Spring Field Study: Japan, Hawai‘i & Appalachia
Japan, Hawai‘i & Appalachia: Rethinking Tourism
Spend your spring semester seeing the world with Rollins. This faculty-led field study takes you from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima, from the temples of Kyoto to the streets of Tokyo, and into the mountains of Appalachia—short-term study abroad woven into a full semester of linked courses. Along the way, you'll ask big questions about how places package their histories for visitors: whose stories get told, whose are left out, and what it means to travel responsibly. Made possible by a generous gift from a Rollins alum, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore with two professors and a small cohort of classmates.
Program Highlights
- Location: Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima); Honolulu, Hawai‘i; Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Asheville, North Carolina; and destinations across Florida
- Term: Spring Semester (travel in March and April)
- Program Length: Full semester, including about two weeks in Hawai‘i and Japan and five days in Appalachia
- Course: Five linked courses (20 credits), including ENG 321 Representing Japan and rFLA 300 Material Culture
- Related Majors & Minors: English, History, Asian Studies
- Financial Aid & Scholarships: Need-based scholarships are available to help offset the costs associated with field studies.
Itinerary Highlights
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Trace WWII History from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima
Begin in Honolulu at Pearl Harbor, then travel to Hiroshima to see how two nations remember the same war in very different ways. At memorials and museums on both sides of the Pacific, you'll examine how conflict is commemorated—and what those choices reveal about national identity.
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Explore Kyoto and Tokyo
Move between centuries-old temples in Kyoto and the nonstop energy of Tokyo, with a stay in a traditional Japanese ryokan along the way. You'll read Japan's cultural landscape like a text and consider how the country presents itself to visitors from home and abroad.
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Rethink American Tourism in Appalachia and Florida
Spend five days in the Smoky Mountains region, from Dollywood in Pigeon Forge to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. Closer to home, day trips and quick overnights take you to Florida icons like the Weeki Wachee mermaids, a NASCAR race, and a fossil shark-tooth hunt.
Meet Your Faculty Leader: Dr. Jana Mathews
“This semester-long experience is truly a dream come true. It allows us to engage in an interdisciplinary investigation that moves fluidly between classroom learning and field experience. It's really what the liberal arts is all about.” — Dr. Jana Mathews
Dr. Jana Mathews is Professor of Medieval Literature and Culture at Rollins College and directs the college's Pre-Law Program. Her research spans medieval and early modern English literature, material culture, and the history of the British monarchy, and she is the author of The Benefit of Friends (UNC Press, 2022).
Together with Dr. Russell, she has co-led seven international field studies and dozens of domestic immersions. She also serves as Rollins' faculty-in-residence, living on campus with her family in Ward Hall.
Education: BA, Brigham Young University; MA, University of Colorado; PhD, Duke University
See Full Bio
Meet Your Faculty Leader: Dr. Emily Russell
Dr. Emily Russell is the Kenneth L. Curry Professor of Literature at Rollins College, where she specializes in 20th- and 21st-century American fiction, the multiethnic novel, and medical humanities. She is the author of Transplant Fictions (2019) and Reading Embodied Citizenship (2011).
Dr. Russell oversees Rollins' Intercultural Competency general education requirement—a natural fit for a semester built around how cultures tell their own stories. She and Dr. Mathews have co-led seven international field studies together.
Education: BA, Cornell University; MA and PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
See Full BioWhy Study Abroad in Japan, Hawai‘i & Appalachia?
Read Places Like Texts
Museums, monuments, and theme parks all tell stories. You'll learn to analyze them with the same critical eye you bring to a novel—asking whose voices are centered, whose are silenced, and why.
See History from Both Sides of the Pacific
Visiting Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima on the same journey gives you a rare, side-by-side view of how the United States and Japan remember World War II—and how memory shapes national identity today.
Make the Most of Your Spring Semester
Five linked courses replace a standard course load, so travel is built into your semester instead of squeezed around it. Earn 20 credits, make progress toward the English major or minor, and fulfill four general education requirements.
Financial Support Is Available
Partial need-based scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500 are available to help offset costs. Apply directly through your program application.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Rollins field study?
Field studies are short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs typically held during spring break, winter break, or summer. They combine academic coursework with immersive, in-country experiences and are open to eligible Rollins students.
How much does the Japan, Hawai‘i & Appalachia: Rethinking Tourism field study cost?
Field study costs vary by destination, length, and number of credits. Total out-of-pocket costs for Rollins field studies typically range from $3,500 to $6,000, including the program fee and any additional expenses. Partial need-based scholarships of $500–$2,500 are available to help offset costs. For exact pricing for this program, visit the Japan, Hawai`i, & Appalachia: Rethinking Tourism Field Study program details on Via TRM.
What does the program fee include?
The Japan, Hawai‘i & Appalachia: Rethinking Tourism field study fee covers tuition, airfare, local transportation, housing (a mix of hotels, rental homes, homestays, and a traditional Japanese ryokan), some meals, excursions, administrative fees, international medical insurance, pre-departure advising, and on-site staff support. See the full list of what's covered for this program in our official study abroad platform, Via TRM.
What students should consider this field study?
This field study is open to students of every major and class year—and it's an especially strong fit for English, History, and Asian Studies students, or anyone curious about how museums, memorials, and theme parks shape the stories we tell about the past. Because the program is a full semester of five linked courses (20 credits), participants enroll only in those courses for the spring term. The courses count toward the English major and minor and fulfill four general education requirements. Expect active travel days with substantial walking, stairs, and some more strenuous hiking. You can learn more and apply in our official study abroad platform, Via TRM.
When does this field study take place?
This field study spans the full spring semester. Students travel to Hawai‘i and Japan for about two weeks during an extended spring break in March, spend about five days in Appalachia in April, and take day trips and overnight excursions around Florida throughout the term. Please visit Via TRM for exact travel dates and application deadlines.
Ready to Apply?
Journey from Japan to Hawaii to Appalachia, exploring diverse cultures and environments along the way. Apply on Via TRM to join this unique field study.
Apply on Via TRM