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The Dornsife Faculty-Led Programs Office (FLP) offers both Maymester and Summer programs, providing exceptional opportunities for research and experiential learning off-campus in the United States and internationally. These programs are open to all USC undergraduate students. However, graduate students are ineligible to apply, and progressive students must contact the FLP office (flp@dornsife.usc.edu) to determine eligibility before applying.

Maymester programs typically run from May 15 to June 15, are considered part of the Spring semester course load, and are listed in the Schedule of Classes under each department’s course offerings. Students participating in Maymester programs will need to pay for Spring tuition, which is included in the Spring term, and FLP program fees. These fees cover various expenses such as lodging, meals, transportation, and other program-related costs. There is no additional tuition fee for Maymesters unless a student exceeds the allotted units and needs to pay extra tuition. Students can include Maymesters in their financial aid packages for the Spring semester. A normal academic load for undergraduate students is 12-16 units per semester, with the university recommending that undergraduates register for no more than 18 units. Permission to enroll in more than 20 units requires written approval from the student’s home department.

Our independent Faculty-Led Program (FLP) options provide exceptional opportunities for research and experiential learning off-campus, both in the United States and internationally.

Maymester Programs

  • Applications are due Saturday, November 25th, 2023

    • Dornsife FLP: Advanced Techniques in Field Mammalogy (BISC 499L) – Domestic Program
      • Locations: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Dawson Los Monos Canyon Reserve, Santa Cruz Island Reserve, Emerson Oaks Reserve, and James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve (all in California)
      • Led By: Matt Dean, matthew.dean@usc.edu
      • Brochure Application 
    • Dornsife FLP: Bookpacking New Orleans (ENGL 352g) – Domestic Program 
    • Dornsife FLP: Coastal Biodiversity, Sustainability & Conservation (BISC 499) – Domestic and International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: Contemporary Art in New York (AHIS 470) – Domestic Program
    • Dornsife FLP: Death and Gender in Urban Contexts: New York (SWMS 227gp) – Domestic Program
    • Dornsife FLP: Field Geology: Tectonics of the Aegean (GEOL 465L) –International Spring Tail
    • Dornsife FLP: Global East Asia Japan – Kyoto: Heritage, Culture and Identity in Japan’s Ancient Capital (EASC 360) – Domestic and International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: Global East Asia Japan-Tokyo: Japanese Society and Design Thinking (EASC 360) – Domestic and International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: Human Ecological Security and Global Politics (IR 422) – International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: International Geodesign (SSCI 350)- Domestic and International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: Immigration, Society and Work Culture in Buenos Aires, Argentina (SPAN 499) – International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: Italian Language and Culture Program in Rome (ITAL 220) – International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: Mathmester in Rome (MATH 407) – International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: Maymester in Martinique, French in the Caribbean (FREN 220) – International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: Peru Maymester (SPAN 397) – International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: Public Memory and the Ghosts of History (FREN 307g) – International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: The Universe (ASTR 100Lxg) – Domestic and International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: USC French Program, Maymester in Dijon (FREN 300, 310, 330, 490X, 150, 220, 250) – International Program
    • Dornsife FLP: USC Taiwan Chinese Maymester Program (EALC 204, 206, 304) – International Program

  • Applications are closed

    • Dornsife FLP: Argentina Maymester (SPAN 499)
      • Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina, El Bolson, Argentina, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
      • Led by Martin Ocon-Gamarra ocongama@usc.edu and Karen P. Pérez, perezk@usc.edu
    • Dornsife FLP: Oaxaca and Oaxacalifornia: Food, Culture, Art and Migration (SPAN 396)
      • Location: Mexico City, Mexico and Oaxaca, Mexico
      • Led by Sarah Portnoy, portnoy@usc.edu
    • Dornsife FLP: Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Paris (MDA 444)
    • Dornsife FLP: Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Rome (MDA 444)
    • Dornsife FLP: The Italian Language and Culture Program in Rome (ITAL-120, ITAL-150, ITAL-220, ITAL-224)
      • Location: Florence, Italy, Rome, Italy, Venice, Italy
      • Led by ITAL 150: James Fortney, ITAL 220: Antonio Idini, ITAL 224: Francesca Ricciardelli
    • Dornsife FLP: Maymester in Martinique, French in the Caribbean (FREN 220)
      • Location: Fort-de-France, Martinique
      • Led by Jennifer Misran, misran@usc.edu
    • Dornsife FLP: Public Memory and the Ghosts of History (FREN 307g)
    • Dornsife FLP: Bookpacking New Orleans (ENGL 352g)
      • Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
      • Led by Andrew Chater, chater@usc.edu
    • Dornsife FLP: Renaissance Materiality (AHIS 488)
      • Location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States, Providence, United States
      • Led by Lisa Pon, lisapon@usc.edu
    • Dornsife FLP: Contemporary Art in New York (AHIS 470)
    • Dornsife FLP: Writing in Global Contexts – Travel Writing (WRIT 380)
    • Dornsife FLP: Budapest Crossroads (COLT 395w)
    • Dornsife FLP: Cosmic Discoveries from Galileo to the Present Time (ASTR 499)
    • Dornsife FLP: Death, Spirituality, and Society in India (SWMS 227gp)
    • Dornsife FLP: Economics of European Integration (ECON 369)
      • Location: Frankfurt, Germany, Leuven, Belgium, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
      • Led by Lodovico Pizzati, pizzati@usc.edu
    • Dornsife FLP: Hatha and Kundalini Yoga in India (PHED 299)
      • Location: Amritsar, India, Delhi, India, Dharamshala, India
      • Led by Isabelle Pilliere Mazumdar,imazumda@usc.edu
    • Dornsife FLP: The Yukon River Basin: hydrology, watershed biogeochemistry, and environmental change in the Arctic (GEOL 465L)
    • Dornsife FLP: International Geodesign (SSCI 350)

     

How to Apply

Dornsife FLPs are for undergraduate students only. Graduate students are ineligible to apply. Progressive students must contact the FLP office for eligibility prior to applying (flp@dornsife.usc.edu).

  1. Access the Student Travel Abroad Portal to review upcoming programs. Each program brochure provides essential details such as program type, location, duration, course prerequisites, program cost breakdown, contact information for program staff, and more.
  2. Compile a list of programs that interest you and consult your department’s academic advisor to ensure that the FLP aligns with your academic plans.
  3. Submit your application for the desired program before the stated application deadline mentioned in the program brochure. Remember that applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Please note that each student is limited to a maximum of two applications.
  4. Once your application is accepted, make sure to click the “Commitment to Participate” button within the specified timeframe. Failure to do so may result in your withdrawal from the program. Please be aware that should you decide to drop the course after confirming your participation, you will be liable for the $500 withdrawal fee and any applicable program vendor cancellation fees.
  5. Following confirmation of your participation in the FLP, request D-clearance from your course department and proceed to register for the class through USC’s Web Registration. Make sure to adhere to the add/drop deadlines for the Spring or Summer term.
  6. Take note of the scheduled orientation dates provided by Dornsife FLP and the Program Faculty Director. Your attendance is mandatory for both the pre-departure orientation and the on-site orientation.
  7. Sign and submit all the required post-decision documents as indicated in your Student Travel Abroad portal. It’s crucial to ensure that all documents are submitted six weeks before the program’s departure date.
  8. Confirm that all your travel arrangements are finalized and payments are settled.
  9. Get ready for an enriching educational adventure abroad that promises to be a transformative experience!

Please remember that in order to be fully enrolled, you must meet both the application deadline by submitting an application through the Student Travel Abroad Portal and registering for the corresponding course via USC’s Web Registration.

 

Maymester, PWP, and Summer program applications are now open.

Application Due Dates:

Applications Open: September 6th, 2023

Application Deadline: November 25th, 2023

Program Decision Date: December 11th, 2023

Deadline to Commit to Program: December 18th, 2023

 

Maymester Highlights

Other Programs at USC Dornsife