• PROGRAM DATES:  JUNE 7 to JUNE 28, 2025
• APPLICATION AND NEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15, 2025
• Follow our Brazil Blog to Learn More!

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Explore Salvador, a vibrant 475-year-old city and UNESCO World Heritage site located in the state of Bahia. Salvador, the first capital of Brazil and entry point for enslaved Africans, is known for it’s rich Afro-Brazilian culture and Portuguese colonial architecture. Engage in ecological fieldwork in surrounding coastal communities. In this studio art, environmental science, and social science integrated STEAM course, we will visit art and history museums, beaches, and ecological field sites and hold discussions about eco-racism with community members, artists, scholars, and activists. Through independent exploration of the environment, students will develop visual ethnography maps and design artistic works (artist’s books, zines, posters, etc.) to raise awareness, garner broad community support, and/or develop sustainability plans in an effort to mitigate further harm. Classes are held in both the classroom and on location throughout the program.

ABOUT THE FACULTY     

Pamela Harris Lawton, EdDCTA, MFA, is the Florence Gaskins Harper Endowed Chair in Art Education and thought leader for MICA’s Hurwitz Center. Lawton has led study away courses in Mexico and Nicaragua. In 2019, she was both a Tate Exchange Associate artist in London and Distinguished Chair Fulbright in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she facilitated artist’s book workshops with BIPOC immigrant youth. A scholar, printmaker, book, and mixed media artist, her research revolves around visual narrative and intergenerational arts learning in BIPOC communities. She has published extensively and exhibited her artwork nationally and internationally. 

Carissa Aoki, PhD, teaches in MICA’s Ecosystems, Sustainability & Justice BFA program and is an applied ecologist working at the intersection of landscapes, disturbance, and risk. She is particularly interested in applying anti-racist principles to the teaching of science, including using interdisciplinary stories to introduce non-traditional content into the curriculum. 

PROGRAM FEES

$8100 (Estimate Only). The program fee (which does not include international airfare, travelers' insurance, incidentals, and personal expenses) includes tuition for 6 undergraduate credits (total) in Art History or 3 in Art History and 3 in Humanistic Studies, housing for the duration of the program, and some meals. Some programs do not provide meals—please consult the program's coordinator for further details.

All MICA faculty-led programs are self-funded and require student participation to operate. After an exhaustive application cycle, if the required number of students enrolled in the program is not met, the Office of International Education reserves the right to cancel the program at any time. Students should never buy airfare or plan to travel to the host country until instructed to do so by the Office of International Education or the faculty program coordinator.

NON-REFUNDABLE COMMITMENT DEPOSIT

After being accepted into the program, a $300, non-refundable deposit is required, and this fee cannot be waived. It's important to note that this deposit is non-refundable. Upon acceptance, students will receive an email outlining the next steps in the official matriculation process, which include submitting this non-refundable deposit via Nelnet, MICA's preferred online payment service. In partnership with MICA Student Accounts, Nelnet has payment plan options available to help students and their families pay for their MICA faculty-led summer program in monthly increments - please consult MICA Student Accounts for more details on payment plan options.

Accepted students will also receive regular, critical follow-up emails with instructions on proceeding with their official matriculation into the program. Students must check their MICA emails regularly throughout the remainder of the semester for essential communications from faculty and study abroad staff. MICA Global Pathways programs are self-funded and require sufficient enrollment to operate. If the program receives more applications than required, the Office of International Education reserves the right to create and manage a waitlist.

CANCELLATION POLICY

We ask that all applicants carefully consider and commit to participate or not shortly after being accepted to the program. Students should be financially prepared to cover the entire program and travel expenses out of pocket, regardless of whether they receive a need-based scholarship. There is no guarantee of receiving a scholarship; even if awarded, it will only cover a small percentage of the total cost.

On Wednesday, February 28, a non-refundable acceptance deposit of $300 will be due in Nelnet, along with the student's total commitment to participate. Applicants who have submitted the $300 deposit will have until Thursday, February 29, 2024, to cancel without penalty. After that, the Office of International Education will start making payments on each student's behalf to international and domestic program and service vendors (e.g., student residence, transportation, excursions, museum passes, materials) once students have been accepted to the program.

Refund amounts are at the sole discretion of the Office of International Education in consultation with MICA Student Accounts and Financial Aid. If a student withdraws their application after Thursday, February 29, they will be responsible for a $300 withdrawal penalty (the non-refundable program deposit) and any or all costs that may have been spent or committed on their behalf. All applicants will sign an agreement acknowledging this policy in the program application. For further inquiries about this policy or to withdraw an application before the deadline, email Mike Rini at mrini@mica.edu.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarship opportunities are available to need-based undergraduate applicants in all majors. At this time, there are no need-based scholarships available for graduate students. The scholarship application can be found in the program's application, and students can opt to apply or not apply for a need-based scholarship. Additional scholarships are offered through professional and external organizations supporting study abroad can be found here. Please pay attention to external scholarship deadlines,  requirements, and disbursement timelines related to committing to this program.  External scholarship deadlines and decision timelines may not correspond with the timeline of this program.  In short, the Office of International Education cannot wait to learn if a student has/has not been awarded a scholarship outside of MICA and how it will impact a student's decision to commit or not commit to this program.

Note: Applying for a MICA need-based scholarship does not automatically mean that a student will be awarded one; scholarships are competitive and based on a compelling scholarship statement provided by the student in the program application. Award amounts for Global Pathways programs are not designed to pay the prospective student's entire program fee,  including airfare, transportation, and onsite activities. However, these scholarships are being offered to help students and their families subsidize only a part of the total costs associated with their program, providing valuable support. All prospective applicants should be prepared financially to assume the total cost of their summer study abroad program fees from the outset if they are not awarded a need-based scholarship. The scholarship application deadline is February 15, 2025. For more information about  program applications and scholarships, contact Mike Rini in the Office of International Education mrini@mica.edu

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15, 2025

See the "Apply Now" button below.  Open to MICA undergraduate and graduate students in all majors---18 years or older with a valid passport--who have completed one year of college. For more information on potential scholarships and how to apply to the program, contact Mike Rini, Office of International Education, at mrini@mica.edu

SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15, 2025.

QUESTIONS?

• Contact Dr. Pam Lawton: plawton@mica.edu, and Dr. Carissa Aoki: caoki@mica.edu
• Don't forget to follow us on the Brazil Blog - here.