Travel can be a great way to earn a Global Engagement Card through our Five Cardinal Experiences program. Below is a list of the travel courses offered by the department. They are just a sample of what Otterbein has to offer.

• These experiences can happen as part of May-mester travel classes or as a semester abroad experience
• Many of our students also travel as part of their Biology and Earth Science Internships and Research experiences.
• Students also work with their faculty advisors and the university to plan their own study abroad experiences. Students in our department have recently traveled to Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Iceland this way.

Understanding the Nature of Belize

This course, offered in alternate years explores the coral reefs and rainforests of Belize and includes a homestay in a local Maya Village. On the reef students do projects on coral reef ecology and learn the organisms and techniques to survey and monitor coral reef ecosystems.

Field Geology

This course, offered in alternate years, includes both an on campus lecture portion and a 2-week geological field trip. Centered in Nevada, Death Valley, and the eastern Sierra, students will visit and explore outstanding examples of volcanic, desert, glacial, and canyon terrains. Field exercises will include interpreting sedimentary rocks, fossil, and the tectonic history of the area.

Large Animal Conservation in South Africa

This travel course exposes students to a range of conservation experiences in South Africa. Various training and conservation practices will be examined in national parks, private reserves managed for game production, and sanctuaries. Students will create and participate in community-based conservation projects. Students also will investigate South Africa’s history, customs and values as these critically inform local conservation attitudes and practices.

Tropical Ecology and Agriculture in Costa Rica

The phrase “Pura Vida (pure life)” and the calls of howler monkeys are among the sounds you will experience on this travel course to Costa Rica. After a semester of classroom preparation, students spend two weeks in the diverse regions of Costa Rica including the lowland rain-forest, mid-level cloud-forest and the western dry-forest. One of the highlights of the experience is staying two days with the Bribri Indians of Yorkin learning traditional skills like processing chocolate, thatching roofs, and preparing medicines from local plants.
Learn more about our Costa Rica Course > (PDF)

SYE 4950 Global Medical Brigades

The Global Medical Brigades SYE is a course offered to students traveling with Otterbein Medical Brigades to Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua or Ghana to set up mobile medical clinics. Students will enroll in SYE 4950 during the spring semester. Before leaving campus students will meet with the course faculty advisor and all journals and most assignments will be electronically submitted to the advisor. Students will also attend monthly organizational meetings to discuss trip preparations with the rest of the brigade.