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May Term 2026

May 15, 2026

Category: May Term

Ten people pose for a photo in between two cliff walls inside a national park. Some are sitting and others are standing, and in the foreground, one person lays on a rock while another sits on top of them. In the background, another gap between two cliff walls is visible.
In Chris Lassiter's May Term class, students explore national parks.

Over the course of the next few weeks, students at Roanoke College are delving into unique, niche topics through an intensive learning term, or May Term.  

May Term offers an immersive learning experience in which students spend three weeks diving into one subject. Courses include Adventure into Nature, Bluegrass and Old-Time Music, The Grand Tour of Italy and more. 

Some May Term courses are held on campus with field trips and overnight stays, while others take students across the country or around the world. Whether they’re right here on campus or traveling all the way to Japan, these students will spend their time learning, exploring and growing.  

Keep reading for more information about a few of this year’s May Term options. 

National Parks: Explore Your America

Chris Lassiter, professor and assistant dean of the School of Health, Science, & Sustainability, has taken a group of students to explore units of the National Park Service (NPS) throughout New Mexico, Texas and Colorado. Through this course, students discuss important events in NPS history and visit sites of biological, cultural and historical significance. 

The class will make stops at major parks, including White Sands National Park, Big Bend National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Great Sand Dunes National Park. Students will also get to visit a mammoth dig site and Roswell, New Mexico, to learn more about the area’s history with aliens. They are required to keep a journal describing the events of each day, along with their observations and reflections.  

A group of students post with the White Sands National Monument Visitor Center sign. There is a short clay-colored building behind them, rocks and desert-type greenery.
Twelve people pose for a photo on an overlook at a national park. Some are sitting on a rock while others are standing, and they are surrounded by greenery.
A small group of students stands or sits on a tree branch that is low and parallel to the ground. They are surrounded by white sand and the sky is blue and clear.
Students pose in front of a colorful mural titled "Nuestra Herencia" at Chamizal National Memorial Cultural Center. The mural depicts images symbolizing the blending of cultures between the United States and Mexico.
Students sit in front of and stand on the sign for Big Bend National Park in Texas.