January Term Traveling Seminars

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Seminar Descriptions

Diplomacy is about balancing multiple, sometimes competing priorities. How can the US promote human rights in North Africa while also fighting terrorism? How does the US elicit cooperation from NATO allies while also getting them to pay their fair share? This study tour surveys how US diplomats balance multiple goals and foreign policy challenges while working with partners from other governments, international organizations, and civil society in Europe and North Africa. The Mediterranean region is one where the most pressing foreign policy challenges of the day converge, from migration to counterterrorism and climate change to great power competition with China and Russia. This course will introduce students to the tools the US uses to address these challenges, from public diplomacy to military partnerships.

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• Human Development 355: Diplomacy & Human Rights in the Mediterranean
• Human Rights 355: Diplomacy & Human Rights in the Mediterranean
• International Relations 355: Diplomacy & Human Rights in the Mediterranean
• Political Science 355: Diplomacy & Human Rights in the Mediterranean
  

Sites visited include:

• Belgium: Brussels
• France: Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille
• Morocco: Rabat
• Tunisia: Tunis, Carthage

 
The Europe and the Islamic World Seminar is designed for students interested in an academic and cultural experience in France, Morocco, and Spain. Students participate in a series of briefings from leading academic, literary, and political experts on the European relationship with the Islamic world. In each city, students attend daily lectures and meetings with distinguished scholars from ACM in addition to local guides and experts in the fields of politics, art history, history, and culture. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of immigration to Europe and its current socio-cultural implications on the region.

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• Art History 395: Classical Islam and the European Renaissance
• Cross Cultural Studies 395: Jews, Muslims and Christians in Europe and the Islamic World
• French 395: Cultural History of France and the Islamic World
• History 395: Cultural History of Europe and the Islamic World
• Political Science 395: European Politics and the Islamic World
• Religious Studies 395: Jews, Muslims and Christians in Europe and the Islamic World
• Spanish 395: Cultural History of Spain and the Islamic World

Sites visited include:

• France: Paris, Aix-en-Provence, and Marseille
• Morocco: Marrakesh, Casablanca, Rabat, and Tangier
• Spain: Seville, Granada, and Cordoba
• United Kingdom: Gibraltar

FRENCH LANGUAGE & CULTURE
France

ACM's French Language and Culture January Term Program is designed for students interested in a language and cultural immersion experience in the Mediterranean region of Southern France. ACM's exceptional out-of-classroom experiences include homestays, regional field studies, and extracurricular activities such as wine tastings and cooking courses. Students receive intensive language instruction and have an immersive experience in the local culture during this three-week program.

The many libraries, museums, churches, bookstores, markets, and cafès have earned Aix its reputation as one of France's most engaging cities. A wealth of cinemas, restaurants, discothëques, and sports facilities welcomes Aix's students. With its charm and Mediterranean climate, Aix-en-Provence is one of the most popular and sought-after cities in France.

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• French 101: Beginner French I
• French 102: Beginner French II

Example group activities may include:

• Cooking class
• Day trip to Marseille
• Fondue group Dinner
• Savon de Marseille soap-making workshop
• Winery visit
• Mixer with local French students

GREAT CITIES
France • The Netherlands • The Czech Republic • Italy

ACM’s January Term Traveling Seminar is designed for students interested in an academic and cultural experience in France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Italy. Students explore major cities across Europe using literature and the arts as a guide to understanding the rise and establishment of the urban setting. Through readings and media studies, students examine the artistic process from inspiration to creation. Site visits and guided tours then allow students to experience the historical, geographical, and demographical foundations that inform the fictional representations of European cities and their impact on perceptions of those cities today. Students have the opportunity to learn from and exchange their observations with experts from IAU as well as distinguished on-site scholars and local guides in order to frame their own perception of the cities and these cities’ representation through the arts. 

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• European Studies 303: Europe and the Urban Space
• Anthropology 301: The Artist and the City
• Literature 375: The European City in Literature
• Communications 375: The European City in the Visual Arts
• Geography 201: Europe and its Cities

Cities visited include:

• France: Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Paris
• Netherlands: Amsterdam
• Czech Republic: Prague
• Italy: Rome

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
France • Morocco • Tunisia

The International Business Traveling Seminar is designed for students interested in an academic and cultural experience in France, Morocco, and Tunisia. Students gain exposure to the diverse facets of international business while visiting countries at different stages of economic development. While in Europe and North Africa, students visit major multi-national organizations and locally-run businesses as well as meet with public officials responsible for economic policy in order to build a well-rounded understanding of the global market. Students have the opportunity to learn from and exchange their observations with experts from IAU as well as distinguished on-site scholars and local guides. 

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• Management 325: International Management
• Business 325: International Business
• Marketing 325: International Marketing
• Economics 325: Doing Business in Europe
• Business 304: Business Ethics in a Global Market

MEDITERRANEAN BASIN
Greece • Italy • France

ACM’s Mediterranean Basin January Term Traveling Seminar is designed for students interested in an academic and cultural experience in Greece, Italy and France. Students build visual literacy in the history of art and archaeology as well as examine philosophical literature of the Mediterranean Basin from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. The seminar cultivates students' abilities to synthesize cultural, historical, political, and social information as it relates to the visual arts. The experiential learning component consists of a series of site visits made by academic experts from ACM in addition to local guides and faculty in the fields of history, art history, and archaeology.

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• Archaeology 385: Greek and Roman Archaeology
• Art History 385: Ancient and Medieval Classical Art and Architecture
• Cross Cultural Studies 385: Cultural Identities in Mediterranean Europe
• History 385: Ancient and Medieval Mediterranean Cultural History
• Religious Studies 385: From Polytheism to Monotheism, The Early Christian Period in Italy, Greece & France

Sites visited include:

• Greece: Athens, Mycenae, Corinth, Epidaurus, Delphi and Cape Sounion
• Italy: Rome, Paestum, Pompeii and Naples
• France: Aix-en-Provence, Glanum and Arles

MUSEUM STUDIES
The Netherlands • France • Spain

How does one preserve or even rejuvenate an artist's legacy? This January Term traveling seminar will focus on a selection of European museums in Amsterdam, Paris, Aix-en-Provence, and Barcelona dedicated to artists across a variety of disciplines, including painting, photography, sculpture, and architecture. Through discussions, museum visits, and other methods, students will analyze different curatorial methods of specific European museums as well as study original works by various artists with an emphasis on critical analysis. Students will collaborate with and learn from professionals in arts administration, practicing artists, and art history scholars linking the curatorial process to the history and content of specific works housed in specific museums. Students participating in this Museum Studies January Term program will have the opportunity to experience the inner workings of world-renowned museums and study the artworks that reside in them from this new perspective.

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• Art 371: Museums of Europe: from Van Gogh to Gaudí
• Art History 371: Museums of Europe: from Van Gogh to Gaudí
• Art History 374: Museums of Europe: The Curatorial Process from Van Gogh to Gaudí
• Museum Studies 374: Museums of Europe: The Curatorial Process from Van Gogh to Gaudí
  

Sites visited include:

• The Netherlands: Amsterdam
• France: Paris, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille
• Spain: Barcelona

NORTH AFRICAN STUDIES
France • Morocco • Tunisia

The North African Studies Traveling Seminar is designed for students interested in learning about the major issues multi-ethnic, predominantly Islamic, and developing countries contend with, and the region's history with and continued connection to France. The Seminar will expose students to diverse and sometimes opposed views to these major issues. During the three-week seminar students will visit six cities and will attend daily lectures and meetings with distinguished scholars and practitioners in regards to culture, human rights, politics, and economic development. 

There is a strong social service component to this seminar, as students will visit NGO's and meet with creative ordinary citizens who are striving to invent solutions to their most vexing problems such as fighting poverty and providing education to their children. 

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• Religion 345: Religious Radicalism: North Africa as a Case Study
• Religion 355: Judaism in Islamic Land
• Religion 365: Understanding Islam
• History 355: Islam and the West: A Historical Perspective
• History 365: History and Politics of North Africa
• Political Science 365: History and Politics of North Africa
• Sociology 365: Human Rights in North Africa

Sites visited include:

• France: Paris
• Morocco: Marrakesh, Casablanca, Rabat
• Tunisia: Tunis

ACM’s Photography: History & Digital Practice in Europe January Term Traveling Seminar offers students in photography the opportunity to acquire an artistic vocabulary and a technical comprehension of digital photography through museum study and on-site experiential learning in European cities renowned for their art. The questions of observation, composition, digital process, print and screen presentation will be addressed in relation to specific subjects, intentions and aesthetic judgments. Each student's particular experience of place in Amsterdam, Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille and Barcelona will serve as the catalyst for creation throughout the course of the traveling seminar. 

Students are expected to bring a digital camera and a laptop with some means of editing, although computers and Photoshop CC will be available during the last week of the program. 

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• Art 173: Photography: An Introduction to Digital Practice in France, Spain & the Netherlands
• Art 373: Photography: Advanced Digital Practice in France, Spain & the Netherlands
• Art History 377: The History of Photography in France, Spain & the Netherlands
• History 377: The History of Photography in France, Spain & the Netherlands
  
• European Studies 378: Photography: Digital Practice & History in France, Spain & the Netherlands

Sites visited include:

• The Netherlands: Amsterdam
• France: Paris, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille
• Spain: Barcelona

PSYCHOLOGY OF PEACE & CONFLICT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
France • Morocco • Gibraltar • Spain

The Psychology of Peace and Conflict in the Mediterranean Seminar focuses on understanding violence and its impact on the Mediterranean region. Students are encouraged to imagine possible resolutions to conflict and to understand peace processes through the lens of interdisciplinary study. They learn to see communities that have previously remained erased or oppressed in Morocco, France, and Spain and to understand the political, psychological, and sociological side effects of violence. By the end of the seminar, participants will more deeply understand the psychology of political decision-making as it applies to international relations and the legacy that is determined by peace efforts across cultures and their borders. 

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• Psychology 370: Multicultural Psychology
• Psychology 385: Psychology of Peace and Violence
• Psychology 390: Psychology of Divided Societies
• Psychology 595: Special Topics in Psychology - Graduate Seminar
• Sociology 390: Sociology of Divided Societies
• Cross-Cultural Studies 390: Empires, Colonies, Hegemony

• France: Aix-en-Provence and Marseille
• Morocco: Marrakesh, Casablanca, Rabat, and Tangier
• Spain: Barcelona, Seville, Granada, and Cordoba
• United Kingdom: Gibraltar

THEATRE ALIVE: THEATRE IN IRELAND, SCOTLAND & ENGLAND
Ireland • England

Plays and playwrights are not bound by time or geographically drawn borders. They speak to each other and influence each other across time and space. This course will focus on major playwrights, both historical and contemporary, of arguably the greatest theatrical tradition of all time – that of England and Ireland. From Shakespeare to writers like Synge, O’Casey, and Shaw to modern playwrights like Martin McDonagh, Carol Ann Duffy, David Hare and Caryl Churchill, we will look at what made those playwrights so influential in their own time as well as how they continue to influence contemporary writers. We will look at plays as literature on the page, and in performance on stage, as they are meant to be encountered. We will also visit key historical sites in order to greater understand the political and intellectual circumstances in which these writers were working and in which their successors continue to work.  Special attention will be paid to Shakespeare as a writer for the stage and a man of the theatre, with visits to theatres to hear and see plays, backstage tours, and critical discussions of directorial, design, and acting choices. Plays to be studied are to be determined as productions are announced.

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• Theatre 385: Theatre Alive - Theatre in Ireland and England
• Literature 385: Theatre Alive - Theatre in Ireland and England
• English 385: Theatre Alive - Theatre in Ireland and England

Sites visited include: 

• Ireland: Dublin
• England: Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, London

SPANISH CULTURE & SOCIETY
Spain

The Spanish Culture and Society January Term Seminar in Seville, Granada and Córdoba is hosted by the International College of Seville (ICS) and is designed for students wishing to deepen their understanding and appreciation of Spain. Over two weeks, students will live with local Spanish hosts in Seville, participate in field studies throughout southern Spain, enroll in courses focused on Spanish culture and society, and participate in cultural activities such as flamenco shows, cooking classes, city walking tours, boat cruises, tapas tastings, and even a special New Years Eve dinner. Faculty members, as well as local guides and specialists, will deepen students' understanding of the people, customs, and culture of Spain in a hands-on, experiential learning environment. 

Students can choose one of the following three-credit courses:

• Art History 338: Spanish Culture and Society
• Cross Cultural Studies 338: Spanish Culture and Society
• History 338: Spanish Culture and Society

Sample cultural visits include:

• Cathedral of Seville
• Islamic & Jewish Quarters
• San Jorge Castle
• Triana Market
• Alcázar of Seville
• Plaza de España y de América
  
• Córdoba
• Granada

WINE, GASTRONOMY & SUSTAINABILITY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
Spain • France • Italy

The Wine, Gastronomy & Sustainability of the Mediterranean J-Term Seminar focuses on the appreciation of gastronomy and wine, while exploring regional and local delicacies. Students will learn to appreciate how these products are produced, understand how they impact the environment, and will begin to recognize how our consumption choices may be a potential solution or hazard to the global environmental crisis. In this multi-country traveling seminar, students will have the opportunity to taste Spanish, French, and Italian wines, speak directly with winemakers and industry experts, and visit cultural sites in Spain, France, and Italy.

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• Business/Wine Studies 306: The Global Wine Industry 
• Geography/Marketing/Wine Studies 303: Regional Wine Trade and Economics 
• Hospitality Management/Wine Studies 317: Wine and Food Pairing 
• Marketing/Wine Studies 312: Wine Marketing and Analysis 
• Environmental Studies 375: Environmental Security and Sustainability in the Mediterranean Basin 
• International Relations 375: Environmental Security and Sustainability in the Mediterranean Basin 
• Geography 375: Environmental Security and Sustainability in the Mediterranean Basin

Sites visited include: 

• Spain: Barcelona and Penedès
• France: Aix-en-Provence and Marseille
• Italy: Rome