Program Search
Winter 2026
Dates: December 29, 2025 - January 16, 2026
Application Deadline: October 1
Costs: Contact the program sponsor for updated cost
Plays and playwrights are not bound by time or geographically drawn borders. They speak to each other and influence each other across time and space. This course will focus on major playwrights, both historical and contemporary, of three such great theatrical traditions – those of England, France, and Ireland. From Shakespeare to Moliere to writers like Synge and O’Casey, we will look at what made those playwrights so influential in their own time as well as how they continue to influence contemporary writers. We will look at plays as literature on the page, and in performance on stage, as they are meant to be encountered. We will also visit key historical sites in order to greater understand the political and intellectual circumstances in which these writers were working and in which their successors continue to work. Special attention will be paid to Shakespeare as a writer for the stage and a man of the theatre, with visits to theatres to hear and see plays, backstage tours, and critical discussions of directorial, design, and acting choices. Plays to be studied include Timon of Athens, Macbeth, Tartuffe, and others to be determined.
Sites visited:
Ireland: Dublin
England: Stratford, Oxford, London
*View day by day itinerary here!
View this short video clip to get a sense of this winter intersession traveling seminar!
College of Staten Island, CUNY
Gonzalo Villena
ELI Director
Questions? Contact me
studyab@csi.cuny.edu
Tel:(718) 982-2100
This program is sponsored and administered by The College of Staten Island/CUNY
About the Professor:
David Hay, PhD, is a professor at the University of San Diego (USD) and is a co-founder of the MFA Program in Acting, a program he directed for seven years. He has also been the director of the Southeast San Diego Tutoring Program and the director of the Undergraduate Theatre Arts Program at USD.
In addition to 26 years of work at USD, Dr. Hay was also an associate director at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego for ten years, and for nine years was the artistic director of Center Repertory Company in Walnut Creek, CA. He has had a 32 year professional theatre career, directing more than 70 productions at theatres across the country. He has also published two books, a critical edition of a 17th century play, Nobody and Somebody, and a drama textbook, Contact With Drama, co-authored with James F. Howell. Professor Hay's photo courtesy of the University of San Diego
IAU’s J-Term Traveling Seminars are unique in that the classroom and campus changes based on the location of the program. The J-Terms consist of 17-21 day academic and cultural courses led by IAU faculty and include 24/7 staff support. The seminars are thematic in nature and involve travel through multiple countries. During the program, students have access to a variety of spaces including partner institutions, hotel conference rooms, lecture halls, and museums in which to conduct coursework and lectures. Students are housed in hotels or residence halls in each city. Breakfast is included.
Duration
December 29, 2025 - January 16, 2026
Costs
Contact the program sponsor for updated cost
Costs included: Program fees include tuition for 3 credits, lodging, medical insurance, entrance fees to all museums and guest lecture venues, transportation to and from each city, breakfast daily and most dinners.
Costs not included: airfare, personal expenses, some meals
Students who enroll in a January Term Seminar and the spring semester in Aix-en-Provence consecutively are eligible to receive a $2,000 grant credited to their spring semester invoice. In order to be eligible to receive the grant, students must participate in the Early Start Program during the week between the end of the January Term Seminar and the start of the spring semester. The Early Start Program allows students to move in with their French hosts a week before the semester begins, receive French language instruction, and participate in local cultural activities! Visit IAU's Scholarship website for additional details.
Application Deadline: October 1
Eligibility Requirements:
Minimum GPA: 2.5
Once applicants apply through CCIS and get accepted, all applicants are required to complete IAU's online application.
Students are also responsible for submitting the following application materials to IAU once accepted:
Once an application is complete, students can expect a response within 2 weeks. Admission is granted on a rolling basis before the application deadlines outlined below. For questions about an application, please contact enroll@iaufrance.org.
“My experience going abroad through IAU has been nothing shy of extraordinary. I went into it not knowing any of my classmates, but the professors immediately made us all feel welcome. We soon began traveling in a foreign country and with every new excursion we all became such close travel companions. Being in that type of environment forces you to step outside of your comfort zone and open yourself up to new cultures and experiences. Having been a part of this program has not only benefited my knowledge of the world, but created unique memories with people I wouldn't have otherwise met, that I will forever cherish. If you're looking for personal growth with a side of adventure, IAU abroad is your next step.”
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