Summer Bridge Program


Albion College is offering a unique four-week Summer Bridge experience for qualifying first-year students who meet federal income requirements and/or first generation college student status.

Participants who enroll and complete the Summer Bridge earn one free Albion College unit and free textbooks for their first year!

Here are just some of the highlights:

  • Earn one of the 30 units needed to graduate from Albion unit in just four weeks! (All courses count towards graduation requirements.)
  • Choose from one of four innovative courses in anthropology, earth and environment, arts integrated learning, and historical and cultural activism. Each course will introduce you to contemporary topics in the specific field and take you beyond the classroom to explore museum exhibits, engage in service projects in the community, collect and present data, and so much more!
  • Take a variety of field trips and outings with fellow students.
  • Upon successful completion of the Summer Bridge, you will earn one unit towards graduation and free Brit Books (Albion’s textbook rental program) for your first year at Albion College for a total savings of over $600!

What’s more? Participants will gain early access to campus resources and programs, building connections with faculty and staff and your Bridge cohort, and begin to map out a plan to meet your academic and career goals.

Incoming students must submit their enrollment deposit (deadline: June 1) and secure their spot in the Class of 2028 before enrolling in the Summer Bridge.

Submit Your Enrollment Deposit

Summer Bridge 2024 Courses

July 23 – Aug. 20

ANTH 105 – An Introduction to Anthropology

Faculty: Allison Harnish
Graduation Requirement: Historical and Cultural Analysis mode (MHC)

Summary: This course introduces students to anthropology, a discipline dedicated to understanding in the broadest sense what it means to be human. As we explore human biology, culture, language, and artifacts we will also interrogate axes of identity and inequality through units on race, gender, class, and human-environment interactions. These units will do what anthropology does best: bust myths and dispel stereotypes. We’ll “make the strange familiar” by finding our common humanity and appreciating from an insider’s perspective beliefs and behaviors that our culture does not share. At the same time, we will “make the familiar strange” by interrogating from an outsider’s perspective the things in our culture that we may never have thought to question before. As part of their coursework, students will visit two local museums, complete a service project, and collect and present data that speaks to an area of interest.

GEOL 104 – Earth Resources & Environment

Faculty: Joe Lee Cullin
Graduation Requirement: Environmental Studies category (YEN)

Summary: This class introduces students to the department of Earth & Environment/Geology, as well as the Center for Sustainability and the Environment (CSE). Students will explore local environmental concerns, history, and environmental justice, including an interactive tour of Albion and participating in a day trip focused on justice. Topics of exploration include: foundries of days past, landfills, the Ford battery plant, and creating a power map relating to a personally relevant issue of environmental justice.

IDY 189 – Local Advocacy and Activism (pending C&RC approval)

Faculty: Chrissy Pfeil
Graduation Requirement: Historical and Cultural Analysis mode (MHC)

Summary: This course’s focus is on a call to action: how can students get involved in the Albion community to explore justice and civic duty? Students will connect with important community leaders and learn about their work and its impact here in the Albion community. This course utilizes materials by scholars of color and explores topics such as intersectionality, agency, privilege, and oppression. Key skills developed include community and civic engagement; verbal and written communication; activism; advocacy; community partnerships; teamwork; leadership. Students have the opportunity to earn Innovation Badges and Experiential Certificates through participating in this course. Includes a trip to Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry to explore the Black Creativity: Art and Activism exhibit.

IDY 262 – Arts Integrated Learning

Faculty: Kyle D Shanton
Graduation Requirement: Artistic Creation and Analysis mode (MAC)

Summary: This course introduces students to the Education Department and Fritz Shurmur Center for Teacher Development. The focus is on developing new understandings of how to make learning much more accessible, equitable, and welcoming to all by using five kinds of arts (i.e., 2-D visual, 3-D visual, dance-movement, instrumental-vocal music, and theater) as tools for literacy and mathematics learning. In this course, you will explore the five arts in workshops on campus with peers and the professor as well as participate in a clinical experience centered around serving small groups of children and their families from the local community at Kids N Stuff (KNS) Museum in downtown Albion. Albion College students will (1) develop a portfolio of their exploration of the five arts, artists with critical acclaim for their work in these arts, how to facilitate children’s learning of literacy and math through these arts, and (2) prepare and present a synthesis of their learning at the Summer Bridge Symposium.

TRIO Summer Bridge Programs: Bridge to College Writing, College Success, and College Wellness

A student in a hammock on campus.Faculty: Lauren Brown
Graduation Requirement: 1 unit

As part of the TRIO Summer Bridge Program, you will engage in a comprehensive curriculum that covers Bridge to College Writing, Bridge to College Success, and Bridge to College Wellness, earning a full unit towards your degree.

In the Bridge to College Writing course, students will explore and develop their readiness for college through reflective and playful writing practice. This course is designed to offer students a sneak-peek at college academic life, introduce them to institutional resources, and to help them develop healthy academic habits that will equip them for a successful start to college.

The Bridge to College Success Course is designed to equip incoming first-year Albion College students with the essential “street skills” and knowledge needed to thrive both academically and personally as a Briton. The course will provide insights on key strategies for academic success through: study habits and techniques, effective time management and scheduling, goal setting, communicating with professors, engaging with course material, class preparation, locating and utilizing appropriate on-campus offices/services, and more. Through hands-on experiences, short lessons, on-campus field trips, and group discussions, students will gain practical tools to enhance their college experience and achieve their educational goals. This course will be a stepping stone towards a successful and fulfilling college journey.

Finally, students will participate in Bridge to College Wellness, This introductory short-course is designed to support incoming first-year Albion College students through learning and practice of behaviors and strategies to maintain and improve physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being during their time as a Brit. Transitioning to life at college can be both exciting and stressful, and learning how to manage personal health during this transition can be crucial for overall success. The course will offer practical insights into nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep, hygiene, mental health, and spiritual health. In addition to visiting and learning about the various services offered on campus, students will engage in short lessons, group discussions, self-reflection, experiential learning, and ultimately create a personalized wellness plan to help them sustain a balanced and healthy lifestyle aimed at excelling both inside and outside of the classroom.