UCLA Travel Study

Political Science: Domestic and Foreign Politics in Europe

  • Dates

    Not offered for 2023

  • Location

    London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris

  • 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*

Analyze European politics from London to Brussels, Amsterdam, and Paris. Examine the individual systems of government in Britain, the Netherlands and France and the role played by these countries in world politics. The program often includes visits to governmental agencies such as the EU and the Dutch Parliament as well as other group activities.

Curriculum

Program Courses

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

  • POL SCI 127A: Atlantic Area in World Politics (4 units; taught by Prof. O’Neill)
  • POL SCI 153A*: West European Government and Politics (4 units; taught by Prof. Sissa)

Prerequisites:  None

*Can be applied towards the Diversity requirement for the School of Arts and Architecture. 

Students who have previously taken 153A may substitute this course with POL SCI 199 (4 quarter units).  Please note that this 199-course substitution differs from the optional 199 directed research course available to students for an additional 4 units, as described below.

Optional Course

Political Science 199: Directed Research (4 units)

You may earn independent study units by writing an academically rigorous paper about 3500 words in length. You must obtain your instructor’s approval on the subject and format. Please note that deadlines for research papers apply even if you plan to travel after the program ends. There is an additional fee for this independent study course.

Students can enroll in optional courses by submitting the Optional Course Registration Form, as well as proof of instructor consent, to info@ieo.ucla.edu. You can enroll up until the Friday of the second week of your program.

Grading

The grade for both courses is based mainly upon an examination to be administered at the end of the stay in Paris and covering all four weeks of your studies. The format of the examination will be announced by your instructor and varies among instructors. Depending on the instructor, there may be some options to the final examination as a means of evaluation.

Lectures

Lectures occur from 10:00am–1:00pm during the weekdays and often times include afternoon excursions. Schedule is subject to change. A detailed schedule will be provided at a later date.

Textbooks and Course Materials

The more you know before you go, the more you will learn during the program. If at all possible, before leaving find a copy of Joseph Colomer, ed., Political Institutions in Europe, and read the chapters on Britain, France, the Low Countries, and the European Union. The chapters on Britain and France in Jeffrey Kopstein and Mark Lichbach, eds., Comparative Politics, offer excellent background for the course, but like most textbooks on comparative government, this one lacks coverage of Dutch politics. Since the Netherlands is the world’s most developed democratic state, understanding Dutch politics clarifies many mysteries about democracy. If you prepare by reading a book that does not cover the Dutch case, you will benefit from also reading Rudy Andeweg and Galen A. Irwin, Governance and Politics of the Netherlands: Second Edition. A useful survey of European affairs is Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945 by Tony Judt.  Don’t spend time taking detailed notes, just become familiar with these works. While none of these books is required, all of them are worth reading, will help you understand the lectures, and will enrich your experience in Europe.

Budget and Financial Aid

Budget UC Undergrads UC Grad Students Visiting Students
Program Fee TBA TBA TBA
Textbooks (estimate) $150 $150 $150
Airfare (estimate) $0 $0 $0
Meals (estimate) $0 $0 $0
Spending Money (estimate) $800 $800 $800

Program fee includes registration and course fees, accommodations, program excursions and health insurance.

Program fee also includes transportation between London, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Paris.

Airfare, textbooks, optional courses, 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. For more information please click here.

Budgeting

We recommend that you budget accordingly to cover optional sightseeing, laundry, 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.

Optional 199 Course Fee
Optional 199 UC Undergrads UC Grad Students Visiting Students
Course Fee $279 per unit $349 per unit TBA per unit

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

Financial Aid

Financial aid for 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

Participants will reside in double or triple occupancy hotel rooms in London, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Paris. 

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

Meals

Students are responsible for all meals not provided by the program. Breakfast is provided in Amsterdam & Brussels. No breakfast is included in London and Paris as accommodations include kitchenettes where students can prepare meals. There are also a number of restaurants and fast food places near the accommodations in all cities.

If you have strict dietary requirements you may encounter difficulty finding suitable food. Please let us know when you apply for the program if you have any special dietary needs, as well as any physical or medical conditions.

Excursions

This program includes several excursions as part of its curriculum. In past years this program has visited Greenwich, the European Union, the Binnenhof, Vaux le Vicomte, and has taken a cruise of the Seine river in Paris.  Costs associated with field trips are included in the price of the program. Excursions listed are subject to change and a confirmed schedule of excursions will be available at a later date.

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

Student Stories

Jesse Arianna Gonzales

2016 Program Correspondent

Political Science Major