Top Summer Courses in Area studies

AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in Tunisia are currently suspended. Please check back for updates on the program or contact EdAbroad@amideast.org with any questions. Learn & Serve in Tunisia is a unique summer education abroad opportunity for undergraduate students to study in the Middle East/North Africa region and engage in intense service learning experiences with Tunisian students. The program includes a study component on Tunisian culture and society, a service learning component as native speaker resource persons in an English language immersion program for Tunisian high school students and a volunteer component with disabled Tunisian students. Since its creation, the Tunisia Learn & Serve program has offered AMIDEAST students a wide variety of service opportunities. Learn & Serve students will spend the summer learning about this unique country as well as working with local students in association with AMIDEAST local staff. In addition, students will have the opportunity to improve their Arabic and experience life in a Tunisian home while staying with a host family for a portion of the program.... [-]

INTERNATIONAL SUMMER ACADEMY “ROCK THE BOAT! Entrepreneurship and Leadership in the Performing Arts and Creative Industries: International Trends and Local Specificity” NATIONAL ACADEMY FOR THEATER AND FILM ARTS (NATFA), Sofia, Bulgaria: 12 - 16 June 2017 Registration is now open! NATFA is delighted to announce the first edition of the International Summer Academy “ROCK THE BOAT! Entrepreneurship and Leadership in the Performing Arts and Creative Industries: International Trends and Local Specificity”, taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria, 12-16 June 2017.

UPC’s comprehensive international programs offer students the possibility of attaining hands-on experience through accredited classroom education, culturally significant excursions, service - learning, joint research, and/or unique internship opportunities.

Our Summer Program offers students the opportunity to enroll in specialized courses as related to their fields of study. Student learning takes place in unique and exciting settings and is guided by professional instruction, in English, from experts from various disciplines related to tourism, architecture, business, communications and journalism, fashion design, gastronomy, music, photography, among others. Since valuable learning takes place both inside and outside of the classroom, UPC offers robust array of optional fee-based trips, including but not limited to: Machu-Picchu, Cusco, the Nazca Lines, Historical and Natural Reserves, the Amazon Jungle, and more, all of which are available during weekends. To maintain the academic integrity of these optional excursions, all optional activities include an academic component led by experts in the respective field of study.... [-]

ORGANISER:

University of Helsinki, Aleksanteri Institute

DATES:

9.-18.8.2017

PRICES:

600-900 EUR

CREDITS:

6 ECTS

COORDINATOR:

Eeva Korteniemi

The course is designed for advanced undergraduates or Master’s level students of humanities and social sciences.

This course offers an overview of the current challenges of social and political development in Eastern Europe. Taught by a group of area studies experts in history, political science, media studies and sociology, the course views Eastern Europe as including the former Eastern Bloc countries. These encompass the Baltic states, East Central and Southeastern Europe, the Balkans and Ukraine. Russia is discussed only as a reference point to the area of our concern: there won’t be any specific lectures on Russian developments.... [-]

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, many of the countries of Central Europe quickly moved to detach themselves from the Russian sphere of influence and joined western institutions including NATO and the EU. The west saw this as the fulfillment of the right of self-determination; Russia tended to view it as a threatening move reminiscent of “encirclement.”

This course will examine the complex historical roots of the conflicting stance between NATO and the EU on one hand, and Russia on the other, and show how this is influencing events in Ukraine and beyond. We will discuss the importance of intelligence in the murky world of hybrid war. We will discuss how energy and non-energy natural resources play roles in security policy. We will also look at the role that traditional and new media are playing in state security and what states need to do to bolster cybersecurity within their borders.... [-]

Central Europe has been a flash point in world history for centuries. Control of the area has been contested both by imperial powers – above all Russia, Austria, Germany – and by the smaller nations in between. Two world wars started in the region. To this day, the legacy of these conflicts and the resulting attitudes still have a major impact on the policy of countries from Russia to Poland to Germany.

We will travel to Krakow, Poland’s cultural capital, and once the capital of the progressive Polish Kingdom that once housed the majority of the world’s Jews. Students will visit Kazimierz, Krakow’s Jewish quarter, which is one of the best preserved in Europe. We will see the former Ghetto area, the famous Schindler Factory, and tour Auschwitz-Birkenau. We will also discuss the current revival that Jewish culture is undergoing in Poland, as new festivals are launched and the local Jewish community grows, develops, and becomes part of a larger, successful Poland. We will also travel to Berlin to discuss how Central European issues continue to influence security policies worldwide. Berlin has profoundly influenced the politics and culture of the 20th century. Days in Berlin will include trips to the Reichstag, Stasi Headquarters, the Bauhaus Museum, the former Wall and Checkpoint Charlie. Alexandra Richie, author of Faust’s Metropolis, will lead students on a journey through the city showing both the tragedy and the triumph of the German capital.... [-]

It’ll be hard to sit still while you’re studying abroad in Sydney this summer! This program makes sure you won’t have to—with engaging courses, field study opportunities, and organized cultural events, you won’t have a dull moment. Fulfill a graduation requirement or try out something new, whichever you choose, you’ll learn more about Australia, and yourself, than you ever could at home. In addition to your courses, you'll take a four-day field study trip to Central Australia (Uluru and Alice Springs), which is included in your program fee.

We want you to feel at home in Sydney, so we do everything we can to help you integrate into life in the city. Beyond the classroom, we offer a variety of cultural opportunities to help you get to know the local culture. Welcome to study abroad!... [-]

Summer may just be the best time to live and learn in London. Who wouldn’t want to spend a summer here, with time to also visit all the free museums, watch movies under the stars, and explore the 400+ green spaces in the city?

Our UK Today Program provides you with the opportunity to explore the vibrant culture and rich heritage of contemporary London through a wide range of courses—all of which apply to British history and culture.

Our unique academic experience integrates course-related excursions into virtually all courses to maximize the many opportunities for learning that London presents. This program is a great opportunity to continue your studies while using London as your classroom.... [-]

The EU Summer Program gives you the opportunity to intensively study the past, present, and future challenges of European integration. The program begins in the heart of Europe—Freiburg, Germany—where you’ll start a specialized curriculum that will take you on a 16-day experiential journey through Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece and Cyprus.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, you will travel to Sarajevo, called the “Jerusalem of Europe” because of its once historic mix of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. After Sarajevo, you’ll have a two-day trip to Republika Srpska that includes a visit to the memorial site for victims of Srebrenica, and an overnight stay in Višegrad, immortalized in Ivo Andrié’s Nobel Prize-winning classic Bridge on the Drina.... [-]

This program is designed for students who seek intensive academic exposure to Ireland's political and social history, contemporary economic issues, and literary heritage. By combining coursework with study outside the classroom, you have the opportunity to discover the rich heritage of Ireland, as well as its contemporary culture through its art, theater, and film.

Over the course of the summer, you will come to know Dublin's winding streets and unique charm. The Dublin Irish Studies Summer program offers enrollment in IES Abroad courses, housing in fully-equipped student apartments, and field trips. Starting at the IES Abroad Center, near St. Stephen’s Green, this program will help you to gain a meaningful cultural experience and a deeper knowledge of what it means to be a citizen of the world.... [-]

With its influential history, beautiful European-style architecture, and rich cultural life, Buenos Aires offers you a welcoming atmosphere for living and learning abroad. Rich in culture—think theater, tango dancing, museums, sports…and the food!—Buenos Aires will be a feast for your senses and an unforgettable educational adventure.

Accommodating to students of all Spanish skill levels, this program gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in Argentine culture by taking a Spanish language course as well as a course in a variety of current topics. You’ll also enjoy cultural events and course-related excursions to round out your academic experience and bring your studies to life.... [-]

This program combines the development of language skills with English- and German-taught courses that expose you to Germany’s fascinating history and present-day culture and society. German language courses are available at the beginning and intermediate level. A German-taught Literature course is offered for advanced-level students. Course-related excursions plays a central role in the program, taking you outside the classroom to discover the rich heritage and contemporary culture of Berlin and Germany. Study in Berlin this summer!

Curriculum Highlights

This course is designed for individuals seeking to understand the reasons for the various international interventions in the Middle East since 1979 outside of the Israeli-Arab angle and what the impact of these interventions have been for local populations, societies, and states. This course examines the role of violence and warfare in the shaping of the Middle East, mainly in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Iran since 1979, emphasizing the impact of American and British interventions. The course explores the factors that led to intervention in the region and what the consequences have been for the regional and national politics and social history within the region. Although American and British foreign policymaking will figure prominently in our analysis, we will devote attention as well to why domestic regimes and groups took the paths that it did.... [-]

This course examines the rapid developments in cinematic content in Asia in the representation of diverse sexualities and genders. The course will draw on mainstream film, independent film, mixed media and web series to investigate the complex issues at stake in discussing the notion of queer cinema in Asia. Film examples watched during the course will all come from across Asia, while secondary sources, both theoretical and examples of film analysis, will draw on Asian and Western contexts. While knowledge of one or more Asian languages is of course useful, it is by no means essential, and all key films will be subtitled. Any unsubtitled clips screened during lectures will be accompanied by detailed viewing notes.... [-]

This course serves as an introduction to the politics of North Africa (Maghreb), the Arab East (Mashriq) including the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, Israel, Turkey and Iran. It gives - on a country by county basis - an overview of the major political issues and developments in the region since the end of the First World War and addresses key themes in the study of contemporary Middle East politics, including: the role of the military, social and economic development, political Islam, and the recent uprisings (the 'Arab Spring').

Its aim is to develop the students' understanding of the major trends in the Middle East politics and their skills of political analysis through critical reading, lectures, presentations and informed discussion.... [-]