Now that we are stepping out of a pandemic and into a world that we used to know before the start of COVID-19, traveling has now become popular again. The Office of Experiential Global Learning (EGL) has dusted off its cobwebs after all travel bans have been lifted and have been heavily advertising programs that are happening all over the world. Including experiences such as study abroad on your resume can set you apart from other applicants. You might find that you have learned some transferable skills that appeal to employers such as communication and problem solving skills. Let’s take a look at some of the faculty led programs EGL is offering for fine arts majors for the upcoming year:
These First Two Programs are Open to All Majors
Studio Arts in Florence
This program offers students of art, design and art history a unique opportunity to study in one of the most important centers of western art, science, literature and architecture: Florence, Italy. The program is designed to offer a rich learning experience through a curriculum with directly transferable UConn course credits. Students take two studio courses (drawing and photography), an art history course and the Florence Experience course, which is an introduction to the culture of Florence and the Italian language. These courses fulfill requirements for all BA in Art, BFA in Art, BA in Art History and BFA in Digital Media and Design. Site visitations to various
locations within Florence and to surrounding areas are built into the program, allowing the city and the region itself to become the classroom for study and learning.
Academics: Studio Course: Drawing – Investigation Based on Observation (interior, still life, architecture and the figure) 3 credits, Studio Course: Digital Photography: Figure/Places/Architecture 3 credits, Art History Course: ARTH 3993: Foreign Study: The Art of Florence: Exploring Visual Culture 3 credits, INTD 1993: Foreign Study: The Florence Experience I 4 credits, Cultural Literacy Workshop: ANTH 1093: Foreign Study: Pathways to Intercultural Competence 1 credit.
Locations: Florence, Italy Deadline: 03/01/2023 Start and End Dates: TBA
Semester Art and Design at Parsons Paris
Students enrolled at Parsons Paris develop creative and critical thinking skills and apply them to challenges including environmental and economic sustainability and social concerns. Parsons’ network of interconnected design laboratories enables students to explore global phenomena at a number of sites and scales of engagement in on-campus research and initiatives with international partners that focus on urban life in Paris, New York, and elsewhere. Located in one of the most vibrant creative economies in the world, the program takes full advantage of Paris, offering extraordinary educational, cultural, and professional opportunities for the growing number of students who seek a range of experience in art, design, media, technology, and culture.
Academics: DESIGN CULTURES TRACK: APDM 3410 Global Prof. Practices; APDS 2102 Des., Dev. And Production; APHT 3101 The Making of Paris + one course open to visiting students + one June course
FASHION CULTURES TRACK: APFS 2011 Intro to Fashion Studies: Lecture and Recitation; APPH 2100 Intro to Photography; APFY 1050 Drawing: Fashion & Form + one course open to visiting students + one June course
June courses: Fashion Design Process, Fashion Styling, The Business of Fashion
Locations: Paris, France
For Music Majors, there are two programs being offered that are based in France and Germany;
Summer Music in Strasbourg
This program is offered every other year. The next term it will be offered is Summer 2024.
Students should have participated in a Music Department ensemble in the Spring semester in order to apply to the program.
Summer Music in Strasbourg is a unique program combining music history and performance with visits to historic sites connected to the music under study. Situated on the Rhine River on the eastern border of France in the Alsace-Lorraine region, Strasbourg is within a few hours’ travel of Mainz, Mannheim, and Heidelberg (Germany); Basel (Switzerland); and a former concentration camp at Natzweiler-Struthof (France). From their home base at the Château de Pourtalès, students take day excursions to these locations, investigate the historical context of pieces of music with connections to the various sites, prepare and perform them in an intensive rehearsal process, and receive coachings and hear lectures by professors of music at conservatories and universities in the area. Legacies of competing cultural identities, religious strife, and colonialism are important themes. The three-week program begins with an intensive introduction in Paris and concludes with final performances in an Alsatian village church and at the Château de Pourtalès.
Academics: MUSI 3410W: Music, History, and Ideas (3 credits) Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 2011 and a choice of: MUSI 1111: Chorus (3 credits) OR MUSI 1116: Small Ensemble (3 credits)
Locations: Strasbourg, France
Spring Break Music Tour in Germany and France
This program runs every other year. It will next run in Spring 2025.
Students must be in a UConn Choir to participate in this program.
Perform as large and small choral in concert venues of the highest musical and historical quality while traveling through Germany and France. Participants will gain an appreciation for the culture of Germany and France and discuss how that culture shaped the composition and performance of the repertoire on the tour.
Academics: Students will receive one credit of MUSI 1116: Small Ensemble while on this program.
Locations: Sttugart, Strasbourg, Paris
For more information on other programs available visit egl.uconn.edu for more information about upcoming programs and how to get involved!
Photo by Pierre Blaché: https://www.pexels.com/photo/building-beside-body-of-water-4042364/
