Faculty-led Programs

Many academic departments at Columbia have created study abroad programs that offer courses within their concentrations. These programs usually run in the J-session and summer and are open to all Columbia students. To find out more about these programs, reference the information below and contact the program managers directly.

Note: Prices below are additional Special Course Fees and do not include tuition. For information on tuition rates at Columbia, please refer to Columbia Central.

Ready to apply for a Columbia Faculty-Led Course?

Apply Here!

J-Session 2022

Note that for financial aid reasons, J-session is considered to be part of the Spring semester. For information on tuition rates at Columbia, please refer to Columbia Central.

Marketing in Europe: Paris
BUSE 406/506 Marketing in Europe: Paris

January 9-19, 2022

While studying abroad in Paris, students explore how marketing is critically linked to a firm’s global business objectives and they investigate how marketing and communication are influenced by cultural diversity. Students compare and contrast international marketing practices and business processes, and how these are impacted by cultural differences from a European perspective. Students use storytelling as an integral part of creating an effective marketing strategy.

For more information please contact Monique Maye at mmaye@colum.edu or Monika Jaiswal-Oliver at mjaiswaloliver@colum.edu

Minimum Credits 3 Maximum Credits 3

Recap video from the 2020 J-Term Marketing in Europe: Paris course
International Theatre Workshop: Athens, Greece
International Theatre Workshop: Athens, Greece
Program Dates: January 9-22, 2022
Special Course Fee: $4,050

Theatre, Fashion, and other interested students will study mask-making and performance in Greece, January 9-23. Participants will be based at a four-star hotel in Athens for 13 nights, with full day excursions to Delphi, Epidaurus, and Napflion. Cost includes airfare, hotel, airport transport in Greece, tours of Athens, all excursions and workshops, daily breakfasts, and group welcome and farewell meals.

Professors: Colbey Emmerson Reid, Susan Padveen
2023 CREATIVE WRITING J-TERM IN PARIS
Dates:                         January 5-20, 2023

Location:                    Paris, France

Instructors:                Kathie Bergquist and Doug Whippo

For information about upcoming info session and Zoom meeting links, visit our program website: https://kathiebergquist.wixsite.com/parisjterm

To apply, submit a letter of interest, indicating your academic year, major, a personal introduction, why you are interested in the Paris J-Term, your interest and experience with creative writing, and how you think this study abroad opportunity will benefit you. Note: because this is an academic program, we are less interested in your lifelong dream of going to Paris, and more interested in what you will contribute to the program and how it will benefit your creative or professional development. Letters should run 1-2 typed, double-spaced pages.

Email letter of interest as a .doc or .pdf attachment to Kathie Bergquist: kbergquist@colum.edu. Early notification application deadline is July 15, 2022. Early acceptance will be notified by August 1. Once accepted, a $750 deposit will hold your place in the program. The deposit is deducted from the program session fees. Standard program deadline is Monday, Oct. 3.

Description: While exploring the work of Ernest Hemingway and James Baldwin and through deep interaction with the city of Paris and its rich literary heritage, students experience firsthand life as a creative writer abroad, see their work in the context of other writers’ works, and examine the personal and social contexts for creativity.

Assignments include assigned readings, daily journaling, and specific writing assignments, culminating in a revised, fully developed piece of fiction or creative non-fiction. A considerable amount of reading and 25 pages of original writing produced during this program is required as a basis for passing.

Site visits include a city tour of major Paris sites, walking tours of literary/artistic Paris including lunch at a literary cafe, optional jazz club visit, and an end-of-session literary salon. A welcome lunch and celebration dinner are included.

Session fees: $3100, including a $750 deposit, covers double occupancy rooms with en suite bathrooms at the Generator Youth Hostel, daily breakfast; transfer to and from the airport; city transit passes for the duration of your stay; a museum pass, welcome lunch and end-of-session dinner, a city tour, two walking tours exploring Paris’s cultural life (including lunch at a literary café), and a celebration reading/party. Airfare, daily living expenses, and international telephone service are not included. Financial aid may apply. Contact Columbia Central for information about financing study abroad programs.

PLEASE NOTE: This program is highly contingent on the evolving global health situation and may be cancelled at any time.

For more info. contact Kathie Bergquist: KBergquist@colum.edu
Special Topics in Fashion Studio: Bath Spa Textile Techniques Immersion
Special Topics in Fashion Studio: Bath Spa Textile Techniques Immersion

January 6-22, 2022

Who is Eligible: Junior and senior level students in Fashion Design (or non-majors who have taken FASH 205: Textiles Survey) who desire an opportunity to experience, interact and work in an environment dedicated to experimental textiles and potentially have the chance during week two to design and create three metres of cloth. Types of Textile Fabrication Available at Bath Spa (either in demo or practice): Screen Printing, Foil Printing, Devoré (also called burnout), Laser Cut Fabric, Fabric Manipulation (this can be with fabric you have designed) etc.

For additional information please contact Justin LeBlanc at jleblanc@colum.edu
International Cultural Heritage Management: Rome
International Cultural Heritage Management: Rome
BUSE 415 (undergrad) | BUSE 515 (grad) | 3 credits

IMPORTANT:
This course will not be offered in J-Term 2022.
It will resume in J-Term 2023.
If you’re interested, please email us and we’ll make sure you receive updates and priority application access.

Rome is home to over 2000 years of human history and culture. You’ll investigate cultural sites, archeological excavations, museums and exhibitions in and around the city while meeting with local archeologists, art historians, and film experts.

The course welcomes students of all majors. Through first-hand observation, research, and reflection, you’ll analyze and propose strategies to engage visitors from diverse backgrounds with the cultural heritage of Rome. You’ll draw on your own creative, professional and academic interests and experience to investigate curatorial direction, exhibition design, uses of technology, interpretative methodologies, and marketing and communication strategies.

Site visits include museums and cultural sites such as the Roman Forum, Colosseum and Palatine Hill; the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel; Catacombs of St. Callixtus; Borghese Gallery; MAXXI Museum of Contemporary Art; Keats-Shelley Memorial House; as well as a day trip to Pompeii.

Instructor/Contact:
Robert Blandford
rblandford@colum.edu
Topics in Writing Abroad: Rome
Topics in Writing Abroad: Rome
CRWR 372 (undergrad) | CRWR 672 (graduate) | 3 credits

This course will not be offered in J-Term 2022.
It will resume in J-Term 2023.
If you’re interested, please email us and we’ll make sure you receive updates and priority application access.

This J-session course offers you an intensive immersion in Rome's literature, art, history, and culture that will give breadth and depth to your creative and professional pursuits. You will read fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by noted authors writing in or about Rome along with visiting major sites, including the Colosseum, Vatican and Sistine Chapel, Roman Forum, historic churches, open air markets, catacombs, inspiring museums like the Borghese Gallery, places associated with noted authors such as the Keats-Shelley House and Non-Catholic Cemetery, and a day trip to Pompeii.

Site visits, journal entries on your experiences, responses to assigned reading, and in-class writing workshop activities lead to creating an extended story, essay, performance, hybrid, or mixed media project, which may be done individually or collaboratively. You will conclude with a brief reflection on the effect of study abroad upon your creative and professional development.

This course welcomes undergraduate and graduate students from any discipline. You may focus upon new or ongoing work and need not have traveled abroad previously.

Instructor/Contact:
Randy Albers, Professor/Chair Emeritus of Fiction
Department of English and Creative Writing
ralbers@colum.edu
Covering Europe: Ireland
Covering Europe: Ireland | Jour 270 | 3 credits

Spend two weeks during J-term in Dublin. Students from a range of majors will report, research, write, blog, take photos and more in Ireland's capital. You'll get a chance to meet some of the country's leading journalists and officials. Plus, we'll see some amazing sites and experience another culture.

Estimated course fee $2,500 covers hotel, some in-country transportation and many meals. Instructor permission is required.

Out-of-pocket expenses include flight, some meals, and other incidentals. These costs are estimated at $1,750.

Dates: January 6-20, 2022

Contact Contact Erin McCarthy, emccarthy@colum.edu for information. for information.
International Theatre Workshop: London, England
London | THEA 475/575 | 1 credit

A one-week international theatre workshop course in London, England. Participants will receive practical classes in different aspects of professional theatre, from Columbia College Chicago faculty and from working theatre professionals in London. Students will also attend performances by theatre companies from the UK and around the world, ranging from contemporary physical and experimental work to Musicals and productions of Shakespeare’s plays. Other activities include workshops and tours at well-known theatrical venues like Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Royal National Theatre, and Stratford-upon-Avon. Open to graduate and undergraduate students.

contact: Michael Brown, micbrown@colum.edu

Special Course fee of $1,300 includes lodging and activities.

Course Dates: January 4-13, 2022.
Fashion Studies in the Field: New York
FASH 387 Fashion Studies in the Field: New York City

This course introduces students to New York City’s fashion industry. Geared towards students planning to enter a fashion related profession, the course enhances their knowledge of NYC’s fashion industry including its history, design and production processes, merchandising strategies, and retailing techniques. Students will get a behind the scenes look at various aspects of the industry to learn about its future and the trends they need to prepare for. The trip will begin with students attending the National Retail Federation’s 3-day student program (“The Big Show”); the remainder of the week will be spent touring NYC and meeting with fashion industry professionals in key roles, including product developers, fashion designers, fashion marketers, wholesale representatives, and/or corporate merchandisers, for example.

This is a 3-credit hour hybrid course in which students will complete work remotely as well as attend face-to-face meetings before the culminating trip to NYC.

Important Dates:

Course will be held during J-term (January 3-22, 2022)
Week in NYC: January 13-20, 2022

Contact: Melissa Gamble at mgamble@colum.edu or Kate Schaefer at kschaefer@colum.edu

Special Course Fee of $1,950 (subject to change) includes participation in student programming for a retail conference, lodging, ground transportation around NYC, a museum pass, and some meals.

Airfare and meals not covered by the Special Course Fee are additional costs.
THEA 389 An Actor’s Guide to Hollywood
Offered during J-Term, students travel to Los Angeles for 10 days to get the low-down on the business of acting in the City of Angels. The agenda for the course is packed with experience, information and industry connections. Watch a live taping of a show. Tour Universal Studios. This intensive 2-credit course led by Actor Behzad Dabu will give you an immersive Hollywood experience–and get you out of Chicago for 10 days in January. For more information, please contact Brian Shaw at bshaw@colum.edu as this program has a separate application process.

Course Dates: January 3-13, 2022.

Special Course Fee: $1,670
THEA 471 New York Trip

A group of 12 students will go to New York for 4 nights, 5 days and see plays, meet theatre professionals and CCC alums and evaluate their futures as graduates possibly living in New York.

Dates: January 4-8, 2022

Special Course Fee: $1,650

More information is available from Susan Padveen at spadveen@colum.edu
Explorations in Career Development – Production Design
Explorations in Career Development – Production Design
CINE 435 – 1 credit
J-Term 2022, January 8-15

Ever wonder how sets are created from beginning to end?

Experience the magic of Los Angeles in this program for students interested in Production Design, Costume Design, Set Decorating, Props, Construction & Make-up; all the various aspects of the Art Department. You'll visit TV and film production sets, prop and costume houses. What's more, you'll learn how studios create sets through in-house workshops and visits with industry professionals. This production design workshop will be led by Gail H. Sonnenfeld (gsonnenfeld@colum.edu), an award-winning producer who began her career in the art worlds of theater and film. Expand your career opportunities—and get course credit!

Summer 2022

Craft and Process Seminar: Kafka and European Masters - Prague, Czech Republic
Craft and Process Seminar: Kafka and European Masters

June 1-30, 2022

The Creative Writing Summer in Prague program offers students the opportunity to live as writers abroad in one of Europe’s most spellbinding cities. Trace the steps of Kafka as you navigate the narrow cobblestone streets. Live, study, and create amid Prague's Gothic elegance and contemporary artistic atmosphere. Tours and field trips complement the course and students are allowed ample independent time to explore the city and surrounding regions and pursue their own stories.

The Prague study program is open to all Columbia majors, both undergrad and graduate-level. Global Awareness credit applies.

Special Course Fee: $3,200

Session fees include housing in shared apartments, airport transfer, transit passes for the duration of the program, use of classroom space including printing and photocopies, a city tour, Prague Fringe Theater festival tickets, a traditional Czech night out of music and dancing, a tour of the Jewish museum, visits to the Museum of Communism and Kafka museum, a Prague castle visit, an excursion to Terezin concentration camp, and welcome and end-of-session dinners. Session fees due not include flight, daily living expenses, or summer tuition.

Ready to apply?

For more information about this program, contact Kathie Bergquist, kbergquist@colum.edu.

Learn more...
International Festivals: Edinburgh
International Festivals: Edinburgh | BUSE 425/525 | 3 Credits

Edinburgh, Scotland
The European Experiments in Arts Policy and Management takes students behind-the-scenes of two of the largest performing and visual arts festivals in the world: Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Edinburgh Art Festival. Students are immersed in the city’s annual international celebration of creatives, gaining first-hand, professional performance and artistic perspectives on managing contemporary arts and cultural events. Students experience the convergence of the arts and business through meetings with arts managers, entrepreneurs, performers, artists, and scholars.

Students will stay at Queen Margaret University (QMU) throughout the 2-week duration in Edinburgh, experiencing live performances, exhibitions, and historic sites. The course includes an online component prior to arrival in Edinburgh and the final project is designed to allow each student to create a project specific to their own individual creative or professional interest.

During the month of August Edinburgh is home to five festivals: Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, and Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Course Details
The course is conducted during the College’s 15-week summer session beginning with an online component before the on-the-ground intensive 2-week stay in Edinburgh, Scotland August 6-20, 2022.

The special course fee for this program is $2,200 (this fee is subject to change). It does not include air fare, out-of-pocket expenses, and summer course tuition. The special course fee includes housing with breakfast, class-related field trips and entrance fees, transportation associated with program activities, several special meals and events and use of classroom facilities.

Contact:
Mary Filice
mfilice@colum.edu

Robert Blandford
rblandford@colum.edu
Global Marketing: Prague
BUSE 405/505 | 6 Credits

Instructors: Sandra Kumorowski skumorowski@colum.edu & Philippe Ravanas pravanas@colum.ed

This hybrid, experiential course provides students with a professional strategic marketing experience that expands global awareness. Students will have the opportunity to work with owners and the marketing team of a famous Czech cosmetic brand, develop a strategic marketing plan and present it to the brand leadership. In the process, they will understand how a cosmetic brand operates globally and how cultural differences impact marketing and branding strategies. While in Prague students will be immersed in a culturally rich city and its historically significant environs. They will visit several significant sites in and around Prague to learn about the culture, history and life in the Czech Republic. This six-credit hour program can count as an elective towards all majors in Business and Entrepreneurship (both undergraduate and graduate) or as a college-wide elective. This course also satisfies the College’s Global Awareness credit requirement.

Special course fee of $2,480 is separate from tuition. Out of pocket costs (including flight) estimated at $1,480. Standard tuition rates apply.

There is a on-refundable deposit of $750 (applied toward the Program Fee)
Berlin Street Style
9Special Topics in Fashion Studies: Berlin: Street, Style, and Image FASH 399C-91 - 3 credits

This course will survey street art and design in Berlin, including graffiti and murals; night life and club culture; street style processes and methodologies like walking, getting lost, and bricolage; entrepreneurship models; fashion; realities; and more.

Program Dates: July 9-23, 2022

Special Course Fee $2,490 (includes lodging, welcome meal, farewell meal, all class excursions, and a metro ticket)

Contact: Colbey Reid at creid@colum.edu
Cinematic Art in the Land of Leonardo
Cinematic Art in the Land of Leonardo
CINE 202 | 3 Credits | Cinema and Television Arts
Florence Italy, Summer 2022

In this course students draw inspiration from Florentine Renaissance Art, Italian Opera Composers and Italian Cinema from the silent period to the present. A particular emphasis in on the Neo-Realist artists Rossellini, Visconti and De Sica, Fellini and other masters of the Golden Age, and modern auteurs like Nanni Moretti. Special attention is paid to visual perspective and composition; the impact of historical context on visual narrative; individual and collaborative approaches to creativity; and the role of patronage, apprenticeship and mentorship. An understanding of the fundamental artistic and narrative concepts that were either discovered or reborn during the Italian Renaissance is built through film screenings, classroom discussions, and visits to museums and galleries, all in parallel with planning and shooting a cinematic diary film that goes beyond the ‘travelogue’ to create a unique personal voice inspired by life in Florence.

The course is open to all Columbia College students who have finished a Foundations or Core class within the School of Media Arts (CTVA, CMI, Radio, IAM, and AAA), as well as all other majors and Graduate students.

July 11 - August 11, 2022
Instructor and Contact: Tom Fraterrigo tfraterrigo@colum.edu

Course Fees

Study Abroad Fee: $3,040 includes Lodging, Airport Transfers, Gli Amici degli Uffizi Museum Pass, Guided Walking Tour of Florence, The Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace, Admission to the Zeffirilli Film Museum, Welcome Dinner, Italian Cooking Class

Air Fare and Travel $2,000 (estimated) and International Travel Insurance $275 (estimated) not included in Study Abroad Fee.
Media and the Masses in Madrid, Spain
The Media and the Masses in Madrid, Spain faculty-led course will not run in summer 2022 but is planned for summer 2023

Media and the Masses in Madrid, Spain | PURE 360 | 3 credits

Course Schedule: May 27 to June 17, 2022

Pre-reqs: 3.25 GPA, 60 credit hours, and permission of instructor

Many of today’s top communications and marketing agencies consider Madrid the best place to locate an office in Europe, and you’ll understand why when you join us for this two-week Global Communications (PURE 360) course.

Students will learn the global communications landscape and what it means to apply a “global mindset” in the backdrop of Madrid, Spain, considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and a city of students. This course has been designed to give a select cohort of students a deep appreciation for the rich arts and culture of Madrid through organized tours and visits, as well as the opportunity to collaborate on a project with a real-life client. In 2019, the client was Pinterest. Students will leave with an international portfolio piece to further differentiate themselves in a competitive job market.

Program includes several pre-departure prep sessions to give students survival Spanish language skills as well as an appreciation for the history, culture, literature and art of both Spain and our host city, Madrid, in advance of the trip. Outside of scheduled classroom time in the mornings, visits are planned to major museums (Prado and Reina Sofia), historic and cultural attractions (Plaza Mayor and Retiro Park), and three group dinners in iconic restaurants known for Spanish guitar music and traditional cuisine. Students will have ample free time to explore the city and surrounding historically rich towns accessible by bus or train, or even head out to a coastal town to soak up some sun on the Mediterranean.

The special course fee of $1,830 covers lodging; transfers in private bus from Madrid airport to Madrid and the return to the airport; three group meals and a Flamenco show; transportation pass covering trips on metro (subway), bus and trains within Madrid; and Prado Museum and Royal Palace entrance and tours. Airfare is not included, tuition is additional.

Instructor/Contact: Anne Marie Mitchell (anmitchell@colum.edu or 312-504-9484).
Explorations in Career Development – Inside the Writers' Room
CINE 435 – 1 credit
Dates: August 14-20, 2022

What really happens inside the writers’ room? How do you get a seat at the table?

What does it really mean to be a writer? How is writing for television different from feature film? Where are the entry-level jobs? How do you get an agent? Explore the business side of writing with CTVA faculty Dan Rybicky. You’ll travel across Los Angeles meeting working professionals in a wide variety of fields, including network, streaming, features, docs, and reality. You’ll tour creative workspaces and hear not only from writers, but those who help orchestrate their careers, including development executives, agents, managers, and union reps. Learn how one moves from the outside to the inside of the entertainment industry. This career development class is intended for serious film/tv writers and is limited to 12 students.

Special Course Fee of $1,420 with estimated total cost of $2,925

Contact: Karen Loop at kloop@colum.edu
Explorations in Career Development – Music City: Los Angeles
Explorations in Career Development – Music City: Los Angeles
BUSE 348 – 1 credit
Dates: August 7-13, 2022

Meet the movers and shakers who work on the business side of the recording and music scene in Los Angeles.

Join BUSE faculty Jerry Brindisi as he explores the business side of the recording and music scene in Los Angeles. Visit creative spaces, talent agencies, record labels, and marketing firms. Meet industry professionals and artists. How do you get your start? What are the skills needed for professional survival? This career development workshop is intended for those seeking a career in music management and is limited to 12 students.

Special Course Fee: $1,420 and Estimated Total Program Cost: $2,925

Contact: Jerry Brindisi at jbrindisi@colum.edu
Explorations in Career Development: Entertainment PR, Advertising, and Social Media in Los Angeles
COMM 299A - 1 credit

Dates: June 6-10, 2022

Explorations in Career Development: Entertainment PR, Advertising, and Social Media in Los Angeles

How does your favorite entertainment get to your social media feed and on the covers of printed and digital magazines everywhere?

It's the work of the LA-based communication and media agencies who promote entertainment blockbusters, Hollywood's top A-listers and everything in between.

What is the day in the life of a publicist? What makes a post go viral in the ultra-competitive entertainment landscape? Where are the entry-level jobs in media in the heart of the entertainment capital of the world? Explore work life in advertising, PR, social and entertainment media in Los Angeles. During this one-week course, you’ll visit top agencies and network with media professionals who promote the art exhibitions, movie premiers, celebrities, and immersive entertainment experiences you know and love. This career development class is intended for students from throughout the college who love all things entertainment.

Special Course Fee: $1850 and Estimated Total Program Cost: $3490

Contact: Kevin Christophersen (kchristophersen@colum.edu) or Anne Marie Mitchell (anmitchell@colum.edu)

Are you a faculty member interested in proposing a new international program? Contact David Comp, Assistant Provost for Global Education at dcomp@colum.edu, to get started!

Faculty-led Programs

J-Session 2022

Special Topics in Fashion Studio: Bath Spa Textile Techniques Immersion

Summer 2022