Problems Without Passports: What Will You Find Abroad?
College presents students with several opportunities to discover their interests in sports, clubs and organizations, community service, study abroad and more. Studying abroad is very popular at USC and students can find available programs not only through the university’s central Office of Overseas Studies, but also within different schools and departments. Problems Without Passports (PWP), within the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, is a faculty-led program that “combines problem-based or inquiry research exercises with study in different locations” (link). PWPs allow students to go beyond the experience of traveling to a new city or country and pushes them to think deeper regarding a specific issue or problem that a community might be facing.
Highlighted Programs:
Course Name: ANTH 409 (PWP): Indigenous Language Revitalization in Ireland and Northern Ireland
Course Description: This PWP focuses on the loss of languages in Ireland and Northern Ireland and challenges students to think about different factors that can negatively or positively impact a language, such as politics and identity. It provides students with experiences that allow them to connect with the language and community, including fieldwork, and consider conservation and revitalization efforts. You can learn more about this specific program here.
Course Name: IR 391x: IR Brussels Summer Internship Program 2023
Course Description: For students interested in learning about international relations (IR) overseas, this program might be a great way to do so focusing on security within the European Union (EU) and NATO and how the EU is providing security for other countries including the Soviet Union, Asia, and more. Relevant IR internship opportunities will also be provided to students throughout their time abroad. Check out the website to learn more.
2025 Problems Without Passports Courses:
Here are the Problems without Passports courses for 2025:
Field Research in Maya Archaeology (ANTH 450)
Bookpacking New Orleans (ENGL 352g)
Urban Politics & Policy Through the Lens of Mexican Cities (POSC 300)
Problems Without Passports -The Biology of Health from a Global Perspective (BISC 428)
Health and Mental Health Research in Mauritius (PSYC 499)
Virology: Germ Theory to Molecular Methods in London, Paris and Amsterdam (BISC 499)
IR Brussels Summer Internship Program (IR 391x)
Comparative Public Policy in France and the European Union (IR 374)
You’ll find course descriptions for these offerings on our USC Global website.
Application Process:
There is an application process for PWP programs, but it’s pretty straightforward. Here are some important notes:
They are available to undergraduate students only.
They are open to all students at the university! You don’t have to be in a specific or related major or in USC Dornsife to apply.
Students are allowed to apply to two PWPs.
If accepted, students must attend two mandatory orientation sessions.
Problems without Passports is just one unique example of all the study-abroad opportunities USC offers its students. With over 130 cities in more than 50 countries available to choose from – there might be a program that may interest you (whether you’ve considered it or not!).
Written by: Jennifer Donis Gonzalez, Senior Assistant Director - Office of Admission