Bowdoin College
AC-5: Immersive Experience

The Bowdoin Coastal Studies Semester (BCSS) is designed to immerse students in a place-based learning experience that supports both disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to the exploration of coastal concerns in the Gulf of Maine. As one of the most rapidly warming bodies of water in the world, the Gulf of Maine, with its varied ecosystems and coastal communities, offers students the opportunity to see firsthand how climate change is impacting our world and to develop the skills to identify underlying problems and potential solutions. Students take four courses taught in parallel at the Schiller Coastal Studies Center in Harpswell, Maine. This format allows students and faculty to work across courses to identify emerging themes and pathways for collaborative inquiry.

Hands-on field work and sophisticated laboratory science are central to the BCSS. During the semester, students will compare and investigate different coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine. From salt marshes to rocky intertidal zones, students will collect data and samples to deepen their understanding of the Gulf’s natural history. The BCSS visits Hurricane Island off Rockland, Maine, and Bowdoin’s Kent Island in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. Additional trips may include Monhegan Island and Malaga Island, as well as visits to active ecosystem restoration and aquaculture projects in Maine’s Indigenous tribal communities. Finally, BCSS students engage with the people of the place, with guest speakers ranging from aquaculturists, policy makers, and artists, to members of the lobstering industry and neighbors from our own island community.

The Environmental Studies Program has a summer fellowship program that places students with local organizations and communities to address issues of land conservation, food security, energy financing, and community wellness. Bowdoin also encourages students to participate in field-based study abroad programs such as SEA Semester, SFSc, and SIT, which are pre-approved by the Office of Off-Campus Study. In addition to these faculty-led programs, Bowdoin also supports numerous student-led winter and spring break trips that cover a wide range of sustainability issues. Below is a list of immersive winter and spring break trips for the 2021–2022 academic year:

Immigration, Humanitarian Aid, and Advocacy in Tucson, AZ
Participants will examine the impact of structural inequality on immigrants’ access to housing, education, and social services. Through hands-on work and communication with working migrant families, students will learn about the history of labor activism, the impact of COVID on agricultural workers, and the forces that shape immigrants' identities and experience.

Digital Literacy and Equity in Our Community (Brunswick, ME)
Digital literacy and broadband access impact the economic, social, and democratic stability of communities and individuals everywhere. Participants will learn how Maine’s rural character and large older population contribute to the urgency of its digital divide; and will work with local community partners on efforts to ensure equitable access.

LGTBQ+ Issues, Queerness, and Identity in Asheville, NC
Queerness and urbanity are two often overlooked lived experiences in Appalachia. Working with LGBTQ+ organizations around Asheville, NC, participants will challenge misconceptions and stereotypes while learning about the impacts of substance abuse, uneven access to healthcare, and the celebration of queer experience.

Environmental Racism and Urban Planning and Development in New York City, NY
Participants will examine the history and evolution of cities, with a focus on environmental racism. Working with non-profit organizations in New York City, participants will explore the impact of urban planning on underprivileged communities, how policies and infrastructures determine demographics, the racism and classism embedded in "efficient" and "advanced "cities, and how these communities push for a promising future.

Public Art, Social, Economic, and Political Empowerment in Philadelphia, PA
Participants will learn how art functions as a tool for social, economic, and political empowerment by working with Semilla Art Initiative, a nonprofit art organization in central Philadelphia. Participants will engage with the music and visual arts scenes, learning from and working with members of the community who use art to uplift their city.

Women’s Health and Rights, Agricultural Sustainability, and Political and Community Organizing in San Juan and Ponce, Puerto Rico
Participants will examine women’s health and rights, agricultural sustainability, and political and community organizing. Through engaging with community organizations, participants will explore these focal issues in relation to the complexities of Puerto Rican identity with respect to the US mainland, COVID-19, and Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Spanish language skills required.

Addiction and Recovery in Portland, ME
Participants will work with government and grassroots organizations that serve Mainers experiencing addiction and recovery. The trip will examine the opioid epidemic in Maine and consider the issue through scientific, social, and institutional lenses.

Immigrant and Refugee Education in Portland, ME
Participants will connect with agencies that serve immigrants and refugees, such as Portland Adult Education and the Portland Public Schools. Engaging with residents of all ages, backgrounds, and stages of residency, participants will understand the process of immigrating to the United States and how Bowdoin students can support the transitions of New Mainers.    

Untold Stories: Asian American Identity and History (San Francisco, CA) 
Participants will work with agencies serving Asian American communities to understand the history and experiences of Asian people in the USA. Connecting with immigrants across generations, participants will learn about the past and future of these diverse communities.

Cultivating Community (Immokalee, FL)
Participants will engage in hands-on work and communication with working migrant families, examining the impact of income inequality on immigrants' access to housing, education, and social services in a rural farming community. This trip will also explore the impact of cultural traits in shaping immigrants' identity and experience.

Opportunity through Education: Providing Safe Passage (Guatemala City, GUA)
Participants will work with Safe Passage, an organization established around the Guatemala City garbage dump that allows access to education for city’s poorest children. Participants will learn about the social, political, and economic issues that surround access to childhood education in the area.

Poverty and Homelessness in Our Community (Brunswick, ME)
Participants will partner with organizations in the greater Brunswick community that serve individuals and families dealing with homelessness, poverty, or economic insecurity. This trip will explore the social, economic, political, legal, and health implications of living in poverty.

Indigenous Voices in Pleasant Point, ME
For the Passamaquoddy tribe, education and cultural preservation are powerful forms of resistance to the continued forces of colonization. Participants will learn from educators at Beatrice Rafferty School and the Sipayik Youth and Recreational Center as well as leaders of tribal government, connecting their work to the broader indigenous sovereignty movement.

Exploring Disability in a Rural Setting (Hudson, NY)
Participants will engage with disability and ableism in a rural upstate New York population. By living and working in a supportive residential community, students will connect with young adults with developmental disabilities and learn the theory and history of addressing these issues through education and advocacy.

Community Health and Advocacy in Post-Hurricane Puerto Rico
Participants will connect with community-based health and advocacy organizations, addressing recuperative efforts post-hurricanes Irma and María. The group will also explore some complexities of Puerto Rican identity with respect to the US mainland. Spanish language skills required.