Study Abroad Programs

Winter

• Winter Study Abroad Application
• Winter Study Abroad Scholarship Application

Summer

• Summer Study Abroad Application
• Summer Study Abroad Scholarship Application

Student Information and Resources

What types of study abroad programs does Millsaps offer?

Millsaps Study Abroad Programs (Faculty-Led)

Millsaps study abroad programs are developed and led by Millsaps faculty and staff and are offered in countries around the globe! One or more program leaders travel with a cohort of Millsaps students to learn and explore abroad during the winter or summer terms. The courses are open to any Millsaps student and are not specific to a particular major; the classes are tailor-made to fit into the Millsaps curriculum so that you will be able to apply 4-8 credits to your major, minor and/or Compass Curriculum requirements including the Major Experience. There are several Millsaps scholarships available to support students in gaining experience around the globe.

ISEP Exchange & Millsaps Direct Exchange

Millsaps is part of the ISEP Exchange network which provides Millsaps students access to over 50 universities around the world.  Millsaps also has direct exchange opportunities with Akita International University (Akita City, Japan) and Liechtenstein University (Vaduz, Liechtenstein) These opportunities are preferred Millsaps partner program partners and offer comprehensive advising, support, as well as tuition benefits. Placements for ISEP and direct exchange programs are competitive and based on strict deadlines, so early planning is advised. Set up an advising appointment.

Study Abroad Program Providers (Affiliate)

Affiliate study abroad program providers can be utilized if you have already taken part in a faculty-led program, or if you do not qualify for an ISEP/Exchange program. There are a number of high-quality programs arranged through these affiliate program providers. These programs are vetted to meet the standards for study abroad, and you can meet major and minor requirements, continuing progress towards your Millsaps degree. Approval for participation is required. You can explore opportunities available through the affiliate program providers by visiting the individual webpages. Application deadlines vary, so early planning is advised. Set up an advising appointment.

Explore Faculty-Led Study Abroad Opportunities

See a course you are interested in? Be sure to drop the professor an email for more details.

Winter 2023-2024 Faculty-Led Programs

Summer 2024 Faculty-Led Programs

Culture and Environment in Yucatán: An Ethnographic Field School
Yucatán, Mexico
May 25 – June 16, 2024
Dr. Matt Samson and Dr. George Bey

The course focuses on Maya culture and the environment in the Yucatán Peninsula as a way of introducing students to the history and contemporary sociopolitical realities facing the countries in Mesoamerica. Themes will include Indigenous cultural rights, environmental justice, religious change, the relationship between development and tourism, and migration. Brief field experiences in museums and archaeological sites, urban and rural community settings, and an ecological reserve will serve to introduce students to basic ethnographic fieldwork in Mexico and the larger Mesoamerican region, as well as to current theoretical concerns in anthropology such as identity politics, sustainability, and political ecology.

Spanish in Yucatán
Yucatán, Mexico
SPAN 1000-3000 (4 credits)
June 1 – July 1, 2024
Dr. Judith Caballero | cabalj@millsaps.edu

This program immerses students in the language, culture and history of the Yucatán peninsula. In collaboration with Marista University and the Yucatán Institute for Language and Culture, students may enroll in courses ranging from introductory Spanish to advanced literature courses. Students will attend classes at Casa Millsaps and practice their conversation skills with Marista University students. Culture classes and weekend excursions to local archaeological sites, historical places and other sites of cultural and historical interest are also part of the curriculum.

Beyond the Studio: Painting the Spanish Landscape
Madrid, Spain
May 16 – May 29
Prof. Sue Carrie Drummond

This course will focus on painting from observation in Madrid, Spain. Students will learn how to develop successful color relationships, utilize light and shadow, draw in 1 and 2 point perspective, layer paints through glazing and other plein air techniques. We will visit museums to consider how both historical and contemporary painters have used these painting strategies. We will also visit historical locations and take day trips to vary the scenery we paint.

The Mathematics of Renaissance Italy
Rome, Florence, Padua, and Milan, Italy
May 12 – May 26
Dr. Emlee Nicholson

This course will introduce students to the early history of mathematics beginning with the Egyptians and leading up to the trip abroad where we will study the Roman aqueducts, a major engineering achievement and then the works of famous Italian mathematicians of the Renaissance period. We will study their achievements and see artifacts from their work, how they thought about complex mathematics without many of the tools we have today and how their work influenced modern mathematics.

Tunghai University Mini-Semester
Taichung, Taiwan
Mid May – Late June
Dr. Lynn Raley

As part of a five-week mini-semester at Tunghai University’s International College, students choose two courses from an array of topics: Mandarin language, art, music, culture, film, food, business, psychology, and more. Courses are taught Monday through Thursday, with weekend field trips, and trips around the island after classes end. Dr. Raley will offer a course on the history of popular music in Taiwan, investigating Mando-Pop, Taiyu, Hakka and aboriginal artists, as well as American-influenced rock and hiphop, placing the music in the island’s cultural and political contexts.

Heritage, Identity, and the Politics of Travel in Tanzania
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
June 10 – July 1
Dr. Victoria Gorham

Students will engage in Kiswahili language learning, experience multiple exciting locations (including Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo, Moshi, and Zanzibar City), and visit museums and heritage sites as places where we can study identity-making and interrogate the power of the tourist gaze. You will learn about everyday life in Dar es Salaam, interact and learn daily with Tanzanians and enjoy going on safari, visiting markets and beaches and hiking to the ruins of Ottoman colonial strongholds.

Spanish Language and Culture in Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
July 1 – July 31
Dr. David Wood

This course will immerse students in the language and culture of Spain. Students will study at a language school in Barcelona, visit stunning architectural sites, and enjoy the warm beaches of Barcelona. Students will learn about the political history of the Spanish Civil War explained brilliantly by George Orwell in his Homage to Catalonia, required reading prior to the program.

French Language and Culture on the Côte d’Azur
Nice, France
June 1 – June 30
Dr. David Wood

The course immerses students in French language and culture through classroom study and weekend excursions throughout the region and country. It provides irreplaceable direct contact with native French speakers in a authentic cultural setting, France! It also provides swimming and hiking in the nearby Parque nacional de Calanques.

Field Study in International Management
Florence, Italy and Munich, Germany
July 1 – July 17
Dr. Jesse Beeler

In this course, students will travel throughout Europe exploring new cultures and gaining valuable career training. They will experience an in-depth study of international business through travel, classroom training and hands-on site visits to businesses. This course includes 6 hours of formal classroom instruction at Millsaps and 38 hours of classroom instruction once in the region. Field trips throughout their time abroad will expose students to the incredible history and culture of Europe.

Capitalism/Socialism/Communism-Choices
Florence, Italy and Munich, Germany
July 1 – July 17
Prof. Harvey Fiser

The Psychology of Fear and Terrorism
Florence, Italy and Munich, Germany
July 1 – July 17
Dr. Kurt Thaw

The focus of this course is on the psychology of fear and terrorism…not necessarily terrorists, although we will be discussing a number of key players along the way. Drawing from insights and analytical tools offered by psychology, sociology, political science, history and philosophy, students will explore such topics as serial killings, nazi germany, cyber-terrorism, radicalization, the neural correlates of fear and the causes and consequences of recent terrorist acts, (such as the london bus bombing, the world trade center attacks of 9/11, vehicle attacks, etc.)

International Lessons in Leadership
London, England
July 18 – August 2
Dr. Jesse Beeler

In this course, students will be exploring new cultures and gaining valuable career training in London. They will meet and learn from well-respected industry leaders and build valuable cross-cultural skills acquired by living in an international setting. This course includes 6 hours of formal classroom instruction at Millsaps and 38 hours of classroom instruction once in the region. Field trips throughout their time abroad will expose students to the incredible history and culture of London and the surrounding areas.

Field Study in International Marketing
London, England
July 18 – August 2
Dr. Penelope Prenshaw | prenspj@millsaps.edu

Field Study in Global Marketing explores issues in designing and executing successful marketing strategies for global markets.  The purpose of this course is to afford students the opportunity to enhance their understanding of global marketing – the offering of products and services in many countries of the world.  The course emphasizes the strategic implications of marketing in different country cultures, employing a cultural approach that permits a truly global orientation.

Great Britain: Culture, Power, and Politics
London, England
July 18 – August 2
Dr. Amy Forbes

How has political power been legitimated in Britain? This course explores how myths and images, rituals and symbols, theatre and media have helped represent, create and sustain different forms of political authority across nearly two millennia of English/British history. From the cult of the Roman emperor to the sacral kingship of the middle ages; from Renaissance courts to revolutionary cities; from the propaganda image of the imperial leader to the tabloid celebrity of the modern princess; we will explore how religious beliefs, architecture, and legends, paintings, plays, statues, movies, revolutionary hymns and street posters, public executions and political advertisements, coronations, processions and festivals have all helped shape and legitimate the exercise of political power in England and Great Britain. We will explore too the arts of resistance that grow up in the shadow of the arts of power: The Renaissance playwrights who identified the hollow crown at the heart of myths of monarchy; the libelers and pornographers who tarnished the images English kings; and the dissident rock bands and poets who practiced the power of the powerless in post-war regimes.

Summer 2024 in Taiwan

Students have a unique opportunity to study in Taiwan at Tunghai University’s International College for a five-week mini-semester in May and June. Taught by faculty from universities and colleges in the US and Taiwan, the program offers thirty different course choices, from Mandarin Chinese language to business, STEM courses, arts & culture, psychology, and religious studies. Each student will select either one or two courses (3 credits per course, 3 credits = 54 hours), held Monday to Thursday. Fridays will be devoted to cultural activities and day trips. After successful completion, students will be awarded a Fulbright CSAT (Consortium for Study Abroad in Taiwan) certificate and an official transcript from Tunghai University. Courses taken at Tunghai can earn 3 to 6 credit hours, transferable to Millsaps. For more information, please contact Dr. Lynn Raley.

Dr. Raley will lead Millsaps students in Taiwan and will also teach a course in the Tunghai/CSAT mini-semester entitled “New Music, Old: The Kaleidoscope of Influences on Taiwan’s New Music.” This course will investigate music as a cultural marker, looking at two faces of Taiwanese music—popular (Mando-Pop, Taiyu, Hakka, and aboriginal artists), and modern classical composition—placing the music in both the cultural and political contexts of the island.

Living in Yucatán

Research and Learning at Millsaps Yucatán Reserve

About | Kaxil Kiuic: Education Through Preservation | Our Vision | Links

About

Millsaps College (and its non-profit organization Kaxil Kiuic) supports and operates a 4,500 acre tropical forest biocultural reserve in the heart of the Yucatán peninsula. The Millsaps College Biocultural Reserve with its incredible biological and archaeological resources serves as a center for our Living In Yucatán Program, which offers courses in the study of archaeology, business, ecology, education, geology, history, literature, and socio-cultural anthropology. Courses alternate by year so check the College Catalog for current year offerings. Students may return to Yucatán to take additional courses and may decide to participate in the ongoing archaeological and natural science research going on at the Reserve.

The Reserve consists of an off-the-grid Research and Learning Center, a laboratory and research facility in the nearby Maya town of Oxkutzcab and the new Center for Business and Culture, a dormitory-classroom facility in Merida developed by the Else School of Management. While at Millsaps College take advantage of our Study Abroad opportunities by taking a course in the Living in Yucatán Program and/or doing research or an internship in a wide variety of fields at one of our facilities. Contact George Bey if you have any questions.

Our Vision: A Reserve Without Boundaries

In developing countries scholars as well as economic, civic, and government leaders face two critical challenges. The first concerns how to explore the archaeological treasures of great civilizations without doing damage to current and future material culture and living communities. The second concerns how to promote archaeological research and educational tourism in a way that protects fragile ecosystems from unplanned urban and rural development. While internationally there is a growing consensus about these threats to both living communities and ecological treasures, to date few models have been developed or tested to meet this challenge. A new model is needed before these cultural assets are destroyed beyond the ability of countries to study, preserve, and restore them.

At Millsaps, we believe that in order to cultivate the intellectual and psychological stamina that today’s leadership demands, two conditions must be met: (1) students must become deeply engaged in a particular challenge that is relevant and meaningful to them (2) students must be placed in complex, demanding situations which they have not encountered before. In this environment, students can discover what they are made of, dig deeply into themselves, and reflect on their life experiences and studies in a larger context. Here too, while there is significant consensus that these competencies are needed, there is a remarkable shortage of experiences specifically designed to cultivate these skills in undergraduate students.

The Kaxil Kiuic Biocultural Reserve and the major archaeological site on the reserve will help address both challenges by providing an opportunity to preserve, manage, and conduct cutting-edge interdisciplinary research at an archaeological site of an endangered ecosystem. The reserve will provide unusual opportunities for interdisciplinary study in archaeological, environmental, and cultural inquiry as well as varied educational and community partnerships.

The reserve will address the challenge of pursuing archaeological research while protecting current ecosystems and living communities by removing the traditional boundaries of biological, geological, historical archaeological, and social science research and creating innovative community partnerships. While faculty and students will be deeply involved in this initiative, ultimately this program is designed to model a community of learners made up of local civic, cultural, and educational leadership who are committed to addressing complex cultural and ecological issues.

By integrating archaeology, cultural preservation, and ecology, the reserve will create a new concept of conservation, tourism, and economic development from which students, scholars and local communities will benefit.

Study Abroad Scholarships and Financial Aid

Millsaps is pleased to offer scholarships for students applying for Millsaps faculty-led study abroad programs thanks to generous donors.

Robinson Scholarship

The Judy and E. B. Robinson, Jr., International Fellows Program is designed to provide grants to students who wish to participate in a Millsaps faculty-led study abroad program. The program is open to current undergraduate students after completing one full semester of studies. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.00 and show evidence of financial need (as confirmed by the Office of Financial Aid, using the student’s FAFSA).

Ogden Scholarship

The Julia and Paul Ogden International Fellows Endowment provides funding for travel stipends to enable Millsaps students to pursue educational experiences outside the continental United States. Preference is given to students who have completed their sophomore year of studies. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and show evidence of financial need (as confirmed by the Office of Financial Aid, using the student’s FAFSA).

Application deadline for Summer 2023 is February 15.

Office of International Education Travel Policies

Please visit https://www.eiia.org/programs/student-insurance-programs/ to review information about our international travel insurance.

How do I know what study abroad opportunity is best for me?

Links

Kaxil Kiuic Biocultural Reserve
A Mexican conservation organization

The Maya Vase Database
Justin Kerr’s online database features thousands of examples of Maya ceramics as well as provenience and interpretive information.

The MesoAmerican Ballgame
Learn about this sport of life and death

Millsaps College Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Find out about courses, faculty, and current research at Millsaps.

Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
A myriad of programs and resources exist at UNAM (Spanish language).

Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc.
FAMSI provides grants, resources, and research forums for studies of Mesoamerican culture.

Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia
Mexico’s federal agency devoted to anthropology and history administers museums and archaeological sites.

Society for American Archaeology
A forum for archaeologists with resources for both students and professionals