January Term Courses

IAU's January Term Seminars offer students the opportunity to enroll in one course for three course credits, with the exception of the Spanish Language and Culture Seminar which carries a six-credit load.

Political Science 345: American Diplomacy in Action – U.S. Engagement in the 21st Century
International Relations 345: American Diplomacy in Action – U.S. Engagement in the 21st Century
Cultural Studies 345: American Diplomacy in Action – U.S. Engagement in the 21st Century

This program is for students interested in learning about modern American diplomacy and the people who make it happen. Students 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 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.

Art History 395: Classical Islam and the European Renaissance
Cross Cultural Studies 395: Jews, Muslims and Christians in Europe and the Islamic World
French 395: Cultural History of France and the Islamic World
History 395: Cultural History of Europe and the Islamic World
Political Science 395: European Politics and the Islamic World
Religious Studies 395: Jews, Muslims and Christians in Europe and the Islamic World
Spanish 395: Cultural History of Spain and the Islamic World

This 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 101: Beginner French I
French 102: Beginner French II

IAU's French Language and Culture January Term Program 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.

European Studies 303: Europe and the Urban Space 
Anthropology 301: The Artist and the City 
Literature 375: The European City in Literature 
Communications 375: The European City in the Visual Arts 
Geography 201: Europe and its Cities

The Great Cities 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. 

Management 325: International Management
Business 325: International Business
Marketing 325: International Marketing
Economics 325: Doing Business in Europe

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

Mediterranean Ecology

Biology 365: Biodiversity and Conservation Politics in the Mediterranean Basin
Ecology 365: Biodiversity and Conservation Politics in the Mediterranean Basin
Environmental Science 365: Biodiversity and Conservation Politics in the Mediterranean Basin

Throughout this course, students will examine the origins and drivers of the today’s Mediterranean biodiversity and review some of the up-to-date studies about its current situation. Students will also 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. This course is tailored to general science students. As such, it assumes a minimum knowledge of basic concepts in ecology, environmental science, earth science, biology, or any other equivalent natural science. 

The North African Studies Traveling Seminar is designed for students interested in learning about the major issues multi-ethnic, predominantly Islamic, and developing countries contend with. The Seminar will expose students to diverse and sometimes opposed views to these major issues. During the three-week seminar students will visit six cities and will attend daily lectures and meetings with distinguished scholars and practitioners in regards to culture, human rights, politics, and economic development.

There is a strong social service component to this seminar, as students will visit NGO's and meet with creative ordinary citizens who are striving to invent solutions to their most vexing problems such as fighting poverty and providing education to their children. 

Psychology 370: Multicultural Psychology
Psychology 385: Psychology of Peace and Violence
Psychology 390: Psychology of Divided Societies
Psychology 595: Special Topics in Psychology - Graduate Seminar
Sociology 390: Sociology of Divided Societies
Cross-Cultural Studies 390: Empires, Colonies, Hegemony
Human Services 425: Special Topics in Human Services

The Psychology of Peace and Conflict in the Mediterranean Seminar focuses on understanding violence and its impact on the Mediterranean region. Students are encouraged to imagine possible resolutions to conflict and to understand peace processes through the lens of interdisciplinary study. They learn to see communities that have previously remained erased or oppressed in Morocco, France, and Spain and to understand the political, psychological, and sociological side effects of violence. By the end of the seminar, participants will more deeply understand the psychology of political decision-making as it applies to international relations and the legacy that is determined by peace efforts across cultures and their borders. 

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. 

Business/Wine Studies 306: The Global Wine Industry
Geography/Marketing/Wine Studies 303: Regional Wine Trade and Economics
Hospitality Management/Wine Studies 307: Wine and Food Pairing 
Marketing/Wine Studies 302: Wine Marketing and Analysis
Environmental Studies 375: Environmental Security and Sustainability in the Mediterranean Basin
International Relations 375: Environmental Security and Sustainability in the Mediterranean Basin
Geography 375: Environmental Security and Sustainability in the Mediterranean Basin

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.