France • The Netherlands • Czech Republic • Italy

*2026 schedule to be released July 1, 2025* (For reference, you can view the 2025 itinerary below)

December 29, 2024 - January 16, 2025

ACM’s Great Cities J-Term Traveling Seminar is designed for students interested in an academic and cultural experience in Italy, France, The Netherlands, and Czech Republic. Students explore major cities across Europe using literature and the arts as a guide to understanding the rise and establishment of the urban setting. Through readings and media studies, students examine the artistic process from inspiration to creation. Site visits and guided tours then allow students to experience the historical, geographical, and demographical foundations that inform the fictional representations of European cities and their impact on perceptions of those cities today. Students have the opportunity to learn from and exchange their observations with experts from ACM as well as distinguished on-site scholars and local guides in order to frame their own perceptions of the cities and these cities’ representation through the arts.

Please note: ACM reserves the right to cancel programs due to low enrollment. Itineraries are tentative and subject to change at the discretion of ACM. Students should consult with an ACM advisor prior to purchasing their flights.

Academics
Students can choose one of the following courses:

  • European Studies 303: Europe and the Urban Space
  • Anthropology 301: The Artist and the City
  • Literature 375: The European City in Literature
  • Communications 375: The European City in the Visual Arts
  • Geography 201: Europe and its Cities

View the 2025 syllabus here. All content and the itinerary is subject to change.

Itinerary
View the 2025 itinerary here. All details are tentative and subject to change. ACM reserves the right to alter the itinerary.

About the Professor

Dr. Mary Boyington serves as the Dean of Students at the Aix-en-Provence campus. Dr. Boyington first joined ACM-IAU in 2012 and then returned in 2023 as the Dean of Students. She teaches in the Center for French Studies and the School of Humanities & Social Sciences. Her research interests include nineteenth century literature, translations studies, and international education. She completed a M.A. in French and Francophone Literature at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and a PhD in American and Comparative Literature from Aix-Marseille Université in 2017. Her experience in U.S Higher Education includes directing a residential faculty-led program in Paris, managing programming at the Oldenborg Center for Modern Languages and International Relations at Pomona College, leading internationalization efforts for the five campuses of the Colleges of the Fenway in Boston, as well as working in the academic relations team for a major study abroad provider. Since moving to France, Dr. Boyington has taught literature and translation at Aix-Marseille Université and worked for at several study abroad programs, including Syracuse University Strasbourg from 2014-2023. In 2023, she was delighted to return to Aix-en-Provence and ACM-IAU to take on the inaugural role of Dean of Students in Student Affairs. Her experience directing study abroad programs in France has given her a unique perspective in academics and student affairs, as well as specializations in emergency management, student services and implementing collaborative cross-campus projects. In addition to her duties at ACM-IAU, she is a member of the governing board of the APUAF (Association for American University Programs in France) and the planning committee for the Forum on Education Abroad EAME 2024 Conference. Dr. Boyington speaks French, English, Spanish, and beginning German.   

Program Fees
Please view the Tuition and Fees page for details. 

Academics

Admissions