Study Away

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 OIED 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.

Human Trafficking: UK vs. US Perspectives

PS/CJ 4531: Human Trafficking: UK vs. US Perspectives (Spring 2024 Semester)

Contact: Dr. Marcum (marcumcm@appstate.edu) or Dr. Scherlen (scherlenrg@appstate.edu)

Application Deadline: November 15, 2023

Travel Dates: March 8-16 2024

Course Summary: This 3 credit course will involve weekly classroom meetings and one exciting week of travel in Manchester!   We will travel to Manchester, UK on Friday March 8, 2024 from RDU. The first half of the trip will be spent at Keele University for collaborations with their students and the second half of the trip will be spent in Manchester visiting human trafficking related agencies. We will return on March 16, 2024.

Cost: $2400 + Summer Tuition (includes airfare, transportation in UK, lodging,  and miscellaneous costs. You are respoinsible for meals)

  • $300 Non-Refundable Deposit Due by November 15, 2023
  • $2100 Payment Due by February 9, 2024

Law and Legal Affairs in DC

 CJ/PS 3535: Law and Legal Affairs in DC ( Summer Session 1)

Faculty Contact: Dr. Marian Williams (williamsmr4@appstate.edu)

Application Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQJgiRsm4J9wJ-j3GRyBc8eYqxxJD5PVQyz05IdIS2y5_axQ/viewform

Application Deadline: January 29, 2024

In-Class Dates: May 13-17, 2024 (Boone)

Travel Dates: May 20-25, 2024 (Washington, DC)

Course Summary: This course will focus on meeting organizations involved in criminal and civil law, the judiciary, and legal advocacy in the nation’s capital. 

Estimated Cost: $675 + summer tuition

Washington at Work

PS 3538/5538: Washington at Work (Summer Session 1)

Contact: Dr.  Ardoin (ardoinpj@appstate.edu)

Application Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCDcZ0MZzEDAp53CtLHv76H_5fFrqaZYa7vC5QIXJUX_ZyYQ/viewform

Application Deadline: January 29, 2024

In-Class Dates: May 13-17, 2024 (Boone)

Travel Dates : May 20- 25, 2024 (Washington, DC)

Course Summary: While in Washington, DC, will meet with numerous political actors and visit the government institutions of our nation’s capital.  Current plans include meetings with several alumni working on Capitol Hill as legislative staff and lobbyists and visiting the U.S. Supreme Court, 1-2 international embassies, the Holocaust Museum, the Museum of African American History, and think tanks.

Estimated Cost: $675+ summer tuition

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: January 2024

Travel Dates: July 12-29

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:  $3580 + Summer Tuition & Airfare

  • $300 Non-Refundable Deposit Due by
  • $3,280 Payment Due by February 19, 2024