International Study

ETSU offers a wide-range of study-abroad and international exchange programs. Art and Design offers several faculty-led summer programs that are unique.

Athens, Greece

Intensive and immersive, this three-week course will be based in Athens, the capital and most populous metropolitan area of Greece. While some of the coursework will take place within the Athens Centre lecture hall (discussions of assigned readings, group and individual exercises and presentations, and post-visit debriefs and workshops), most of our time will be spent in the field. Field trips will take the form of individualized group research on case study sites, guided group tours of relevant museums and historical sites, and abbreviated class-wide excursions to important cultural heritage sites outside the city. To make the most of our time abroad, class will be held daily, with overnight excursions outside Athens occurring on the weekends.

Over the course of the semester, students will work collaboratively, as well as independently, on four different projects. Three of these consist of site-specific case studies that will require group research (bibliographic and fieldwork), writing, and design. These case studies will center around a major design problem; students design and present proof-of-concept renderings that convey their proposed solutions. The fourth and final assignment is individualized. It will consist of a travelogue, in which students will compose daily journal entries that give them an opportunity to reflect, in a synthetic manner, on their experiences and what they are learning. The journals will take the form of scrapbooks, containing text and pasted visual materials (photographs, found objects, ephemera). Some journal entries will be open-ended; others may revolve around a prompt given by the instructors.

Florence and Tuscany, Italy

This 20 day course introduces students to the incredible cultural and artistic history of Tuscany. Students first spend 3 days in Florence, Italy, experiencing some of the finest art and architecture in the world. We will visit the Uffizi Museum, as well as the Academia and Bargello Museums, visiting exquisite artwork by the masters of the Renaissance.The course moves to Castello Spannocchia, a cultural gem in the Tuscan countryside near Siena. Spannocchia is a self-sustaining agricultural estate dating from the 12th century that has become a center for international study. In two weeks at Spannocchia, students work in a rustic ceramic studio, developing hand built work that is fired in a reproduction of an Etruscan kiln. From Spannocchia, day trips to Siena and the Mediterranean coast are scheduled. The course returns to Florence for two final nights.

The course fee includes lodging, most meals, 24-hour studio access, all materials and firing, use of the pool, hiking trails, course excursions to surrounding towns & cultural sites, and the hotel in Florence. Our group is housed in the Castello Fattoria, the delicious traditional Tuscan meals are prepared in Spannocchia's kitchen, and served in the outdoor dining area. An extension in Italy is possible.

Open to all levels from beginner to professional. Please contact the department if you are interested in these programs.

Scholarships are available: Contact ETSU Office of International Student and Scholar Services
https://www.etsu.edu/international/