The Global Seminars are six-week, credit-bearing courses that take place abroad. Seminars are led by University faculty who have created a unique program that can only be fully experienced by traveling to the country at the heart of its subject matter.
Each seminar features lectures by seminar faculty and guests, language classes, weekend excursions to sites relevant to the course, among other activities. Seminars are open to 12 to 15 Princeton undergraduates, including freshmen, sophomores and juniors. To date, more than 1,000 undergraduates and 57 faculty have participated in 65 seminars in 24 countries. Currently, PIIRS annually offers 7 to 9 Global Seminars. PIIRS invites faculty to submit proposals for summer 2025 Global Seminars, including the creation of new seminars or the enhancement and redesign of previously taught Global Seminars.
Applications
For 2026 Global Seminars, applications will be accepted by email to Trisha Craig beginning Monday, November 13, 2024, through Thursday, February 15, 2025. Decisions will be announced by Wednesday, March 20, 2025.
Preliminary Inquiries
We encourage interested faculty to contact PIIRS in advance of submitting an application to avoid duplication and to confirm that the proposal/site is feasible for summer 2026 Global Seminars. (Faculty are welcome to inquire about offering Global Seminars in 2027 and beyond.)
Have questions?
Trisha Craig can provide information on the application process.
Application Components
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Preliminary Syllabus
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Submit a 3-4 page syllabus that details the rationale for this Global Seminar and course content for all 6 weeks, including reading and writing assignments, excursions (no more than 2 weekend trips), and exams (if applicable). Evaluation/grading criteria should also be included, as well as information for cross-listing the course, if appropriate. After the course is selected as a Global Seminar, the preliminary syllabus will be sent to the Dean of the College for final approval.
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Personnel
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Identify names and bios of personnel. Please indicate if you have previously taught a Global Seminar and/or have experience taking and teaching students abroad. The University requires 2 adult participants for Global Seminars. This second participant could be another faculty member to co-teach the seminar. Alternatively, the second participant could be a graduate student who assists with the course. Princeton affiliation is strongly preferred, although we will entertain cases where the second adult is affiliated with another institution.
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Preliminary Onsite Arrangements
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The proposal should include the name of a potential host institution (and contact person). PIIRS reviews the faculty’s initial advice and local contacts and then works with them to identify the right support abroad — from facilities to local personnel.
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Dates
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We recommend that Global Seminars start June 3, 2024, so that students can subsequently pursue internships, research, and/or employment in the second half of the summer. Later start dates, however, are possible. Please indicate the 6-week period in which you propose to offer your seminar.