Georgia has received increasing attention in tourism and food circles over the past several years as the wider world finally discovers a truly original gem of culinary art and natural beauty. Its allure has always been strong with our students and graduates as Georgian food has long been known in all SRAS locations. From Warsaw to Bishkek and everywhere in between, Georgian restaurants offer not only the fabulous cuisine, but also the exotic atmosphere and hospitality of Georgia. Now, students have growing opportunities to visit Georgia and are finding the country, with its rich history and culture—and amazing landscape—to be as tantalizing as its amazing cuisine.
If you are still “uninitiated,” you might try browsing just some of the extensive resources we’ve built up so far on our SRAS Family of Sites:
- The Dictionary of Georgian Food
- GeoHistory Georgia Study Guide
- The Talking Georgian Phrasebook
- SRAS Guide to Living in Tbilisi
While tourism and cultural awareness are growing, Georgia itself is just on the verge of becoming a significant destination for the study abroad. We are seeing rising numbers of students attracted to this destination in large part due to word-of-mouth. Our students start spreading the word already shortly after arrival—regaling friends and family with pictures and stories on social media. We have recently expanded our semester-long Tbilisi programs with additional electives.
We are also seeing an increasing number of custom faculty-led programs coming to Georgia for many of the same reasons. The food, nature, and people are accessible—as is the ability to study a range of subjects, which we’ll discuss a bit more below. Lastly, Georgia is an excellent base from which to explore the Caucasus more broadly and gain even more perspectives in the very different states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
Custom Faculty-Led Programs
Food and wine culture is perhaps the most obvious reason to spend time in the Caucasus. Regardless of the central theme of your program, food can play a role from the functional (we need to eat and why not indulge in this paradise) to a feature central to the study of identity, even politics. The region is also a place of tremendous natural beauty and with so much time spent eating, it is only logical to incorporate hiking and other forms of active learning.
Yes, this may all sound more like a vacation, but it is also high impact experiential learning. Topics to be explored in great depth in Georgia and the Caucasus as a whole include the following:
- Food and wine culture, foodways, nutrition
- Identity
- Conflict studies
- Environment, sustainability
- Geopolitics, security
- Tourism, hospitality
- Religion
Underlying these topics are the history, geography, politics, and culture of the region. For deep dive in how one might approach subjects like the politics of language, post-colonial identity building, and maintaining multicultural societies, see this post by our Program Manager, Carly Zilge.
For inspiration on what your students could do in Georgia, see the sample itineraries on our site. They can be done as-is or used as a basis for building something focused more specifically on your class content. SRAS can also design a completely custom course for you.
Curious what educators and students have had to say about study in Georgia and the Caucasus? Check out the podcasts below!
- David Galloway, Associate Professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Faculty-Led program to Georgia with SRAS in 2023.
- Andrea Lanoux and Petko Ivanov, Professors at Connecticut College, Faculty-Led program to Georgia with SRAS in 2023.
- Lee Sullivan, Student at Stetson University, spent a full year in Georgia with SRAS.
- Michael Denner, Professor at Stetson University and an expert on Georgian culture, discusses educational opportunities in Georgia.
Still have questions? Contact us or see if there is currently a faculty info session scheduled!
We’ll look forward to seeing you and your students in Georgia!
