So you are thinking about going to Australia with us, but are not sure if this program is “really you”?
First, a really good place to get a better feeling for what we do on this program (other than obviously this website) is to peruse prior program’s websites (such as Duke in Australia 2023 or 2019), especially the student blogs.
Second, if you have concerns or questions, you can reach out to either the instructor, the regional program coordinator, or your study abroad adviser.
If you’d rather hear a perspective from a fellow student who has participated in the program in the past, please reach out to any one of our Duke in Australia student ambassadors: for a list please e-mail the instructor.
Third, consider the following questions regarding this program:
- we will spend relatively little time inside the regular classroom. Most of our learning will take place in the field, i.e OUTSIDE, regardless of weather. Much of the teaching is done by the instructor but we will also have local guides and presenters for many of our adventures. In other words, your learning environment will be highly fluid, “on-the-fly”, and teaching styles and approaches will vary. You will be expected to take notes inside a field notebook during ALL of our activities. Do you think you can adapt and thrive in such a quick-paced, dynamic learning environment?
- you will be immersing yourself in Australian culture. Although, for the most part, language won’t be an issue, you will interact with a completely different culture than your own. What you think of as “common sense” or “universally shared values” might be viewed very different by some or all Australians. Australians have a different shared history and experience than we have had in the US. We cannot assume that certain “milestones” or “events” that were formative to American thinking and identity had the same influence and impact on Australians. Indeed, Australians have had their own such influences, many of which you are as unaware of as they are of ours. This influences how Australians think and talk about various issues, occasionally perhaps in ways that you might find uncomfortable or even outright offensive. Just like people in the US, Australians will vary greatly in their views on racism, gender identity, women’s rights, religious belief, guns, health care, education, politics, environmentalism, immigration, and other potentially “volatile” topics, but collectively they might have different cultural boundaries and means to discuss these topics than what you are used to. Do you think you will be able to approach such conversations with an open mind and heart, without assuming that the global standard on how to talk about, think about, and act on issues, has been set in stone by your own culture?
- this is a rigorous and demanding learning experience. Unlike semester-based study abroad programs, where you can often set your own itinerary and schedule, this program is designed to expose you to as many experiences as possible in a relatively short amount of time. Most of our days will be long and start early. You will have most of your evenings off, as well as several full days (often but not exclusively on weekends). However, for you to do well in the course, assignments, readings, as well as studying and reviewing the material might take up a significant part of your off days as well. Are you willing to accept that this program, by design, provides only limited amounts of free time for students compared to perhaps other programs?
- we will learn lots of new factual information that you will be responsible for. This course is first and foremost a biology class that explores the question of why the Australian ecosystem is so unique. No prior knowledge is necessary, and although popular among biology-students, this course regularly attracts a cohort of students from all majors at Duke. Our explorations will focus on aspects of ecology, botany, and zoology, BUT we will also delve into geology, natural history, Australian colonial history, and Aboriginal Culture. You will be asked to learn a myriad of new information (e.g. “facts”) and understand processes and concepts you might have never thought to be relevant to the study of biogeography. Is your interest in the natural world sufficient enough to sustain yourself in a month-long immersion in these topics?
If you said yes to most or all of the above, this program is for you!
