Take the Journey

great intellectual adventure awaits each University of Chicago student in the civilization studies sequences that are an essential component of the undergraduate curriculum. Whether the focus is the history of Western civilization or a non-Western culture, the central elements are the same: the close analysis and discussion of important texts (historical, philosophical, and literary) that grow out of and illuminate a historical development, and the consideration of a society as an evolutionary process.

College students now have the exciting opportunity to place their reading of classic texts in a physical context. Chicago currently offers seven civilization programs in situ—in Athens, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Paris, Rome and Vienna—and others are in the planning stages.

These dynamic programs wed traditional course work with direct experience of a culture, allowing students to connect an intellectual heritage with a tangible milieu.

Each ten-week program includes a compressed three-course sequence that meets the College's general education requirement in civilization studies. Scholar-teachers from the University's faculty bring the intensity and rigor of their campus courses to these classes abroad. Novice and experienced speakers of the local language can practice their skills in class and gain understanding from interaction with local residents.

Each host city (and its distinctive features) becomes an essential text through program-sponsored excursions and personal explorations. The curriculum and excursions may vary from year to year, as seasoned faculty shape the focus of the course to take advantage of, for example, museum exhibits, theater offerings, availability of local scholars, or the faculty's own developing research.

Each program includes a city tour that introduces the topography of the area. And special local excursions lead students form their text toward the monuments and the artistic and cultural achievements that bring to life the history of these civilizations.

Study Civilization Abroad

Vineyards (Austria), by Christopher Noto, Class of 2001