Honors Passport: Wales

May 10 — 23, 2026

Application coming soon. 

Wales: Power, Place and Identity

May Intersession 2027 | May 17–29, 2027 

Discover Wales through the lenses of history, engineering and culture. From towering medieval castles and Roman fortresses to industrial landmarks and breathtaking mountain landscapes, this faculty-led honors program explores how history, engineering, language and culture have shaped a nation that continues to define its identity in an increasingly globalized world.

As you travel from Cardiff to the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia), you'll experience Wales not as a tourist, but as a scholar. Visit iconic sites including Cardiff Castle, Caernarfon Castle, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Blaenavon Ironworks, BBC Cymru, and the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), while engaging with local history, politics and culture. Along the way, you'll investigate questions that remain deeply relevant today: How does architecture reflect power? What role does engineering play in shaping societies? How do small nations preserve their language, culture, and identity in a global world?

This interdisciplinary program combines the perspectives of English and Civil Engineering to provide a unique lens through which to examine the relationship between infrastructure, political authority and cultural resilience. Through guided site visits, discussions, readings, and student presentations, you'll gain firsthand insight into the stories embedded within Wales's landscapes and built environment.

What You'll Do

• Explore historic castles, Roman ruins, industrial heritage sites and world-renowned engineering landmarks.
• Engage with Welsh history, politics, literature and language through immersive site visits and local experiences.
• Present research on a program site and contribute to discussions throughout the journey.
• Reflect on your experiences through written assignments that connect academic concepts with real-world observations.
• Experience one of Europe's most distinctive cultures while traveling alongside Honors faculty and fellow students.

Student Expectations

This is an academically rigorous and highly engaged study abroad experience. Students are expected to:

• Participate fully in all scheduled excursions, lectures, discussions and cultural activities.
• Complete assigned readings before site visits to enrich academic conversations.
• Deliver an individual presentation at one program location.
• Produce reflective written work connecting course themes with on-site experiences.
• Contribute thoughtfully to group discussions and collaborative learning.
• Represent the University of Arkansas with professionalism, curiosity, cultural sensitivity and respect throughout the program.

Whether you're fascinated by history, engineering, politics, literature, or international cultures, this program offers an unforgettable opportunity to explore the intersections of place, power, and identity while earning Honors credit abroad.

About your professors:

Cameron Murray is an assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of Arkansas, where he teaches reinforced concrete design, prestressed concrete and engineering mechanics. A University of Arkansas alumnus, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering before completing his doctorate at the University of Oklahoma. He joined the Arkansas faculty in 2017.

Murray's research focuses on concrete materials, structural engineering and sustainable infrastructure, including alternative cements, concrete pavements, reinforced concrete design and structural repair. His research program has secured more than $10 million in external funding and produced more than 30 peer-reviewed publications. He was named the Department of Civil Engineering's Outstanding Researcher in 2022-23 and again in 2025-26.

An active member of the American Concrete Institute, Murray serves on several technical committees and is co-chair of the ACI Faculty Network Committee. He received the ACI Walter P. Moore Jr. Faculty Achievement Award in 2022.

Teaching is central to Murray's work. He is a three-time recipient of the Department of Civil Engineering's Outstanding Teacher Award and received the College of Engineering Rising Teacher Award in 2022-23.

 

Joshua Byron Smith is an associate professor of English at the University of Arkansas, where he specializes in the multilingual literary culture of medieval Britain. His research explores the interconnected literary traditions of Latin, Anglo-Norman French, Old and Middle English, and Welsh, with a particular focus on cultural and textual exchange between Wales and England during the long 12th century.

Smith is co-editing and translating three of the earliest versions of Brut y Brenhinedd, the Middle Welsh translations of Geoffrey of Monmouth's De gestis Britonum, with Georgia Henley of Saint Anselm College. The project is supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Scholarly Editions and Translations grant (2024-26). He is also completing a book on the circulation of Brittonic books and manuscripts in medieval Britain.

An internationally recognized scholar of medieval Welsh literature and history, Smith serves as president of the Celtic Studies Association of North America and is a senior Mellon Fellow in Critical Bibliography at Rare Book School.