Williams–Mystic
Williams–Mystic, the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport, is an interdisciplinary semester program based at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut.
Students at Williams–Mystic enroll in four courses: Maritime History, Marine Policy, Literature of the Sea, and either Oceanography or Marine Ecology. Students engage in independent research throughout the semester in each of the courses, engaging in personal interests as they relate to maritime studies. Each class concludes with a cumulative research project, exam, or academic paper. Courses are taught between classroom and collections space on the Mystic Seaport grounds and the 8,000-square-foot (740 m2) James T. Carlton Marine Science Center (MSC), which opened in September 2007. The MSC offers facilities for teaching and research of estuarine/coastal biology and geology.
Additionally, students participate in maritime skills courses taught by Mystic Seaport staff. These offerings include small-boat handling, sea chanteys, shipsmithing, canvas working, and demonstration squad.
Each semester is composed of three field seminars with varying locations: Offshore Sailing Voyage, the Pacific Coast, and the Gulf Coast. Traditionally the fall semester sails offshore in the Gulf of Maine and travels to Northern California, while the spring semester sails offshore in the Straits of Florida and travels to the Pacific Northwest. Each semester attends the Gulf Coast field seminar in Louisiana, unless you happened to participate in Fall 2013's experimental Hawaii Seminar.
Professors take their courses on the road (and sea) for each seminar, delivering their lectures in a wide variety of locations.
At Williams–Mystic, a classmate can also be a roommate, housemate, or neighbor. Students are placed in one of five historic houses owned by Mystic Seaport, where they cook, clean, and socialize with their peers. These houses are steps away from Mystic Seaport's riverside grounds and, together with the administration building and Marine Science Center, comprise the program's very own Williams–Mystic neighborhood. This one-of-a-kind combination of residential and academic togetherness offers students a unique environment in which they explore the nation's maritime realm.
Student houses:
If the houses begin to feel a bit too cozy, the MSC provides students with a 24-hour research and study space, fully outfitted with computers, books, couches, desks, and a state-of-the-art marine science laboratory. Directly adjacent to the MSC is Sturges Cottage. Sturges Cottage is a communal recreational space where students can enjoy cable TV, a foosball table, a piano, and basic workout equipment.
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