About 65 percent of Rhodes students take advantage of learning opportunities off-campus and in other countries, most often during their sophomore and junior years. And while language and culture are common subjects of study, specialized programs abound and help students develop real-world skills in their discipline. In most cases, students pay tuition, room, and board as normal to Rhodes, including any federal and institutional aid they normally receive, which covers their tuition, room, and board while on the program.

How to Get Started

The Buckman Center for international education manages the off-campus and study abroad component for Rhodes College. To get started, explore the Online Portal for Off-Campus Study, which helps you plan ahead, search for you programs, and apply for programs. 

Types of Programs

Rhodes Summer Programs - Every year, Rhodes faculty plan programs off-campus for Rhodes students. These are commonly referred to as Rhodes “Maymesters.” The Online Portal has a list of current programs. As these are Rhodes programs, credit earned is Rhodes credit. No institutional or federal aid is portable for summer programs. However, the Buckman Center has many need-based scholarships available.

Rhodes Semester Programs - Rhodes, Sewanee, and Centre College jointly own/operate three semester-long off-campus study programs: the "New York City Internship Program" (NYC, USA), the "Global Ghana: History and the Diaspora Program" (Accra, Ghana), and the "Global Environmental Challenges Program" (Cuenca, Ecuador). These programs are Rhodes programs, meaning that all credit earned is Rhodes credit and Rhodes' portable institutional and federal aid applies. Students from all three schools will enroll in these programs and the faculty leaders are drawn from each of the schools on a rotating basis. These programs operate in the fall, only.

ISEP and Bilateral Exchanges – Rhodes students have access to exchange programs worldwide. Our formal bilateral exchange agreements are with The University of Antwerp, Belgium; The University of Poitiers, France; Nebrissensis University, Madrid, Spain; The University of Tübingen, Germany; The University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany; The University of Aberdeen, Scotland; The University of Kent, England; The University of Lima, Peru; Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa; and The Iberoamericana University in Puebla, Mexico. Students pay tuition (in some case, room and board) to Rhodes and receive tuition (in some cases, room and board) on the program. Rhodes institutional aid and federal/state aid are portable for these programs. Exchanges can occur in any discipline and can range in length from one semester to one academic year. In most cases, exchange students are matriculated directly into the host institution and pursue courses with host country students. Credit earned on exchange programs is treated as transfer credit. The number of students who can participate on exchange programs is limited.

Rhodes is also a member of ISEP (The International Student Exchange Program), an organization of more than 200 colleges and universities located throughout the United States and in Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe and Latin America. Students pay tuition, room, and board to Rhodes and receive tuition, room and board on the program. Rhodes institutional aid and federal/state aid are portable for these programs. Exchanges can occur in any discipline and can range in length from one semester to one academic year. In most cases, exchange students are matriculated directly into the host institution and pursue courses with host country students. Credit earned on exchange programs is treated as transfer credit. The number of students who can participate on exchange programs is limited.

Affiliated Programs - In addition to Rhodes Programs and Exchange Programs, Rhodes has semester- and year-long Affiliated Partnerships with numerous other colleges, universities and international organizations. Students participating on an Affiliated Program pay tuition, room, and board (in some cases, partial or no board) to Rhodes and receive tuition, room and board (or partial or no board) on the off-campus program. Rhodes institutional aid and federal/state aid are portable for these programs. Credit earned on Affiliated programs is treated as transfer credit.

In the case of an Affiliated Summer Program, students pay the program out of pocket; no institutional or federal aid is portable for summer programs. However, the Buckman Center has need-based scholarships available.

Studnets will spend their semester in the highlands of Ecuador, learning about local and global environmental challenges while immersing themselves in the Spanish language. The Global Environmental Challenges program explores various environmental issues of today and tomorrow through an integrated lens of science and humanities. The first 12 weeks of the program take place in the highlands of Cuenca, Ecuador, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Students live in a homestay with an Ecuadorian family, being fully immersed in a Spanish speaking community. No previous Spanish language experience is necessary - students will be placed in one Spanish class at the appropriate level. An additional three courses (taught in English) complete the semester, centering around the local and global environmental challenges facing this region and how people are meeting them.

After the initial 12 weeks of the program, students synthesize what they've learned so far in a final three-week module at two remote, world-class ecological research stations: one week at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in the Amazon River basin and two weeks at the Galapagos Science Center on San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos Islands. During this intense module, students will gain hand-on experience in data collection and learn about the specific challenges facing this region of the world.

For the entirety of the program, students have the opportunity of a lifetime to will engage in field trips to local communities and organizations to learn more about the environmental issues brought up in class. They will be able to engage with a plethora of environmental issues and reflect on the differences between their own linguistic and cultural backgrounds and those found in their host communities.

Students from three schools, Rhodes, Centre, and Sewanee, will take part in this unique liberal arts collaboration examining these timely and important questions. The Program Leader for each fall will be a faculty member from one of these schools.

This is a Rhodes program and all courses are Rhodes courses. The grades will appear on the student's transcript as grades earned and will be factored into the Rhodes GPA. F11 will be granted for successful completion of the program.  Student applications are on the Buckman Center's website.

Courses available for fall 2023:

• Tropical Biology: Taught by the Program Leader, Dr. Michael Collins of Rhodes College. (ENVS 108, 4 credits). 
• Linking the Local to the Global: Taught by David Siddons, MSc, of the Universidad de Azuay (ENVS 207, 4 credits). 
• Environment, Conservation and Policy Issues: Taught by Dr. Leo Zurita Arthos of the Universidad San Fransisco de Quito (USFQ). (ENVS 107, 4 credits). 
• Spanish Language per each student's individual level: Taught by instructors at Cuenca's Sampere Institute, the site of the Rhodes Ecuaodor Maymester for over 20 years. (Spanish language, 4 credits). F10 is granted for successful completion of Español 201, B1:1. There are no Spanish prerequisites for this program. All students will be placed into a Spanish language course at their level. "Prerequisite" is understood as the Rhodes course listed, the equivalent, or permission of the Rhodes Director of Spanish.

Course Descriptions:

Tropical Biology: This course surveys the diversity of tropical ecosystems and examines the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape them. Through lectures, readings, discussions, and guest speakers, the course examines foundational theories and major themes in tropical biology, including species diversity, adaptations and coevolution, community structure, biogeography, and conservation challenges. The course uses Ecuador as a model to illustrate general principles and contemporary issues in tropical ecology and conservation. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to A: Identify major tropical ecosystems, describe their climatic and biological characteristics, and explain the fundamental reasons tropical systems differ from temperate ones. B: Understand the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that shape patterns of species diversity and explain why there are so many species in the tropics. C: Critically examine the assumptions and empirical evidence supporting or rejecting hypotheses that have guided our understanding of tropical ecosystems. D: Understand the major threats to tropical ecosystems and how ecological principles can inform conservation efforts.

Linking the Local to the Global: This course examines local environmental challenges in Cuenca, Ecuador and nearby locations. Examples of potential topics include, but are not limited to: gold mining and its effects on water quality, eco-agricultural sustainable food production, corn sovereignty (small production vs. large agro-industrial production), and invasive species of flora and fauna (e.g. introduction of trout in Cajas). Experiential learning will be a significant element of the course and students will regularly visit local communities, NGOs, museums, governmental offices, etc. so that students can learn from those who are most affected by these issues. Additionally, students will observe local community members’ engagement in political activism, artistic expression, and cultural practices that illustrate their experiences with the environment and their efforts to pursue alternative ways of interfacing with the natural world. While each of the environmental challenges mentioned above is present in and around Cuenca, the course explicitly explores links to the broader global context. For example, gold mining has a negative impact on the environment in this region; however, mining has similar effects on various communities around the world, from coal mining in the southeastern United States to cobalt mining in central Africa. The course includes discussions around questions such as: How does the practice affect the environment (land, water, air)?  What are the reasons for these environmentally damaging practices? How are these practices affecting local and global communities of people? How are the affected communities employing artistic expression to illustrate their experiences? What alternatives have been suggested or implemented? What are the obstacles to achieving solutions?

Environment, Conservation and Policy Issues: In this course, students will be introduced to the most influential factors shaping the ecosystems and their conservation looking at the global, regional and local factors that determine the climates and the contrasting ecosystems that can be found in Ecuador. The course includes several field visits to the the lowlands of the Ecuadorian Amazon (Tiputini Biodiversity Station) and the Galápagos Islands, allowing students to experience first-hand current topics of conservation and policy issues, while discussing the main environmental challenges associated with the conservation of natural ecosystems in tropical developing countries. Additionally, this course reviews the environmental issues facing contemporary Ecuador in the context of a transforming global reality. We look at specific environmental issues that are of concern for Ecuador and the region including, the oil industry and indigenous communities in the Amazon Basin, aquaculture, and shrimp farming, introduced species, large scale ranching and deforestation, fisheries, and the management of fragile marine ecosystems such as the Galapagos. We investigate possible solutions that consider political and ecological pressures, perspectives of indigenous populations, environmentalists, the governments, NGOs, as well as international investors and multinational companies. It all revolves around this little but diverse country.

Spanish Language Course: Students will enroll in one Spanish language course. Courses range from Introductory Spanish 101 through Advanced Spanish 425. Specialized courses at the intermediate and advanced levels include "Cultura y civilización latinoamericana," "Panorámica de la literatura latinoamericana," and "Español para los negocios."

Studying in Accra, Ghana will provide students with a life-changing opportunity to live and study in a remarkable, historic city where coursework, homestays, and internships will immerse them in the vibrant and awe-inspiring culture of Ghana. The focus of the program is the complex intersections in the past and present between modern Ghana and the African diaspora in the southeastern United States. We will answer questions such as: What are the connections between Ghana and the US? How do both countries influence each other’s music, food, innovation, and fashion? When did the connections in our politics and economics have their historical beginnings? In this fall semester program, students will discover the historic and contemporary ties connecting western Africa to the US diaspora, examining topics ranging from the west African slave trade to the Pan-African movement and beyond. 

Students from three schools, Rhodes, Centre, and Sewanee, will take part in this unique liberal arts collaboration examining these intriguing and important questions. The Program Leader for each fall will be a faculty member from one of these schools.

This is a Rhodes program and all courses are Rhodes courses. The grades will appear on the student's transcript as grades earned and will be factored into the Rhodes GPA. F11 will be granted for successful completion of the program. Student applications are on the Buckman Center's website.

Course Credit for Fall 2023:

Students will take four courses, totaling 16 hours. F11 will be granted for satisfactory completion of this program.

• International Studies 255: Globalization and the Challenges of Development in Ghana - 4 credits (F9)
• Music 116: Ghanaian Popular Music - 4 credits (F5)
• History 274: Ghana and West Africa’s Pasts in the Black Atlantic - 4 credits (F3)
• International Studies 264:  Africa in World Politics: Ghanaian Perspectives - 4 credits
• Academic Internship - 4 credits

Course Descriptions:

Globalization and the Challenges of Development in Ghana:
Taught by Dr. Akosua Darkwah of the University of Ghana. (INST 255, 4 credits, F9). This course will include site visits to locations within Accra that highlight fashion, food, and gender and entrepreneurship. We will begin with a brief history of markets in Ghana as we begin to define "What is Globalization?" From various interpretations and meanings of globalisation, we will investigate globalization’s influence on society including cultural implications. We will discuss topics such as transnationalism, agricultural developments, real estate, manufacturing, and even alternatives to globalization. How does globalization interface with social justice movements and women's rights? What part does Ghana play in international relations for the local region and continent of Africa? We will answer these and other questions as we explore our global Ghana.

Ghanaian Popular Music:
Taught by Dr. Eric Doe of the University of Ghana. (MUSC 116, 4 credits, F5). Highlife music has emerged as one of the most popular world music genres from West Africa in the last century. The music tradition's success on the world stage is closely associated with its Trans-Atlantic influences and the impact of African traditional and imported Western and Black Diasporic performance norms. The present proliferation and popularization of various musical styles marketed as 'highlife' or Ghanaian popular music point to the fact that Ghanaian musical expressions draw their musical characteristics from indigenous Ghanaian music heritage juxtaposed with ideas borrowed from the West. Styles are differentiated according to time, place, and cultural influences concerning embellishment, language choice, vocal timbres, and instrumental resources. This course analyses the musical varieties within genres marketed as Ghanaian 'popular' or "highlife" music. It offers broader political, economic, and socio-historical perspectives on various factors rooted in ethnicity, gender, identity, Pan-Africanism, and generational class relations that have contributed to contemporary understandings of Ghanaian ‘popular’ and highlife music. Our exploration of Highlife will range from the relationships between Ghanaian and West African music research to the marketing of highlife music today, from ethnographic approaches to Ghanaian performance to the philosophical and ethical considerations involved in studying it. Throughout the course, we will consider how Ghanaian 'popular' musicians and related groups have created a range of sound worlds under considerable social, political, and commercial pressure.

Academic Internship and weekly seminar:
Led by Dr. Elsie Gaisie-Ahiabu, an international educator based in Accra. An unpaid academic internship would replace course #1 or #2 above. (Depends on major and pre-approval from Career Services is required. 4 credits). Students will attend a weekly seminar in addition to 10+ hours of internship each week. Students will be placed in internship/service learning assignments at various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), healthcare providers, research institutes, and other local agencies, referred to as ‘attachments’ in Ghana, that are designed to complement the global health and development emphasis of the program, as well as to meet the individual interest of each student. The actual placement of each student will be based on his/her unique academic background, training, skills, and personal interests. The types of attachments available to students are numerous and include areas as diverse as health; environment; family planning; women’s empowerment; new information and communication technologies; agriculture; education; literacy; culture and arts; tourism; politics; economics and business; mass media, and others. Internship duties and responsibilities vary depending on the specific needs of the organization, however, they can include writing, researching, job shadowing, interviewing, advising, teaching, community organizing, mentoring, training, fundraising, photographing, and a variety of other alternatives. The weekly seminar is designed to assist students in working cross-culturally in Accra and to gain the fullest benefit from undertaking an international academic internship. Students will also be given information about ethics, safety, and professionalism in the context of their internship placements. The seminar may include a site visits, weekend field excursions, and day-long community service projects. The internship carries 4 credits, but the weekly seminar is non-credit bearing.

Ghana and West Africa’s Pasts in the Black Atlantic*:
Taught by Dr. Kofi Baku of the University of Ghana. (HIST 274, 4 credits, F3). This course will be coupled with an overnight field trip to the north of the country, the origins for many people who were enslaved and then brought to the Ghanaian coast for transport to the Americas. Student will also visit Cape Coast, the site for two UNESCO World Heritage sites: the “slave castles” Elmina Castle and Cape Coast Castle. This course provides an introduction to slavery in Ghana and West Africa and the Atlantic slave trade out of West Africa. The course uses Ghana as a window to explore the history and material culture of slavery and the Atlantic slave trade in West Africa. It combines lectures, class discussions, documentaries, and field trips to sites of enslavement, slave markets and resistance to slavery and student analysis of contemporary sources. Instead of presenting a comprehensive survey, covering every aspect of this vast subject, this course takes a topical approach by focusing on a selection of themes and issues that are crucial to developing an understanding of slavery in Ghana and West Africa and the slave trade across the Atlantic. Themes to be covered include slavery and nation building in West Africa, African and European agency in slavery and slave trade; slavery and slave trade in framing the social structure of Ghana and West Africa; the legacies of slavery in Ghana and West Africa and the ways in which slavery is remembered in Ghana and West Africa. Throughout the course, we will pay attention to the debilitating effects of slavery and the slave trade on West Africa and on its development.

Africa in World Politics: Ghanaian Perspectives*:
Taught by Dr. Amy Patterson, Sewanee. (INTS 264, 4 credits). This course examines the challenges, successes, and failures of the continent’s political development, with a particular focus on Ghana. It begins by investigating how colonialism and nationalism affected politics, society, and economies. It then examines post-independence governments, democratic transitions, political institutions, and significant political actors. Using the Ghana case, it questions how ethnicity, gender, and religious identities play into these dynamics, and it questions how Ghana has been able to develop a stable democratic system, while many other African countries have experienced authoritarian rule. Expanding beyond domestic politics, the course pays particular attention to the ways that the African Union, ECOWAS, and donor nations shape politics in Ghana. In the process, it links Ghanaian politics and society to diasporic factors and populations. 

*These two courses are mandatory for all participants. Students will select an additional two courses, or an additional course plus academic internship, for a total of 16 credits.

The New York City Internship Program takes place in the fall semester in NYC and is composed of one 8-hour internship and two 4-credit classes, for a total of 16 academic credits.

Students will challenge themselves through an intensive internship and study experience in the vibrant and culturally and linguistically heterogeneous environment of New York City. They will gain meaningful, real-world work experience in New York City, learning experientially in several domains: career readiness and marketability, training in cross-cultural adaptation to one of the largest and busiest cites in the US, and academically through the two 4-credit courses offered on this program. One benefit from the urban setting of New York City is its proximity to museums, libraries, theatres, galleries, nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, and global industries, such as finance.

This pre-professional program leverages our strong alumni community and internship opportunities in NYC with two academic courses on the history of the people of New York and the theatre industry on and off Broadway. This is a collaborative program between Centre, Sewanee, and Rhodes: each school will send students to participate. Student applications are on the Buckman Center's website.

Rhodes Summer Programs, commonly referred to as "Maymesters", take place over the summer in May, June, July, or August. Generally, programs may begin as early as the day after Commencement and will end before Opening Convocation. Most Maymesters are about three weeks long, though they may take place over as few as two weeks or as many as six weeks. Most Maymesters are international, though several are domestic.

In consultation with the Director of the Buckman Center for International Education, faculty members propose, design, and lead their own Maymesters. It's normal for program development to take about 11 months.

Course Content: Generally, each Maymester's coursework takes place within the academic discipline of the faculty leader. For course titles, descriptions, credits, and Foundations credit, see the Buckman Center's website for current Maymester programs. 

Rhodes typically offers 10-12 Maymesters each summer, based on faculty interest and availability. Some programs operate every year; others alternate years or are only offered every several years. New programs are always being developed, thanks to the Buckman International Curricular Development Grants, which provide funds for faculty to travel/research for the development of new Maymesters.

The following is a list of Maymesters offered in the last several years, with an * next to ones operating Summer 2023:

• Ancient Greek Mythology
• Art and Art History: Archaeological Fieldwork in Greece
• Arts and Language Across Spain*
• Buddhism in Thai Society*
• Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project*
• Classical Music Appreciation in Vienna
• Environmental Archaeology at Ames* (domestic)
• Environmental Field Study in Namibia*
• French Immersion Maymester in Togo*
• Health and Mental Health Disparities in an International Context, The Case of Thailand
• Healthy Cities: The Political Economy of Urban Policymaking
• Holocaust Travel Seminar
• Intensive Language - German
• Intensive Language - Russian
• International Business Cases and Religion in the Low Country*
• Rhodes in China: Chinese and Political Science
• Rhodes in Rennes: French National and Regional Identity and Culture
• Search Abroad in Latin America
• South Africa Maymester: Business and Psychology*
• Spanish Immersion in Ecuador*
• Summer School in London*
• Summer Study in Europe
• The Urban World of the First Christians