ISAT/Geography/Engineering/IDLS in Malta

Summer 2010: May 12 to June 12

Program Location

For the past eleven years, James Madison University has organized a study abroad program in Malta, an island nation that is as rich and diverse as the island itself. Students are immersed into 7,000 years of history, as they meander the narrow, winding streets of its towns and visit ancient temples and grand palaces. The island has an extensive ancestry, connecting its customs, styles, and traditions to a myriad of cultures. As students step into its unique history, they step into a world of adventure.

Megaliths, medieval dungeons and Calypso's Cave – The Maltese Islands are positively mythic. The narrow meandering streets of their towns and villages are crowded with Renaissance cathedrals and Baroque palaces. As the countryside is dotted with the oldest known human structures in the world, the Islands have rightly been described as an open-air museum.

The Maltese archipelago lies virtually at the centre of the Mediterranean, with Malta 93km south of Sicily and 288km north of Africa. The archipelago consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino with a total population of 400,000 inhabitants over an area of 316sq km and a coastline of 196.8km (not including 56.01 km for the island of Gozo).

Malta is the largest island and the cultural, commercial and administrative centre. Gozo is the second largest island and is more rural, characterised by fishing, tourism, crafts and agriculture while Comino is largely uninhabited.

With superbly sunny weather, expansive beaches, a thriving nightlife and 7,000 years of intriguing history, there is a great deal to see and do. With a little help from any guidebook, captivating places of interest are immediately identified – the world famous Hypogeum selected as a place of World Heritage by UNESCO, prehistoric temples and grand palaces are but a few.

The long relationship between the Islanders and the various nationalities that occupied Malta over the centuries has created a marriage of styles and traditions, giving the Islands a fascinating eclectic culture.  True to the melting pot of cultural influences, the national languages are English and Maltese.
Text taken from VisitMalta Limited

Academic Program

ISAT, Geography, Engineering, and IdLS students earn 6 credits, 3 on a field study project-oriented course and an additional 3 credits for participation in Sustainable Societies which is classroom taught but includes tours and lectures by local experts.

ISAT students can apply their 3 project course credits toward their concentration. Geography and Engineering students earn at least 3 major credits. IdLS students will receive 6 hours of credit in their IdLS concentration and will have the opportunity to research how content relevant to their concentration is taught in multiple school contexts.

Each participant will enroll in one of the first four courses listed below, plus the ISAT 480, for a total of 6 credit hours.

Instructional methods include lectures, guided tours, field work, journal assignment and/or papers and tests/exams.

Tentative course offerings:
ISAT 416/480: International Studies in ISAT, 3 credits
GEOG 491: International Studies in Geography, 3 credits
ISAT 416/480: International Studies in Engineering, 3 credits
IDLS 490: Independent Study, 3 credits
ISAT 480: Sustainable Societies, 3 credits

Accommodations

Students will be house in residence halls in Malta. Some group meals will be provided.

Program Costs

For the current projected costs for this program, please click on the following link to the Fees for JMU Study Abroad Programs page.

Application

For more detailed instructions and to download the application, please click on the following link to the Applications and Forms section for JMU Short-Term Programs.

In addition to the Short-term Application, interested students should submit an essay and a program-specific addendum application. Applicants must have rising Junior or Senior class standing.

For More Information

For additional information about the ISAT/Geography/Engineering/IdLS in Malta program, please contact the program directors:

Amy Goodall
Assistant Professor
Integrated Science and Technology
Tel.: 540-568-2688
E-mail: goodalal@jmu.edu

Paul Goodall
Instructor
Integrated Science and Technology
Tel.: 540-568-2711
E-mail: goodalpb@jmu.edu