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Artists and Their Regions: Egypt 2020
January 3–13, 2020

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Egypt Information Meeting: Wednesday, April 17 at 4:00 p.m. in L 212P (Martel Room)

Trip pricing (updated 4/6/2019)

The tour price for current UH undergraduates (as of Fall 2019) is $2,500. Priority will be given to students registered in Dr. Rainbow's Fall 2019 HON 4315. As space allows, friends and alumni can participate in the trip with a fee of $2,750. Scholarships are available for current UH students. Contact Keri Myrick (kdmyrick@uh.edu) for scholarship information.

Tour prices include the following:
  • Group round trip airfare from Houston to Cairo and between Cairo and Luxor.
  • Double occupancy hotels in Cairo and Luxor.
  • Breakfasts and some lunches and one group dinner.
  • Experienced, English-speaking tour guides.
  • All program-related ground transportation in Egypt in air conditioned coaches.
  • Rail fare between Cairo and Alexandria.
  • Hot air balloon ride in Luxor.
  • Group tips.
Tour prices do not include:
  • Required travel insurance for UH students ($20).
  • International Student ID card (required for discounts in Egypt; $20).
  • Required and optional site entrance fees (based on 2018 prices allow $60 with student ID, $120 for adults).
  • Egyptian entry visa fee ($25; bring exact change).
  • Optional camel ride ($10).
  • Souvenirs and personal services (charges to the hotel room, excursions during free time, etc.).
Other trip requirements:
  • Fall 2019 enrollment in HON 4315 (24003) for trip registration priority. Others will be accommodated as space allows.
  • US Passport with an expiration date no earlier than 7/14/2020 (six months after planned travel). If you are traveling with a non-US passport, you will need to consult an embassy or consulate for specific advice.
  • Registration with the US State Department STEP program at step.state.gov/step/ (facilitates consular support in the case of an overseas emergency).
  • Compliance with UH Office of Learning Abroad policies and registration. www.uh.edu/learningabroad/
Above: At Medinet Habu in 2018.

How will I earn credit in HON 4315 (24003)? (updated 4/8/2019)

There are several components to the course:
  • Completion of the January 2020 trip to Egypt. Students who do not participate in the class will complete a museum-based learning experience in Houston.
  • Completion of assigned readings and some short reflection pieces during Fall 2019.
  • Regular attendance of the Fall 2019 classroom portion of HON 4315 (24003). The class will meet on a reduced schedule, with some of the instructional time to be counted during the Egypt trip.
  • "Adopt-a-Pharaoh": You will select one of the rulers of ancient Egypt (from a curated list) for special study. During the semester, you will present to the class, and then you may also be called on to offer insight on sites and objects while we are in Egypt. In 2018, one of the participants read her presentation on Djoser in front of Djoser's Step Pyramid--an experience that no PowerPoint presentation could possibly have made better!
  • Semester Project: You will submit an intellectually rigorous creative response to your learning experience. In the past, these have taken the form of paintings, poetry, digital art, sculpture, creative non-fiction, fiction writing, and other forms. The course faculty will work with you to develop your project.

From the Fall 2019 Honors College course catalog:

During the semester, we will study the art, architecture, and literature of ancient Egypt, one of the world’s oldest civilizations, and one of a handful of places where writing was independently invented. We will take a special interest in the way that the unique geography of the Nile River valley shaped the religion and history of Egypt, and in the enduring meaning of ancient history for 100 million Egyptians today. In January 2020, we will travel to Egypt to visit its many antiquities, from the pyramids of the Giza Plateau to the sprawling temples at Luxor, from the Egyptian Museum in the heart of Cairo to the technicolor tombs in the Valley of the Kings. We will spend time in Cairo, Luxor, and Alexandria. The exact itinerary of the trip is to be determined.

Instructor permission (jjrainbow@uh.edu or kdmyrick@uh.edu) is required to register for the course. UPDATE: the course is now open registration; no permission required. The classroom and travel experiences are meant to go together, and priority will be given to students who register for both. Special requirements of the course: trip fee (scholarships are available), passport (must be valid through July 2020), Egyptian entry visa fee ($25), some meals and entrance fees in Egypt, registration with UH Office of Learning Abroad, UH travel insurance.
Above: Visiting the Giza plateau in 2017.
Above: At the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Library of Alexandria) in 2017.

Images from our 2018 trip