Current Study Away Offerings
Each summer GJS offers a series of 3 credit Study Away courses between the end of the Spring Semester and the start of Summer Semester 1. Study away course locations include Washington D.C., Raleigh, Seattle, New Orleans, Atlanta, and various international cities. The blocks below show our Summer 2024 study-away course offerings.
The department also works closely with OIP to support semester-long experiences at one of our many partner Universities abroad. These courses provide a great opportunity to travel and engage with GJS alums and professionals in your field of study.
Policing and Policy in DC
Policing and Policy in DC (Summer Session 1)
Faculty Contacts: Dr. Daniel B. Baker (bakerdb@appstate.edu)
Application Deadline: March 7, 2025
apply via this Google Form Link
Meeting Dates: May14 & 15, 2025
Travel Dates: May 19-23, 2025
Course Summary:
Who identifies what works in policing? How do police leaders find these ideas? And who is in charge of
moving these ideas from "promising" to "policy" This course explores the ins and outs of policing
policies in the United States. Our goal is to understand the institutions, processes, and individuals who
navigate social and political influences to push for the advancement of policing. Join us on a
trip to understand the dynamics of policy in response to crime in communities and calls for reform.
This course sets students up to understand and experience the policy process as it relates to policing from
multiple perspectives. Students will travel with Dr. Baker to Washington, DC to visit with police,
government, and non-profit organizations - taking in the sights and sounds that try to affect policing from
within the DC Beltway. Students will come away with snapshots of life in DC, the policy process, and
police reform in the U.S.
Estimated Cost: $650 (transportation & lodging included) + Summer Tuition
$150 Non-Refundable Deposit Due by March 28, 2025
Race and Justice in South Africa
CJ 4530 Race and Justice in South Africa (Summer Session 2)
Faculty Contacts: Dr. Matthew Robinson (robinsnmb@appstate.edu)
Application Deadline: February 15 2025
Travel Dates: July 12-27
Course Summary:
The bulk of South Africa’s history is characterized by the subjugation of the country’s population in the form of segregation during the era of colonization and later, the extension and legitimization of this practice through the institutionalization of racial segregation—Apartheid. Even after 25 years of democracy, the systemic aftermath of such a violent moment in South Africa’s history still lingers and can be seen in the vast inequality still prevalent in South African society today. The current era, often referred to as Post-Apartheid South Africa, is one of a people striving to embody the ideology of the “rainbow nation” while also still grappling with issues of racial inequality and injustice—stubborn remnants of the old Apartheid system—evidenced by racial controversies which flare up and draw the populace into heated dialogue.
This course is an experiential learning opportunity for students to have access to the Democratic dispensation from the lens of Race and Justice. The course will start in Boone for two weeks of classes, then take flight to Johannesburg (including an excursion to the Pilanesberg National Park), and will then end, where the written history of South Africa began, the Cape of Storms. Classes are taught both in Johannesburg and Cape Town. This program will allow students access to a variety of landscapes—political, economic, and social—to form a holistic experience for the students to understand the impact of generations of racial and economic inequality.
Estimated Cost: $7200 (airfare included) + Summer Tuition
- $300 Non-Refundable Deposit Due by February 15th 2025
