Philippines Mabuhay: An Adventure in Geography

Summer 2010: May 11 to June 11

Program Location

The Philippines is an archipelago of islands in Southeast Asia known for its friendly people, hot tropical climate, beautiful beaches, volcanoes, earthquakes, typhoons, coconuts, and mangoes.  The terrain varies from steep mountains to clear waters and exceptional coral reefs.  English is one of two national languages thereby allowing for easy communication on a variety of topics.

Academic Program

The Philippines Mabuhay (local language, Tagalog, for “welcome”) study abroad course provides the opportunity to experience and travel in a tropical SE Asian country known for its friendly people. The program is very physically demanding due to strenuous hiking.  Fitness is extremely important to satisfactory completion of learning tasks.  The program explores issues of environment such as solid waste disposal, clean water and water delivery, sources and social characteristics associated with air pollution, and efforts at environmental stewardship and degradation and sustainability. The program explores the role of the Philippine Islands in World  War II, and its continued role as an “R&R” destination.  The program intensely explores coral reef structure, management, and protection through scuba-diving, ,eco-tourism versus traditional tourism, as well as the role of the Philippines in the global assembly line.

Instructional methods include lectures, guided tours, field work, journal assignments and/or papers.

Tentative course offerings:

GGEOG 200: Geography: the Global Dimension, (3)
GEOG 280: Human Geography--The Cultural Landscape, (3)
GEOG 315: Field Studies, (3)
GEOG 338: The Philippine Islands, (3)
GEOG 490: Special Studies in the Philippines, (3)
GEOG 491: International Study in the Philippines, (3)

Accommodations

Students will reside in hotels in Manila, Cebu City, Banaue and Dumaguete, Philippines. 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, a personal interview will be required. Applicants must have a 2.0 minimum GPA.

For More Information

For additional information about the Philippines Mabuhay program, please contact the program director:

Johnathan Walker
Assistant Professor
IDLS Department
Tel: 540-568-1742
E-mail: walkerjx@jmu.edu