Overview
The SIT Belgrade, Budapest, and Vienna: Comparative European Perspectives on Conflict and Democracy analyzes the continent’s most pressing sociopolitical and economic challenges—including the war on Ukraine—and how they intersect with issues of mass migration, refugee crises, and the rise of far-right nationalism and populism.
Academic Program
You will examine the threat of illiberal democracies on the future of political organizing and evaluate impacts of civic engagement and social movements from the streets of large urban centers, where everyday citizens are demanding change. You will enroll in various courses related to the following topics, Conflict and the Future of Peace in Europe, Democracy, Illiberalism, and Humanitarianism in 21st Century Europe, Serbian, Research Methods and Ethics, and Independent Study Project (ISP).
During the final month of the semester, you will leverage your field study experience and research skills to complete an ISP. The ISP affords you the unique opportunity to apply your learning from the semester to an independent field-based research project supervised by a local adviser.
Program Features
Since SIT believes that students learn best through experience, you will partake in various educational excursions to places like Budapest, Hungary and Vienna, Austria.
You will live with a host family in Belgrade. Then, during the rest of the program, you will be accommodated in guesthouses and small hotels.
Eligibility
Review eligibility to ensure that you meet all Columbia requirements to study abroad.
Review the external program webpage to understand any additional program prerequisites.
Application Instructions
To apply, you must complete the two steps below. Deadlines vary, and some applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Therefore, you should complete the steps below simultaneously:
- To apply for Columbia clearance (approval) to study abroad, click on "Start Your Application" on this webpage. Clearance applications are approved on a rolling basis until the application deadline listed on this webpage.
- To apply for program admission, complete an external application directly on the program webpage. Note that this deadline may be in advance of the Columbia clearance deadline.