Off-Campus Study

Off-Campus Study programs exist in most regions of the world. You will find information on a very wide range of programs at www.grinnell.edu/offices-services/ocs.

Featured Programs

The programs featured on the Off-Campus Study website have been carefully selected and are believed to represent some of the best opportunities available today in off-campus study. From among the broad academic and geographical diversity of options, most students should be able to identify a program well suited to their academic goals.

Types of Programs

Most programs offer you the opportunity to enhance your major, concentration, or other area of academic interest while broadening your liberal arts education by learning about another area of the world. In some programs, the courses offered are linked by a common theme, such as women’s studies, environmental studies, or global development studies. In others, coursework may be closely connected to a particular major such as biology or economics. Programs may be organized and operated by American educational institutions, universities abroad, or a combination of both in a cooperative arrangement. Formats vary from traditional classroom-based instruction to fieldwork, independent study, and internship.

Program Competitiveness

It is important to note that off-campus study programs vary considerably in competitiveness. While some programs are highly competitive, accepting only students with higher G.P.A.s and specific course preparation, others may have more relaxed criteria for admission. Specific prerequisites and G.P.A. requirements are normally set out in the program information materials. Campus Program Advisers are also able to advise you regarding your eligibility for a particular program. Normally, Grinnell students apply to only one off-campus study program. Denial of admission to Grinnell students is rare because of the screening that takes place during the on-campus approval process.

Yearlong Programs

Approval to attend yearlong programs is limited and is granted by the Off-Campus Study Board on a competitive basis to students demonstrating exceptional academic achievement, strong written rationale, and support for their plans from their major department. The Off-Campus Study Board gives preference to well-focused proposals designed to deepen the student’s knowledge of a single culture within the context of a single integrated program. Successful applications for yearlong approval normally involve a request to study in one program in one country.

Assessing the Importance of Off-Campus Study

You may already have a good idea about where and what you would like to study off campus. However, if you are just beginning to explore the possibilities, you should reflect seriously on what you are planning to do. Personally, at this point in your life and education, you are likely to be at the optimal point in your capacity to learn by living and studying in a new and challenging environment. Since an optimal point occurs by definition only once in a lifetime, and off-campus study may hold valuable personal, academic, and professional benefits, the careful choice of an appropriate program may well be one of the most important decisions you make during your college career.

Core Rationale for Off-Campus Study

Grinnell requires that you select a program compatible with your academic goals, which you will clearly set out in a four-year course-plan and written rationale for off-campus study. It is up to you to define your goals in consultation with your academic adviser. Since your choice of program must be linked to your academic objectives, you should begin by thinking about why you want to study off campus, i.e., your core rationale. Most students choose to link their off-campus study to their major or concentration while others may wish to use the experience to enhance their understanding of other subjects studied on campus.

Additional Objectives for Off-Campus Study

In addition to the core rationale described above, your choice of program may be partly determined by additional academic objectives you want to achieve. For example, you may wish to broaden your liberal arts education by studying a language or taking courses not offered at Grinnell. You may also have broader educational goals connected to the experience of living in another culture. The possibility of community service, fieldwork, or an internship might be an important consideration. Additional objectives such as these are important to consider along with your core rationale and will help in selecting a program that is right for you.

Campus Program Advisers

A Program Adviser is assigned to every off-campus study program featured by Grinnell College. These advisers are very familiar with the programs they represent and can provide you with detailed program information as well as answering any questions you may have.

Peer Advisers

Every semester, large numbers of Grinnell students return from studying off campus. Talking with other students who have already studied on a program of interest to you is essential to making an intelligent decision about off-campus study.

International Students

Grinnell College is fortunate to have a diverse student body from many parts of the world. International students may be able to provide you with valuable insights and information to help you in making a decision about where to study off campus. The International Students Office will provide names of students from specified countries or regions.

Grinnell-in-London

Donna Vinter, English, Resident Director; Kathy Kamp, Anthropology (2017 vistinng faculty); John Whittaker, Anthropology (2017 visiting faculty); Justin Thomas, Theater and Dance (2017 visiting faculty); Julianna Fuzesi, Political Science; George W. Jones, Political Science; Katy Layton-Jones, History

Grinnell-in-London offers students and faculty who teach on the program the opportunity to learn as a community about this dynamic place, its history, and its people through a careful selection of courses, opportunities for cultural integration, and co-curricular activities. Local staff offer a small set of regular program core courses that currently focuses on history, literature, politics, and theatre. The program curriculum is complemented by a rotating selection of courses offered by each year’s two guest Grinnell faculty, courses tailored to utilize London as a site and appeal to a range of students across disciplines. Students take 8 to 12 credits of program core courses, and choose one of two program tracks intended to provide a closer experience of British culture. One track is a course at Queen Mary College, University of London, an institution with one of the best campus cultures in London. Students interested in the Queen Mary track must meet a 3.0 gpa requirement. The other track is the internship track. Internship placements take into account the interests of each student. Several parliamentary internships have traditionally been available.

Museums, originally developed in the 18th century as a vehicle for public education, are sometimes seen as authoritative or impartial voices, but this is rarely true. Students will learn to decipher the hidden texts of the museum by examining the goals of a wide variety of types of museums (art, history, house, living history, and pop-up), and the ways that the organization, content, voice, and display techniques used communicate overt and covert messages. This course will challenge students to compare museums as a source of knowledge with other communicative media.  The focus of analysis will be on identity, since in today’s multi-cultural Europe considerations of identity, whether centered on immigration status, religion, sexuality, or the legacy of Empire, are ubiquitous and occur in a variety of venues including newspapers, theater, advertisements, and popular culture.  While the major emphasis will be on in Britain, broader European perspectives will also be examined and a field trip to Paris is planned. Prerequisite: None. KAMP, WHITTAKER.

Archaeology in Britain has affected the course of world archaeology for 200 years. The prehistory of Britain from the Neolithic farmers through the pre-Roman Iron Age will be the setting to explore how archaeological science produces and teaches knowledge of the past, and how we all imagine and use that past in our lives. In doing so we will also explore major themes in British prehistory, such as population movements, conflict and warfare, technological change, and the interactions between humans and their environment. Field trips will take us to some of the most famous archaeological monuments and museums in the world, including Stonehenge.  Prerequisite: None. WHITTAKER, KAMP

See THD-275.

The course proceeds chronologically through the history of London, from its Roman foundations to the impact of the Blitz and the ‘Swinging Sixties’. Using an array of primary and secondary sources, ranging from diaries to court proceedings, maps, newspaper journalism and paintings, we will trace the physical, social, cultural and political evolution of this historic city and the people who have populated it. Although we will begin with the origins of London, we will focus on the modern era, particularly the long nineteenth century. This will provide you with the opportunity to locate and observe evidence of the city’s history in the buildings and streets that surround you today. Prerequisite: None. LAYTON-JONES

Over past 94 years, the British Broadcasting Corporation has grown from a conglomerate of radio manufacturers into the largest public service broadcaster in the world.  Accompanying this growth, which will culminate in a renewed royal charter in 2017, a national discussion regarding this process raises important questions about the BBC’s mission, its audience, the BBC’s public license fees.  To whom is the BBC beholden to fulfill its mission to “inform, educate, and entertain?” How should the BBC respond to increased globalization and expanding broadcast media?  How are the increases in new media, social networking, and new broadcasting platforms affecting the way people obtain media?  How should the BBC respond to this expansion of digital technology?  In this course, we will explore the BBC and its ability to fulfill its public purposes.  We will visit sites in an around London, including the BBC Broadcasting House, to examine the effects of new media on the delivery of the BBC’s content, and we will analyze the ways the BBC utilizes expanding media technologies to situate London and the UK in the global community while also responding to concerns over national identity. Prerequisite: None. THOMAS

See THD-295

This course introduces students to the institutions and politics of the United Kingdom and its regions. We will seek to understand the historical processes that shaped UK politics, and establish the basic components of the Westminster system. Building on this we will delve deeply into the history and resurgent politics of its regions: Scotland, which is on the brink of a referendum for independence; Wales, which is finding new assertiveness towards London; and Northern Ireland, which still recovers from conflict through its ongoing Peace Process. In order to bring readings and theory alive we will visit some of London’s many relevant sites, among them the House of Commons, the offices of a Member of Parliament, the Royal Courts of Justice. We may even visit Scotland’s capital Edinburgh around the time of its historic vote for independence in October 2014. With Britain at such a crucial juncture there has rarely been a more exciting time to study British politics. This course has no prerequisites except your curiosity and desire to develop your critical thinking skills. Prerequisite: None. FUZESI

Students work for the equivalent of 16 hours a week for 11 weeks at an internship. Placement in cooperation with a London-based agency.  Applications for selective GIL internships are made as part of the application for the Grinnell-in-London semester program prior to coming to London. Class discussions and assignments focus on understanding and interpreting students’ internship experiences and those of their co-workers within the U.K. work environment. Some outside reading and writing assignments required. Learning contracts must be approved by the instructor, the internship coordinator, and the work-site supervisor. Enrollment: 12. Prerequisite: None. VINTER and STAFF.

See HUM-195

See THD-295

Also listed as ENG-275. This course will explore professional British theatre in all its variety, taking advantage of the unrivalled richness and diversity of the London stage. At its heart will be careful consideration of productions in the current London repertory, with plays ranging from classical to contemporary, and venues including subsidized, commercial and fringe theatres. We’ll think about theatre as a live performance art taking place in real time and space and, in those terms, all the different ways that theatre can be theatre. Course work will also include reading a selection of the plays we see, so as to cultivate students’ facility in analyzing dramatic texts of different styles and genres as they present human beings in significant action. Finally, since drama holds the mirror up to nature, we’ll have the opportunity to discuss the larger social, moral and political themes with which the plays are concerned - windows onto contemporary Britain and the wider world. Prerequisite: none. VINTER.

This survey course will examine the growing integration of digital technology into a variety of genres, including art installations, film, performance art, site-specific performance, design, architecture, interactivity, video games, and the theatre.   Students will look at the proliferation of digital technology over the past two decades, and by attending works in both traditional and non-traditional performance venues (theatres, online, art galleries, museums, etc.) will begin to evaluate the effect this proliferation has had on performance content and style.  The course includes an exploration of the history and theories of digital performance, and provides opportunities for students to apply digital performance technology to their own critical and creative work.  Prerequisites: None. THOMAS

Grinnell-in-Washington, D.C.

Program is currently suspended.

The Grinnell-in-Washington, D.C., program is offered in the first semester of each academic year. Part of the curriculum changes from year to year, reflecting the interests and expertise of the Grinnell faculty member leading the program that fall. Other courses—policymaking, internships, and the internship seminar—are offered every year.

Students are placed in internships that match their individual interests and experience. The internship is 12 weeks in length, Monday–Thursday, approximately 32 hours each week. During the internship, classes are on Fridays and on one weekday evening.

Students are housed in apartments in D.C., attend class just off Dupont Circle, and take multiple field trips in Washington, D.C.

Prerequisite: second-year status and good academic standing.

Featured Programs

Africa: Sub-Saharan
Botswana, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania

Botswana: University Immersion in Southern Africa (ACM) (spring)

Ghana: Arts and Sciences Program in Legon (CIEE)

Senegal: Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID)

South Africa: University of Cape Town (IES)

South Africa: Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS)

Tanzania: Human Evolution and Ecology (ACM) (Fall)

Australia and New Zealand

North Queensland, Australia: Tropical Rainforest Management (SFS)

New Zealand: University of Otago, New Zealand (Arcadia)

East Asia
China, Japan, Korea

China: Beijing - Associated Colleges in China (Hamilton)

China: Beijing - AU Abroad Program (American University)

China: Beijing - China Studies Institute

China: Nanjing - Intensive Chinese Language and Culture (CIEE)

China: Hangzhou or Kunming - C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in China

China: Harbin or Kunming - Intensive Chinese Language (CET)

China: Shanghai - 21st Century City (Alliance for Global Education)

Republic of China: Taipei Intensive Chinese Language and Culture Program (CIEE)

Japan: Osaka - Intensive Japanese Language and Cuture (CET)

Japan: Tokyo – Sophia University Arts and Sciences (CIEE) (spring)

Japan: Tokyo – Language and Culture (IES)

Japan: Tokyo - Japan Study Program - Waseda University (ACM) (year)

Japan: Nagoya - Direct Enrollment Nanzan University (IES)

Korea: Seoul – Direct Enrollment Ewha University (ISEP)

Korea: Seoul – Ewha University (ISEP)

South Asia
India, Bhutan, Cambodia/Vietnam

India: Pune - Contemporary India (Alliance)

India: Pune - Cultures, Traditions, & Globalization (ACM) (fall)

India: Pune & Jaipur - Development Studies and Hindi (ACM) (spring)

India: Hyderabad - Arts and Sciences (CIEE)

India: Madurai - South India Term Abroad (SITA)

Bhutan: Jakar –Himalayan Environment and Society in Transition (SFS)

Cambodia/Vietnam: River Ecosystems and Environmental Ethics (SFS)

Europe and Russia
Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany and Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden

Multiple Countries

Comparative Women’s Studies in Europe Program (Antioch)

European Union Program (IES)

Serbia, Bosnia, & Kosov: Peace and Conflict Studies in the Balkans (SIT)

Belgium

Leuven: Program in European Culture and Society, Leuven

Czech Republic

Prague: Central European Studies, Jewish Studies, or Film Studies (CET)

Denmark

Copenhagen: Danish Institute For Study Abroad (DIS)

England

London: Grinnell-in-London (fall)

London: London and Florence; Arts in Context (ACM) (spring)

London: London School of Economics (year only)

London: Direct Enrollment University College (spring)

London: Direct Enrollment Queen Mary (spring)

France

Aix-En-Provence or Marseille Programs (AUCP)

Nantes Program (IES)

Paris: Hamilton College Junior Year in France (year)

Germany and Austria

Germany: Berlin - Language and Area Studies (IES) (spring recommended)

Germany: Berlin - Metropolitan Studies (IES)

Germany: Freiburg - (IES) (spring recommended)

Germany: Freiburg - European Union Program (IES)

Munich - Wayne State University (spring recommended)

Austria: Vienna (IES)

Greece

College Year in Athens

Hungary

Budapest: Semester in Mathematics (St. Olaf)

Budapest: Aquinum Institute of Technology (AIT)

Italy

Florence: Arts, Humanities and Culture (ACM) (fall)

Florence: London and Florence; Arts in Context (ACM) (spring)

Milan: Music: Tradition and Innovation (IES)

Rome: Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome (ICCS)

Rome: Trinity College in Rome

Netherlands

Amsterdam (IES)

Poland

Warsaw: Central European Studies (CIEE)

Wroclaw: Culture and Politics of Reconciliation (Syracuse)

Russia

Moscow or St. Petersburg - Russian Language and Area Studies Program (ACTR)

Irkutsk: C.V. Starr - Middlebury School in Russia

St. Petersburg: Bard - Smolny Study Abroad Program

Spain

Granada: IES

Madrid: Hamilton College in Spain

Madrid: IES

Salamanca: IES

Sweden

Stockholm: DIS

Latin America and the Caribbean
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, British West Indies

Argentina

Buenos Aires - Liberal Arts Program (CIEE)

British West Indies

Marine Resource Studies (SFS)

Chile

Santiago or Valparaiso — Liberal Arts Program (CIEE)

Santiago Program (IES)

Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Internship (ICADS)

San Jose: Field Program in Environment & Sustainable Development (ICADS)

San Jose: Tropical Biology on a Changing Planet (OTS)

San Jose: Tropical Diseases, Environmental Change and Human Health Program (OTS)

San Jose: Community Engagement (ACM) (fall)

San Jose: Field Research (ACM) (spring)

Ecuador

Ecuador: MSID

Ecuador: Quito Program or Direct Enrollment Universidad San Francisco de Quito (IES)

Mexico

Merida: Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan (IFSA-Butler University)

Peru

Cusco: Biodiversity and Development in the Andes-Amazon (SFS)

Middle East and North Africa
Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Turkey

Israel: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (IFSA-Butler)

Jordan: Middle East and Arabic Language Studies, Amman (ACM)

Jordan: Area and Arabic Langauge Studies, Amman (AMIDEAST)

Morocco: Area and Arabic Language Studies in Rabat (AMIDEAST)

Morocco: Regional Studies in French in Rabat (AMIDEAST)

Turkey: Duke University in Istanbul

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Turkey: Syracuse University Abroad in Istanbul 

North America
United States

Atlanta: Morehouse College and Spelman College

Chicago: Arts, Entrepreneurship and Urban Studies (ACM)

Chicago: Newberry Seminar in the Humanities (ACM) (fall)

Knoxville, TN: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ACM) (fall)

Washington, D.C.: Grinnell-in-Washington, D.C.  suspended operation

Waterford, CT: National Theater Institute

Oceans and Seas

Sea Semester - multiple locations