Lush and alluring, the Caribbean has long been a favorite destination for tourists, but students who take ENGL 227: Caribbean Literatures, Histories & Cultures in Context go beyond the beaches. Led by Professor Carmen Gillespie, English, the three-week summer program immerses participants in the culture and rich history of the islands of Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis.

By taking part in lectures, field trips, volunteer projects and ethnographic interviews, they gain an understanding of the long-term cross-cultural impacts of slavery, colonization, independence and tourism. Course readings and assignments integrated into the Caribbean cultural and geographical landscape bring learning to life for the students.

"It was very, very cool to connect the things we read before [the trip] to things we were experiencing," said Marko Djorvjevic '19, a chemistry major from Belgrade, Serbia. "Everything I was hoping for, I experienced there."

Follow Djorvjevic and his classmates on their island  journey in this video.