20 Global Seminars for Arts students to study abroad in 2025

Global Seminars are an amazing opportunity to take UBC courses led by a UBC instructor in locations around the world. From immersing yourself in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, to exploring nineteenth-century art in Paris, study in a different country in 2025.

Global Seminars are part of Go Global – rather than spending a whole term or two studying at a partner university, you can take just one course with a small cohort of UBC students.

Global Seminars are a great way to immerse yourself in a specific topic of study in a location with strong ties to the subject. There are also several benefits for Arts students:

• Arts Research Abroad (ARA) funding means 50–100% of the cost is covered for many of the seminars
• Many of the seminars are in the Faculty of Arts with credits applicable to Arts degrees
• Many of the seminars have few or no prerequisites, allowing you to explore new directions outside your field of study and even in other Faculties
• New grant funding available for certain seminars in France

Plus, there are so many cool topics to explore! Here are 20 Global Seminars you can take in 2025.

Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies

Cyprus | Investigating Ancient Urban Landscapes (AMNE 395/595)

Train in the principles and methods of field archaeology as practiced in the Mediterranean and Near East today.

Romania | Apulum Roman Villa Project (AMNE 395/595)

Excavate a Roman villa in the hinterland of Alba Iulia, Romania.

Anthropology

Italy (Sardinia) | Ethnography of Sardinia: Vernacular Religion and Cultural Heritage (ANTH 403)

Conduct ethnographic research in Sardinia, Italy, examining the island region’s popular religious expressions as forms of cultural heritage.

United States (Alaska) | Alaska Indigenous Archaeology (ARCL 306)

Engage in community centered (Indigenous) partnerships, including co-learning with local youth at the Togiak School and working with elders and knowledge holders.

Art History, Visual Art & Theory

France (Paris) | Paris Field Study in Nineteenth-Century Art (ARTH 439)

Study nineteenth-century visual culture in the museums and built environment of Paris (offered in English).

Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies

United States | The Heritage of Trans-Pacific Asian Migrations (ACAM 390A)

Get a multi-disciplinary perspective on the histories, cultures, foodways, heritage and geographies of Asian migration around the Pacific.

Asian Studies

Nepal | Applied Nepali and Indigenous Environmentalism (ASIA 476)

Explore the intersection of language and environment on the ancestral territory of the Newa people, now known as Kathmandu Valley in Nepal.

Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies

Austria (Vienna) | Multicultural Vienna–Mutikulti Wien (GMST 424)

Consider how multiculturalism shapes post-imperial political struggles and how it comes to define the lived experience of marginalized peoples in contemporary Vienna.

Poland & Croatia | Experiencing Eastern Europe and Witnessing Auschwitz (CENS 304D/SLAV 307)

Examine the representation of the Nazi Holocaust through a focused lens on Auschwitz.

French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies

France (Paris & Lyon) | The French Revolution: History, Myth, and Fiction (FREN 395)

Delve into the deep impact of the French Revolution through visits to historical landmarks and examinations of 18th-century documents and contemporary fictions (offered in French).

Ecuador (Galapagos) | Spanish Language in the Galapagos (SPAN 203)

Improve your Spanish language proficiency in the rich cultural and ecological heritage of the Galapagos Islands.

History

France (Paris) | Paris, Cradle of Modernity (HIST 390)

Study the mystique of the city of Paris, and experience the power of its culture, language, and character.

Theatre and Film

Portugal (Espinho) | Studies in Film at FEST Film Festival (FIPR 469 or CINE 434)

Attend FEST Film Festival, for a scholarly introduction to film festivals and their role in contemporary global film culture.

Other Faculties

While the courses below are organized by other faculties at UBC, Arts students are still eligible to apply.

China | Contemporary Forestry and Conservation in China (CONS 488)

Examine the current development of Chinese forestry and conservation, ecological restoration, plantation, and urban forestry.

Colombia | Walking with Public Art: Immersive Learning as Public Scholars (EDCP 407 or 585)

Form collaborative teams for an intensive week studying public art as a pedagogic prompt through site visits to key museums in Bogota.

Ecuador | International Conservation and Forest Ecosystem Management Field School (CONS 453)

Explore cultural values and their depth of influence on policy, decision-making and action.

Iceland | Field course: Systems approaches to regional sustainability (ISCI 361 or 461)

Examine the complex interconnecting components that contribute to the nature and status of the present‐day system of a country, a region or a city.

Indonesia (Bogor) | Impact Evaluation Analytics (LFS 302B)

An introduction to the principles and applications of project Monitoring, Evaluation, & Learning (MEL) and impact analysis in a post-COVID world.

Singapore | The ‘Livable City’: A Comparative Exposition (PLAN 448A)

Collaborating in mixed UBC-NUS teams, embark on a comparative study of the ‘livable city’ concept.

South Africa | Communities, Wildlife, and Conservation in Post-Apartheid South Africa (CONS 454)

Head into the heart of the African savanna biome to learn from rural community members.

Applications for most Global Seminars close December 5, 2024. Visit the seminar pages to learn how to apply.

Want to talk to someone about Global Seminars? Book a virtual advising appointment, drop-in for in-person advising, or attend a virtual group advising session with Go Global.