2027 Faculty-Led Education Abroad Programs
Application Link and Deadline
Direct Link to Apply: tinyurl.com/FLEAPWriting27
Priority Deadline: February 14, 2027
Faculty Leader
- Dr. Reza Aslan, UCR Professor of Creative Writing
Cost
- More to come in Fall 2026
Classes
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CRWT 185: Special Topics in Nonfiction (4 units).
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CRWT 190: Special Studies (4 units).
Immerse yourself in Amsterdam while learning how to transform the experience of travel into compelling narrative nonfiction. This intensive summer course uses the city itself as both classroom and subject, teaching students to sharpen their powers of observation and turn unfamiliar places, people, and experiences into story. Through visits to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, the canals of Amsterdam, and Zaanse Schans, as well as opportunities for independent exploration, students will study the craft of narrative writing—focusing on voice, character, scene, setting, and description—while engaging deeply with Dutch history, art, culture, and everyday life. Through field notes, writing exercises, workshops, and encounters with the people and places around them, students will ultimately craft a polished long-form narrative rooted in their experience abroad.
What Former Students Said About This Travel Writing FLEAP
Studying creative writing abroad last summer in Rome with Dr. Aslan changed my life forever. I no longer look at strangers the same way, tell stories the same way, or write the same way because my eyes are now open to the imaginable. I would highly recommend Dr. Aslan’s study abroad program to any student interested in tapping into parts of themselves they never knew existed. If you want to learn more about who you are, experience another culture, connect with people across cultures, and discover what makes you you outside of your own inner bubble, then this is definitely the program for you.
Jazzy (Junior)
The Writing the World program helped me grow as a writer and a person in a way I never expected; I learned so much about a foreign city and myself.
Hope (Senior)
Itinerary Highlights
- Walking tour of Amsterdam
- Canal boat tour
- A guided tour of the Anne Frank House
- Entrance to the Van Gogh Museum
- Day trip to The Hague, including a walking tour
- Day trip to Zaandam, Netherlands, famous for its historic windmills
- Student apartment housing in Amsterdam
Flyer
Apply Here: Writing the World: Narrative Travel Writing in Amsterdam
Application Link and Deadline
Direct Link to Apply: tinyurl.com/FLEAPEdPsych27
Priority Deadline: February 14, 2027
Faculty Leader
- Dr. Carlos Calderón, UCR Associate Professor of Teaching
Classes
- EDUC 109P: Educational Psychology in Spanish-Speaking Contexts (4 units)
- EDUC 197: Research with Minoritized Language and Culture Students (4 units)
Educational Psychology in Spain is a four-week, Madrid-based program in which students complete two 4-unit UCR courses: EDUC 109P: Educational Psychology in Spanish-Speaking Contexts, and EDUC 197: Research with Minoritized Language and Culture Students.
Students will study linguistic and cultural diversity in Spain and its connection to California; multicultural and bilingual development and its relevance to the education and psychology professions; and school psychology foundations with diverse learners from a scientist-practitioner perspective. The program blends classroom learning with cultural immersion through museum visits, day excursions, and guest lectures by local educators and bilingual psychologists. Students work on and present a research project at the end of the program
Activities include:
- Welcome meal and orientation in Madrid
- Madrid walking city tour
- Guided visit to the Museo Nacional del Prado
- Tapas crawl in Madrid
- Farewell meal in Madrid
- Toledo day trip
- Segovia day trip
Who is this FLEAP perfect for?
A motivated UCR undergraduate or graduate student in Education, Psychology, or related fields who values bilingualism, cultural equity, and applied research. Typically a sophomore, junior, or senior with a solid academic record (about 3.0 + GPA), the student is eager to study educational psychology in Spanish-speaking contexts, wishes to have an immersion experience in Madrid, and complete a small research project. Spanish proficiency is not required, but interest in practicing Spanish is welcome.
Flyer
Apply Here: Educational Psychology in Spain
Application Link and Deadline
Direct Link to Apply: tinyurl.com/MedicalJapan27
Priority Deadline: February 14, 2027
Faculty Leader
- Dr. Fuson Wang, UCR Professor of English and Co-Director of the Medical and Health Humanities (MHHS) Minor
Cost
- More to come in Fall 2026
Classes
- MHHS 191: Medical & Health Humanities Studies Capstone (4 units).
- ENGL 141: Literature & Disability (4 units).
This experiential learning program will fast-track students in UCR's Medical and Health Humanities Studies (MHHS) minor. The minor is for students interested in pursuing professional medical careers with an eye on health equity and social justice, humanities majors who want to ground their theoretical studies in real-world applications, and any student interested in how our aging population will affect future political structures and economic decisions.
The requirements of the minor include 5 courses: an introductory course, 3 upper-division electives, and a capstone seminar. This FLEAP program will satisfy 2 out of 5 of those requirements in just 5 weeks: MHHS191 (the capstone seminar) and ENGL141 (an upper-division elective on “Literature and Disability”).
In 2 weeks of intensive study and 3 weeks of international travel, students will learn about the medical and health humanities research being done at UCR as well as our literary, philosophical, and sociopolitical constructions of normative and nonnormative embodiment.
While in Japan, we will visit medical history museums, creative and publication industries, eldercare and disability communities, NGO facilities, and welfare complexes. Through these hands-on experiences and other cultural enrichment programs, students will learn how a humanities-based approach to medicine can help us imagine and achieve more functional systems of health equity, disability justice, and ethical care.
Itinerary Highlights
- One-day city tour of Meiji Jingu, a Shinto sanctuary in Tokyo's urban forest
- Entrance to the Daiichi Sankyo Medicine Museum
- Entrance to the Tsumura Kampo Memorial Museum
- Visits to an eldercare NGO/facility and an NGO related to disability & community-building
- Travel on the Shinkansen high-speed train
- A Japanese tea ceremony and kimono-wearing experience
- A farewell dinner in Tokyo
- Free weekends in Tokyo and Kobe to explore city sites
Flyer
Apply Here: Medical Humanities in Japan
Application Link and Deadline
Direct Link to Apply: tinyurl.com/FLEAPPR27
Priority Deadline: February 14, 2027
Faculty Leader
- Dr. Randol Contreras, UCR Professor of Media & Cultural Studies
Cost
More to come in Fall 2026.
Classes
- MCS 159: Race, Space, and Identity (4 units)
- MCS 190: Special Studies (4 units)
We welcome you to join us for our second FLEAP in San Juan, Puerto Rico, home of Bad Bunny.
Professor Contreras teaches MCS 159: Race, Space, and Identity and MCS 190: Special Studies on Anti-Blackness. The course MCS 190 (Anti-Blackness) introduces students to racism and colorism in Puerto Rico. The MCS 159 course examines the intersection of race, space, and identity in contemporary Puerto Rican culture, including an exploration of Puerto Rico’s reggaeton culture. Both courses provide the context for students to learn about Bad Bunny’s political activity in Puerto Rico. More importantly, instructors will train students in interviewing and film recording so that they can collect the views of Puerto Ricans on Bad Bunny’s impact on the island. To supplement this, guest lecturers will provide overviews of Puerto Rico's history, government, drug policies, and laws. In all, students will gain a global understanding of the links between racism, colonialism, identity, and reggaeton in Puerto Rico.
Activities in San Juan include guest talks from El Otro PR, the Hasta Bajo Project, a guided community tour of La Perla in Old San Juan, a visit to Urbe Apie, including a discussion with an organization representative, a visit to Colectivo Ile, including a conversation with an organization representative, cultural guided visits/activities, a walking tour of Old San Juan, Isla Verde Beach, cooking class, Bomba y Plena workshop, walking tour of Loíza (including a discussion on Black history with a representative from Taller Salud, the organization that runs the Acuerdo de Paz project. Finally, the program includes a day trip to El Yunque National Rainforest and local beaches.
The professor will hold the program's first two weeks at UCR to decrease student costs. This ensures students build a solid knowledge base without the distractions of being out of state for the first time. It also lowers overall costs for students since they will be abroad for only three weeks rather than five.
Join us for this baile inolvidable in Puerto Rico, otra vez.
Flyer
Apply Here: Race, Politics, and Bad Bunny in Puerto Rico
Application Link and Deadline
Direct Link to Apply: tinyurl.com/FLEAPJapan27
Priority Deadline: February 14, 2027
Faculty Leaders
- Dr. Yasuhiko Miura, UCR Lecturer in Japanese
- Dr. Reiko Sato, UCR Lecturer in Japanese
Cost
Estimated cost: $6,597 for tuition and program fees.
Classes
- JPN 003: First-Year Japanese (4 units)
- JPN 004: Second-Year Japanese (4 units)
You must have taken and passed JPN 1 and JPN 2 (or been placed at the equivalent level) by the end of Spring 2027. For new speakers, JPN 1 is offered in Winter 2027, and JPN 2 is offered in Spring 2027. If you take JPN 1 in Winter 2027 and do not receive at least a "B" grade, the professors may discuss your ability to participate in this program. Email the professors with questions about either class or about any Japanese placement exams.
This intensive five-week program combines two quarters of Japanese language study (JPN 3 and JPN 4), including four weeks in Japan. It is designed for students who have completed JPN 2, will complete JPN 2 by the end of Spring 2027, or are placed into JPN 3 through a placement test.
Students will spend two weeks each in Kyoto and Saitama/Tokyo, taking morning classes at our host universities. Afternoons offer opportunities to explore and immerse themselves in Japanese beyond the classroom. Through excursions, daily life experiences, and interactions with students from our host universities, students will have unique opportunities to experience both traditional and contemporary Japan.
From Kyoto, the heart of Japan’s rich cultural heritage, to Tokyo, a vibrant hub of modern trends and pop culture, students will deepen their understanding of Japanese society while building meaningful connections with local students. These immersive experiences will bring classroom learning to life and make Japan itself an exciting extension of the classroom.
Activities include:
- Anime studio tour in Tokyo
- Entrance to TeamLab Biovortex Kyoto, an art museum
- Entrance to the Edo-Tokyo Museum
- Visit to Fushimi Inari Shrine and other shrines/temples in Kyoto
- Exploring Shibuya and Harajuku in Tokyo for pop culture.
- Exploring Akihabara and Ikebukuro in Tokyo for anime & manga lovers
- Classes at Ryukoku University and Saitama University
- Optional excursions include trips to Osaka, Nara, University Studio Japan, Tokyo Disney Resorts, etc. (fees are not included in the program fee below)
Who is this FLEAP perfect for?
This program is designed to cater to a variety of student interests and needs, including:
- Students wanting to improve their Japanese language skills: Students can accelerate their Japanese language learning by applying what they learn in class to real-life situations in Japan. Students who wish to continue learning Japanese can enroll in Japanese 5 in Winter 2028 and advance to higher levels.
- Students wanting to complete their language requirement: Students who need to fulfill their foreign language requirement can complete it by successfully completing this program, provided they have passed JPN2 by the end of Spring 2027.
- Students interested in Japan and Japanese culture: Students can deepen their understanding of Japan by experiencing everyday life firsthand, exploring traditional culture, and discovering contemporary pop culture, including anime, manga, and fashion. Heritage learners may also find this program a valuable opportunity to reconnect with their roots and deepen their understanding of their cultural identity.
Students with prior Japanese language experience must take a placement test to be placed in JPN3 to participate.
Flyer
