Honors Abroad

Dynamic exploration of complex issues.

Eligible USM undergraduate students in the Honors Program have the unique opportunity to travel abroad to Iceland delving into timely topics ranging from climate change, sustainability, and resilience to maritime cities and the Blue Economy. This annual, interdisciplinary Summer course is team-taught by rotating faculty and is deeply experiential.

“This adventure to Iceland was a life changing learning experience that left me questioning the way I live, attack problems, and search for solutions…After returning home from Iceland, I feel like I am the bridge between two worlds.”

Honors Abroad Student, Summer 2023

Opportunities for discovery.

The 2023 class, HON 195: Living Now: writing Iceland & finding hope in a changing climate, explored questions of sustainability, climate change, and hope through writing and photo essay. During the travel class, students met with an Icelandic author, visited researchers at Reykjavik University to learn about their innovative responses to sustainability and climate change, and traveled to remote glaciers and waterfalls. Each student finished the course with a final project that summarized their experience. Click below to view their projects.