How to propose a Wintersession Travel Course

Application Process & Materials

Proposals for Global Summer Studies 2025 and Wintersession Travel Courses 2026 must be submitted by faculty via Coursedog by September 25th 2024 at 11:59PM. Interested parties can submit a course for one term or both terms. Applicants will be given Coursedog credentials for submission by the Registrar’s Office only after confirming their intent to propose with RISD Global via email: global@risd.edu.

Submit your proposal no later than September 25, 2024 at 11:59 PM. As this is a competitive submission process, late submissions will not be considered.

Faculty must complete a course proposal form (via Coursedog) including the following materials:

1. A short abstract/course description including your familiarity with the proposed location.
2. Draft syllabus (per the syllabus guidelines)
3. Draft itinerary, including details of the type of accommodations and local transport being planned and links to potential accommodation solutions if/as known
4. Draft budget
5. Signed Faculty Terms of Agreement
6. Draft syllabus for an on-campus alternate course (in the event that the travel course is under enrolled or canceled due to risk in the region of the travel course)

The relevant Department Head and Dean must approve the course proposal and supporting materials (draft syllabus, budget, itinerary) to progress the proposal via Coursedog. It is the responsibility of the proposing faculty to ensure the proposal is submitted via Coursedog by September 25th 2024 at 11:59PM. Applicants will be given Coursedog credentials for submission by the Registrar’s Office only after confirming their intent to propose with RISD Global via email: global@risd.edu.
 

Eligibility

• Full-time and part-time faculty are eligible to propose to lead/co-lead a Wintersession Travel Course.
• To submit the proposal, the faculty member must have a delegated TU approval from their Department Head and Dean for the respective academic year.
• It is highly recommended that the faculty member proposing the course have a strong familiarity with the location, and preference is given to those applicants with demonstrated experience teaching students in a travel course environment.
• All faculty who lead off-campus global learning courses must comply with RISD’s policy for off-campus teaching. Before submitting your proposal, please review the policy and ensure you are willing to comply with this policy.
• Each travel course must be led by either two RISD faculty or a RISD faculty and graduate student TA. It is preferable that the faculty member partners with another faculty member (full- or part-time) in the Liberal Arts Division and/or a studio department to collaborate and propose a 6-credit Wintersession Travel Course that combines studio and liberal arts, two liberal arts, or two studio courses. 
• All continents would be applicable; priority will be given to programs taking place in unique destinations. 

Selection Process & Criteria

Based on the submissions received, RISD’s Deans Council, in collaboration with the Provost and RISD Global, will select proposals to be realized during Wintersession 2026.

Deans Council Review

Each year the selection process for Wintersession Travel Courses is competitive due to the high quality of all submissions received. As such, all members of the Deans Council consider a number of criteria to make the final annual selection of courses:

• The strength of the academic mission, the proposed curriculum and how the itinerary supports the realization of those goals, and the proposed learning outcomes.
• Evidence that faculty are considering methodologies to prepare students for the local context the course will take place within: cultural, socio-economic, and that of art, design and/or architecture.
• The total cost to student for the course is a consideration. Faculty must include accessible and realistic cost expectations for the course in order for the reviewers to assess this accurately. The ideal the range is from $4,000 to $7,000. Higher cost does not necessarily mean the proposal will not be accepted, but reviewers try to ensure a range to appeal to diverse student means.
• Locations are taken into consideration in order to ensure a diversity of locations can be offered. Sometimes the school can run multiple courses in one country/area, but the approved portfolio should span a variety of destinations. Critical review of proposed locations is also meant to ensure we can best support travel and the health and well-being of the faculty and students to the area during the projected term.
• Locations within Africa, Latin America, Asia and South Asia are considered strategic geographies for RISD global academic engagements and a relevant cultural context for student’s global investigation and awareness.
• Diversity of offerings: many summer courses are highly successful and the school is supportive of repeat offerings. That said, it is important for our faculty and students to offer a diversity of courses, as well as a range across Global Summer and Wintersession. To this end, courses may be selected one year and not the next. We encourage all to continue to submit interest as desired, if a course is not accepted one year as it may be in future years.
• The Deans Council proactively seeks a balance of the disciplines represented as well as to ensure there are Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, and Architecture and Design travel course offerings each projected term.

RISD Global's Role

• Advises and supports faculty (upon request) on the location, organization, and details of travel courses and studios during the course preparation stages
• Promotes the course and supports faculty in outreach to students, student advising, and group info-sessions
• Supports faculty and students through the various application, selection, scholarships, and registration processes
• After the course is fully registered and confirmed to run, works closely with the faculty and other offices on campus to support all travel arrangements and confirmations
• Leads the pre-departure orientation and trainings for faculty and students
• Provides faculty/students with pre-departure materials and student forms, registers all students and faculty for mandatory health and safety insurance
• Ensures that the International Incident Response Team (IIRT), Public Safety, and Student Affairs are prepared to support these course participants while off-campus
• Oversees, in collaboration with International SOS, RISD Public Safety and Risk Management, issues that arise on the course while off-campus
• Presents documentation of the courses, when possible, to further promote and support unique off-campus teaching and learning experiences

Past Wintersession Travel Courses can be found here.