Featured Programs

2025 Programs Led by UW Bothell Faculty

Study abroad programs offered at all UW campuses are available to UW Bothell students. This page features a list of all opportunities led by UW Bothell Faculty. For full UW lists, visit the following directories:

• List of all UW programs now accepting applications.
• UW Study Abroad program search.

*Some programs are pending approval. Details are subject to change.

Summer Quarter 2025

India: Population Health in a Cultural Context

Led by Linda Eaton and Jamie Shirley, NHS | 12 credits
This program will provide students with an experiential learning opportunity while examining how resource limitations and the social determinants of health intersect with population health. In collaboration with the Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore in southern India, students will have to opportunity to work in the community through College of Nursing Community Health (CONCH) programs to explore innovative systems of community care intended to reduce health inequities, the impact of health and social policies, as well as the cultural influences of post-colonialism and historical caste-based systems. Students will participate in classes throughout the summer quarter leading up to the two-week study abroad.

Summer A-Term 2025

Smart Cities South Korea: Communities, Technologies, and Climate Resiliency

Led by Jin-Kyu Jung, IAS, and Gunwha Oh, Geography, UW Seattle | 12 credits: 5 credits BISGST 497 Smart Cities South Korea, 5 credits BIS 498 independent research, 2 credits Korean language | June 22 – July 19 | ~$6,050 program fee
Through hands-on experiences in three Korean cities, this community- and student-centered program will provide students with a critical reflection on the possibilities and challenges of smart city policy, planning, and urbanism in the context of modern cities in Korea.

• How are innovations bounded, produced, and organized by individuals, communities, and institutions in the cities?
• How does the production of new digital technology and new forms of innovative economic activity blend into the existing urban fabric?
• What would be forms of collaborative democracy and inclusive citizen participation in smart city planning, and how could it respond and address inequality, justice, and the social and digital divide?

Early Fall 2025

Peru: Andes to Amazon – Biodiversity, Conservation, and Sustainability

Led by Ursula Valdez, IAS and Tim Billo, UW Seattle| 5 credits of BIS 480
We will explore the fascinating diversity of this region, while studying the conservation challenges confronting it. Through surveys of the biodiversity, and meetings with indigenous people, land-use managers, conservationists, and other stakeholders, we will analyze sustainable alternatives for the conservation of this world biodiversity hotspot. 

Rwanda: Leadership and Nation Building

Led by Ron Krabill and Ben Gardner, IAS | 5 credits | Aug 28 – Sept 19 | $4,450 program fee
In this three-week study abroad program, students will immerse themselves in Rwanda, a country that has reimagined itself and rebuilt its economy and society after the 1994 genocide. We have built a unique partnership with the African Leadership University, a university that serves students from many different African countries. UW students will have the chance to collaborate closely with university students from Rwanda and several other African countries during their time in Rwanda. Students will learn about Rwanda’s efforts to rebuild its society after the genocide. After learning about history, culture, economics and leadership, students will have the opportunity to focus on a particular topic or theme to explore. Themes include Human Rights, Post-Genocide Peace and Reconciliation, Sports and Development, Global Health. Women’s Rights, Tourism and Eco-Tourism, and Urban Planning and Development. UW students will work in teams with ALU students on final projects and presentations.

Spain: Hacking the Future: ​Cybersecurity  and AI Challenges

Led by Mike Stiber and Jeff Kim, STEM-CSS | mid-Aug – mid-Sept | 5 credits of CSS 390
Spain’s membership in the EU and NATO presents opportunities for UW students to broaden their thinking beyond technology topics and beyond the context of US government and industry. Participants will engage with faculty and students from the University of Leon’s Research Institute of Applied Sciences in Cybersecurity, as well as local industry representatives, such as the Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE). Working on case studies or technical challenges in small project teams consisting of pre-majors, CSS majors, and students from the local institution, they will apply their technical skills in an intercultural context. Company visits and guest lectures will explore current challenges in software development and expose students to career pathways.

Thailand: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Southeast Asia

Led by James Reinnoldt, Business | 5 credits of BBUS 490 | ~$4,900 program fee
CSR refers to a company’s responsibility beyond its traditional shareholders; companies need to be responsive to the needs of a broader group of stakeholders that are directly and indirectly impacted by their actions: shareholders, consumers, employees, business partners, suppliers, and local communities. This program provides students with the opportunity to observe firsthand how companies in Thailand and Cambodia are responding to these challenges through CSR programs in partnerships with NGOs, government agencies and local communities. Housing in hotels with breakfast, a few other meals, and all local activities and excursions are included in the program fee. Read about UW Bothell students’ experiences on this program by visiting our blog.

Jordan: Sustainable Biotechnology

Led by Salwa Al-Noori, STEM | 5 credits of B BIO 430 (NSc, DIV)
This multi-disciplinary program introduces students to biotechnology, including foundational concepts, approaches, methods, techniques, and applications focused on current local and global needs. Students will be exposed to clinical contexts (both diagnostic and therapeutic) and disease physiology (examples include diabetes, stroke, various neurological conditions, and various immunological conditions, among others) that biotechnology and its applications are developed to address. An application-based component will interface students with the biotechnology sector in the form of guest presentations / workshops / information sessions with biotechnology practitioners along with either “shadowing” or “mini-internships” in which students will be able to observe and engage in biotechnology applications.

Autumn 2025

Japan and America: Comparative Histories and Cultures

Led by David Goldstein, IAS | 12 credits | Sept 24 – Dec 5, 2025 | $7,500 fee
Compare aspects of Japanese and American history and culture through film, media and cultural site visits in the greater Tokyo region. The program begins with 1.5 weeks of prep activities in the Seattle area, followed by 8 weeks in Japan. Participants will collaborate with peers at the Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba Prefecture for several weeks of the program. 

Participants will earn the following credits:

• BIS 162: Race, Gender, and Sexuality through Film and Television (A&H, DIV, 5 credits) 
• BIS 464: Topics in Advanced Cinema Studies (A&H, 5 credits) or BISGST 497: Advanced Topics in Global Studies (SSc, 5 credits)
• BIS 499: Directed Reading (2 credits)

Your Belly and Brain in Spain

Led by Lori Robins, STEM | 15 credits | $7,250 program fee
Spain is one of the best places to experience life in all its wonder… food, art, architecture, as well as Mediterranean love, viva culture, and the nearly universal Spanish language. This program, located in Leon, a small town with easy access to Madrid, will fully engage students in life in Spain, but also delve into how the brain and body process aesthetic experiences from a neurobiology and a biochemical perspective. Participants will gain greater appreciation for life as you live it in Spain, as well as upon your return home.

Courses:
Your brain in Spain: This course will explore the ‘neuroaesthetic triad’ – portions of central and peripheral nervous systems that comprise the senses, knowledge (memories/culture/history), and emotions – and how these influence our sensory experiences.

Biochemistry of Cooking in Spain: This course will use field trips to fermentation and food processing facilities to provide a hands-on experience to see how chemical transformations lead to edible products that are consumed as part of the Spanish diet.

B CUSP 296 Survey of History and Culture of Spain (SSc, 5 credits)

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