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Global Workshops

Global Workshops bring together research with planetary engagement, harnessing the extensive international network of our school to weave a vibrant tapestry of dialogues, projects, and events.

These thoughtfully curated workshops immerse participants in diverse local contexts and cultures, celebrating our common humanity and the universal power of design to tackle the most pressing contemporary challenges. Our objective is to expand research collaborations beyond the inherited borders and boundaries, nurturing global citizenship among our students and encouraging them to draw inspiration from the unfamiliar to inform their design practices.

2024 Applications (Closed)

We have three trips planned for this summer: Barcelona, Mexico City, and Singapore. Barcelona and Mexico City are three weeks in length and are set up as three-credit elective courses. Singapore is a ten-day trip with no course credit.

Priority application deadline: February 7, 2024, open to architecture students only.

Application deadline: February 23, 2024.

Notifications of acceptance: March 8, 2024.

How to Apply

Students will apply for each trip via online form.

Architecture students will have a two-week priority registration period (1/24/24 through 2/7/24); we will open the applications to non-architecture students if space remains. For the two, for-credit courses, enrollment will be through special registration as they are closed courses.

Student Selection

Staff will collect and organize applications for the instructor and the dean to review for candidate selection. There is a section on the form for students to briefly describe their interest in the trip that will be considered during selection.

Program Acceptance

Before the end of the spring semester, the instructor will hold an orientation meeting for admitted students. A nonrefundable $500 deposit will be due from all admitted students. The deposit will be applied to the overall course/trip fee for attendees.

The minimum number of students on each trip is twelve students. If the minimum is not met one month before travel, the trip will be canceled and deposits will be returned to the students.

 

Cost

Rice summer tuition: undergraduate tuition for summer international courses in 2024 is $1,200 per credit hour ($3,600 total for the 3-credit courses). We will adjust the graduate tuition to be the same.

The Singapore trip has no course credit and has a $1,000 program fee.

We are committed to making this program accessible for all students, regardless of financial status, and some funding is available for architecture students with need. Please indicate on the form if you would like to be considered for additional aid. Tuition/program fees will contribute to the cost of instruction, lodging, air travel, transportation, and program expenses (materials, rentals, guides, etc.). Students should prepare well in advance for personal expenses abroad, which include all meals, personal travel, and other miscellaneous purchases. Additionally, the school recommends that students have at least $500 in emergency funds available to them at all times while abroad.

Undergraduate students should contact the Office of Financial Aid directly to determine their eligibility and financial aid options. The Office of Financial Aid now offers grants for summer tuition (up to nine credit hours). The grant is guaranteed to all students who receive financial aid during the regular academic year, but they must officially apply for it. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid for more details.

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Barcelona, Spain

Building Ecologies


Juan José Castellón, Assistant Professor
June 10–28, 2024

The planned three-week summer workshop is focused on a series of talks from local experts and visits to projects and manufacturing companies in Barcelona, as well as a hands-on exploration involving the construction of a full-scale prototype with the support of local industry and sponsors. 

Read more.

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Singapore

Planet Singapore


Scott Colman, Assistant Professor
May 615, 2024 

This workshop will use Singapore as a datum in an otherwise fluid condition, against which we evaluate various omnipolitan architectural practices. We will visit the buildings, landscapes, and urban complexes that have made Singapore an object of emulation from Shanghai to Sydney, Dubai, and Seattle, making the city a landmark at a global crossroads.

Read more.

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Mexico City, Mexico

Designing for Contemporary Publics: Mexico’s Urban Improvement Program


Nathan Friedman, Professor in the Practice
May 6–26, 2024

This workshop pushes students to grapple with the complexities, potentials, and limits of what it means to design pubic space in Mexico, linking to broader themes of investment, infrastructure, constructability, design agency, and politics in the Global South.

Read more.

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