Overview

IAU is pleased to offer thirteen January Term Programs. These programs are designed for students interested in an academic and cultural experience abroad. The academic component of each program consists of a series of briefings from leading academic, literary, and political personalities and experts from around the world. Participants will visit several countries and will attend daily lectures and meetings with distinguished scholars from IAU in addition to local guides and experts in the field of politics, art history, history, and culture.  
 

American Diplomacy - France, Belgium, Tunisia
Europe and the Islamic World - France, Spain, Morocco 
French Language and Culture - France
Great Cities - Italy, France, the Netherlands, Czech Republic 
International Business - France, Morocco, Belgium, Germany 
The Mediterranean Basin - France, Greece, Italy 
Mediterranean Ecology - Spain, Italy, France
North African Studies - Morocco, Tunisia
Psychology of Peace and Conflict - France, Spain, Morocco
Spanish Language and Culture - Spain
Sports and Society in Europe - England, Spain
Theatre Alive - England, Ireland
Wine, Gastronomy and Sustainability - France, Spain 

American Diplomacy
Tunisia • France• Brussels

The American Diplomacy Seminar provides a university-level competency for students interested in learning about modern American diplomacy and the people who make it happen. Students will go behind the scenes at U.S. embassies in Europe and North Africa to meet U.S. diplomats at the forefront of American engagement. Cultural visits, Embassy briefings, and academic lectures by IAU scholars and resident experts will place U.S. policies in their historic and geographic context, provide real-world examples of how American diplomats work, and explore the economic, security, and environmental issues they face.

Europe & the Islamic World
France • Morocco • Gibraltar • Spain

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 IAU 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.
 

French Language and Culture
France
The French Language and Culture January Term (J-term) is designed for students interested in a language and cultural immersion experience in the Mediterranean region of Southern France. IAU'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 cafés have earned Aix its reputation as one of France's most engaging cities. A wealth of cinemas, restaurants, discothèques, 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.

Great Cities
Rome • Marseille • Paris • Amsterdam • Prague 

IAU’s January Term Traveling Seminar is designed for students interested in an academic and cultural experience in France, Italy, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. 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. 

International Business
France • Morocco • Belgium • Germany 

The International Business Traveling Seminar is designed for students interested in an academic and cultural experience in France, Morocco, Belgium, and Germany. 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. 

Mediterranean Basin
France • Italy • Greece

IAU’s January Term (J-Term) Traveling Seminar builds visual literacy in the history of art and archaeology as well as examines philosophical literature of the Mediterranean Basin- from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. The seminar cultivates strong research and critical thinking skills and develops 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 IAU in addition to local guides and experts in the field of history, art history, and archaeology.
 

Mediterranean Ecology
France • Spain • Italy

IAU’s January Term (J-Term) Traveling Seminar is designed for students to examine the origins and drivers of today’s Mediterranean biodiversity and review some of the up-to-date studies about its current situation. Students will identify the most prominent threats to the future of Mediterranean biodiversity including mainly human-derived practices with direct impact such as warfare, urbanization, deforestation, desertification and intensive agriculture in addition to the indirect projected consequences of the slow on-set of global climate change. The course includes encounters with local, regional and multinational political actors to explore their opinions and contributions to conserve the wealthy Mediterranean natural heritage.
 

 Spanish Language and Culture
Spain 

The Spanish Language and Culture January Term Seminar is hosted by the International College of Seville (ICS) and is designed for students wishing to deepen their understanding and appreciation of Spain. For over three weeks students will live with local Spanish hosts in Seville, enroll in intensive Spanish language courses, 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. 
 

Sports and Society in Europe
Spain • England

IAU’s Sports & Society in Europe January Term Traveling Seminar is designed for students interested in an academic and cultural experience in England and Spain. Students will explore key concepts and aspects of the competitive international sports industry, the development of professional sports into a global business, and the strategies and business science behind sports management in an increasingly globalized economy. The experiential learning component of this course consists of site visits to local and multi-national organizations and academic lectures and briefings by IAU experts, on-site scholars, and industry professionals.

Theatre Alive
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 three such great theatrical traditions – those of England, France, and Ireland. From Shakespeare to Moliere to writers like Synge and O’Casey, 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 include Timon of Athens, Tartuffe, and others to be determined. 
 

Wine, Gastronomy & Sustainability of the Mediterranean
France • Spain

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 it impacts the environment, and will begin to recognize how our consumption choices may be a potential solution or hazard to the global environmental crisis.

Travel Itinerary

During these seminars, participants will stay in a combination of hotels, residence halls, shared apartments, and home stays. All breakfasts and some dinners are included. Please click here for more detailed travel itineraries. Check the online calendar for J-Term start and end dates. 

Candidates and Admission

APPLY NOW! The J-term Traveling Seminar is open to U.S. undergraduate students of any major. Applications will be accepted on a rolling, space-available basis until October 1.