University of St. Andrews
Director Spring 2011: Professor David Dudrick, Department of Philosophy
Courses | Living arrangements | Extra costs | Prerequisites | Deadlines | Helpful links
The St. Andrews Study Group provides a unique opportunity for a semester’s residential study abroad in a challenging academic environment at a distinguished Scottish university. The medieval and modern intertwine in this charming and very walkable town. Founded in 1410, the University draws over one fifth of its roughly 5,700 undergraduates from overseas, representing some 75 different nationalities. St. Andrews’ Philosophy and Religion departments ranked among the top three in this year’s recent surveys of British universities. At St. Andrews, students retain a tie to Colgate through a required course taught by the director and group travel accompanied by the director. Students select other courses from the curriculum of the University of St. Andrews. Each student will earn a full semester’s credit towards his or her Colgate degree and have several opportunities to travel as a group within Scotland and England.
Scotland’s first university, the University of St. Andrews has an outstanding international reputation. The town of St Andrews is a beautiful town of about 15,000 people on the east coast of Scotland. Within a few minutes’ walk of the University you can find yourself in a vibrant town center filled with shops, cafes, and restaurants, or among the impressive ruins of ancient cathedrals and castles, or along miles of unspoiled beaches. There is reliable train and bus service to nearby larger cities, such as Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Stirling. Edinburgh's international airport offers daily budget flights to European destinations.
Eligibility
This opportunity is open to Colgate students who are particularly interested in philosophy and/or religion. Although applicants are not required to be concentrators in either the Philosophy or the Religion Department, they should have completed three courses in either philosophy or religion before coming to St Andrews. (No particular courses are required.) Given St. Andrews’ academic excellence in many subjects, students with interests in allied fields (e.g., Psychology) have benefited from the study group in recent years.
St. Andrews recommends students achieve or maintain at least a 3.0 GPA by June 2010.
Additional Destinations
Participants will travel as a group to Edinburgh, York, Oxford, and London during part of the mid-term break.
Courses
St. Andrews has a semester calendar much like Colgate’s. Courses are a combination of lecture and small-group tutorial. Study group members will take the course being taught by the director, as well as two or three other courses offered by the university. Students will be permitted to take courses from throughout the full range of the university’s curriculum. Normally, one or two of their elected courses are in Philosophy or Religion. Students will examine the course catalogue with the director and their departmental advisor to find suitable courses. Students who wish to receive concentration credit for courses outside the Philosophy and Religion Departments must get prior approval from the relevant department chair at Colgate.
The director’s course for 2011: Christian Theism and Philosophy" (PHIL 3XX, Pending Curriculum Committee approval)
This seminar will examine philosophical issues relating to and arising from religious belief, with a special focus on Christian theism. Among the questions we'll address are: What is faith and how is it related to reason? Is scientific inquiry at odds with religious belief? Does the fact of religious pluralism render traditional religious belief untenable? How should we understand the Christian notions of Original Sin, the Trinity, and the Incarnation? Is religious belief a legitimate source for moral and political positions? Our encounter with these questions will be structured by our engagement with recent arguments in the philosophical literature, but also by the work of two giants of the Scottish intellectual tradition: David Hume and Thomas Reid. The course will also include field trips to relevant sites in St. Andrews, Edinburgh, York, Oxford, and London, with talks by philosophers whose work we’ll be reading.
St. Andrews Study Group credit information
Colgate course approval form
St. Andrews on-line course catalog
Spring 2011 Study Group Participants: Please print out and complete the JSA Application Form and return it to the Study Group Director together with a transcript of June grades and two letters of reference.
Living arrangements
Students will live in university residence halls. There are several options (single or double rooms, with a meal plan or without). Study group members will enter the housing lottery along with other St. Andrews students. More information at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/accommodation/
Calendar (provisional)
Feb. 5, 2011: field trip to Edinburgh
Feb. 7, 2011: first day of term
Mar. 26 – Apr. 1, 2011: study group trip to York, Oxford, and London
Apr. 2 – 10, 2011: Easter Vacation
May 27, 2011: last day of exams
More details at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/%7Ecalendar
Extra costs
Costs above Colgate’s tuition include room and board, airfare, and necessary out-of-pocket expenses. On the average students can expect to spend $5,000 - $6,000 more than a semester on campus. These increased costs are used in calculating aid packages for students who receive financial aid, provided this is their first study group experience.
Students who are planning extensive personal travel will need to increase their budget accordingly.
Estimate Student Expenses Scotland Study Group
Prerequisites
Normally students complete three courses in either philosophy or religion before coming to St Andrews. No particular courses are required. St. Andrews recommends students achieve or maintain at least a 3.0 GPA by June 2010.
Deadlines
To learn more about the program, please attend one of the informational sessions:
Oct. 27 (Tu) 9:00 pm - Library Café
Oct. 28 (W) 7:00 pm - Library Café
Nov. 2 (M) 4:30 pm - Library Café
Nov. 5 (Th) 11:30 am - 202 Hascall
Application deadline is Friday, Nov. 20, 2009. Applications are available from the Off-Campus Study or in 113 Hascall. Return completed applications to 113 Hascall. Finalists will be interviewed.
For more information, please contact the Study Group Director, Prof. David Dudrick (ddudrick@colgate.edu or 228-6719) and/or stop by the Study Abroad Fair, Wednesday, Nov. 4th from 6-7 pm in the Hall of Presidents.
Helpful links
General Information
