International Summer School

International Study Courses 2017

To register for a summer session course, complete and submit the Undergraduate Registration form, found on the Registrar's Office Forms page. Registration begins March 1.

International Study Course Descriptions

France: Culture and Society in Medieval Burgundy

HI/RS/AH/HU 280 (4 credits)
Prerequisite: None
Date: May 13 - 31, 2017

This program offers students first-hand experience of living at the place of SMC's origins in Burgundy – a 12th-century abbey – while studying medieval history and culture in its original context. Classes held every other day in Pontigny prepare students for site visits the next day to castles, churches, cathedrals, battlefields, abbeys, archeological excavations, towns and cities, museums and libraries. In this way reading, studying and exploring the material remains of this culture are integrated.

Terryl Kinder (Distinguished Visiting Professor of Fine Arts), a practicing medieval archaeologist, lives in the town of Pontigny and speaks fluent French. The places the students will visit are an integral part of her research and some are not otherwise open to the public.

Mongolia & China: In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan

MJD 226 (2 credits)
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing and Permission of Instructor
Date: May 2017

Our course will explore the historical and cultural connections between Mongolia and China, with a focus on the Mongol Empire of ancient times, the 21st century People’s Republic of China, and the physical and digital walls that divide these two vital regions of Asia today. Students will read widely on the China/Mongolia relationship, explore the varied history of this region through multimedia research projects, and travel to Mongolia and China during the last two weeks of May to experience the rich culture and history of this region firsthand. The program schedule includes a 7 day trip into Mongolia and 4 days in Beijing (with visits to the Great Wall of China, including a hike on the Wild Wall).

Wales: Environmental Study of Sustainable Places

ES 244 (2 credits)
Prerequisite: ES243 Environmental Study of Sustainable Places (Spring 2017; 2 credits)
Date: May 18 - June 1, 2017

In this study abroad trip, students will link ecological and aesthetic perspectives as they witness how the Welsh have integrated a green sensibility to their political and cultural identity. We examine "place" by hiking in a geo-global national park, interacting with environmental policy makers, entrepreneurs, artists, and designers and walking within an historical landscape including castles, cathedrals and the Welsh coastal path full of inspiring topography, ancient relics, and timeless villages. Students will have the opportunity to engage in a research project (which may include an artistic inquiry or global issues component) developed in the spring half course and implemented in Wales.