UCLA will offer new travel study opportunities and application-based courses to students who wish to apply their knowledge outside traditional classroom settings.
Assistant Vice Provost Jaime Balboa said students can begin applying to three new travel study opportunities for summer.
One program, called “English in Florence: American Writers and Artists Abroad,” allows students to take two upper-division English courses in Florence, Italy. The program focuses on American artists and authors who lived in and traveled to Florence and will include walking tours and visits to historical and cultural sites, Balboa said.
Students can also travel to Scandinavia to fulfill the Writing II and one general education requirement by taking Scandinavian 50W: “Introduction to Scandinavian Literature” and Scandinavian 143C: “Scandinavian Crime Literature” in Copenhagen, Denmark, Balboa said.
Lara Jhaveri, a third-year French and global studies student, said she thinks the program would be a creative way to satisfy the Writing II requirement because students can travel through cities and hometowns of writers whose works they are studying.
Balboa added another program, called “Global Health in Peru,” gives students a first-hand look at the health field in Peru. Students who participate will receive credit for Global Health 110A: “Global Health in Practice” and Global Health 110B: “Diversities and Disparities: The Case of Peru,” which count toward the global health minor.
Registration is now open for the new travel study programs, but spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis, Balboa said. Students can pay a $300 deposit to hold their spaces, and programs will accept applicants until April 1, when registration closes, he added.
Balboa said he was not certain how much each travel study program would cost, because the costs associated with each program have not been finalized. He added each student will pay varying amounts depending on whether they qualify for financial aid.
Elizabeth Ng, a first-year mathematics student, said she thinks it would be more affordable and practical to take the classes at UCLA during a regular session, rather than through a travel study program.
Aanavi Karandikar, a second-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, said she is interested in the travel study programs, but would like internship opportunities to be included in the programs as well.
Other supplemental course offerings, called institutes, will also be offered this summer. Balboa said institutes are unique because experts from respective fields work directly with students.
The MEMES: Startup Garage institute, hosted by the UCLA Anderson School of Management, intends to teach students about technology leadership and provide an overview of how to create and market startup businesses. The primary course objective is to help students create and sustain their own businesses.
TV Writing, a specialization under the UCLA Film and Television Summer Institute, allows students to practice working as professional television writers. Students who take the course will outline and write the first act of an original TV show.
The institutes will only take place during Summer Session A, between June 20 and July 29.
Balboa said the availability of summer courses and travel study opportunities next year will depend on this year’s student demand and faculty interest.