Summer

The City of Spires

by Thomas O. Robbins ’04     (Thom Robbins in front of Tom Tower at Christ Church, Oxford) For almost a millennium, the University of Oxford has offered an unsurpassed education to students from around the world. For six weeks, eight Hampden-Sydney students (Will Albright, Mack Crockett, Dave McDonald, Preston Pittman, Thom Robbins, Mike Roberts, Teelo Rutledge, and Larry Wilkes) made their home in “The City of Spires” as part of the Virginia Program at Oxford. The Virginia Program at Oxford (VPO) is an intercollegiate summer program comprised of students from Hampden-Sydney and five other Virginia colleges and is the oldest […]

May Term

My Big Fat Greek May Term

By Jonathan Miyashiro ’06It’s our last day in Greece, and I’m about to be arrested right here on the Acropolis.   “Give me the cassette or I’ll call the police,” said an irate curator. How did I ever get into this mess? The May Term Greece group left Richmond on May 12, oddly enough encountering Professors Dubroff and Kagan, headed off on a skiing trip.  After an exhausting flight to New York and then to Athens, we met up with Dr. Arieti, who had gone ahead to get our affairs in order.  Our group consisted of Dr. Roger Barrus, his […]

May Term

H-SC Students Conclude an Unforgettable Experience in Spain

by Wesley R. Sholtes ’05 From May 17 to June 21, 2003, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages Dieudonne Afatsawo, Lecturer in Modern Languages Keith Sprouse, and fifteen Hampden-Sydney students spent an arduous, but highly enjoyable, May Term Study Abroad program in Alcala de Henares, Spain.   The program, which combined the teaching styles of native Spanish-speaking professors with those of Afatsawo and Sprouse, included three hours of class each morning and several excursion trips.  In order to maximize their immersion into the language and culture of Spain, students also stayed with host families who only spoke Spanish.    Among the noteworthy […]

May Term

Costa Rica: anything but “plain and simple”

by J. Devin Watson ’06Dr. Maria C. Yaber recently took twelve Hampden-Sydney men to Costa Rica for a tropical biology class.  We studied the various plants and animals found in three tropical forests located throughout the country, spending a total of sixteen days in Costa Rica.  All of our research was conducted at three biological stations run by the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), which also offers several graduate and undergraduate classes at the three stations.   After a week of preparation at Hampden-Sydney, we left early on the morning of May 25 from Raleigh-Durham Airport.  After a quick one-hour […]

May Term

May Term in France

by Joe Webb ’03 Photos by Professor Bob Blackman  From May 26 to June 13, fourteen HSC students, including myself, spent May Term in Paris with Professors Joan E. McRae, Ray Kleinlein of Davidson College (husband of Professor McRae), and Bob Blackman. The purpose of this May Term experience was to learn that the French really do not despise Americans, only the rude ones. With that in mind, everyone got the chance to learn about French culture, history, and art.    The culture part, which was taught by our fearless leader, Dr. Joan E. McRae, was a means to experience […]

Semester

Reports from Australia and New Zealand

Milos Mihajlovic ’04 is studying for the spring semester 2003 at Macquarie University near Sydney, Australia. Milos is an English major. His courses this semester include Creative Writing, Contemporary English Writers, and Modernism. The excursion to the Blue Mountains was part of the orientation program provided by the Institute for Study Abroad/Butler University. “These pictures were taken while we were at the Kemby-Rinjah resort in the Blue Mountains, about three hours south of Sydney. The first picture is of The Three Sisters rock face, an example of the beautiful landscape that Australia has to offer.   The second picture is of […]

Semester

Buddhist Studies in Japan

by William J. Kawaihae ’04 at right in front of the Japanese Diet (parliament) Building In the fall semester of 2002-2003, I participated in the Buddhist Studies in Japan program through Antioch College. I chose this program for many reasons: I have an interest in the Buddhist religion and Japanese culture and a desire to travel to Japan and see everything that the country has to offer. However, the main reason I participated was to make a connection with my ancestral Japanese roots. First, I would like to tell students – if you are thinking about participating in this program […]

Semester

Applied Math Major Reczkowski Spends a Semester Abroad

Senior Applied Mathematics major Alex Reczkowski returned to campus this fall after spending the spring semester abroad. Alex spent a semester in Budapest, Hungary, with America’s top undergraduate mathematics students. The Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program is organized through St. Olaf College. In Alex’s words: “Grab up the best undergraduate mathematics students, fly them to a great eastern European city, teach them enough Hungarian so they can get some narancsle (orange juice) and palacsinta (crepes), then throw them to some of the world’s greatest mathematical minds, and success becomes virtually inevitable. As an applied mathematics major I was challenged with […]

Other experiences, Summer

Gibson meets the Iron Lady

In the summer of 2002, John David Gibson ’03 interned for the United States Studies Institute within the University of London. The program has around 30 students and seven professors. Subjects focus on American politics, history, and economics. His work involved contacting American universities and spreading the word about the program. He also attended many of the seminars held by the Institute. Professors from several universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, gave lectures on various topics including the relationship between America and Great Britain and on America’s foreign policy after September 11.  According to John David, “To my surprise, I learned […]

May Term

Spain Anyone?

by Thomas O. Robbins ’04In his famous work La España Invisible, Azorín writes about the richness of Spain in all aspects of its composition from history to geography to culture. He emphasizes that there is a spiritual atmosphere. The students participating in the 2002 May Term Spanish Immersion Program can corroborate Azorín’s argument. The program was, to say the least, an intense immersion program.   Twenty-four students traveled to Alcadá de Henares with Professor Dieudonne Afatsawo and Professor Jana DeJong. Students were placed with families who introduced them to various aspects of Spanish culture. The use of host families is […]