Study Abroad

Explore the world through study abroad and exchange programs.  English, Creative Writing, and Film students can all find a new perspective on our global community and enjoy amazing experiences through two programs connected with the Oakland University English, Creative Writing, and Film Department.

The four-week British Studies at Oxford will immerse you in the history, literature, art, film, and culture of England and of Oxford University. Courses in British Culture, Literature, Medieval Studies, Political Science, and History fulfill Gen Ed requirements at OU.  Course-related excursions range from medieval sites (Chaucer) to the more contemporary (Harry Potter Studios and film locations), to London and the Globe theatre, the National Theatre, The British Museum, and the British Library and more. Long weekends in pedestrian-friendly Oxford can be spent at bookstores, markets, plays and movies, as well as clubs, cabarets, and pubs or visiting Edinburgh, Dublin, Amsterdam or Paris.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) program is run by Film Studies and Production. Students spend a week in the heart of downtown Toronto, Canada, at this prestigious international film festival, seeing major film premiere screenings (and frequently, major film stars on the red carpets!), and attending industry panels and master class workshops with media professionals. After the first day or two, you can structure your own festival experience based on your interests in film, as well as explore the metropolitan offerings of the amazing and exciting city of Toronto.  FLM 4910 Study Abroad: TIFF course work, both while at TIFF and back at OU, expands your understanding of the experiences at TIFF seeing contemporary trends in global cinema, learning the business operations and cultural activities of a major film festival, and turning these into professionalization opportunities for careers in the media industries.

Check out International Education for other options that might be of interest to English, Creative Writing, Film and Film Production majors and those in the American Studies concentration. Here’s just one:

The semester-long exchange program at the University of East Anglia, a public research university in the lively city of Norwich, offers students a wide variety of courses that might be of interest for all majors in our department.  In particular, UEA has very good film courses, offering study topics ranging from Doctor Who to Japanese film, as well as the history of film and the representation of history in film. Production and writing based courses provide opportunities for the development of creative work. The university also offers first-hand archival experience at the East Anglian Film Archive, and the opportunity to make films from archival material. And close by are cafes and theatres, local soccer, rugby and cricket teams – and the North Sea, with surfing opportunities.