Imagine a world where you can travel to another country, immerse yourself in its culture and earn college credits simultaneously. At UW-Platteville, this is a reality through the Short-Term Faculty-Led courses. Last academic year, more than 130 students had the opportunity to participate in these programs during the winterim and summer semesters. Under the guidance of UW-Platteville faculty members, students explored places like London, Rome, Ecuador, Thailand, Austria, Spain, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands. An overwhelming amount of the students who took advantage of this opportunity described their experience as “life-changing.”
Winterim 2023
- Dr. Ann Farrelly, Jeffrey Strange and Sarah Strange took a group of students to London, where they experienced first-hand examples of period-style theatre spaces and attended several theatre productions.
- Kim Pulkrabek and Dr. Laura Dev led a trip to Ecuador, where students explored the contrasting biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest and the Galápagos Islands.
- Dr. Tyler Ostergaard and Greg Nelson traveled to Rome with their students to explore the architecture of the late Roman Republic and Empire; the Renaissance art and architecture of the Papacy; and the Baroque era architecture, sculpture, monuments and urbanism of the Catholic Church.
- Dr. Krista Hardyman and Dr. Pete Lammers led a group of students on a trip to Thailand, where they worked alongside U.S. and Thai veterinarians to provide medical care to a range of animals, from companions to elephants.
Summer 2023
- Dr. Kristina Fields returned to the Netherlands to lead her course that allows students to experience and dissect the components of the world-famous Netherlands cycling infrastructure. Students investigated the physical infrastructure as well as the historical, social, cultural, safety and economic aspects of the culture.
- Dr. Summer Zwanziger Elsinger traveled to Austria to lead her course that connects students with traditional businesses and tourism industries, regional initiatives, and local cultural excursions in Salzburg.
- Dr. Tera Montgomery and Dr. Krista Eiseman led a trip to Spain to explore animal agriculture practices, visiting a wide variety of farms and businesses while also exploring the beauty and history of southern Spain.
- Dr. Adam Stanley and Dr. Liz Holden led a group of students to study the history of European science and technology in Norway and Germany. Visits to a plethora of historic museums gave students a unique, interactive learning experience.
- Dr. Kory Wein, Dr. Doug Adams, Dixie Dempsey, and Roger Kerkenbush led a combined trip to the United Kingdom to explore the rich history of England and Scotland that reached across several academic areas.
Students interested in participating in an STFL program can view the current course listings at go.uwplatt.edu/stflprogramlist. Faculty members interested in leading an STFL program should contact Wendy Pothour-Miller at pothourmillw@uwplatt.edu for more information.