Sewanee Summer Programs

‌Sewanee Summer in Spain is an intensive study of the medieval art and literature associated with the thousand-year-old pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James in western Spain. We dedicate an initial 10 days in Sewanee to exploring the literature of the Camino de Santiago; two weeks in Madrid living with Spanish families and studying art history at Spain’s premier Universidad Complutense, in the world-class museums of the Spanish capital, and on excursions to medieval towns, monasteries, and castles; and three weeks of hiking the medieval Camino de Santiago across northern Spain from the Pyrenees in the east to Santiago de Compostela, near the Atlantic coast.

The Island Ecology Program is an interdisciplinary summer field school. Following a seminar during the spring semester (Environmental Studies 140, a half course), students study geology, hydrology, soils, plant communities, land use, coastal marine biology, invertebrate zoology, vertebrate ecology and animal behavior for five weeks on St. Catherines Island, a barrier island off the coast of Georgia. The experience emphasizes the interdependence of these disciplines by exploring how the island ecosystem functions.

Sewanee's Domain and the Southern Appalachians host a fantastic variety of geological sites, but by exploring the West, students can experience landscapes and geologic features absent in our particular neighborhood and round out their education as geo- and environmental scientists. In Geology of the Western United States, we will visit landscapes bounded by active tectonics and shaped by desert processes. We will investigate emergent coastlines and volcanoes, young mountains and old growth forests. The sites we visit will be contextualized with readings and discussion of scientific literature and current issues, and works of cultural importance. Students will collect and analyze field data in some locations. Intended to be for more than just geology majors, Western Geology can open new perspectives on the physical environment of the United States to any students interested in earth or environmental science.

The “Summer in Berlin” program consists of a three-week language course at the DiD German language institute in Berlin where students take language classes along with other international students. The DiD institute places Sewanee students into courses according to their languages skills. The accompanying Sewanee faculty member is responsible for cultural instruction and area excursions. Students are placed in homes with German host families. 

Explore the intersection of various cultures, empires, and trade blocks in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus ranging from the medieval period to the present. Classes will be held primarily in Riga, Latvia, and in Tbilisi, Georgia, two former Soviet republics known for the natural beauty of their surroundings and the many traces of the past still visible in them. The program will include side visits to Tallinn, Estonia, the Black Sea, Kakhetia (the oldest grape and wine culture on earth), and possibly Yerevan, Armenia. Students will take a six-week intensive Russian language course, and INGS 326, a course on the imperial and economic influences, from the East and West, that swept through these two former Soviet republics, and this whole region, from ancient times, up to before, during, and after the Soviet period.

This course offers an immersive experience in China, focusing on environmental sustainability and its global impact. Participants will explore China's innovative approaches to renewable energy, conservation, and sustainable urban development, as well as water conservation practices in forest management and agriculture. Through site visits, discussions with local experts, including faculty from NWFAU, and cultural exchanges with students, participants will gain a deep understanding of the environmental challenges and solutions unique to both urban and rural China. The course aims to inspire a global perspective on sustainability, highlighting the importance of cross-cultural collaboration. By the end of the program, students will be equipped with practical insights to contribute to sustainable practices in their own communities, support majors in environmental study and enhance their preparation for environmental careers.

Sewanee offers students the opportunity to study the Dynamics of Asian Business, during the Spring semester 2023, and then travel to India for the Faculty-led course for May - June. Students earn 2 credits for the Spring course, and a total of 2 academic credits on this study away program.

Professors Jim Crawford and Chris McDonough lead courses on London Theatre and Roman Britain.  Earn eight credit hours in this six-week program that travels across England every other summer.  We’ll spend two weeks in Sewanee, one week in London, and one week at the University of Chester.  The program includes several professional theatre productions, trips to museums and historic sites, and day trips to Bath, Liverpool, St. Albans, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Hadrian’s Wall.

This course will examine two threads of cross-cultural phenomena in East Asia: Tea and Buddhism. By looking at transnational cultural, religious, economic, artistic, environmental, and historic connections through these lenses, students will gain an understanding of Taiwan and Japan across time and place. The program includes site visits to museums, temples, tea plantations, and tea houses, considering how these two long-standing cultural phenomena have evolved over time and in different locations, adapting to political, environmental, and social forces.

In partnership with Sewanee, this Rhodes-led four-week study abroad program gives students of all majors the opportunity to learn about British literature, history, art (and more!) from prehistoric through contemporary times as we explore British sites, history and culture. Highlighted excursions include famous London sites such as the British Museum, Hampton Court Place, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and many more, plus trips outside of London to Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, and Oxford.

Course offerings include two British Lit. courses (incl. “The Bawdy Politic: Literature and Culture of the English Restoration,” taught by Sewanee's Dr. Kelly Malone), “Music and Art in Contemporary Britain,” and “Class, Identity, and Art in Britain” (an interdisciplinary Humanities course).