The Baltic Experience (OIA Website)

Program 

Students in this faculty-led course explore the historically rich and diverse cultures of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, a region in which colonial German, Russian and Swedish and Ashkenazic Jewish cultures fused with the indigenous Baltic and Finnic heritage. Today the Baltic countries represent thriving democracies known for their innovative technological enterprises, thriving cultural life, strong commitment to ecology and sustainability and lush natural landscapes. 

The course covers the cultural history of the area beginning with Viking settlement and the Teutonic Knights, and later the Hanseatic League, Swedish Livonia, Russian Imperialism and the Pale of Settlement, Soviet Rule, the fight for independence in the late 1980s and integration into the European Union and NATO. Because of their Soviet history, the Baltic countries are today home to a large Russian-speaking minority, which in recent years has grown and formed a vibrant political and social dissident culture. With its focus on the colonial past, contemporary cultural diversity, regional and transnational exchange and collaboration, this course explores important questions of citizenship and cultural and political participation in the 21st century. 

We begin the “Baltic Experience” in Stockholm, Sweden and venture by ferry across the Baltic Sea for a week in medieval Tallinn followed by a week each in Riga and Vilnius. The trip concludes along the Baltic Sea coast just north of Kaliningrad, where we board a ferry trip back to Stockholm.

Locations

Stockholm, Sweden
Tallin, Estonia
Riga, Latvia
Vilnius, Lithuania
Liepaja, Latvia
Ventspils, Latvia

Accommodations

Hotels and hostels

Resident Directors

Anna Grotans
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
grotans.1@osu.edu

Philip Gleissner
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
gleissner.4@osu.edu

Ohio State Program Contact

Michael Volk
Would you like to schedule an appointment? Find more information with Global Education at the Office of International Affairs.
volk.89@osu.edu

Global May Hungary (OIA Website)

Program 

This program introduces students to the rich culture and history of Hungary and Central Europe by taking them beyond more common portrayals of the region and providing first-hand, authentic experiences with the local people and culture of Hungary. Through dynamic academic experiences and rich cultural immersion, students will develop an understanding of the region's history, geography and politics along with a keen knowledge of contemporary movements in modern media and politics.

While in Hungary, students will participate in multiple walking tours of Budapest, meet with local people working in politics and media, travel to many culturally important sites such as Orszaghaz (the Parliament Building), picturesque Szentendre, the historic Visegrad Castle, Turkish baths, and the Habsburg crypts.

Education abroad programs led by Ohio State faculty are experiential in nature. Instruction often takes place outside of the traditional classroom through excursions, tours, and observations and utilizes various forms of transportation. Participants are encouraged to prepare themselves to expect the unexpected while studying abroad; part of the valuable experience of traveling is learning how to adapt and be flexible in a variety of situations.

Locations

Students will spend most of the four weeks in Budapest, Hungary, however several days will be spent in Warsaw, Poland. Budapest lies in the center of the Carpathian Basin and is spread across both sides of the river Danube. The city is home to a lively cafe culture along with many world-renowned sites, theaters, monuments, and spas. In recent years several parts of Budapest have been placed on UNESCO's World Heritage list.

Accommodations

Students will stay in a centrally-located hotel. 

Resident Directors

Angela Brintlinger
Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures
brintlinger.3@osu.edu

Ohio State Program Contact

Kathryn Burden
Would you like to schedule an appointment? Go to the site of Global Education at the Office of International Affairs.
Burden.130@osu.edu

Participant Testimonials

"The highlight of the trip was not only getting to see Budapest, but to be able to live there for a month and really 
soak up the city and the culture. Also, meeting and bonding with the other students on the trip was an awesome 
experience." - 2019 Participant

"The highlight of the trip was creating meaningful relationships with the members of my group as well as gaining a complex understanding of Central European culture, especially as it relates to Hungary." -  2019 Participant

Program 

RLASP maximizes linguistic and cultural immersion into Russian-speaking society. The academic year, semester, and summer programs provide approximately 20 hours per week of in-class instruction in Russian grammar, phonetics, conversation, and cultural studies. Program features include homestays, weekly excursions, travel to other regions outside the host city, conversation partners, and a wide range of opportunities to pursue volunteering opportunities, hobbies, and personal interests in a Russian-language context. Credit for area studies coursework is offered in such subjects as literature and history, political science, and contemporary society. All courses are taught in Russian by expert faculty with experience teaching foreign students.

This program normally runs:

• Fall semester - Early September to Mid December
• Spring semester - Mid-January to Mid-May
• Academic year - Early September to Mid-May
• Summer - Mid-June to Early August

Locations

Yerevan, Armenia

Accommodations

Dormitory or Homestay

More information can be found on the OIA website

Program 

The American Councils Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Programs (RLASP) is designed to maximize linguistic immersion in Russian. The academic program is designed to improve participants' oral, listening, reading and writing proficiency in Russian language and to develop their knowledge of regional history, politics, culture and society. The academic year, semester and summer programs provide approximately 20 hours per week of in-class instruction in Russian grammar, phonetics, conversation and cultural studies at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) in Almaty, Kazakhstan. One day per week of the academic program is set aside for local cultural excursions.

This program normally runs autumn semester, spring semester, the full academic year and eight weeks in the summer.

Locations

Almaty is Kazakhstan's largest city and cultural center. Settlements in and around the current city have been inhabited since prehistoric times and were a vibrant stop along the Silk Road for travelers and traders alike. Much of Kazakhstan was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the mid-nineteenth century and has had a marked Russian presence ever since. 

Accommodations

Program participants may live in a university dormitory or with a local host family. The majority of American Councils participants choose the host family option. All host families provide private rooms, telephone access and keys for their American guests. Host families also provide two meals per day. Living with a host family immerses program participants in everyday life while offering some of the comforts of home. Host families also expose participants to authentic, contemporary language and culture in informal, social settings. All host families are screened, selected and monitored by American Councils' home-stay coordinators and resident directors. Students may change their housing arrangements during the program, although these adjustments require some time to be completed.

More information can be found on the OIA website.

Program 

This program in Bishkek is designed to improve participants' oral, listening, reading, and writing proficiency in Russian language and to develop their knowledge of Russian history, politics, culture, and society.

Peer tutoring and an integrated cultural programming focusing on Central Asian cultures will take your learning outside the classroom, as can optional travel opportunities and active, recommended home stays.

Locations

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Accommodations

Dorm, Homestay.

More information can be found on the OIA website.