This January while most of the Macalester community relaxed, a small group of adventurous Mac students took advantage of opportunities to explore the American continents as part of three January Term classes offered in the Deep South, mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.

Nineteen students traveled with African American Studies and Political Science Professor Duchess Harris to the southern United States to study the consequences of the civil rights movement. Harris said the students focused on the implications of the south and segregation on northern, urban-concentrated poverty.

According to Harris, a highlight of the trip was the group's visit to Selma, Alabama. The class met with Mayor Perkins, Selma's first African American mayor. Perkins defeated the segregationist incumbent who had been in office thirty-six years.

The group also visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, The Rosa Parks Museum and the MLK Historic district inAtlanta.. In Memphis, Tenn. students traveled to Slave Haven, a restored stop on the Underground Railroad.

After arriving back in the Twin Cities on Jan. 20, the students participated in the Martin Luther King march and celebration at Concordia College. Additionally, the group met with Twin Cities civil rights organizations to learn how they can take action locally.

Students also met with lawyers from the NAACP to address the lawsuit filed by the organization against the Minneapolis school district. In the meeting, the class got a glimpse into current civil rights legislation and activism.

"I thought that the trip was really representative of what Macalester stands for," Harris said. "Multiculturalism, internationalism and civic engagement, were all crucial pieces to this course." Harris hopes to offer her civil rights course during future J-Terms.

Twenty Macalester students participated in a three-week J-Term course in Quito, Ecuador. Led by Spanish Professor David Sunderland and his wife, the trip fulfilled the Spanish 32 requirement.

During their stay in Quito, Ecuador's capital city, students lived with local host families. Students attended classes and though Macalester Spanish faculty was present, the education came from the families and local school.

According to trip participant Rachel London '03, the class attended courses in the cultural center in Aba Yala, Ecuador.

After a period of intense study, the class was given a short vacation. London said she and some friends went to Mindo while other students chose to visit the coast at the city of Imbarbura. The groups also had the opportunity to stay with indigenous families of the region.

The third group of twenty-four Macalester students, led by Biology Professor Tim Watkins and Geology Professor Karl Wirth, spent eight days on a boat exploring the biological evolution of the Galapagos Islands and native wildlife.

During the fall semester, students in the class immersed themselves in Darwinian evolution and the biology of the Galapagos. Since the islands are uninhabited, the group had to sleep, eat, and live on a boat.

According to Wirth, wildlife on the island is entirely unafraid of humans. As a result, students were able to get up close and personal with a variety of exotic species including masked boobies, warm-water penguins and baby sea lions.

"We did an extensive amount of work fall semester and it was all worth it," said Galapagos visitor Melanie Roberts '02. "I really appreciated what I was seeing. It is an amazing place and I think everyone who gets a chance should visit."