Centre-in-Glasgow

Fall 2012

The pilot Centre-in-Glasgow program will take place in the fall of 2012, when Centre will send up to four students to study at the University of Glasgow through the Principia Consortium. Although the program is open to all Centre students for study during their junior or senior years, it will be especially attractive to those interested in science. Participating students may choose from a wide variety of courses, including those offered in the University of Glasgow's top-rate art school.

Location

Known for its breathtaking Victorian architecture, thriving live-music scene, year-round festivals, stunning parks, and renowned museums, Glasgow is Scotland's largest city, with a city population of 588,000, an "urban" population of more than a million, and a "conurban" population of more than two million. It is the UK's largest retail center after London and, as is easily accessible by road, rail, and air. Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, is 42 minutes away.

Housing in Glasgow

Centre students will be assigned residences belonging to the University of Glasgow, all within walking distance of the main campus and many near subway stops.

Eligibility

Juniors and seniors of all disciplines may apply. Students must have a 3.0 GPA to apply. Up to four students will be selected by a special committee after submitting applications by Wednesday, 8 February, 2012.

Courses

The Scottish Enlightenment. All students selected for the Centre-in-Glasgow program take an integrative course titled The Scottish Enlightenment, an excellent introduction to the widespread intellectual Scottish movement that has had such an important impact on the modern world. The course examines the major figures and disciplines in the movement, from Adam Smith and Moral Philosophy to Medical Culture to James Hutton and Earth Science. This course was specifically designed for students in the Principia program, a program set up for students from American liberal arts colleges.

The Functional Anatomy Course. Students interested in the health sciences may be interested in taking the Functional Anatomy course. This course is a human gross anatomy lecture/lab course in which the students work with plastinated human specimens. Most of the American students in this course will be biology majors and/or pre-health professions students. The course director, Quentin Fogg, set this course up to simulate a gross anatomy course at a medical school, and he uses USMLE Step One-type questions on his exams. This past fall, there were ~20 students in this class. This course might be a good choice for Centre students who are biology majors who are preparing for health professions schools. The Centre biology program has approved this course as a four-credit, lecture/lab upper-level elective for our Biology major, in the Group B: Organisms category. Students can get credit for the Glasgow Functional Anatomy course, our BIO 325 (Vertebrae Morphology), and our BIO 350 (Gen/Comp Vertebrate physiology) courses—because these three courses have little overlap. Students cannot, however, get credit for both the Glasgow Functional Anatomy course and Centre's BIO 225 (Human Anatomy and Physiology) course, which overlap.

NOTE: Most Glasgow science courses will not substitute for Centre science courses. No intro or advanced chemistry taught at the University of Glasgow will replace a chemistry course taught at Centre. This is because the Glasgow chemistry program takes a comprehensive view of the subject and teaches a combination of organic/inorganic/physical in all of their courses, and there are not enough lab hours in an individual course to allow it to substitute for a specific Centre lab course. Also, as in several of the science disciplines, some Glasgow chemistry courses are designed to be year-long rather than just a one term. For these same reasons, no BMB or physics courses will substitute for a Centre BMB or physics course. Psychology is taught in a very different way at the University of Glasgow, so it is also unlikely that Glasgow psychology courses would substitute for Centre psychology or behavioral neuroscience courses.

Students who have taken or plan to take a lab science course at Centre cannot get elective credit if they take a similar course at Glasgow.

Other Course Possibilities at Glasgow. Although the Glasgow website offers a breathless array of course possibilities, Glasgow applicants should be fully aware that many or most may not be possibilities for them, because they are year-long courses or because of other reasons. (It took the Centre-at-Reading students a few years to discover which Reading courses best fitted their needs.) It may be possible for students interested in science to transfer in from Glasgow the occasional non-lab, science course. For example, this past fall some Principia students took an immunology course at Glasgow that would substitute for the immunology course offered in Danville.

Course Selection Process. Glasgow is new territory for us, but we imagine course selection will work as follows. Sometime in the spring, students selected will make tentative selections of Glasgow courses listed on the web that interest them. If they would like to see if a particular course they're interested in would substitute for a specific Centre course, they should give the course description to both their academic advisor and the chair of the program, who will then notify Tim Culhan of their decision.

Students selected will then meet as a group with Tim Culhan, the Centre Registrar, to make sure those courses fit into our curricular structure as electives. At a later point, probably by late summer, the University of Glasgow will give students preliminary acceptance into those courses. After students arrive in Glasgow, they may have to re-register for the classes they prefer. If they add a course once in Glasgow, they must get e-mail approval from our Registrar before beginning the course.

Programs Dates

The absolute dates for the fall 2012 program have not yet been set, but orientation typically begins in early September, and the program ends in mid-December.

Cost

The comprehensive fee (for tuition & fees, room, and board) is the same as for study in Danville, except that 1) there is a $350 surcharge, and 2) students pay for their own airfare to and from Glasgow. All financial aid arrangements in Danville continue in Glasgow. Students with remaining loan eligibility are eligible to borrow additional money for educational expenses. Also, remember that you may be able to save some money by canceling your automobile insurance while away.

How to Apply

Applications and faculty recommendation forms can be picked up from the Center for Global Citizenship, in Old Carnegie or at one of the study abroad meetings around Thanksgiving and in early January. You should give the recommendation forms to your faculty recommenders early in January. Turn in your completed application at the Study-Abroad office no later than noon on Wednesday, 8 February. The sub-group of the International Programs Committee that makes the selections retains the right not to select students who have had run-ins with the Student Life Office. You will be notified of your status by email on 24 February, after the list is vetted by both the Associate Dean and the Dean of Student Affairs.

Medical Insurance

Students studying abroad through any Centre program receive travel and accident insurance at no additional cost. Centre's Study Abroad Insurance, while provided through EIIA (Educational & Institutional Insurance Administrators), is administered through AIG Assist. Every student studying abroad with Centre College receives an AIG Assist contact and information card as well as a passport sticker. Each has the Centre insurance policy number, which is the only information needed to receive services. The categories of coverage provided are: accident and sickness ($100,000 limit with a $250 deductible); emergency medical evacuation and emergency family travel ($100,000 limit); accidental death and disability ($200,000 limit); and repatriation of remains ($100,000 limit). For specific questions, please contact the International Programs office at 859.238.5285 or leigh.cocanougher@centre.edu.

Pre-Registration / Convocation Credits

While in Glasgow, you pre-register for future courses via e-mail with your regular academic advisor. You will automatically be credited with six convocation credits during your term abroad.

Passport

If you do not currently have a passport that will remain valid for at least three months after your return, begin the process of obtaining one as soon as you are selected. In the recent past, some students have waited three months to receive a passport, even though the passport agency has stated that it will take six to eight weeks. Do it now!

Trip Deposit Due at Cashier's Office in Boles Hall by Tuesday, 6 March

In order to hold your slot if you are selected, you must pay the non-refundable $350 deposit/surcharge to Judy Bowell at the Cashier's Office in Boles Hall by noon on Tuesday, 6 March. If you later decide to withdraw from Centre-in-Glasgow, this non-refundable $350 deposit/surcharge is, as its name implies, not refundable.