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 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?

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J-Session

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

• International Theatre Workshop: Athens, Greece

  International Theatre Workshop: Athens, Greece
  Program Dates: January 9-22, 2022
  Special Course Fee: $1,420

  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

• Writers Abroad: Paris

  Creative Writing J-Term in Paris
  January 3-17, 2022

  
  If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.
  -Ernest Hemingway

  
  Study Creative Writing in the City of Lights

  
  While exploring the work of writers such as Ernest Hemingway and James Baldwin, and through deep interaction with the city of Paris and its rich literary heritage, students have the opportunity to experience firsthand life as a creative writer abroad, to see their work in the context of other writers’ works, and to examine the personal and social contexts for creativity. Class time and specific writing assignments will be supplemented by cultural field trips exploring the literary and cultural history of Paris.

  
  This program is open to all majors. Financial aid and Global Awareness credit may apply.

  
  Special Course Fee: $3000 

  
  Session fees include airport transfer, shared three-star hotel accommodations with kitchenettes; daily breakfast; classroom use with printing; Paris transit passes; a city tour; a literary walking tour with lunch, and other cultural tours, a museum pass, a welcome lunch and end-of-session literary salon and celebration dinner. Airfare and daily incidentals are not included. Credits count as part of the spring semester.

  
  To apply for J-Term 2022, submit a letter of interest, indicating your academic year, major, a personal introduction, why you are interested in the Paris J-Term, and how you think this study abroad opportunity will benefit you creatively, academically, and professionally. Email letters of interest as a .doc attachment or .pdf to Kathie Bergquist: kbergquist@colum.edu, by Oct. 1, 2022.

  
  “Studying creative writing in Paris was the perfect blend of structure and free time. I was able to challenge myself and my craft through the workshops and activities, and reading work written by diverse and legendary authors. Exploring the city with other students helped me grow not only as a writer in the world, but as a young person in the world finding her voice. I wouldn’t change one part of my experience!” – Delaynna Corley, Creative Non-Fiction, Paris 2015

  Read about more student experiences!

   

• Special Topics in Fashion Studio: Bath Spa Textile Techniques Immersion

  Special Topics in Fashion Studio: Bath Spa Textile Techniques Immersion

  January 4-22, 2022 

  Special Course Fee: $3,090

  Total Estimated Cost: $5,420 

  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.

  Start Your Application Now!

   

• 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

• 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?

  Apply Now

  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 July 29-August 11, 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

  Special Topics in Fashion Studies: Berlin: Street, Style, and Image FASH 399C-99 - 3 credits

  Special Topics in Photography: Berlin: Street, Style, and Image PHOT 499/PHOT 599 - 3 credits

  Special Course Fee $2,490 / Estimated Total Program Cost $7,511

  Contact: Colbey Reid at creid@colum.edu or Ross Sawyers at rsawyers@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

  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).

  Apply Now
• 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

• Berlin Street Style

  July 4-18. 2022

  Special Course fee: $2,490

  Faculty: Colbey Reid and Ross Sawyers

• 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