Global Course Connections (GCC) programs include two components: an on-campus course during winter semester and a 3-4 week off-campus field experience that takes place during the following summer. The field experience is a short extension of the on-campus course during which particular themes and topics introduced on campus are explored.
2019-2020 GCC Offerings
Asia-Pacific
GCC China—Research in Educational & Cross-Cultural Settings
Students will compare Chinese and American educational models and values on this 3-week program. By comparing educational processes across cultures, students can discover new practices that might be successful in the United States, identify features of development that are universal across cultural boundaries, and develop new perspectives on how children are educated in the US.
In this course students explore critical global issues including human rights, peace, and ecology through case studies and talks by guest experts. Students will learn about some of the ways people in Japan are thinking about, finding connections between, and addressing peace and ecology -- two of the pressing global issues of our times. By visiting sites of historical and cultural significance to these issues in the Japanese context, students will build their intercultural competencies.
GCC South Korea — Korean Campus Life
Students earn a total of 4-7 credits on this 3-week experience in Seoul and have the opportunity to take their Korean language learning to a practical setting. Students travel with U-M faculty and peers to the Seoul National University (SNU) campus to continue Korean language speaking, writing, and listening. Students will also visit culturally important sites, meet local university peers, and explore an exciting metropolis famous for design, technology, music, and commerce.
Europe
GCC Italy — Terrae Fabulosae: Adventures in Tattle-telling Landscapes
From volcanoes and fertile fields to peaceful streams and the magnificent Mediterranean sea, from elevations with commanding views of the world of the living to the cave where the Sibyl gave prophecies and initiated the way to the world of the dead, we will voyage to stunning, odd, and terrifying landscapes that, throughout the ages, have spoken provocatively to the imagination and artist in all of us.
Students will study the effects of overfishing, the consequences of sea level changes, the reality of traditional and sustainable agriculture and husbandry, issues related with access to fresh water, habitat degradation and restoration. Time during the program will be divided between Milan, Venice and Florence, allowing a comparison between different cultural and geographical realities. This program will also highlight some of the issues that current and ancient cities and civilizations have faced in the attempt to assert economic and cultural dominance while struggling with climate and environmental changes.
GCC United Kingdom — International Perspectives on Health & Health Care
Students will explore different factors related to society, policy, communities, and other constructs and examine how they differ between the United States and the United Kingdom. They will think about both historical and contemporary factors to understand how these systems are so different. U.K. culture is different than U.S. culture, and therefore, students will examine how this affects perceptions and actions regarding health and health care in both places.
GCC United Kingdom — Literary Monsters
In this hybrid literature and creative writing class, students will develop ideas about “monstrosity” in order to think carefully about political and cultural tensions and transformations over the last 200 years. Moving among the people and streets of London and studying the political and cultural power historically centered there, students will deepen their understanding of the cultural and geographic origins and histories of British literary monsters.
Scholarships & Funding
The LSA Study Abroad scholarship
Last year, the LSA Scholarship Office awarded over $1.7 Million in LSA Scholarships to students participating in CGIS programs. Over 95% of eligible LSA applicants received an LSA Study Abroad Scholarship ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Students should apply for the LSA Study Abroad Scholarship at the same time they apply for the program. Scholarships are granted based on financial need and may only be applied to one program per spring/summer period. Click here to apply to the LSA Study Abroad Scholarship!
Are you an LSA Pell Grant Recipient?
All LSA Pell Grant recipients who participate in GCC can receive the GCC Grant. The grant pays the entire program fee for GCC, but students MUST apply for the LSA Study Abroad Scholarship. Applicants will also be considered for other scholarships that cover travel expenses.
Do you receive financial aid?
Did you know that most U-M-awarded financial aid—grants, loans, and scholarships—may be used to help defray global study program cost? Students who receive financial aid during the school year are eligible to carry over their financial aid package abroad. LSA students who receive financial aid should also apply for the LSA Study Abroad Scholarship for assistance with program fees and travel expenses. Visit the Office of Financial Aid website at finaid.umich.edu for details on how to apply a financial aid package toward a study abroad experience.
Additional Funding
For non-LSA students or students who don't receive financial aid on campus but need additional financial support to study abroad, there are scholarship opportunities! Some funding opportunities are open to all U-M students, while others specify criteria that limit eligibility. Visit lsa.umich.edu/cgis/funds for more information on other U-M Scholarships and national scholarships!
