Office Of International Programs
Rollins In Sydney
Program Overview
Long before Australia’s explosion in the media and consciousness of the United States, Rollins College began its Fall Semester in Sydney. Since 1972 this unique program has given American students a solid foundation in Australian Studies and an exciting, well-rounded experience of Australia and its people. Students experience the benefits of studying on the campus of the University of Sydney, with access to all campus facilities and activities, as well as the support of a full time Resident Director and staff. This program is appropriate for sophomores, juniors and seniors with an interest in Australia.
The Rollins Fall Semester in Sydney curriculum was designed for Rollins students pursuing the Australian Studies Minor. The program is also popular with other students in many disciplines because it allows them to make optimum use of their time "Down Under" through special courses that include numerous field trips and excursions to places of historical, cultural and environmental interest and living with Australian hosts near the beautiful surfing beaches in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. The goal of the semester is to introduce students to Australian life and society through a variety of carefully planned courses, interaction with a host family and a wide range of excursions.
The cost of the program is the same as Rollins College semester tuition, double room, board and fees. For a list of these costs click here to access A&S Student Financial Information and download the handbook. Included in the semester cost is the round-trip group flight from Los Angeles with STA Travel, room , board and tuition costs in Sydney, field trips and excursions. For additional financial and application information click here. An added bonus of this program is an optional four week full time internship at the end of the semester program in early November. Students may work in a variety of fields in the business sector, for which they will earn three or four semester hours of academic credit. The internship is open to juniors and seniors, and costs an additional $1,500.
University of Sydney
Founded in 1852, the University of Sydney is the oldest university in Australia. Current total enrollment is about 38,000, with about 3,500 overseas students, of whom about 200 are from the U.S. The architecture is reminiscent of Oxford and Cambridge with its impressive stonework, gothic arches, and grassy quads. The largest academic library in the southern hemisphere is at the University of Sydney.
Students on the program are honorary members of the University Union, which provides an array of dining services, recreational facilities, study areas and a wide range of clubs that cater to every interest and activity. The Sports Union and the Women's Sport Association organize such events as scuba diving courses, amateur rugby league, bushwalking, tennis, mountaineering, rowing and weight lifting, to name a few activities.
Calendar
The program is offered in Fall Semester. The semester begins in mid-July, with a two-week break in late September and early October, and ends in early November. Students who complete the internship will leave Sydney in early December.
Dates
FALL 2008
July 6 (Sunday) Leave L.A.
July 8 Arrive Sydney
July 9 - 11 Orientation
July 14 Courses begin
July 14 - 18 Schedule changes (Add/Drop)
July 25 Credit/No Credit deadline
Sept 19 Drop without penalty deadline
Sept 22 - Oct 3 Semester break
Oct 27 - 31 Examination Week
Nov 3 Leave Sydney
Nov 3 - 28 Internship
Dec 1 Interns depart Sydney
Deadlines
Fall Semester Deadline February 1, 2008.
$1500 deposit due within two weeks of acceptance
Photos
Click here for photos of students in Sydney.
Courses
Students will also choose four of the eight Australian Studies courses offered. Students who complete the Fall Semester in Sydney receive 18 semester hour credits. Students who complete the 4 week internship will receive an additional 3 or 4 semester hour credits. The following courses are awarded letter grades and four course units. The letter in parentheses after the course title indicates the general education requirement fulfilled at Rollins.
Although the courses are taught on the campus of the University of Sydney, Australian students are not enrolled in these classes. The courses have been designed for the Rollins program.
SYDNEY COURSES
- AUS 255 Australian Aboriginal Studies (C)
Presents historical overview of relations between Aborigines and Europeans in Australia and discusses contemporary social and political dimensions of Aboriginal life. Students may explore own interests in this field.
- AUS 262 The Australian Economic and Political Systems
Studies structure and functioning of Australian economic and political systems - dynamic, interactions, and mechanisms for adjusting to change. Applies concepts to current events.
- AUS 288 Australian History (D)
Surveys Australia's history from first human settlement to present with emphasis on European occupation of past two centuries.
- AUS 356 Australian Literature (L)
Chronicles fiction and drama from realist writing about the Bush in 1890's work of Patrick White, Elizabeth Jolley, and other contemporary writers. Students may follow up special interests such as feminist writing, writing by Aborigines, and recent poetry.
- AUS 361 Australian Art (A)
Introduces Australia's main schools and movements from the 18th through the 20th century from an international art-history perspective. Supplements lectures with excursions to public and commercial galleries in Sydney and Canberra.
- AUS 368 The Fauna and Flora of Australia (O,N)
Examines the unique character of Australia's plant and animal life. Emphasizes ecological fieldwork in a variety of habitats in the Sydney area.
- AUS 388 Australia's Physical Environment (P)
Acquaints students with climate, physiography, geology, and hydrology of coastal, estuarian, rolling uplands, and interior regions through lectures and field trips.
Internship
The internships will begin in the second week of November, and end in early December. Positions are available in the business sector in business administration, banking and finance, marketing and sales, tourism and hotel management and non-governmental organizations. The internship is open to juniors and seniors, and costs an additional $1,500.
The fee for the internship covers the placement fee, plus the extra weeks' lunch and travel money, accommodation (students usually stay with the same host family during this time) and the lecturer's fee for the professor supervising the internship. Students work 35 hours per week in their placement and participate in an internship seminar.
Students are required to keep a daily journal of their work experiences, activities and impressions. You will write about the work environment, your role and accomplishments, type of atmosphere in the workplace, organization and lines of authority, channels of communication and use of time. Your journal will be read weekly by your internship advisor, commented on and returned to you. A final project will be submitted at the end of the semester. The topic, type and presentation of your project will be decided jointly by the student and the internship advisor.
Field Trips/Excursions
All of the courses include field trips and/or excursions to points of interest related to the course. The Physical Environment course includes four full day excursions to explore the natural environment of New South Wales. Flora and Fauna has several day long field trips to national parks and several half day excursions to a variety of locations. The Art course includes visits to galleries and museums, and the History course includes visits to museums and cultural and historical sites. The Literature course and Aboriginal Studies course include visits to area theaters. All students are invited to attend a performance at the Sydney Opera House, and all students participate in a weekend trip to Canberra, Australia's capital city, in the last month of the program.
Faculty and Staff
The faculty and staff of the Rollins program are all long-time residents of Sydney, and most of them teach at universities in the city in addition to the course that they teach for Rollins. The Rollins College office at the University of Sydney is staffed on a full time basis during the fall term. As the program is relatively small, with approximately twenty five to thirty students, a caring, friendly bond generally develops between the faculty and students. The resident director, Mr. Graham Boardman, is from the Faculty of Education at the University of Sydney, where he worked for many years as the Head of the School of Teaching and Curriculum Studies.
Orientation
Students are met by their Australian hosts at the airport. There is an extensive two day orientation program at the University of Sydney which introduces students to the faculty and staff, to the program, the university and the city. This is followed by a full day excursion which includes a tour of the Eastern Suburb beaches, where most of the students on the program live, and a harbor tour.
Housing
Living with Australian hosts during the term is an integral part of the program which gives students an inside perspective on Australian society. Homestays are available in the neighborhoods near the University of Sydney, or in the Eastern Suburbs, near the surfing beaches. Most of the program hosts have been a part of the Rollins program in Sydney for several years, and many deep and lasting friendships have formed between them and their students.
The Office of International Programs cooridinates homestays through Auzzie Families Homestay Care.
There are a limited number of places avaiilable at Mandelbaum House, a student residence on the campus of the Univesity of Sydney. Students who want to apply for one of these places should indicate this on their housing form. Click here to access the Mandelbaum House application, which you will submit to International Programs with your Sydney appllication.
Application Information
Applications are available from this website. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view and print the application. Click on the link below to print out the application. Fill out the first four pages and return to International Programs. You will need to give pages five and six to a professor to fill out, who will then return those pages directly to International Programs.
PLEASE DO NOT PRINT DOUBLE-SIDED PAGES. Print each page on a separate sheet of paper.
Rollins in Sydney Application
Useful Links
Last updated on
March 24, 2008
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