UCLA Travel Study

Global Studies:

Global Governance and the United Nations System

  • Dates

    Not Offered for 2023

  • Location

    New York City

  • Eligibility Requirement

    COVID-19 vaccine required for participation by program provider.

  • Program Fee

    UC Undergrads: TBA

    UC Grad Students: TBA

    Visiting Students: TBA

    Fees are subject to change by action of the UC Regents: View full fee disclaimer

*Program not offered for Summer 2023*

New York is the place where global policy is formed on issues ranging from terrorism to HIV prevention. This summer, you can explore the world’s most cosmopolitan city as you study the architecture of contemporary global governance and its premier international institution–the United Nations. This program is designed for students who are interested in international diplomacy and politics in areas like human rights, development, human trafficking, the International Criminal Court, war crimes, and the Responsibility to Protect.

The course meets at NYU Law School, in Greenwich Village, the most interesting and exciting part of New York City. Students live in NYU dorms near to Washington Square Park

All students are expected to have taken at least an introductory course on globalization or a comparable course in international relations prior to participating in the summer program as a basic understanding of globalization issues will be assumed for all participants.  For more information on prerequisites, see curriculum section below.

Curriculum

Program Courses

All students will enroll in two required courses while attending the program:

  • GLBL ST 110A (5 units)
  • GLBL ST 110B (5 units)

Course Descriptions

GLBL ST 110A (5 units):  Global Governance & International Institutions

GLBL ST 110B* (5 units): The UN System

*Can be applied towards the Diversity requirement for the College of Letters and Science, School of Music and Public Affairs. 

Prerequisites:

UCLA Global Studies majors– GLBL ST 1, 102, 103, and 104 
Other majors and Global Studies minor– No prerequisites

These courses will explore the multifaceted nature of contemporary globalization and the social, political and economic faces of developments. Students will examine the expansion of markets and its relationship to political processes and social dynamics. General themes about marketization, democratization and culture and identity will be analyzed in the context of the particular experiences of different countries around the world. The courses will combine required readings with class room discussion, experiential learning and primary research.

Courses fulfill UCLA Global Studies major/minor requirements (automatically); or one course can be applied to International Development Studies major Disciplinary Elective requirements; and one course can be applied to Political Science major/minor requirements by petition.

Syllabus/Schedule

TBA.  Syllabus and schedule are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.

Classes will meet Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am-noon. The precise schedule of required excursions is still pending, but students should plan on several hours per week attending class excursions.

In addition to classroom sessions and readings, in past years students have directly met with:

  • UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and UN Assistant Secretary General for Policy Robert Orr
  • Senior staff from the UN Security Council such as UN Department of Public Information and Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
  • Leading officials and advocates at Human Rights Watch, Human Rights First, and the Soros Foundation
  • Experts from the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Crisis Group
  • Diplomats from the US, UK, Australian, South Korean, Finnish, and Thai embassies in New York
  • The Special Advisor to Ban Ki-moon on the Responsibility to Protect, Edward Luck
  • The UN Bureau Chief of the Los Angeles Times
  • The UN Bureau Chief of the Washington Post Colum Lynch
  • And many other experts from Columbia, NYU, the UN University, and other schools and organizations in New York.
Grading

Travel Study courses must be taken for a letter grade.  Grades will be based on class attendance and participation, mid-term and final examinations, as well as a research paper. Grading criteria is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.

Textbooks

TBA.  You are responsible for purchasing your own textbooks.  We strongly suggest you read as much of the text material as possible before you depart. Textbook information will be available at a later date.

Budget and Financial Aid

Budget Estimate UC Undergrads UC Grad Students Visiting Student
Program Fee TBA TBA TBA
Textbooks (estimate)  $150  $150  $150
Airfare (estimate)  $600  $600  $600
Meals (estimate)  $1500  $1500  $1500
Spending Money (estimate)  $800  $800  $800

Program fee includes registration and course fees, accommodations, some meals, and program excursions.

Airfare, textbooks, optional courses, other meals, optional excursions, and any COVID-19 testing required for travel are additional.

Fees are subject to change by action of the UC Regents. View full fee disclaimer.

Document Fee

Non-UCLA students will be charged a $50 Document Fee. This is a one-time document fee which covers fees for first-class mailing of official transcripts, diploma and much more. Please visit the Registrar’s Office Website for more information. Matriculated UCLA Students: Please visit the Registrar’s Office Website for document fee information.

IEI Fee

All undergraduate students will be charged a $61 IEI fee per summer. The IEI (Instructional Enhancement Initiative) fee is a course materials fee that is charged in order to support the use of technology in undergraduate education at UCLA. 

Budgeting

We recommend that you budget accordingly to cover optional sightseeing, laundry, internet cafes, emergencies, etc.  How much to budget depends on your travel, entertainment and souvenir choices. It is always best to overestimate your spending. Take the time to research the cost of living in your destination and the activities you want to participate in while abroad.

Purchasing Airfare

Please do not purchase airfare until instructed to do so by your Travel Study Program Coordinator.

Scholarships

Merit-based scholarships of $1,000 from the UCLA International Institute are available for ten outstanding UCLA Global Studies Majors or Minors participating on a Global Studies summer program. Global Studies Majors/Minors must have a 3.50 GPA overall for their academic studies at UCLA. Since scholarships are limited in number, we recommend that UCLA students interested in the program’s scholarship also apply for financial aid by the necessary deadlines. See the Scholarships page.

Financial Aid

Financial aid for Summer Sessions Travel Study programs is available to qualified UCLA students. All other students should inquire about financial aid at their home institution. For details about the financial aid application process, please visit the Financial Aid section of this Web site.

On Location

Accommodations

Students will stay in housing provided by NYU. Rooms are double occupancy and some students may be assigned to share larger suites with other students who are not in the UCLA program. Students will not have access to kitchens in the residence hall, however, they will be provided a basic meal plan as explained below.  Please plan accordingly for all other meals.

Students need to provide their own linens (beds are extra-long twins), pillows, towels and dishware/cookware if they plan to use the kitchen.

Participants must complete an NYU Housing Application and submit this online directly to NYU Housing. The application will be made available at a later date by UCLA IEO.

UCLA Summer Travel Study reserves the right to change housing location. Should this be necessary, we will arrange comparable accommodations elsewhere.

Meals

Eight meals per week meal plan are included at NYU. Students will not have access to kitchens, so please plan accordingly for all other meals.

If you have strict dietary requirements, this program may not be able to accommodate your needs. Please let us know when you apply for this program if you have special dietary needs as well as any physical or medical conditions. We will advise you accordingly.

Excursions

Tentative excursions planned for the program include the following:

  • UN Headquarters: a tour of the General Assembly, Security Council, etc.
  • UN Development Programme offices
  • UN Population Fund offices
  • US Mission to the UN
  • Thai Mission to the UN
  • UK Mission to the UN
  • Human Rights Watch
  • Open Society Institute (Soros Foundation)
  • Center for Reproductive Rights

The final excursion itinerary will be distributed to participants. In addition to excursions, there will be several prominent guest speakers.

Limited free time is built into this program for independent sightseeing. If you plan on traveling extensively, we recommend that you budget additional spending money.