Overseas and Off-Campus Programs
Director: Blythe Knott
Associate Director: Kaitlin Sommerfeld
As a liberal arts college committed to international education, Lewis & Clark offers an extensive program of overseas and off-campus study opportunities. Each year roughly 275 students participate in more than 30 programs, either abroad or in selected areas of the United States. Over half of the students who graduate from Lewis & Clark will have spent at least one semester studying overseas or at a domestic off-campus location.
Overseas and off-campus programs form an integral part of the total educational experience at Lewis & Clark, supporting and enhancing on-campus curricula. Through immersion in foreign or domestic cultures, students learn firsthand about the history, culture, and contemporary issues of the area. They also gain insights into their own culture by comparing and contrasting American institutions and values to those of the host country. Recognizing the significant educational value of study in another culture, Lewis & Clark includes Global Perspectives in its General Education requirements for graduation. Most overseas programs offer courses that fulfill this requirement.
Faculty broaden their historical, cultural, and linguistic knowledge of the world by leading overseas and off-campus programs. Many of Lewis & Clark’s present faculty have led programs, which have taken place in 66 countries.
Students should start planning for overseas or off-campus study early in their college careers. Faculty and academic advisors are prepared to assist students in integrating overseas study with majors or General Education requirements. Program information and applications are available on the Overseas and Off-Campus Programs website.
Please note: Students may not receive transfer credit for an overseas program not sponsored by Lewis & Clark that occurs at the same place and time as a Lewis & Clark overseas program.
Eligibility
All students in good academic standing and without pending disciplinary sanctions are eligible to apply for an overseas or off-campus program. Enrollment in an overseas or off-campus program is by selective admission. Acceptance into the program is determined by examination of academic preparation and a personal interview. To participate in the program, a student must remain in good academic standing during the period between acceptance and program departure. Students on academic probation or on disciplinary warning or probation may apply for participation, but must be in good academic standing and off disciplinary probation or warning by the end of the semester preceding program departure. Students are advised that some programs have specific prerequisites and a higher minimum GPA for eligibility. Students cannot participate in an overseas or off-campus program until they have completed the First-Year Seminar requirement: Words and Numbers.
Credit
Students on all programs will earn credit based on Lewis & Clark Curriculum Committee program approval. Awarded credit may vary based on courses taken. Students are not allowed to exceed a normal course load of 19 credits, and partial course credit will not transfer. In some cultural programs, credit awarded is limited to the preapproved courses. Since curricular offerings vary with the program location and academic focus, students should consider their need to fulfill major or General Education requirements in close consultation with their academic/major advisor before applying to an off-campus program. An internship or independent study is available in the same semester as an overseas or off-campus program only when the internship or independent study is part of the program curriculum approved in advance by the curriculum committee.
Program Fee
Students participating in off-campus study programs are charged Lewis & Clark tuition, full Lewis & Clark room and board, and an administrative fee of $800. Not included in the fee are books, inoculations, passports, visas, and incidental expenses. Round-trip travel is not included. Financial aid and Federal Direct Loans may be applied. Please refer to Overseas and Off-Campus Program Fee in Charges for program fees. Additional information may be found on the Overseas and Off-Campus Programs Cost webpage.
Application and Selection
Students apply to overseas programs by completing an application, which includes information regarding academic preparation, program objectives, essays, release and agreement forms, and academic references. Applicants are interviewed by the program leader or advisor. Final decisions regarding selection are made by the Office of Overseas and Off-Campus Programs.
Normally students apply one year in advance. The application deadline for fall semester and summer programs is mid-October of the academic year preceding the program. The application deadline for spring semester programs is in February of the academic year preceding the program.
Program Payment Schedule
A $300 nonrefundable deposit must be made within 30 days of acceptance to a program. The remainder of the fee is paid on a per-semester basis according to regular on-campus billing periods and procedures.
Withdrawal of Participant
Students who withdraw from an overseas or off-campus program three months or more before group departure forfeit the nonrefundable program deposit of $300. Students who withdraw less than three months before departure are charged a $3,000 fee. In the event a student voluntarily withdraws from an overseas or off-campus program after the beginning of the Lewis & Clark semester, the following fees and charges will apply:
If withdrawal occurs at, or after, the beginning of the semester (based on the Lewis & Clark academic calendar), tuition and program fees will be prorated on a per-day basis, up to the 60-percent point of the semester. After the 60-percent point of the semester, the charges for tuition and program fees are not adjusted.
Lewis & Clark reserves the right to add any fees incurred by the participant to the participant’s account, and to refuse registration, provision of transcripts, and issuance of degrees until all fees are paid in full. Please refer to the Overseas and Off-Campus Programs Release and Agreement for complete details of the policies in force once a student has been accepted to an overseas or off-campus program.
Types of Programs
Overseas and off-campus programs vary considerably in form and content. However, the majority involve language study, academic coursework, field projects, excursions, and a period of residence with host-country families. Most programs include an intensive orientation prior to departure, and in all cases returning students are expected to share their experiences with the Lewis & Clark and Portland community.
All Lewis & Clark overseas and off-campus programs belong to one of these three categories:
General Culture Programs
General culture programs immerse students in a different culture to enable them to learn as much as possible about the area, its history, and contemporary issues. Please note that although the primary focus is on the host culture, some programs also have a significant language component. Please visit Overseas and Off-Campus Programs for details.
Since many programs are repeated annually or biennially, students may choose from a variety of programs during their four years at Lewis & Clark. Specific sites include Australia, Cuba, Czech Republic, East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), Ecuador, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Spain.
Language-Intensive and Departmental Programs
These programs are open to students who meet departmental prerequisites and are affiliated with the sponsoring department or discipline. Ongoing programs are offered in Australia, East Africa, and New Zealand (biology); Chile, Mexico, and Spain (Spanish); France and Cameroon (French); Germany (chemistry or German); England (fine arts); Australia and Ireland (social sciences); Japan (Japanese); Jordan (Arabic); Russia, Latvia, and Kyrgyzstan (Russian); and China and Taiwan (Chinese). Additional programs are offered on request by academic departments.
Off-Campus Domestic Programs
An off-campus program is offered in New York City, to study fine arts and theatre.
Scheduled Programs
As of publication time for this catalog, the following overseas and off-campus study programs are planned.
2024–25
Language-Intensive Programs
Cameroon: Yaoundé
Chile: Santiago
Chile: Valparaíso
China: Beijing
France: Paris
France: Strasbourg
Germany: Munich (full year only)
Japan: Fukuoka
Japan: Osaka
Japan: Tokyo
Jordan: Amman
Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek
Latvia: Daugavpils
Mexico: Health Studies
Mexico: Merida
Spain: Seville
Taiwan: Taipei
General Culture Programs, Fall Semester
Czech Republic: Prague
England: Humanities
Georgia: Tbilisi
Japan: Sapporo
Southeast Asia Regional Area Study
South Korea: Seoul
Spain: Granada
General Culture Programs, Spring Semester
Australia Regional Area Study
Czech Republic: Prague
Ecuador: Cuenca
Georgia: Tbilisi
Ireland: Social Sciences
Italy: Siena
Japan: Sapporo
Spain: Granada
2025–26
Language-Intensive Programs
Cameroon: Yaoundé
Chile: Santiago
Chile: Valparaíso
China: Beijing
France: Paris
France: Strasbourg
Germany: Munich (full year only)
Japan: Fukuoka
Japan: Osaka
Japan: Tokyo
Jordan: Amman
Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek
Latvia: Daugavpils
Mexico: Health Studies
Mexico: Merida
Spain: Seville
Taiwan: Taipei
General Culture Programs, Fall Semester
Czech Republic: Prague
Georgia: Tbilisi
Germany: Berlin
Greece: Athens and Lesbos
Japan: Sapporo
New York City
South Korea: Seoul
Spain: Granada
General Culture Programs, Spring Semester
Czech Republic: Prague
Ecuador: Cuenca
England: Fine Arts
Georgia: Tbilisi
Japan: Sapporo
Morocco Regional Area Study
New Zealand: Biology
Spain: Granada
General Culture Programs, Summer
Australia: Psychology
2026–27
Language-Intensive Programs
Cameroon: Yaoundé
Chile: Santiago
Chile: Valparaíso
China: Beijing
France: Paris
France: Strasbourg
Germany: Munich (full year only)
Japan: Fukuoka
Japan: Osaka
Japan: Tokyo
Jordan: Amman
Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek
Latvia: Daugavpils
Mexico: Health Studies
Mexico: Merida
Spain: Seville
Taiwan: Taipei
General Culture Programs, Fall Semester
Czech Republic: Prague
East Africa: Biology
England: Humanities
Georgia: Tbilisi
Japan: Sapporo
Southeast Asia Regional Area Study
South Korea: Seoul
Spain: Granada
General Culture Programs, Spring Semester
Australia Regional Area Study
Czech Republic: Prague
Ecuador: Cuenca
Georgia: Tbilisi
Ireland: Social Sciences
Italy: Siena
Japan: Sapporo
Spain: Granada
Courses
IS 209 Winter Is Coming: The European Union's New and Ongoing Challenges
Content: Introduction to policies, actions, and accomplishments that have made the European Union a unique zone of economic prosperity, political stability, and social progress; evaluation of the domestic and external challenges the Union is currently facing; exploring the changing role of Europe in the world and evaluating the new geopolitical complexities.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Admission to the Greece overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 210 Area Studies: East Africa History, Culture, and Change
Content: East Africa is a region of extraordinary ethnic, cultural, and biological diversity. This course begins with the earliest inhabitants and examines the movements and settlement patterns of various peoples of the region. Special attention is given to the impact of overseas influences during the last millennium, particularly those of the Arab-Muslim world during initial contact, and those of the Western-Christian world during the colonial period. The course also considers the rise of African nationalism, the end of colonial rule, and the ongoing effects of modernization and globalization in a developing country.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to East Africa overseas program.
Usually offered: Annually, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 211 Contemporary East Africa
Content: This course focuses on a wide variety of contemporary issues in East Africa, including population growth, health care, education, political structure and institutions, gender roles, land use, environmental health, geography, urbanization, art, and literature. As part of the coursework, students will complete an independent study project on a topic of their choice, which they will work on for the duration of the program. Both written and oral presentations will be made during the final week of the program.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to East Africa overseas program.
Usually offered: Annually, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 215 Morocco: Development & Sustainability
Content: A journey through the multiple and overlapping realities of contemporary life in Southwest Morocco. Prosperity of its population and growth of its economy as the paradigms of modernity and bountiful natural resources are in crisis. Study of energy concerns, livelihood quests, individual community hopes and aspirations, the larger frame of what is identified as "progress," and the role of development within such an endeavor.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Morocco overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 216 Moroccan Modernity
Content: Exploration of Moroccan society, culture, and politics in a contemporary global context. Lectures, discussions, and field trips will be led by a variety of Moroccan experts, supplemented by regular discussions with the program leader. Emphasis will be placed on Morocco's vibrant participation in the dynamics of postcolonial state formation, modernization, and globalization--and the ambivalent effects of this participation. Also includes exploration of the literary, visual, and musical arts and the religious communities of modern Morocco. Students will be encouraged to connect classroom activities to their ongoing experiences of living in Morocco. Reading and writing assignments, journals, presentations, independent study projects, and field exercises are used to promote and test multifaceted approaches to learning.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance into Morocco overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 217 Gender and Society in Morocco
Content: Examines the multifaceted relationships between women and men in Moroccan society. Beyond considering how gender formation and relations have been mediated by historically dynamic Islamic ideologies and institutions, the course attends to numerous other factors that have shaped gender identity, performance, and hierarchy. Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which gender intersects with other structures of identity formation and social life, such as ethnicity, class, and religion. Topics include: doctrinal norms and lived realities, language and gender, models of masculinity, Moroccan feminism and women's rights, gender and international migration.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance into Morocco overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 227 Language and Society in India
Content: Introduction to a historical framework for understanding Indian society. Basic speaking, reading, and writing skills in Malayalam. In addition to learning in small-group language classes, students attend daily seminars on Indian history, society, religion, and geography. Regular discussion sessions offer opportunities for reflection on intercultural communication and adaptation.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to India overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 228 Development in India
Content: Examination of development in India from interdisciplinary perspectives. Drawing on literature in anthropology, sociology, environmental studies, history, and food studies, students learn in a seminar classroom as well as through direct experience on field trips in semi-urban and rural locations in Northern Kerala, including the biodiversity hot spot of the Western Ghats.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to India overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 229 Art and Culture in India
Content: Examination of North and South Indian art worlds. Students learn about poetry, music, theatre, dance, film, crafts, architecture, and visual arts scenes while keeping artists and artisans at the center of their engagement with local communities. From Sanskrit treatises, religious experience, and courtly entertainment to cinema, museums, workshops, and performing arts venues, students build a frame of reference for situating artistic styles, sensibilities, patronage, and media in relation to wider historical contexts.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to India overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 233 Area Studies: South Asia
Content: Bridge course synthesizing knowledge and experiences gained in the program. Students will do independent research and complete a holistic project focusing on phenomena common to the many program locations visited throughout India.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to India overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 234 Thai History and Society
Content: Exploration of the history and politics of Thailand from its place among the ancient kingdoms in Southeast Asia to contemporary social and political issues, as well as the economics of Thai development. Field studies in and around the 700-year-old city of Chiang Mai. Special emphasis on understanding how contemporary Thai society and politics have deep cultural and historical roots.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Southeast Asia overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 235 Thai Language
Content: Focus on conversational and functional Thai language acquisition. Language classes start on the first day, continue throughout the semester, and cover both written and spoken Thai. Emphasis on speaking, listening comprehension, and reading and writing skills. Provides fundamental language skills in Thai for use in daily life, as well as during courses and independent learning throughout the Southeast Asia program.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Southeast Asia overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 236 Sustainability and Natural Resources
Content: Examination of the challenges of sustainability in Thailand, especially as related to small-scale tropical agriculture, ecology, and access to and use of natural resources in the Global South. Field studies outside the classroom complement seminars to understand Thailand's challenges and opportunities for creating a more sustainable future. Three distinct units covering the major issues in sustainability in Thailand and the Global South more generally.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Southeast Asia overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 239 Topics in Southeast Asia
Content: Taught by the faculty leader of the Southeast Asia Regional Area Study overseas program, this course will focus on a topic within the leader's discipline and expertise. The course will make use of Southeast Asian resources and will incorporate site visits. Topics will vary by year and leader.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to the Southeast Asia overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 245 Japanese Language Pledge and Cultural Immersion
Content: Students will improve oral proficiency and cultural immersion skills on the Osaka Gakuin CET overseas program by taking a modified language pledge and meeting with CET staff and Japanese roommates in cultural immersion activities.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to the Osaka Gakuin overseas program required.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 1.
IS 249 Japan Past and Present
Content: Introduction to the political, economic, social, and cultural landscape of contemporary and historical Japan, with special reference to Mt. Fuji. Lectures, reading discussions, and field excursions will couple with historical and cultural training to provide a more in-depth understanding of the current situation.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Mt. Fuji overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, summer only.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 251 Contemporary England
Content: This course attempts to come to terms with the legacy of Britain's imperial past while simultaneously analyzing contemporary Britain in light of the challenges the country faces from a variety of political, economic, and cultural sources. Key features for analysis will include Britain's traditional political institutions and the process of reform; the importance of social class, race, and ethnicity; and popular culture vs. high culture. Ultimately, the course will provide students with a series of critical perspectives that will enable them to analyze, criticize, empathize, and celebrate contemporary Britain.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to the London fine arts overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 252 The Fine Arts in Contemporary London
Content: Focusing on the visual arts, this course asks provocative questions (e.g., what is art?) and seeks to explore answers through lectures, discussions, and visits to prominent galleries and museums, including the British Museum, National Gallery, the Tate and Tate Modern, and other sites. Additional topics include arts funding, arts education, and performances and issues in the fine arts in areas not covered by the music and theatre courses. A large component of this course is a required individual experiential learning project in one area of the arts. These take the form of practicums, private study/performance, or research projects.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to England fine arts overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 253 Social Welfare Issues in the United Kingdom
Content: An introduction to social welfare issues in the UK that examines critical approaches to welfare; the history of welfare in the UK; social exclusion, education, and health; social services; citizenship; and how the global affects the local within the community. The course encourages critical discussion about the differences between the US, the UK, and the EU. The course aims to facilitate student orientation in the context of British society and the workplace, and to offer an important sociohistorical framework relevant to the other courses they will take.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to the London psychology overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 254 Diaspora Studies
Content: An introduction to multicultural Britain, its idealistic assumptions, and its ground realities. This course will attempt to trace and analyze the composition of about 4 million nonwhite Britons from multiethnic backgrounds who have evolved from diasporas into multicultural ethnicities and transnational communities. As almost half of all ethnic-minority Britons live in London, the focus will be on this "global city" where the new transnational dispersions of the global era have come to be identified as "global diasporas." The study will include the Black community, Chinese and South Asians, the Jewish diaspora, and Islam.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to the London psychology overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 256 Topics in Humanities: London
Content: Taught by the faculty leader of the London humanities overseas program, this course will focus on a humanities topic within the leader's discipline, making use of London-based resources and incorporating site visits. Topics will vary by year within the humanities.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing and participation in the London humanities program required.
Usually offered: Annually, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 259 Modern Greece: Language and Culture
Content: Students abroad in Greece face a double challenge: making sense of a new culture in a language that is new to them. This course gives students the tools necessary to interpret and understand what's going on around them, and to push past their first impressions of difference in order to evaluate the cultural logic and history behind what they observe. Students will receive an introduction to the Modern Greek language, making it possible for them to interact with people on a basic, everyday level in their neighborhood, their explorations of the city, and their travels throughout Greece. The course also covers the important social changes that have transformed Greek society over the past 50 years, as well as the social concerns most pressing in Greek society today.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Greece overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 260 History of Modern Berlin: From 1815 to Present
Content: Provides a history of Berlin focusing on the period from 1815 to the present. Students will examine changes in the economic structure, social development and technical history of Berlin. Topics covered include Berlin as a cultural center in literature, the fine arts, cabaret, and theatre, as well as urban planning and the division and unification of a modern city. Particular attention is paid to the postwar and reunification periods.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Berlin overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 261 Contemporary Germany
Content: Introduction to a wide variety of contemporary issues in Germany, including the political system, gender roles, regional differences, issues with labor migration and naturalization, and culture. This part of the program will take advantage of the opportunities available in the Berlin area, such as the German capital complex, the large Turkish immigrant community, musical infrastructure (including three opera houses and two symphony orchestras), arts (more museums than rainy days, according to one advertising slogan), and the natural landscape beyond the city limits. This portion of the course will be supported by travel to the Baltic Sea Coast and Dresden.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Berlin overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 262 20th Century Art and Architecture
Content: Surveys German art and architecture from the rise of modernism circa 1900 through postmodernism and the present. It aims to: study the individual works closely and interpret them critically by analyzing their formal structure, style, technique, iconography, etc.; consider the concerns of the artists who created them; and place the works within their wider historical, political, economic, social, and cultural backgrounds as well as within the international development of the visual arts in Europe and - in the second half of the 20th century - the U.S. Topics include Jugendstil (Art Nouveau), Expressionism, Dada, surrealism, New Objectivity and Magic Realism, Bauhaus, art and architecture in Nazi Germany, art and architecture in the two German states - the GDR and FRG (1945-1989) - and the reflection of the German past, the reshaping of Berlin as the restored capital of Germany after 1989, and pluralism in postmodern German art.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Berlin overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 263 Metropolitan Development: Urban Studies in Comparative Perspective
Content: Examines Berlin's complicated and often turbulent development, taking advantage of the city to explore its urban landscape firsthand and ask whether the forces that continue to forge Berlin's identity are the same that have been at work in other European and American cities. Students in the course visit many of the city's historic sites, and in class compare them to urban prototypes in Paris, Vienna, St. Petersburg, New York, Los Angeles, Lagos, and Dubai, among other cities. How have absolutist policies, whether monarchic or totalitarian, influenced the city? How have periods of powerful economic growth, whether spurred by industrial revolution or the "economic miracle" of the postwar Wirtschaftswunder, determined urban growth? How have the 20th century's primary competing ideological systems - democratic market capitalism and communism - altered the course of urban development in Europe?
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Berlin overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 264 Irish History Through Literature
Content: This course studies a series of literary engagements with some key moments in modern Irish history and explores what they tell us about the past and the conditions of the moment in which the story was told. Mixing literature with film and painting, the course outlines a narrative of the formation of modern Ireland, providing an opportunity to explore questions about the nature of history and its representation.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance into Ireland Regional Area Study overseas program.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 265 Contemporary Irish Theatre
Content: The Irish theatre tradition is one of the most influential, successful, and theatrically vibrant of modern times, and this course provides students with an opportunity to explore its contemporary condition both textually and in performance. The course will examine current trends in Irish dramatic writing, explore the traditions and methodologies of different Dublin theatres, familiarize students with the form and aesthetics of theatre review, and provide drama workshop experience.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance into Ireland Regional Area Study overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 266 Social Change in Ireland
Content: This course offers students an overview of the contemporary Irish social/cultural landscape. It draws on alternative theories and views of social change to analyze a wide variety of social issues and developments influencing the country's national identity. Topics include migration, family and gender relations, religion and the role of the Catholic Church, the Celtic Tiger phenomenon, government social policy, and Ireland's status as a postcolonial nation.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance into Ireland Regional Area Study overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 267 Art and Architecture of Dublin
Content: Introduction to the art (and artists) and architecture of Dublin. Dublin is immortalized in song, prose, and poetry, and yet less is known of the visual artists who create and created the streets, buildings, and monuments of this great city. This course explores the influences, legacies, and contexts in which these artists applied their craft to reflect the style, function, power, and privilege of the eras in which they lived and worked.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance into Ireland Regional Area Study overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 268 Irish Life & Cultures
Content: Key features of Irish culture and society and the key currents underpinning social change in Ireland in the 21st century. The course begins with a profile of Irish society and a historical overview of its core features in the latter half of the 20th century, then moves on to examine continuity and change in some of the key categories of Irish society (religion, culture, economy, politics, et al.) via their encounters with modernity.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance into Ireland Regional Area Study overseas program required.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 269 The Irish Welfare System
Content: Examines central questions about the Irish welfare system: Where can we find social welfare policies? Where do social welfare policies come from? How and by whom are they implemented? The course will help students understand how the welfare system and its component institutions work, how they are interrelated, and how they are influenced and constrained by surrounding factors.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance into Ireland overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 270 Irish Literature and Theatre
Content: Introduction to a number of great classics of Irish literature and theatre and the important role Irish writers have played in the shaping of Irish history. Close reading of texts from the 19th century to the present will reveal common and unifying themes: history, violence, and cultural memory; the relation between the individual writer and the nation-state; and the conflicts of allegiance called forth by the claims of self and place, radical aesthetics, and a unifying tradition.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance into Ireland Regional Area Study overseas program required.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 271 Intercultural Dialogue, Democracy, and Global Citizenship Through Reflection
Content: Combines structured and guided reflection of fundamental issues that characterize today's world both in a global and a local perspective. Historical and philosophical discussion about the paradigm of hospitality and its corollaries, guiding students to reflect and ponder on how this paradigm has been changing in recent times. Covers concept of otherness and includes a brief overview of human rights. Discussion of the history of European institutions and Europe's efforts to spread the concept of intercultural dialogue. Discussion of recent European outcomes in terms of democracy protection and democratic competencies development.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Italy overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 2.
IS 272 Modern Italian History
Content: On March 17, 1861, the Italian Parliament convened for the first time. That date, symbolic of Italian unification, could also be taken as the beginning of the long process that ended in the creation of a government and a nation. By looking at the most significant periods of 19th- and 20th-century Italian history (unification, birth of sovereignty, the Great War, fascism, the Second World War, the resistance, the Constitution of the Republic), we will trace the profound social, political, and economic transformations that changed the face of the population and its sense of national identity throughout more than 150 years of history.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Italy (Siena) overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 273 Topics in Art History
Content: This course offers on rotation a series of different topics of Italian art history. Based not only on specific time periods but also on themes that tie various historical or cultural eras together, each semester offers an opportunity to explore subjects ranging from a brief but exhaustive panorama of Italian Romanticism to a specific theme-based topic, such as the use of the portrait in the Renaissance. For each historical and cultural era or subject, we'll examine major themes and artists, thus opening windows onto the cultural and historical worlds of each topic or period.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Italy (Siena) overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 274 Religious Cultures and Traditions in Italy
Content: Foundations and contributions of Christianity in the cultural development of Italy, in particular in the Tuscany region, from the Roman Empire to the 20th century. Exploration of how religion is expressed and shaped through art history, literature, and popular media.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Italy (Siena) overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 275 Introduction to Sociolinguistics
Content: History, regional variety, and structure of the Italian language through a study of sociolinguistics; Latinate origins of the language; study of dialects and diastratic variation; Italian in mass media and as an "ethnic language" abroad.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Italy (Siena) overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 276 Emigration in Italy and Europe During the Globalization Era
Content: Wide overview of the migratory processes and movements from and to Italy in the past 30 years. Analysis of the reasons and consequences of this transformation; Italian emigration in the 21st century; extra-European emigration; the impact of movement on Italian society.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Italy (Siena) overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 277 Contemporary Spain
Content: The structures of Spanish society and the currents of change that continue to influence contemporary Spain. Exploration of the values of the Spanish family, youth, and women; migratory movements, the process of urbanization, and conflict between national and regional interests; political parties and labor unions in society with emphasis on Andalusian society.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Spain (Seville) overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 278 Art History of Spain
Content: The major artistic expressions of the Spanish people in painting, sculpture, and architecture, from the cave paintings of antiquity to the artists of the modern period, with special attention paid to the styles related to Seville.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Spain (Seville) overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 279 Crossroads: Spain and Immigration
Content: Spain's encounters with new populations from the earliest period of national consciousness to the present. Consideration of the contemporary reality that recent waves of immigration have brought, looking beyond to the political, economic, and social realities that underlie our observations. Effects of the centuries of contacts that formed Andalusian and Spanish identity through the movements of peoples from the south and east across the Mediterranean. Spain's unique experience and relationship with the Arab world, in history and in the reality of Seville today. Presentations, guest lectures, visits to relevant sites and monuments.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Spain (Seville) overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 280 Contemporary Cuban Voices
Content: Introduction to a wide variety of contemporary Cuban intellectuals, artists and writers through weekly guest lectures. Students will also be asked to process their experiences and discuss the guest lectures.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Cuba overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 281 Community-Based Research
Content: Introduction to basic oral history and ethnographic methodologies. Students will develop field-research projects through internships and participant observation. Their projects will culminate in a 15-page field-research paper.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Cuba overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 282 Art and Culture in Modern Cuba
Content: Examines major trends and movements in Cuban music, film, dance, and plastic arts in the 20th century. This course will not only teach students how to appreciate these cultural expressions, it will situate these movements within the context of the evolving Cuban society.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Cuba overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 284 Contemporary Ecuador
Content: Explores different aspects of Ecuador through an anthropological optic. The main purpose is to provide students with information, conceptual tools, and methods with which to investigate and interpret their Ecuadorian experience. Class discussion and questions from students are very important. The specific topics covered in the course are chosen anew each semester, in order to address current affairs and new anthropological work. Globalization, Andean prehistory, traditional medicine, identity politics, indigenous rights movements, gender roles, religion and society, race, ethnicity, witchcraft, agricultural economics, transnational migration, and Plan Colombia are some of the topics included in recent courses. Social structure and culture in Cuenca are also included. The course includes day trips and a weeklong field trip. Some class assignments require students to investigate and report on questions about Cuenca and its environments. Course material is presented in required readings and class lectures.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Ecuador overseas program required.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 290 Area Study: Australia
Content: Traces the major developments in Australia's history from European colonization into the present. Emphasis is on the events that played a major role in shaping contemporary Australian society and Australia's current relationships with East Asia, the United States, and the British Commonwealth. Topics include Australian literature, nonindigenous art, exploration and settlement, military history, and political and social institutions.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Australia overseas program required.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 291 Contemporary Australia
Content: Provides insight into important contemporary social issues, including population demographics, multiculturalism, gender issues, treatment of indigenous peoples, family and youth issues, crime and violence.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Australia overseas program required.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 292 Indigenous Studies
Content: Investigations of the evolution of human society in Australia, cultural diversity among indigenous peoples, social organization, ceremonies and art, spiritual life, material culture, gender roles, and relationship to the land.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to Australia overseas program required.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 294 Cultural Ecology of New Zealand
Content: Overview of New Zealand's approach to the conservation of its indigenous biota. Lecture-based material will cover New Zealand's policy and planning approach, provide examples of conservation practice focused on single endangered species, outline the increasing importance of landscape restoration, and discuss challenges to the conservation ethic arising from unsustainable human resource use and short-term economics. Field visits to sites of active conservation management will demonstrate a wide range of practices and a diversity of conservation ambition. Presentations at field sites by people doing the conservation work will emphasize the diversity of conservation action undertaken in New Zealand.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to New Zealand overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 295 Repeated Colonization, a History of New Zealand
Content: Emphasis on original colonization by Polynesians and secondary colonization by Europeans. Effect of history on the political system, present-day economy, and the environment. Will cover pre-European history; current government and legislative processes; health, education, and other services; New Zealand's current role in the international community.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to New Zealand overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 296 Environment, Society & Natural Resource Management
Content: Examines the major environmental issues and challenges New Zealand faces today, highlighting the policy and management frameworks that are in place to address these environmental issues. Students will critically appraise the role of citizen science and science communication in shaping New Zealand's future and examine how well currently employed policy and management mechanisms achieve the goal of environmental sustainability. Field trips will provide hands-on insight into current environmental issues in New Zealand. Topics include climate change and New Zealand's future, indigenous perspectives on natural resources, water quality and the clean green myth, sustainable farming, sustainable energy, citizen science, and science studies/communication and persuasion and science writing.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Acceptance to New Zealand overseas program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IS 356 Advanced Topics in Humanities: London
Content: Taught by the faculty leader of the London humanities overseas program, this course will focus on an advanced humanities topic within the leader's discipline. The course will make use of London-based resources and will incorporate site visits. Topics will vary by year within the humanities.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing and acceptance to the London humanities overseas program.
Usually offered: Annually, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
OCS 233 History of New York
Content: An overview of the architectural history and urban structure of New York. Particular emphasis is given to examining the process of continuity and change in New York architecture from the colonial period to the 20th century.
Prerequisites: Acceptance to the New York City off-campus program required.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
OCS 345 Internship: New York City
Content: The New York internship gives students a professional, site-specific work environment in an institution closely related to the student's major and/or potential career choice. Students will develop skills, both interpersonal and job-specific, that are appropriate to that work environment. The internship will create opportunities to view the city from an ethnographic perspective, looking closely at the lives of those who live and work in New York. The student on an internship avoids the singular perspective of a cultural tourist. The goal is for the skills and attitudes acquired through a New York internship to be transferable to academic life and professional development.
Prerequisites: Acceptance to the New York City off-campus program.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing and acceptance to the New York City off-campus program required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.