Guilford College

Study Away (Domestic USA)

Interdisciplinary Study of the NC Coast. 4 credits. Graded.50026 PPS 450 001.
Location: 5 days on campus, 16 days off campus.
Faculty leader: Maia Dery

This project introduces the complex natural, political, economic, and social forces that have resulted in Bald Head Island at the mouth of the Cape Fear River Basin. Part conservation success-story, part exclusive coastal development, wholly unique, Bald Head has the northern-most subtropical island on the Atlantic seaboard, features a significant maritime forest, salt marsh, estuaries, and ten miles of ocean beaches. After preparatory work on campus, students will explore the Bald Head Woods and surrounding beaches and estuaries, learning by direct observation and participating in service projects for the island conservancy. Students will share this exceptional place with the year-round residents, including American alligators, red foxes, and loggerhead turtles; kayaking through salt marshes, while learning about barrier island and beach ecology. Final work includes an independent project including a portfolio of images or video and text documenting experiences and understanding of the place. APPLICATION: stage 1 at Study Abroad website (APPLY); stage 2 is a required interview with instructor. Cost: $2025. $300 deposit. Includes off campus food/housing. Utility & board fee for those living on campus.

Ghost Ranch Experience. 4 credits. Grading Optional.
Location: Abiquiu, New Mexico. In partnership with Austin College.
DATES: January 7-29.

If you have dreamed of experiencing wide-open spaces, starry skies, mountains, mesas and red rock formations, go spend your January Term at Ghost Ranch! While you study one subject intensively you also immerse yourself in the multicultural nature and stunning landscape of this 21,000-acre working ranch. Ghost Ranch is located one and one-half hours north of Santa Fe, in a remote area of Northern New Mexico. The theme of transformation permeates all programs, touching students and guests with a profound sense of respect, perspective, and purpose.  Participants choose from the following list of courses, which are augmented by field trips to regional archeological sites, Indian pueblo villages, and museums and galleries in Santa Fe and Taos. The region has a rich history of mingled cultures—Hispanic, Anglo and Native American—evident wherever you turn, and found nowhere else in the country.

Posted fee includes registration, room and board, most field trips, and materials fee requirements for certain classes. Travel to the ranch not included. Housing, food, and most excursions included. REQUIRES MULTI-STAGE APPLICATION: stage 1 at Guilford College Study Abroad website (APPLY); stage 2 is registration on the Austin College website Sept. 25-27.

Ghost Ranch: Black and White Landscape Photography. 4 credits. Grading Optional. 50031 GST 250 016
DATES: January 7-29

This is the course for you if you want to learn black and white landscape photography! No experience is necessary. Much of our time will be spent learning and practicing photography, with extensive darkroom time. Our schedule will be rounded out by reading, studying imagery and field trips. Be prepared to spend time outdoors in cold, snowy conditions, hiking and photographing. This is an intensive experience with much physical activity; a demanding immersion into photography, with many hours spent in the field and lab. The rewards are awesome and you will learn a great deal in this extraordinary environment. Students are required to provide their own working SLR 35mm camera, a tripod and film. Students will be provided with the supply list after registration.

Cost: $2,450 plus travel. $250 deposit.

Ghost Ranch: Painting Intensive. 4 credits. Grading Optional. 50034 GST 250 018.
DATES: January 7-29

Have you ever dreamed of spending three weeks painting with nothing else to worry about? This course gives you the time and individual instruction to do just that! We will focus on acrylic painting technique, drawing, composition and the elements and principles of design. The class is open to beginning as well as more advanced students. The

focus will be on landscape painting, but still life, figurative, and architectural subjects will also be introduced. The beauty of the Ghost Ranch landscape has inspired artists for generations. Students should be prepared to spend time outdoors sketching in weather that may be cold and snowy. Studio time will be supplemented with library study, demonstrations, and visits to the museums and galleries in Santa Fe. Students will be provided with a supply list after registration. Cost: $2200 plus travel. $250 deposit.

Ghost Ranch: Introduction to Silversmithing in the Southwest Tradition. 4 credits. Grading Optional. 50035 GST 250 019.
DATES: January 7-29

This hands-on course covers the basics of silver jewelry making and lapidary. Techniques are demonstrated, but learning comes from actually doing the work. Problem solving is a big part of this learning process. Studio work will be supplemented by discussion, visiting instructors and gallery visits. Students will leave the Ranch with several pieces of wearable art and a discovery of their own creative potential. Cost : $2,250 plus travel. $250 deposit. Additionally, your purchase of silver and stones will range from $200-$400 depending on number & types of projects.

Ghost Ranch: Southwest Pottery. 4 credits. Grading Optional. 50036 GST 250 020.
DATES: January 7-29

The colorful geologic formations of Ghost Ranch contain clay deposits that we use. We dig our clay out of this ground and from it make pinch & coil pots, employing traditional techniques to fire them. We use stoneware clay to form slab and wheel-thrown pottery. We will have at least one outdoor raku firing and a high- temperature glaze firing. We hope to visit an ancient pueblo ruin, as well as a private studio or two to observe the works of contemporary and traditional potters native to this area.

Cost: $2,200 plus travel. $250 deposit.

Ghost Ranch: Outdoor Adventures. 4 credits. Grading Optional. 50037 GST 250 021.
DATES: January 7-29

For students interested in an introductory course in outdoor learning and adventure, this course has a lively potpourri of activities that will include hiking, high/low challenge courses, orienteering, winter camping, and Leave No Trace wilderness ethics. You will spend time on and around Ghost Ranch exploring and practicing skills. You also travel to other wilderness regions in New Mexico. While this class is physically active, no experience is necessary. Just be ready to be in the great outdoors much of the time. Bring your sense of teamwork and adventure!

Cost: $2,200 plus travel. $250 deposit.

Ghost Ranch: Running Hot and Cold—Renewable Energy and Efficiency. 4 credits. Grading Optional. 50038 GST 250 022.
DATES: January 7-29

The Southwest’s sun, wind and natural materials are unique resources. These renewable resources, when captured or used with appropriate technologies, allow buildings to achieve near energy sustainability. This forum provides an opportunity for participants to explore many ways to incorporate solar electric systems, solar thermal systems and energy efficient materials into living and work spaces. Participants will learn basic energy concepts, design and build a small solar electric system, analyze buildings for energy efficiency, and visit local renewable energy sites.

Cost: $2,200 plus travel. $250 deposit.

Ghost Ranch: Creative Writing—Personal Parables and Songs from the Heart. 4 credits. Grading Optional. 50039 GST 250 023.
DATES: January 7-29

Alex Haley said that when a person dies, a whole library goes with them. Each of us carries within stories only we can tell, thoughts only we can express. In this class we will help each other explore our own unique style and voice, with measurable criteria for which all good writers are held accountable, whether they are writing poetry, fiction or prose. Concentrating on the careful use of metaphor, the magic of humor, a talent for avoiding clichés and our tendency to sermonize and explain, we will experience a deeper respect for the power of language and renewed energy for making our writing fresh and irresistible. Whether you are a lifelong writer or just beginning the journey, this is the perfect place to take chances, try new approaches, and discover the stories you have to tell, your thoughts that need expressing.

Cost: $2,125 plus travel. $250 deposit.

Ghost Ranch: Triassic Park. 4 credits. Grading Optional. 50040  GST 250 024.
DATES: January 7-29

Come spend January learning about Triassic fossils! For more than 100 years, Ghost Ranch has been one of the most productive areas in North America for collecting fossils from the beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs. Weather permitting, we will dig fossils at the world-famous Hayden Quarry and learn techniques for preparing them for study and display. We will learn about the geology of Northern New Mexico and the story it tells of ancient environments of 215 million years ago, as we explore the canyons and mesas of Ghost Ranch. The Ruth Hall Museum of Paleontology boasts a comfortable solar-heated classroom, extensive fossil collections and user-friendly exhibits. Bring warm, comfortable clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty. Join paleontologists Alex Downs and Dan Howe and be a part of the fossil record this January. Cost: $2,175 plus travel. $250 deposit.

Ghost Ranch: Earth Arts Adobe. 4 credits. Grading Optional. 50041 GST 250 025.
DATES: January 7-29

If you’ve ever wanted to get serious about playing in the mud, come join us for a fundamentals-of-adobe class. You will learn to test the soil and find out if it’s correct for making adobe bricks. What ingredients go into making a great adobe brick? Share the experience of getting right into it and building a garden wall, a horno (earthen oven), and a dome. How about creating an adobe sculpture? Visit the largest commercial adobe factory in the world , located here in Northern New Mexico, as well as a variety of adobe structures in the area. Building with adobes will enrich your knowledge of the heritage, architecture and culture of Northern New Mexico and beyond.

Cost: $2,130 plus travel. $250 deposit.

Ghost Ranch: Southwest Weaving. 4 credits. Grading Optional. 50042. GST 250 026.
DATES: January 7-29

Textile arts are becoming more and more popular. Ever wonder how those beautiful rugs and tapestries of the Native Americans were produced? Learn from a southwest master weaver with a longstanding cultural tradition of weaving. Learn the basic techniques, visit local weaving homes and studios, and complete some beautiful pieces for family and friends Cost: $2,200 plus travel. $250 deposit.

Ghost Ranch: Northern New Mexico Pueblos—Archeology and Culture. 4 credits. Grading Optional. 50043 GST 250 027.
DATES: January 7-29

Field trips to ancient archaeological sites along beautiful rivers highlight this course. Ancient petroglyphs along the Rio Grande, Gallina pit houses and towers near the Rio Gallina, and field houses and pueblos along the Rio Chama and Rio Ojo Caliente are some of the sites the group will visit. The week includes a trip to the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs where participants can soak in hot springs sacred to Native Americans. Two hikes are

strenuous, the others easy to moderate. Participants should be able to walk at least 7 miles over uneven terrain at elevations that may exceed 8000 feet. Occasional evening gatherings at the Ranch fill out this extraordinary week.

Cost: $2,175 plus travel. $250 deposit.