The Peacebuilding in Kosovo Summer 2025 study abroad program in Prishtina, Kosovo will run from May 30 - June 19, 2025. This intensive workshop includes two Global Studies courses that can be applied to a wide number of majors. The program also includes homestays with local families to deepen student’s intercultural experience, as well as fieldtrips to key historical and cultural sites in Europe’s newest country. Our compact six-credit hour base program requires only 20 days in Kosovo to accommodate busy students’ summers. Students may opt to extend their stay and internship experience beyond the base program by working through our local partner, ISLA-Serve.  

This program is open to all students and is ideal for majors in Global Studies, International Studies, Journalism, Social Work, Education, and related fields. The program’s alums describe the experience as life changing, as they really got to know the people of another country. Students from our past workshops found that when they applied for jobs or graduate school, interviewers were as impressed with their experience in Kosovo as with their academic record! 

Dr. Carl Dahlman (Professor and Director of the Walker Institute of International and Area Studies, USC) is the director and the instructor for both courses. His expert scholarship is on war and peace in Kosovo and the rest of the former Yugoslavia. He has been taking students to Kosovo since 2008. 

Base Program

Earn 6 credit hours traveling through Kosovo

Online from May 12-29, 2025

On-site in Prishtina from May 30 – June 19, 2025

Students enrolled in this study abroad program will have the opportunity to earn 6-9 credit hours. The two classes offered are GLST 391-007: Identity and Conflict, and GLST 391-008: Peacebuilding. Upon completing the program in Kosovo, students will understand the relationship between identity and conflict, how the war in Kosovo affected the country and the international and local peacebuilding activities since 1999. 

Students will earn 6 credit hours (two courses) in Global Studies while meeting the people and seeing the places that made history in Europe’s newest country. One course will be on the subject of Identity and Conflict and the other class will be on Peace-building. Students always enjoy their homestays and fieldtrips, which provide a more immersive experience.
 
An optional 6-week extension is available through our local service provider for those students who wish to add an internship experience with a local NGO or similar organization. Our placement specialists will help find you an internship experience that aligns with your interests.

Estimated Costs

The estimated costs for the base program are as follows:

• Tuition: Upon registration for the summer courses, students will owe the university in-state tuition for six (6) credit hours.
• Fees: The program collects fees to pay for room and board, orientation program, guest lecturer and group dinner, fieldtrips, meeting space, etc. The total program fee is $3768. All students are eligible for in-state tuition rates for this program regardless of residency.
• Out of pocket costs: Students will cover the cost of their airfare, lunches, textbooks, taxis, and incidentals ($2200 estimated).

Optional Global Development Internships

Dates: June 19 – July 27, 2025 

Students looking for hands-on, personal internship experience can extend their stay in Kosovo for an additional 5 ½ weeks. Internship opportunities are based on student interest. Previous internship placements have included government agencies, non-profit organizations advocating for women’s rights, Kosovo’s international documentary and film festival, DokuFest; organizations focused on access to education and health care for marginalized groups, Balkan Lynx Recovery Program, and many more!  
We partner with ISLA-Serve, who has dedicated local staff to help source successful internship opportunities.