The Jamaica Study Abroad and Maroon Immersion Program is an 18-day Maymester voyage to Jamaica. This program offers a first-hand opportunity to explore and research over 500 years of Jamaica’s diverse and dynamic history and culture, including the contemporary challenges of a developing island-nation in a globalizing world. Participants will visit National Heritage and cultural sites relating to the people, places and events significant to Jamaican history, spanning the pre-colonial era through today. Students will learn about pirates (such as Henry Morgan), high priestess and military strategist Nanny of the Maroons, Pan-Africanist pioneer Marcus Garvey, Reggae music icon Bob Marley and Olympic gold-medalist and world’s fastest man Usain Bolt. Program highlights include home-stays with families in the mountainous communities of the legendary Jamaican Maroons, rebel slaves from West Africa who defeated the British and formed autonomous societies in the rugged and remote interiors of Jamaica in the 17th century. Their descendants still maintain their proud heritage and pristine environment today. Lectures will be delivered by community experts, University of the West Indies faculty and international scholars.
See Jamaica Study Abroad & Maroon Immersion Program Brochure for more information. To apply, click here.
Highlights of the program are provided below. This is a tentative schedule subject to change at the discretion of the Program Director. The university reserves the right to alter travel and other arrangements if required by circumstances.
March 26-28: Mandatory orientation at GSU.
May 16-19: Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Catherine: Welcome reception; tours of local universities, museums and points of interest.
May 20-22: Rio Grande Valley, Portland/Windward Maroon Country: Lodging with local Maroon families; tours of Maroon sites; cultural performances; lectures.
May 23: Port Antonio, Portland: St. Margaret’s Bay.
May 24-25: Charles Town, Portland/Windward Maroon Country: Lodging with local Maroon families; tours of Maroon sites; lecture on Charles Town Maroons; tour Charles Town Maroon Museum and other points of interest.
May 26-27: Ocho Rios, St. Ann: Visit Coyaba River Garden, Museum and Seville Heritage Park (site of Christopher Columbus’ first landing).
May 28: Trelawny and Black River, St. Elizabeth: Outameni Experience; visit Black River Market and Appleton Estate.
May 29-30: Accompong, St. Elizabeth/Leeward Maroon Country: Accompong Cultural Group; tours of Maroon Museum, Old Town, Peace Cave and the Congo, Kromantee and Ashanti Burial Grounds.
May 31-June 1: Kingston & St. Andrew: Visit National Heroes Circle and Liberty Hall/Marcus Garvey Museum; Bon Voyage Reception at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.
June 2: Depart for Atlanta.
January 20, 2013
Click here to apply for this program.
The program is open to all upper level undergraduates, graduate students, alumni and professionals in the field. Program size is limited and participation is contingent upon acceptance by the Program Director.
Participants who successfully complete the program will receive four semester hours of course credit at Georgia State University. Undergraduate students will register for HIST4890: Topics in World History and graduate students will register for HIST8460: Seminar in Atlantic World History, for the Maymester 2013 term. Students from other institutions should follow their institution’s regulations concerning transfer credits. There is also a mandatory predeparture orientation on March 26 and 28, at GSU.
Participants will stay in comfortable multiple-occupancy hotels throughout the various parishes of Jamaica. For one week collectively, we will stay in the modest homes of local families in the Maroon communities nestled in the valleys of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park in eastern Jamaica, as well as the biologically diverse and culturally significant Cockpit Country mountain range in the west.
Disability Accommodations
Several days will involve rugged hikes to historically, culturally and environmentally significant sites. On these trails, students should be capable of walking unaided for several hours. Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations during their study abroad experience should discuss these needs with the Program Director and the Office of Disability Services at the time of application.
Program cost may vary at any time according to currency fluctuations and changing travel arrangements. The program cost is tentatively set at $2,500, PLUS regular Georgia State University tuition and fees. Non-resident/out-of-state students will pay in-state tuition plus a $250 fee in addition to the program cost.
*Program fee includes
• Welcome and farewell dinners, lectures and cultural performances, as well as most meals
• Hotel accommodations (based on multiple occupancy) and lodging with local Maroon families (single occupancy request will require additional charges).
• Chartered ground transportation, excursions and entrance fees
• Educational lectures and cultural events
• Health/Evacuation/Repatriation Insurance
**Program fee does NOT include
• Round-trip airfare
• Passport fees
• Personal expenses, tips and excess baggage charges
• Georgia State tuition and fees
January 20, 2013 - $600 deposit with application
February 17, 2013 - $950 payment
March 16, 2013 - $950 remaining balance
(all payments are non-refundable upon receipt)
Please pay for your program deposit by finding the program listing at www.gsu.edu/studyabroad and following the payment instructions listed there. See your Program Director for more information. Please refer to the Academic/Registration calendar for the tuition and fees deadline. All tuition and fees must be paid in full before departure.
For more information about the program or to submit your application, contact
Program Director: Harcourt Fuller, Ph.D.
34 Peachtree Street, Suite 2139, Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404-413-5264
E-mail: hfuller@gsu.edu