Whatever your area of interest, the Barefield College of Arts and Sciences (BCAS) offers a way to deepen your exploration of it through international programs. We emphasize global citizenship — awareness and experience of the world beyond U.S. borders — in every aspect of our teaching, research, scholarship, and service.
Our collaborations with educators in Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe are part of a broader movement of global scholars to prepare students for entry into a diverse, complex world. Semester-long study is the best way to gain that preparation while maintaining academic continuity.
We offer programs in Cuba, Greece, and Ghana, and are developing partnerships with universities in several other countries.
International Partnerships and Programs
Latin America and the Caribbean
Cuba
We are one of the only U.S. universities with a partnership in Cuba, which began with the Barefield College of Arts and Sciences in 2002 and expanded into the university-wide Center for Cuba Collaboration and Scholarship in 2015. The Center is led by Dr. Moisés Molina. Dozens of UA faculty travel to Cuba every year to work on academic collaborations with peers at the University of Havana and other institutions. Since 2002, more than 150 UA faculty and students have traveled to Cuba for research and study abroad.
In addition to these academic opportunities, the Barefield College of Arts and Sciences also offers a Minor in Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies, providing students with a deeper understanding of the region’s history, culture, and political landscape. This program complements the university’s international initiatives and allows students to explore the diverse cultures and experiences of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latino communities.
Europe
Greece
BCAS is home to the long-standing Alabama-Greece Initiative, a partnership with Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), a major research university in Greece’s second-largest city, as well as a collaboration with Ionian University (IU), located in the Ionian Islands. The relationship with AUTh is one of our longest standing international partnerships and our newest partnership resulted from the BCAS participation and support in the IIE IAPP Greece Program. Through the Alabama Greece Initiative, faculty and students routinely engage in academic collaborations, including faculty research and creative activity exchange and student internship opportunities.
Ukraine
Since 2023, BCAS has supported the Ukrainian Initiative Group, which aims to establish connections with Ukrainian universities and foster academic collaborations with them. The group also organizes on-campus programs and events that welcome all UA students. The group is coordinated by Dr. Anna Mariya Basauri Ziuzina.
Africa
Ghana
Through the Department of Geography, our students regularly participate in service-learning projects in Ghana, where they earn course credit while working with schools, hospitals, social services, and government offices.
BCAS is currently working with three universities in Ghana—the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast, and Central University—to establish collaborative research and exchange programs for faculty and students. In 2019, a group of 15 UA faculty visited the University of Cape Coast to explore potential areas for collaboration. Building on this visit, in 2020, the Barefield College of Arts and Sciences and the University of Cape Coast organized a virtual research symposium focused on social determinants of health, bringing together experts from both institutions to share insights and research findings.
The African studies minor offers an interdisciplinary examination of the African continent, centering on African experiences to provide greater depth and breadth of knowledge of its history, cultures, ecologies, economies, and more. Given the growing influence of Africa in international dynamics, the program equips students with critical perspectives to better understand the continent and its global significance.
Asia
Southeast Asia
The Barefield College of Arts and Sciences began a new international initiative in Southeast Asia in 2024, aimed to foster research and educational collaborations between faculty and students in BCAS with universities in the region. The primary countries of collaboration include Vietnam and Thailand. University partnerships were built from faculty champions and the steering committees as well as participation in the IIE IAPP Thailand and Vietnam programs.
Vietnam
In the summer of 2024, the SE Asia steering committee visited Vietnam to discuss and initiate potential collaborative activities. Partner activities were developed with Fulbright University, Vietnam National University, University of Social Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City, and Vietnam National University, University of Science, Hanoi. From the steering committee’s work and the result of participation in the IIE IAPP Vietnam program, regular faculty trips are being planned to facilitate research and creative activity partnerships with BCAS faculty and faculty in Vietnam. Multiple outcomes have resulted from these initial steps, including US Embassy funded programming and collaboration, language training, and faculty research.
Thailand
In the summer of 2023, the SE Asia steering committee visited Thailand, followed by the first faculty trip in the summer of 2025. These visits resulted in multiple outcomes for BCAS, including funded contracts and grants, student exchanges, Music Masterclasses, collaborative symposiums, keynote speaker invitations, and joint research programs leading to international publications. All of which academic collaboration between faculty from both countries has been further strengthened. The College had already developed an MOU with Rattana Bundit University, Bangkok University, Mahidol University, KMITL University, Burapha University and is currently developing an MOU with Thammasat University.
Academic Programs
Asian Studies Minor
The Asian Studies minor offers an interdisciplinary exploration of the diverse cultural regions of Asia, with particular emphasis on South Asia and East Asia. Drawing on faculty expertise across anthropology, art history, languages, history, and religious studies, the program equips students with a broad and nuanced understanding of Asia’s histories, cultures, and global connections.
Through courses and events, students gain critical perspectives on the region and its place in international dynamics, while also developing cross-cultural awareness and language skills. This program complements the College’s international initiatives and prepares students to engage thoughtfully with Asia’s past, present, and future significance.
Global Health Minor
The Global Health minor offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the principles and challenges of health in a global context. Drawing on courses in anthropology, political science, geography, religious studies, philosophy, health science, nutrition, economics, and history, the program equips students with critical tools to examine health from cultural, social, and policy perspectives.
Through coursework and experiential learning opportunities such as study abroad, undergraduate research, or service learning, students gain a deeper understanding of the social and cultural factors shaping health worldwide. The program complements the College’s international initiatives and prepares students to address pressing global health issues across diverse contexts.
Study Abroad
Our students have the opportunity to participate in dozens of study abroad programs around the world, including many faculty-led and semester-long programs. Faculty-led study abroad programs offered by BCAS give students the chance to explore regions around the world.
Contact
For more information about international programs in BCAS, contact Dr. Lisa Pawloski, associate dean, at lisa.pawloski@ua.edu.