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UT Professor Takes Semester At Sea

Photo from Jody Thompson

UT Professor Jody Thompson teaches about 700 undergraduates aboard the MV Explorer. He conducts classes every day the ship is at sea, including Saturdays and Sundays.

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK

jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com

Published: February 25, 2009

DAVIS ISLANDS - Professor Jody Tompson temporarily has traded his classroom at the University of Tampa for one aboard the MV Explorer, a cruise ship circumnavigating the world.

As a professor on the 590-foot ship, he teaches about 700 undergraduates who have enrolled in the Semester at Sea study-abroad experience and receive credits through the University of Virginia.

For 108 days, Tompson, of Davis Islands, is sailing with his wife, Holly, and three children, George, 8; Abby, 11; and Ben, 14. They set sail from Nassau in the Bahamas with stops in ports of call such as Casablanca, Morocco; Cape Town, South Africa; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As of today , the ship will be at sea, halfway between South Africa and Mauritius.

The theme of the voyage is "Migrations: Early Human Evolution and the Odyssey that Populated the Planet." Students participate in courses along that theme as well as traditional classes such as organic chemistry, biomedical ethics and introduction to theatre.

Tompson, who has a travel blog at www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/jodytomp/1/tpod.html..., recently answered questions by e-mail from the South and Central Tampa News and Tribune.

Q: How did you hear about Semester at Sea?

A: I have known about Semester at Sea since I was in college. It always intrigued me so I planned to apply during the semester of my first sabbatical. The Semester at Sea Web site has an application process for students and faculty. I submitted my application about 16 months before the voyage began, so it took a lot of advanced preparation. Once I was accepted in about May of 2008, I submitted my three syllabi to a faculty committee at UVA.

Q: Why did you want to participate?

A: I think there must be some nomads in my family tree. I have lived in Texas, South Carolina, Arkansas, New Zealand and now Florida (for eight years - my longest stint ever). There are few people who have the chance to travel around the world. I enjoy teaching, wanted to see the world and wanted my family to have the experience with me.

Q: Have you done much travelling prior to this voyage?

A: In May of 2008 and May of 2006 I took University of Tampa Master's of Business Administration students on a study tour in China. Both trips were about two weeks long, so I have some experience traveling with students. I lived in New Zealand from 1996 to 2000.

Q: What are your duties/responsibilities aboard the ship?

A: I teach three different courses, which is a lot for anyone. At UT, I typically teach two different courses per semester. I also lead some of the trips that we take in the port cities we visit. I will lead an overnight camping trip in Namibia and a cycling tour through a vineyard in Cape Town. These trips are fun and educational but require attention to detail and some bit of "babysitting." My wife and three children are with me. My wife, Holly, is home-schooling the kids, and I try to help her with that job when time permits.

Q: How has it differed from teaching at UT?

A: When the ship is at sea, we conduct classes, even on Saturday and Sunday. There are "A" days and "B" days. I teach two courses on "A" days and one course on "B" days. It is a strenuous schedule because I am in non-stop teaching while at sea. It took nine days to cross the Atlantic, so I was teaching for nine consecutive days.

Also, there are no classes while the ship is in port. So we might have nine consecutive days of classes, then five consecutive days of no classes. It's hard to get into any rhythm. And of course there are waves. It's not easy to teach while the ship is rolling back and forth.

Q: What has it been like living in the 14-foot-by-14-foot accommodations?

A: The adjustment has not been too hard. Getting our sea legs has been much harder. We've had two spans of rough seas that caused widespread seasickness.

Q: What do your children and wife do while you're teaching classes?

A: Home school. My wife actively home-schools our son, 8, and daughter, 11. Our 14 year old is enrolled in the Florida Virtual School, so he is trying to keep up with his schoolwork via the Internet. Many college students on board have agreed to tutor the dependent children - my kids have tutors in science, math, Spanish and Latin.

Q: What port of call do you look forward to the most and why?

A: Cape Town and Bangkok. There are many South Africans living in New Zealand and I became interested in visiting there while I lived in New Zealand. In Southeast Asia, I have only visited Singapore. I expect Bangkok to be an amazing experience of sights, sounds, smells and tastes.

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 259-7661.

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