All Programs and Descriptions
American Stories: Place, Power, & Imagination
If an American landscape could tell a story, what would it say? American Stories is an interdisciplinary approach to reading landscapes from the nineteenth century to today, uncovering untold stories of American places and the people, politics, and power that shaped them.
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Bed Time: Knowing the World Through Objects
Design, build, and travel as you explore intimacy, domesticity, and politics through the physical and digital world of an Antique Chinese Wedding Bed.
Biotech Explorers Pathway
Build connections between science, business, technology, and engineering through the science of biotechnology.
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Democracy & Myth in Ancient Greece
Discover the stories and politics of Classical Athens, and how they inform our world.
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Gateway Expeditions into Exoplanets & Black Holes
Bend your mind with key questions in contemporary astrophysics as you explore the Universe's most fascinating questions: is there life elsewhere in the Universe? what are black holes and how do matter and space behave close to them?
Global Citizenship Program
Join a community of students dedicated to discovering our role in the global world by exploring identity, environment, migration, intercultural exchange, and community engagement.
History, Memory & Representation of the Holocaust
Analyze the history of the Nazi genocide of European Jews and other groups between 1933 and 1945 as well as its representation in a variety of media.
Literary Culture of Modern Ireland
Delve into the rich literary history of Ireland by exploring political movements that informed and inspired some of the greatest literary works of the 20th century.
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Medicine & Society
Take a deep dive into medical anthropology – the study of human health across culture, time, and location with particular attention paid to cultural, social, political, economic and ethical dimensions – tailored to work with pre-med requirements.
Mind, Brain, Behavior
Investigate techniques by which mental abilities are explained in psychology and neuroscience and illuminate philosophical questions about the nature of the mind, consciousness, and agency.
Modern Media: The Good, the Bad, & the Future
Explore the history and ongoing evolution of mass media, including how digital technologies have shaped journalism, publishing, documentary, and more, to then create content specific to traditional and new media channels.
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Pathfinder Fellows in Environmental Leadership
Delve into an integrated study of environmental change at scales from individual sites to neighborhoods, landscapes, nations, and the globe.
Phage Hunters
Embark on a laboratory experience in a national research project to isolate and analyze bacteriophage that infect actinobacteria.
Safe Asylum: Refugee Politics & Pathways
Examine the global population of forcibly displaced people and the dramatic rupture of mass migration.
Text & Traditions
Study the foundations of knowledge: politics and literature, justice and imagination, activism and reflection.
The Hallmarks of Cancer & Patient Care
Learn the biology behind cancer and engage with survivors and healthcare professionals charged with treating this deadly disease.
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The Mind-Body Connection: What Makes Us & Moves Us
Explore how your mind and body create meaning in the world with applications to philosophy, neuroscience, aesthetics, and rehabilitation.
Programs with Travel
These programs typically have an international and/or domestic travel component, which could be affected by federal and local guidelines related to health, safety, and security considerations. These programs main academic components will not be affected.
The Ampersand Travel program offers robust planning, logistical, and financial support for Ampersand courses with study travel, both domestic and international. We prioritize experiential learning and learning outside of the classroom as an integral component of Ampersand Programs. The Ampersand Travel programs provides faculty comprehensive support and hands-on assistance for pedagogically relevant travel in the areas of planning, safety, logistics, and training. We assist students with need-based financial assistance and comprehensive support for logistics, safety, and travel planning. Finally, we organize opportunities for reflection and the integration of students’ experiential learning experience through post-travel programming.
General Travel Program Timeline:
- May: Students sign up for Ampersand Programs
- August/September: Classes begin and specific information is shared about the trip at the Ampersand Travel Kick-off Party
- October: The WashU Travel Portal is open for students to sign up to get more information about the trip including initial itinerary and price
- November: Commitments for Ampersand Travel are due, including passport information for international trips
We understand that these trips are at significant cost and work to make sure we are as cost effective as possible in our planning. We also offer comprehensive need-based financial aid. Our financial aid process is through WashU’s Student Financial Services and we use their financial need calculations as the first basis of our offered aid. For more questions on need based financial aid please contact (shared email).
International trips often cost approximately $5,500 with international flights. Domestic trips often cost approximately $3,000 with domestic flights. Individual trip costs vary year to year and we will share full trip costs early in the Fall semester. Typically more than 40% of our Ampersand Students receive financial aid. If you are potentially interested in traveling internationally you will need a passport valid for at least 6 months after your travel is concluded. It is never too early to start applying for your passport!
Bed Time: Knowing the World Through Objects
Design, build, and travel as you explore intimacy, domesticity, and politics through the physical and digital world of an Antique Chinese Wedding Bed.
Democracy & Myth in Ancient Greece
Discover the stories and politics of Classical Athens, and how they inform our world.
Gateway Expeditions into Exoplanets & Black Holes
Bend your mind with key questions in contemporary astrophysics as you explore the Universe's most fascinating questions: is there life elsewhere in the Universe? what are black holes and how do matter and space behave close to them?
Global Citizenship Program
Join a community of students dedicated to discovering our role in the global world by exploring identity, environment, migration, intercultural exchange, and community engagement.
Learn More
History, Memory & Representation of the Holocaust
Analyze the history of the Nazi genocide of European Jews and other groups between 1933 and 1945 as well as its representation in a variety of media.
Learn More
Literary Culture of Modern Ireland
Delve into the rich literary history of Ireland by exploring political movements that informed and inspired some of the greatest literary works of the 20th century.
Learn More
Modern Media: The Good, the Bad, & the Future
Explore the history and ongoing evolution of mass media, including how digital technologies have shaped journalism, publishing, documentary, and more, to then create content specific to traditional and new media channels.
Learn More
Safe Asylum: Refugee Politics & Pathways
Examine the global population of forcibly displaced people and the dramatic rupture of mass migration.
Programs with Research
Biotech Explorers Pathway
Build connections between science, business, technology, and engineering through the science of biotechnology.
Learn More
Medicine & Society
Take a deep dive into medical anthropology – the study of human health across culture, time, and location with particular attention paid to cultural, social, political, economic and ethical dimensions – tailored to work with pre-med requirements.
Mind, Brain, Behavior
Investigate techniques by which mental abilities are explained in psychology and neuroscience and illuminate philosophical questions about the nature of the mind, consciousness, and agency.
Phage Hunters
Embark on a laboratory experience in a national research project to isolate and analyze bacteriophage that infect actinobacteria.
Safe Asylum: Refugee Politics & Pathways
Examine the global population of forcibly displaced people and the dramatic rupture of mass migration.
The Mind-Body Connection: What Makes Us & Moves Us
Explore how your mind and body create meaning in the world with applications to philosophy, neuroscience, aesthetics, and rehabilitation.
Programs with In-the-Field or Service
American Stories: Place, Power, & Imagination
If an American landscape could tell a story, what would it say? American Stories is an interdisciplinary approach to reading landscapes from the nineteenth century to today, uncovering untold stories of American places and the people, politics, and power that shaped them.
Learn More
Bed Time: Knowing the World Through Objects
Design, build, and travel as you explore intimacy, domesticity, and politics through the physical and digital world of an Antique Chinese Wedding Bed.
Biotech Explorers Pathway
Build connections between science, business, technology, and engineering through the science of biotechnology.
Learn More
Global Citizenship Program
Join a community of students dedicated to discovering our role in the global world by exploring identity, environment, migration, intercultural exchange, and community engagement.
Medicine & Society
Take a deep dive into medical anthropology – the study of human health across culture, time, and location with particular attention paid to cultural, social, political, economic and ethical dimensions – tailored to work with pre-med requirements.
Modern Media: The Good, the Bad, & the Future
Explore the history and ongoing evolution of mass media, including how digital technologies have shaped journalism, publishing, documentary, and more, to then create content specific to traditional and new media channels.
Learn More
Pathfinder Fellows in Environmental Leadership
Delve into an integrated study of environmental change at scales from individual sites to neighborhoods, landscapes, nations, and the globe.
Safe Asylum: Refugee Politics & Pathways
Examine the global population of forcibly displaced people and the dramatic rupture of mass migration.
The Hallmarks of Cancer & Patient Care
Learn the biology behind cancer and engage with survivors and healthcare professionals charged with treating this deadly disease.
Learn More