Courses in Australia & New Zealand

Academic Program

This is a study program. Students must carry a 15-credit load and are expected to fully participate in all class activities. Students will take History, Biology and a third course to be announced in summer 2023. See detailed course descriptions below.

Courses are scheduled Monday through Friday, with field trips integrated throughout.

Course Descriptions

History: History of Australia and New Zealand
Dr. Bruce Haulman - 5 Social Science Credits
Examines the history of Australasian nations of Australia and New Zealand from the first human inhabitants of Australia some 60,000 years ago, and the Maori settlement of New Zealand some 800 years ago, through the long and often difficult processes to become the modern island nations of Australia and New Zealand. Attention is given to the various groups who have migrated to Australasia, the European exploration and colonization of the area, the development of settlements and colonial governments, the move to nationhood in the late 19th century, and the emergence of the modern nations of Australia and New Zealand in the 20th century.

Biology: Natural Science of Australia/New Zealand
Australian and New Zealand Faculty - 5 Natural Science Credits
Focuses on the ecology of Australia and New Zealand, including ecosystems and human impact on ecosystems. The biodiversity, characteristics, and interactions of Australian and New Zealand flora and fauna will also be investigated within various habitats and ecosystems. A significant portion of the course will involve field observations and experiences. This course does not meet the lab distribution requirement. and is designed for the beginning college student.

English: Introduction to Poetry
Dr. Patrick Milian - 5 English Credits
Serves as an introduction to reading, interpreting, analyzing, and discussing poetry, with particular attention to the works’ formal elements and cultural contexts. This particular offering will focus on the indigenous poets of Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. In doing so, students will still experience an in-depth study of poetics such as form, rhyme, meter, imagery, figurative language, etc., but they will also experience poetry as a vital force. Throughout Aboriginal and Maori history, poetry has served a major role in shaping culture and motivating protest movements, and this class offers a unique way into these histories and movements.

Faculty

Meet the Green River College faculty.

Lectures will also be provided by highly qualified Australian and New Zealand faculty.

Dr. Bruce Haulman

Dr. Bruce Haulman is an experienced leader of study abroad programs, and has directed the Green River College Australia-New Zealand Study Abroad Program since 2000. Over 500 students have been part of this program and have experienced studying abroad in Australia and New Zealand. Bruce is a professor of History at Green River College, has taught abroad in England and Canada, as well as Australia and New Zealand, and has traveled extensively in Europe and Asia. He is the author of two books on the history of Vashon Island, where he lives with his wife Pam, and writes regularly for the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber.

Dr. Patrick Milian

Dr. Patrick Milian is a professor of English at Green River College, where he specializes in creative writing and multimedia/digital writing. Patrick received his MFA and PhD from the University of Washington, where he was a Joff Hanauer Fellow and recipient of the Richard J. Dunn Teaching Award. He’s the author of a forthcoming book of poetry, as well as pieces that have been published in POETRY, Gulf Coast, Mid-American Review, Denver Quarterly, and elsewhere. He’s also published academic articles in Joyce Studies Annual, Pacific Coast Philology, and Modernism/modernity.