IAU, Diplomacy & Human Rights in the Mediterranean - Winter J-Term Program

Multi-City, Multi-Country (Multi-Region)

Quick Facts

Winter 2026 - IAU, Diplomacy & Human Rights in the Mediterranean - Winter  J-Term Program
Dates:  December 29, 2025 - January 16, 2026
Application Deadline:  September 1, 2025
Costs: Contact the program sponsor for updated cost

Program Overview

The promotion of human rights can seem uncontroversial. They are a focal point for the United Nations Charter and are repeatedly invoked as important objectives in the foreign policy of both the United States and the European Union. What role can diplomacy play in promoting human rights abroad? Do outsiders have any business telling other countries how to govern their own affairs? Can we even agree on what human rights are? This study tour explores the challenges facing those who would use the tools of diplomacy to promote human rights in Europe and North Africa. From migration to gender, from religion to education and housing, we will explore what human rights are, how diplomacy can promote them, and why the Mediterranean is such a rich and complex arena in which to observe the challenges of striving for a more humane world. 

Sites visited:
France: Aix-en-Provence
The Netherlands: The Hague, Amsterdam
Morocco: Rabat, Tangier

*View day by day itinerary here! 

 

 

Gallery

Contact Program Sponsor and Advisor

This program is sponsored and administered by the College of Staten Island.

Academics & Program

Academics

Students can choose one of the following courses:

• International Relations 355: Diplomacy & Human Rights in the Mediterranean
• Political Science 355: Diplomacy & Human Rights in the Mediterranean

The January Term (J-Term) Traveling Seminar provides a university-level competency for students interested in learning about how diplomacy shapes, supports, and at times undermines human rights in the Mediterranean region. Students will go behind the scenes at U.S. embassies in Europe and North Africa to meet U.S. diplomats at the forefront of American engagement, as well as speak with NGOs and think tank scholars about how states, intergovernmental organizations, and non-state actors use diplomacy as a means of advancing their human rights agendas. Cultural visits, Embassy briefings and academic lectures by ACM (The American College of the Mediterranean) scholars and resident experts will place human rights policies in their historic and geographic context and explore the economic, political, and moral dilemmas raised by international human rights promotion. 

About the Professor: 
Dr. Gregory Mose is a professor of international law and politics at IAU. He received his AB in English Literature from Harvard College and his JD from Duke University School of Law. He earned his PhD in public law in a joint program with Aix-Marseille University and the University of Hamburg. Dr. Mose’s research has focused on the intersections of law, politics and human rights, with a particular focus on conflicts involving religious freedom and other cultural values. He teaches courses on comparative politics, the European Union, human rights, and international humanitarian law. Outside of academia, Dr. Mose’s professional experience includes working as a legal expert for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in West Africa and as a corporate lawyer in London. He has lived in France since 2005 and speaks English, French, and Dutch.

Student Life & Housing

Important Notice: This is a traveling seminar which means that you will be on foot, on the road, in the air, and only rarely in a classroom. Your learning experience will occur in the cities, locations, and cultural sites visited. You will be in both large cities and potentially deeply rural locations. You will also be in an international environment with customs, laws, security matters, health and well-being issues and lifestyles very different from your experience at home or your university. In sum, it will be a unique learning experience for you. For all these reasons, we expect students to follow the seminar leaders’ advice and recommendations and to be prepared for the traveling seminar leaders to modify the itinerary if deemed necessary and to communicate any changes to you as soon as they are known. IAU reserves the right to modify the itinerary due to issues related to global security, country- and industry-related strikes, inflated travel costs, and health and well-being issues that are specific to regions in which the seminars are scheduled to take place.  

Housing

Accommodations on J-Term Traveling Seminars vary based on location and duration of stay. Most accommodations are in hotels in double or triple rooms. All breakfasts and some group dinners are included in program fees. Students are responsible for purchasing their own lunches, and IAU staff and guides will bring students to appropriate areas to find lunch. Exact inclusions are outlined in final itineraries to allow students to plan and budget accordingly.

While IAU believes strongly in the value of the homestay experience, the pace of J-Term Traveling Seminar itinerary does not typically allow for students to gain the same benefits as a longer stay. While on a J Term program, students have ample alternative opportunities to experience local culture, from lectures with local guides to traditional activities in host countries.

Duration & Costs

Winter 2026 - IAU, Diplomacy & Human Rights in the Mediterranean - Winter  J-Term Program
Dates:  December 29, 2025 - January 16, 2026
Application Deadline:  September 1, 2025
Costs: Contact the program sponsor for updated cost

Costs included: overseas tuition for 3 credits, lodging, insurance, entrance fees to all museums and guest lecture venues, Intra-European transportation to and from each city, breakfast daily and some dinners.

Costs not included: airfare, personal expenses, some meals 

Eligibility & Deadlines

Application Deadline: September 1

Eligibility Requirements:
Minimum GPA: 2.5

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