This one-week, field-based program in Latvia examines how media, technology, and identity intersect in one of Europe’s most dynamic and geopolitically sensitive regions. Combining lectures, workshops, and site visits in Riga and Daugavpils, participants explore the relationship between information integrity, multilingual belonging, and national security in the age of artificial intelligence. Working alongside journalists, educators, and civic actors, students engage firsthand with how disinformation, language policy, and digital innovation shape the Baltic information space.

Through dialogue with local experts and communities, the course provides both analytical and experiential insight into the challenges of sustaining trust and resilience in small democracies. Participants leave with a deeper understanding of how media literacy functions as both a civic skill and a form of democratic defense—linking global debates on AI and truth to the lived realities of a multilingual society navigating its place between East and West.

This trip is open to students, educators, professionals, and really anybody ready for an intensive exploration of very current topics in a very relevant space. If you are a current student,it is your responsibility to check the academic calendar of your home institution to ensure you do not miss class and/or have the necessary approvals in place for participation.

Applications received after the session deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.

If you are interested and the deadline has passed, please contact us immediately. 

Program Details

Note: Summer session will start with arrival on a Thursday rather than Saturday.

Day 1 (Saturday):Arrival in Riga, introduction to the neighborhood of your very centrally located hotel. We anticipate arrivals throughout the day so we will take it easy today while you acclimate to your new time zone. Plus, you have a very busy week ahead!

Day 2 (Sunday): Introduction to Latvia

  • Program orientation
  • Old Town & Art Nouveau Walk: history, language, and layered identities
  • Welcome lunch
  • Guided tour at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
  • Interactive Folklore & Song Workshop
  • Overnight in Riga; Included meals: B, L

Day 3 (Monday): Media Ecosystems in Latvia

  • Lecture #1: Media Landscape and Media Literacy in Latvia
  • Site Visit
  • Lecture #2: Fake Experts, Fact-Checking, and Disinformation in Practice – Baltic Example
  • KGB Museum (guided tour)
  • Overnight in Riga; Included meals: B, L

Day 4 (Tuesday):AI, Language, and Disinformation

  • Lecture #1: AI, Russian-Language Media, and the Baltic Information Space
  • Interactive workshop: AI and Information Ethics
  • Lunch (on own)
  • Dialogue (with local youth):Baltic Youth, Media, and Trust in the Digital Age
  • Visit to Soviet Communications Bunker
  • Overnight in Riga; Included meals: B

Day 5 (Wednesday): Media Literacy & Security

  • Site Visit
  • Lunch (on own)
  • Lecture: Media Literacy and Security
  • Documentary Screening
  • Overnight in Riga; Included meals: B

Day 6 (Thursday): Identity, Language, and Belonging

  • Lecture #1: Language Policy and Media Access in Latvia: Between Identity and Security
  • Lecture #2: Regional Identities in Latgale – Inside the State but Outside the Narrative
  • Departure by train to Daugavpils
  • Overnight in Daugavpils; Included meals: B

Day 7 (Friday): Daugavpils – Community Resilience and Identity in Latvia’s Borderland

  • Site Visit: New East NGO – intro, tour, and workshop Media Literacy and Community Resilience
  • Guest Speakers: Short (opinion-style) talks – Language, Media, and Security in Border Regions
  • Roundtable (New East, with lunch): Living Between Narratives
  • Performance (TBC): “The Man and the Tyrant” (One-Man Interactive Play)
  • Return to Riga
  • Overnight in Riga; Included meals: B, L

Day 8 (Saturday): Media Literacy in Action: Verification, Reflection, Wrap-Up

  • Two-Part Training: Media Literacy in the Baltics
  • Lunch (on own)
  • Course Reflection Roundtable (participants only): What Resilience Looks Like in the Baltic Information Space
  • Short Essay Assignment & Course Survey
  • Certificate Ceremony
  • Farewell Dinner
  • Overnight in Riga; Included meals: B, D

Day 9 (Sunday):Transfer to airport for departure.

Included meals: B

Schedule is subject to change.

You will stay in Riga Old Town, in a 4* hotel, twin occupancy, inclusive of breakfast. If you would like a single room, the supplemental cost is $435

SRAS Certificate Courses are location-based, intensive, and interdisciplinary in nature. Through lectures, workshops, dialogues, and other experiences, we address current and global issues that are even more relevant and visible in our host country. Upon completion, you gain a certificate, many contacts, and experience to share on your resume.

Participants in this program may apply a $500 credit to the Riga RSL Program immediately following and have priority for select concurrent internship placements. Contact us for more information.

If you have the time, we encourage you to explore more of Riga and Latvia or visit Tallinn and/or Vilnius. We are happy to provide you with tips for doing so. With 1-2 more days, you could, for example, fly into Riga, take a bus to Tallinn on the final Sunday morning, spend a couple of days there, returning home on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Riga, Latvia’s capital on the Baltic Sea, blends its medieval beauty with a cutting-edge digital culture. Riga is a perfect setting to explore how truth, trust, and technology intersect in today’s media landscape. Decades of life under communism have left Latvian society naturally skeptical of what they see on TV. The country’s sizeable Russian-speaking population also makes regulating disinformation a challenge, especially at a time when Europe, including Latvia, is in conflict with Russia. Riga’s city center, a UNESCO World Heritage site, blends stunning art nouveau architecture and cobblestone streets with digital innovation hubs and creative media spaces. Latvians value independence of thought and expression, traditions that echo from their folk songs to their thriving contemporary arts scene. Affordable, walkable, and surrounded by forests, castles, and the Baltic coast, Riga offers a unique setting to explore how media, culture, and democracy intertwine.

When completing the short application for this trip, you will pay a $50 non-refundable fee that is applied to the total trip cost. When your participation is confirmed on our end (you will receive an email) a non-refundable deposit of $450 is due within 7 days to hold your space. Full trip payment is due 45 days prior to arrival. 

  • If we recieve cancellation in writing 20+ days before the program start, 20% of the total trip cost is refundable
  • If cancellation occurs less than 20 days before the program start, no refund is guaranteed.

Because we know things happen, if somehow we are able to fill your spot, we will endeavor to refund as much as possible. If you have things going on in your life (or in the life of those around you) that could lead to cancellation, we recommend securing travel insurance.

Funding from SRAS:

  • SRAS Ambassadorscan write while abroad or educate students at home after their return – and earn stipends!
  • SRAS Online Research Internshipsaward partial scholarships for study abroad.
  • Group Discount*: Bring 1-2 friends abroad with you for this program and you will each receive a $150 discount. Bring 3+ friends and you each receive a $200 discount. All participants must name each other as part of their application for their SRAS study abroad program. *Does not apply to students who already receive an alumni discount or special group pricing from SRAS, which includes Affiliation Discounts.
  • If you pair this course with a SRAS summer program in any location, a $300 discount will be applied to the latter program.

If you are interested in leading your own group to Riga for spring break, click the “Enquire Now” button below to start the conversation with us.