*Holetown, Barbados*
Holetown is the Jamestown of Barbados (it was, in fact, named Jamestown for some time), and as such is a very appropriate place for the archaeological study. Lasting most of the month of July, the six-credit program focuses on archaeology and ethnohistorical methods, varying in course number depending on the individual’s previous archaeological experience. The sites of study include one of the oldest sugar plantations in Barbados as well as a residence of George Washington. Aside from offering extensive opportunities for academic study, Barbados is the star of the Caribbean, with beautiful beaches where you can take a break from digging in the dirt to get a killer tan as well as ancient tropical rainforests and the nearby port town of Bridgetown. The program coincides with two major national celebrations, Crop Over and Emancipation Day. The program costs $4,800 and lasts from July 3 to Aug. 3.
*Beijing, China*
Beijing is the centuries-old political and cultural capital of China, serving as the center of current developments in Chinese culture. The city boasts opulent palaces and temples, including the Forbidden City, as well as artistic treasures from all ages of Chinese history. Students have the opportunity to be completely immersed in Chinese culture for almost two months, attending classes at a Chinese university and living in Chinese student housing. Students must have taken at least one year of college-level Mandarin to apply, as eight of the 12 credits focus on language. The other four credits are earned through a course on Chinese culture and a martial arts course. The program offers an opportunity to study the language and culture from a local perspective, costs $6,600 and lasts from June 9 to Aug. 6.
*Prague, Czech Republic*
Spending six weeks in Eastern Europe may be a vacation for some, but if you want to learn while living in one of the cultural centers of Europe, this six week program offers seven credits along with excursions to explore Czech culture, including visits to a concentration camp and a destroyed Jewish community. All students must take a one-credit course in Czech, and can choose two courses in Czech and European culture, art, music, literature, history or politics, all of which have special prominence in Prague, a city whose history and culture date back to the first century. More recent developments have made Prague one of the most economic and culturally vital cities in all of Europe, making it a popular tourist destination and as well as a lively environment for students. The program costs $5,200 and lasts from May 18 to June 24.
*Cambridge, England*
If you’re known to associate the smell of old stone with learning, Christ’s College at the University of Cambridge is the place for you. Cambridge is England’s second oldest university and the seventh oldest in the world and consistently ranks as one of the top universities worldwide. Christ’s College is more than 250 years older than the College, something that might be hard to grasp for those of us dedicated to the College’s antiquity, and has instructed some of the world’s greatest minds, from Milton to Darwin to Sacha Baron Cohen. For a month, students will take two courses from a range of classes focusing on Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, spies, British history and the performing arts. Cambridge is an hour by train from the happenin’ London, but offers a unique cultural life all its own. The program costs $5,400 and lasts from July 8 to Aug. 12.
*Montpellier, France*
The experience offered in the College’s study abroad program in France is like few others. In addition to a three-day tour of Paris, the program focuses on cultural immersion by placing students with a French host family in Montpellier. By living with families, students become intimately acquainted with life in Montpellier and experience the intricacies of interacting with people of different cultures on a day-to-day basis. The town, located just a few miles from the Mediterranean Sea, is a relaxed town with a thousand-year-old history. To take part in the program, student must have taken two years of college-level French, as well as a one-credit course on life in Montpellier, which they will be registered upon acceptance to the program. In Montpellier, students earn eight credits for classes on French language, culture and society. The program costs $5,500 and lasts from June 23 to July 23.
*Potsdam, Germany*
In Potsdam, Germany, students participate in intensive German instruction for all levels. Students must have taken German 102 to participate in the program, but it includes classes for all levels. Students take nine to 10 credits, one of the heaviest credit loads in a study abroad program, in German language, culture and history. Students will live with German host families, getting to experience the everyday culture of Germany first-hand. Potsdam is the capital of the German state of Brandenburg, and is located fifteen miles from the center of Berlin. Potsdam’s fame stems from hosting the Potsdam Conference between the Allies after World War II and possessing Germany’s largest UNESCO World Heritage site, Sanssouci, the palace of Frederick the Great of Prussia. The program costs $6,200 and lasts from June 8 to July 23.
*Goa, India*
Goa, India is located centrally on the coast between Bangalore and Mumbai and is one of the most economically thriving areas of India. If living on the beautiful Indian coast isn’t enough, students will take a trip to Bangalore, the “Silicon Valley” of India, and experience a jungle safari. The program of studies focuses on globalization and Indian culture, with students taking seven credits in classes on women’s and global studies. Goa was a former Portuguese colony and has a rich historical heritage. Students visit sugar plantations and other culturally relevant sites during the course of their stay. The program costs $4,600 and lasts from May 15 to June 17.
*Galway, Ireland*
Galway is a center of arts, education, culture and Irish language. The National University of Ireland in Galway is one of Ireland’s foremost centers of academic excellence. As a part of the Ireland summer study abroad program, students will explore the social, economic and political changes in Irish society over the past fifty years. In addition, students will study Irish, Anglo-Irish and English literature. The program also offers the opportunity to study geology in the region based on estuaries and other natural features found in the Irish landscape. Students will be able to earn up to six credits in courses varying from Introduction to Modern Irish Literature, Geological Enviornmental Perspectives on Galway Bay Region, Play, Sport and Culture and Irish film. In addition, students will take course-related field trips to cultural and historical sites around the region. In July, Galway hosts the Galway Arts Festival and Film Festivals, which students will be able to attend. The program costs $5,000 and lasts from June 26 to July 23.
*Florence, Italy*
In Florence, students study art history in the city of Dante and Michelangelo. While no previous Italian language experience is required, students must take an Italian language course at either the 200 or 300 level while abroad. In addition, students will be able to take courses in Florentine Renaissance Art or Italian Opera while earning up to seven credits on the trip. While studying in Italy, students will stay with host families in order to be truly immersed in Italian culture and have the opportunity to visit other Italian cities including Rome, Venice, Cinque Terre and Chianti county. The program costs $5,100 and lasts from May 20 to June 18.
*Rome and Pompeii, Italy*
This year, the department of classical studies created a new study abroad program in Rome, an intensive three-week program during which students visit archeological sites and study monuments and original classical artworks. Students spend time in both Rome and Pompeii, focusing on the classical elements found in both cities. The first two weeks are spent in Rome, focusing on sites within Rome and the surrounding areas. The final week is spent visiting museums and sites in the Bay of Naples area. Housing is provided and most meals are included. While abroad, students will be able to earn four credits for The Ancient City course, with an additional opportunity to earn a credit in undergraduate research. Classics majors looking to experience first hand what they have been studying for years have an amazing opportunity with this study abroad program, which costs $5,000 and lasts from June 1 to June 22.
*Siracusa, Italy*
This program involves five weeks in Siracusa, located on Sicily’s southeastern coast on the Mediterranean Sea. Siracusa is rich with cultural history ranging from Arab and Greek to Byzantine and Spanish influences. Some of the cathedrals in the city were used as Greek and Roman temples, as well as Catholic churches and Arab mosques. The rich cultural history of the city makes it a summer study abroad option that students will find hard to resist. The first week of the program is spent taking an intensive introduction Italian course and orienting the students in the city. After the first week, students can choose from a wide variety of courses to earn up to seven credits. The types of courses offered include anthropology, classics, geology, kinesiology, government and Italian. While staying in Siracusa, students live in apartments in the city with access to places of interest in the city and nearby. The program costs $5,200 and lasts from May 15 to June 24.
*St. Petersburg, Russia*
Spending a summer in the city known as “Russia’s Crown Jewel” offers many unique opportunities to students studying abroad. The city is located on the eastern end of the Baltic Sea on the Gulf of Finland and is famous for the loveliness of its mid-summer white nights. While studying in St. Petersburg, students earn nine credits and stay with Russian families in order to become immersed in Russian culture. Courses offered while studying at St. Petersburg State University include Literary and Cinematic St. Petersburg, Russian Language and Literature and Topics in Russian Literature. Students are also required to take a one-credit course in Spring 2011. During their stay in St. Petersburg, students will take excursions to places like Moscow, Novgorod, Peterhof and Pavlovsk. Additionally, students have the opportunity to attend trips to theaters, ballet and operas, including the world-famous Mariinsky Theatre of Ballet and Opera. The program costs $5,300 and lasts from June 15 to July 27.
*Cape Town, South Africa*
Through the study abroad trip to Cape Town, South Africa, students have the opportunity to mix classroom instruction with hands-on service learning. Students study how post-apartheid South Africa is working to combat political, economic, ethnic and racial disparity at the University of Cape Town, where they will also live. Students earn six credits in two courses on economic inequality on multiracial societies and service learning taught by local professors. Before leaving for the trip, students will take a one-credit course at the College of William and Mary. Located on the Table Bay at the southern end of Africa and home to more than 3 million people, Cape Town is a cosmopolitan city and a popular tourist destination. In order to fulfill the service aspect of the trip, students in the past have worked as math, computer science and English tutors to 11 and 12 year olds in Khayelitsha, one of Cape Town’s largest towships. In addition, students will take field trips to locations like Robben Island, Tale Mountain, Cape Point and other museums and destinations in and around Cape Town. The program costs $6,000 and lasts from June 23 to July 21.
*Cadiz, Spain*
In the small Spanish seaside city of Cadiz, students are immersed in Spanish language and culture while staying with host families and taking courses at the University of Cadiz. Students are able to earn seven credits, taking courses in Spanish language and culture and art in Andalucia. In addition to carrying out an independent research project overseen by the program director which the students will design before arriving in Spain. The city of about 160,000 inhabitants is situated on the southernmost coast of Spain and is renowned for its flamenco music, its historic role as the seat of 19th century Spain’s original Parliament and the site of Julius Ceaser’s first public office. Students are able to travel to nearby cities and destinations while abroad. The program costs $5,400 and lasts from May 19 to June 26.