Faculty Led UMass Lowell Courses Abroad
Don't just read about it, live it! Maximize your learning through travel and earn credit! Check out the links to faculty blogs, program facebook and application pages below. New programs are added every year.
Announcement: World Ready Scholarships are now available! For students enrolled in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Manning School of Business and Francis College of Engineering who wish to take advantage of faculty-led study abroad programs during the Summer of 2015, the colleges are offering scholarships. Additional scholarships may be available from Online and Continuing Education, and individual departments and programs. Students should inquire with the
Office of Study Abroad & International Experiences to request an application.
Summer 2015 -Archaeology & The Idea of Greece, Athens, Greece
Study how the past interacts with the present in Athens, Greece with Professor Paul Keen. Based at the American College of Greece, UMass Lowell’s partner institution in Athens, this course will study the art, archaeology, and architecture of ancient Greece and reflect on the ways in which our understanding of the past has affected our contemporary understanding of Greek culture and the development of the Greek state. In Athens, the course will visit a large number of archaeological sites and museums—including the Acropolis, the new Acropolis Museum, and the National Archaeological Museum—and reflect not only on what these sites and archaeological objects can tell us about the past, but also the ways in which the present uses these interpretations to situate antiquity within the modern city and nation. We will also take trips outside of Athens itself to major archaeological sites and spend time in Nafplio, the first capital of Greece. Topics for discussion will include: the role of architecture and archaeology in shaping contemporary ideas of Greek culture, the idea of tourism and the guide-book in antiquity and today, the concept of the archaeological museum, and the role of the ancient Greek past in the formation of the Hellenic Republic. Above all, we will be reading the city of Athens as our text and working to understanding the ways in which the city has changed and remained the same over the course of its more than 5,000 year history. 3 credits, 43.260.
Apply and learn more.
Summer 2015 - Summer School of Migration in Prague, Czech Republic
This summer abroad program will take place in the cosmopolitan city of Prague, an architectural treasure, located in the heart of Europe. We will be partnering with Charles University, the oldest Czech higher education institution, founded in 1348. You will have the opportunity to join Czech and possibly other European students for 3 weeks full of experiencing a small migration yourself, learning about migration but also about yourself and your peers, and exploring a beautiful country. All of this, under the guidance of Dr. Jana Sladkova from the Psychology Department, a native of Prague. The content will include current issues of migration to the United States and the Czech Republic, case studies of particular migrant groups (i.e., Vietnamese in the Czech Republic or Mexican in the United States), and integration of migrants into their new communities. You will receive 6 credits for participating in this program. It is open to undergraduate (juniors and seniors) and graduate students from different departments. Even though the course originates in the Psychology Department, it will explore migration from vantage points of various disciplines. You can stay for 3 weeks or extend your study for another week, during which you can explore a related topic of your choice one-on-one with a Czech Professor. 6 credits, 47.473 & 47.491 UG or 57.402 & 57.691 GR.
Apply and learn more.
Offered Each Winter and Summer - Intensive Spanish Language in Cadiz, Spain
Complete 1-4 semesters of Spanish language in 3-6 weeks during the winter or summer in Cadiz, Spain. Professor Maria Matz will assist you throughout the program on-site. Reside in one of the oldest cities in western Europe by the sea. Check out this program on
Facebook. Check out this program's
brochure. Read about the program from
two student participants in 2013.
Apply and Learn more.
Summer 2015 -Writing About Culture and Travel, Tourism and Exile in Dublin, Ireland
Travel and study this summer in Dublin, Ireland with professor Jonathan Silverman and Dublin City University's Mater Dei Institute professor Michael Hinds. Explore the relationships between culture, geography, history, writing and literature. Read literature about the way writers experience travel. Check out this program's
2013 blog. 6 credits, 42.436 and 42.395.
Apply and learn more.
Summer 2015 - Aesthetics and Critical Studies in Florence, Rome and Venice, Italy
Travel and study in Italy with art professor Ellen Wetmore where you will immerse yourself in 2000 years of Italian art. Through visits to the Venice Biennale, the Florence Uffizi, and the Vatican in Rome, students will experience some of Europe’s greatest art treasures. By comparing and contrasting art made for different audiences: religious, public, secular, and the contemporary art market, students will sharpen their understanding of the place of art in historic and contemporary settings. Artists joining the group will create drawings for a European art festival that will cap the tour at the famous Forte Prenostino in Rome. This is a summer 2015 course worth between 3-6 credits. Apply and learn more.
Offered Each Summer - Lisbon, Portugal
UMass in Lisbon, offers students the opportunity to spend a semester or year in the vibrant capital city of Lisbon learning about the vast Portuguese-speaking world and European Union. Through our partnership with The University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL), students will have curricular choices in both English and Portuguese, to supplement the offerings of UMass courses taught on site by both UMass and Portuguese faculty. In addition, each student will take a course in language/culture study at her or his specific instructional level. A significant number of field trips will complement classroom learning, and living accommodations and classrooms will be shared with European ERASMUS and Portuguese university students. Administrative assistance is available 24/7. A summer program offers additional UMass courses and access to courses and facilities of the Technical University of Lisbon's Superior Institute of Economics and Management (ISEG-UTL). Check out the UMass in Lisbon Facebook page. Apply and learn more.
Summer 2016 - Literary London
Travel and study in London with Professor Diana Archibald. Students can elect to take one or two courses. Required course Special Topics in English: Literary London. Optional course choices: Reviewing the Arts; Directed Study in Literature; or Directed Study in Writing. Students in this program will gain hands-on career experience through working directly with the Dickens Museum director and staff to create a resource guide the museum will utilize for American visitors. Check out the 2014 blog.
Offered Winter Session 2015 - Innovation & Entrepreneurship in India
Travel and study entrepreneurship and innovation with UMass Lowell's Manning School of Business. Undergraduate and graduate students welcome. Students will travel to Delhi, Agra and Hubli, India with Professor Ashwin Mehta and Professor Deb Finch to BVB College of Engineering to learn alongside BVB students and immerse themselves in entrepreneurial mindsets and cultural influences on decision-making. This course is worth 3 credits and is designed to help students understand the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in today's global economy and to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among the students in the Manning School of Business. It will cover different forms of entrepreneurship such as small businesses, growth ventures, corporate entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. The course will focus on innovation types, turning innovation into reality and the process of entrepreneurship. Innovation and entrepreneurship theories and concepts will be discussed with real life examples and cases. This is a winter 2015 course. View a
video from the 2014 program. Read the
2015 blog and
2014 blog. View the 2014
student testimonials.
Apply and learn more.
Summer 2015 - Comparative Arts & French Cinema in Paris, France
Comparative Arts in France and French Cinema and Society are the two components of a two-course prospectus for Summer 2015 Study Abroad in Paris. Each course will be offered as a 3-credit, Gen. Ed. class, and many of the lessons and discussions for both classes will be taught simultaneously or concurrently while visiting various sites in France. Because the two classes are designed to segue into and compliment each other, students will be required to register for both classes for a total of 6 credits. These two courses offer a unique opportunity for students to study the art and cultural history of France while interacting with authentic artifacts and monuments and examining these in situ and in real time. In other words, we will not be looking at reproductions of great art and architecture, we will be discussing them while standing in front of, for example, the actual painting of the Mona Lisa or touring the inside of Notre Dame Cathedral. Likewise French films will be discussed while students experience full immersion in contemporary French society. 6 credits, 58.105/59.105 and 50.376.
Apply and learn more.
Summer 2015 - Human Rights and International Law, The Hague, Netherlands
Travel and study with Political Science professor Gary Uzonyi to The Hague, Netherlands. Located less than an hour south of Amsterdam, the Netherlands’ 780 year old seaside seat of government has played a prominent role in shaping the purpose, design, and importance of human rights law since the end of the Cold War. In this class, we will examine why states repress their people, form human rights law, and comply with international human rights standards. While in The Hague, the class will visit the world’s most famous human rights courts, including the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Court of Justice, and the Peace Palace. Students will have a chance to interact with human rights lawyers and practitioners, learning from those individuals who have played a critical role in punishing infamous war criminals and shaping modern international relations. 3 credits, 46.384 UG. Also open to Graduate students for 3 credits, course number TBD.
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Summer 2015 - Comparative Law in London
Travel and study in London with professor Walter Toomey where you will immerse yourself in Comparative Law. Through site visits such as the houses of Parliament, Inns of Court, The Royal courts of Justice, the Commonwealth Lawyer's Association as well as guest lecturers, students will gain a better perspective on their own legal system as well as the United Kingdom legal system. By comparing and contrasting the various facets of each system and the justifications and impact of each, students will sharpen their critical thinking and their ability to articulate practical distinctions, positive or negative, between starkly contrasting models. Students will also gain cultural perspective, improve their ability to cope and thrive in unfamiliar and challenging environments, practice diplomacy by politely and thoughtfully engaging people with different ideas in meaningful discussion and debate, and learn to use their experiences to critique and evolve their own preconceptions and ideas. 3 credits, 41.378.
Apply and learn more.
Summer 2015 - Music Workshop in Tuscany, Italy
This is an exciting opportunity for music majors! This summer for the first time, there will be two sessions of the Sarteano Chamber Choral Conducting Workshop in Tuscany, Italy. Two (or more) UMass Lowell music majors will be selected to participate in the workshop. Participation costs will be covered through a scholarship granted by the Sarteano workshop. Sing with choral musicians from all over the globe! Join Simon Carrington, Bronislawa Falinska and UMass Lowell Choral Director, Brian O'Connell for their eleventh consecutive year leading this workshop. This intensive conducting workshop is geared for music educators and choral conductors with strong vocal ability that are interested in rehearsing and performing chamber choral music. You will be part of a 26-30-member ensemble that will prepare and perform a cappella choral music from the 16th to the 21st century. As a music educator or conductor seeking the experience of working and learning in a small group, you will have the opportunity to establish and develop relationships and to make music with other like-minded musicians. Creating a cohesive and musical ensemble in such a short time period is essential to the workshop, and we will focus on techniques to help facilitate this over the course of the workshop. Workshop sessions will be held in the Società Filarmonica. The first session (Musica Sacra) will culminate in a performance in the historic Chiesa di San Francisco, while the second session (mixed repertoire) will close with a performance in the beautiful Teatro di Sarteano.
Apply and learn more.