Harvard undergraduate students are welcome to apply for the opportunity to visit the country of Georgia in January 2025 on a two-week, non-credit January-term trip, organized by the Davis Center’s Program on Georgian Studies.
The trip is a unique opportunity for undergrads to explore the history, politics, arts, and culture of Georgia.
A Brief Introduction to Georgia
Georgia is an ancient country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Its northern border is formed by the Caucasus mountains, which stretch from the Black Sea to the Caspian. To Georgia’s south are Armenia and Turkey, to the east Azerbaijan, and to the north Russia. Georgia has been fought over by empires for millennia — from the Roman and Byzantine to the Ottoman, Persian, and Russian. As a result, Georgia is home to peoples and languages from all over the world yet retains a distinctive Georgian language that has its own alphabet and is linguistically unique. Georgian traditions of poetry, dance, and hospitality have long attracted poets and writers from abroad. Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Pushkin, Alexandre Dumas, Knut Hamsun, and John Steinbeck have all written about their journeys to Georgia.
After over a hundred years in the Russian Empire and another 70 in the USSR, Georgia regained its independence in 1991. Since then, the country has been struggling to build a new system of democratic governance and satisfy the requirements of EU membership. Georgia’s strategic location between Russia and Europe has enhanced its geopolitical importance since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Tbilisi
The capital city of Tbilisi was established over 1,500 years ago and is one of the great architectural gems of the Caucasus. With a population of over a million, the city has all the modern attractions of a great metropolis: Aside from architecture, these include art galleries, cafes, parks, dance clubs, concert halls, museums, and jazz venues. Georgian food is spectacular with influences from the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe. Tbilisi is safe and transport is easy by subway, bus, taxi, and BOLT, Europe’s equivalent to Uber.
The Trip
This two-week, non-credit course is designed for Harvard undergraduate students from any discipline or department. The trip will be led by the Harvard Georgia program’s director, Dr. Natia Chankvetadze, and program coordinator Allison Hart.
There will be lectures on Georgian history and politics by Dr. Chankvetadze and local professors, exploring state-building in the South Caucasus, Georgian-Russian relations, civil society and the environment, and Georgian art and culture. Participating students will also visit government offices such as the Foreign Ministry and the presidential administration and cultural institutions like the Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts and tour Tbilisi to explore its Soviet past. There will be weekend excursions outside the capital to historical and archeological sites.
Upon your return, you will be expected to write a short essay reflecting on your experience in Tbilisi.
Trip Logistics
Participants will depart from Boston Logan Airport on/about Jan. 10, 2025, and return to Boston on/about Jan. 24 (exact dates depend on flight availability).
Participating students must hold a valid passport. U.S. citizens do not need a visa to enter Georgia.
Check here to confirm if your citizenship qualifies for visa-free entry to Georgia. Students will be responsible for acquiring their own visa if needed.
Information about travel and safety in Georgia can be found at the U.S. State Department Travel.State.Gov website.
Hotel accommodations, all international and in-country travel costs including excursions, and most meals will be covered by the Davis Center’s Program on Georgian Studies.
Application
Applications for the January-term trip to Georgia are due October 1, 2024. Offers of admission will be made by the end of September and students will have one week from the date of notification to accept the offer.
Eligibility
Harvard undergraduate students who will be enrolled in courses during the spring semester of 2025 are eligible to apply.
Required readings will be provided and must be read prior to departure.
The application must include:
- Your Harvard transcript;
- Your resume;
- One letter of recommendation from a Harvard instructor;
A 300- to 500-word statement of purpose that addresses your interest in traveling to Georgia and how the trip will advance your academic studies at Harvard.
Application materials should be submitted via CARAT where you will be required to enter contact information for the Harvard instructor who will write your letter of recommendation. Students who are in their first term of enrollment at Harvard may instead submit a recommendation from a recent non-Harvard instructor. Shortlisted candidates may be asked to participate in a brief interview with Dr. Chankvetadze as part of the application process.An orientation program for participating students will be held in November 2024.
Questions? Please reach out by email to Allison Hart, Program Coordinator: ahart@fas.harvard.edu.