not core courses). This means either two electives in the focus or two cognates or one elective and one cognate. It doesnot mean two electives and two cognates.
3. You must demonstrate the academic relevance of your study abroad plan to your ES major and focus (or to a minor).
4. In most cases, the ES Program recommends that students study abroad for one semester rather than a full year.
Procedures
All students must apply to study abroad through the Office of Off-Campus Study. This process involves:
1. Writing an essay explaining how your proposal to study abroad relates to your academic program at Middlebury.
2. Discussing this proposal, and specifically how it relates to your ES major, with your advisor. Your advisor's signature is required before you submit your application to the Office of Off Campus Study.
3. Your advisor is the only person who can decide which courses that you are proposing to take abroad can count toward your major. The advisor notes his or her decision on the application that you submit to the Office of Off-Campus Study.
4. Remind your advisor to email to Janet Wiseman (Academic Program Coordinator for ES) a message indicating which courses he or she has approved to be used toward the major with the request that a copy of the message be placed in your folder in the program office.
Preparation
Before studying abroad:
1. Keep in mind that you must complete all five ES core courses by the end of your junior year.
2. If you are studying in a country where the main language is not English, and if it is a language that is taught at Middlebury (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish), you must meet the necessary language study requirements.
3. Take a significant number of courses for your focus.
4. Take courses that prepare you specifically for study abroad, such as those dealing with international affairs and the specific nation or region of the world where you will be studying. [See the courses listed in the International Studies Program's webpages.]
5. If you plan to conduct an independent study project while you are abroad, determine before you go who will evaluate it for credit upon your return and talk to that person to find out in advance what he or she will expect to see in order to make the evaluation.
6. Visit your academic advisor to get the necessary approvals well in advance of the deadline for submitting the application. Do not expect to be able to get your advisor to read your proposal and review your transcript if you wait until the last minute.
While you are abroad
1. Stay in touch with your academic advisor via email to keep him or her abreast of changes in your courses. Problems following your return to campus can be minimized if you discuss changes in your plans as you make those decisions.
When you return
1. Go to see your academic advisor as soon as you can to make sure that all questions regarding the transfer of courses into your major are answered.
2. Take care of any evaluation of an independent study project that is necessary.
3. Follow-up with the Office of Off-Campus Study to make sure that credit for your study abroad experience shows up on your transcript in a timely manner.
Outstanding Programs
Among the programs that ES faculty and students have consistently had the best academic experience are:
Africa:
Round River Conservation in Namibia
Australia and New Zealand:
James Cook University in Australia
University of Otago in New Zealand
Europe:
Middlebury School in France
Paris - Universite de Paris I (Geography Department)
Poitiers - Population Biology & Geography Department
Latin America:
EULA at Universidad de Concepción in Chile
Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica
Mideast (Desert Ecology):
Arava Institute
Information on other programs and universities can be viewed through the Office of Off-Campus Study.