Snapshot
Dates
| Term | Application Deadline | Confirmation Deadline | Program Start | Program End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Break | October 3, 2025 | October 4, 2025 | Tentative - December 29, 2025 | Tentative - January 11, 2026 |
About the Program
Locations: Panama City, Playa Venao, & Combutal, Panama
Surfing is one of the world’s most popular cultural phenomena, with the sport’s reach historically extending far beyond the wave-riding community. Its influence can be seen in fashion, music, film, photography, tourism, and even corporate marketing.
In this program, we’ll spend a couple of weeks in Panama, a premier surf destination and critically important country nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, where we’ll explore the history of modern surf culture. From nineteenth-century Hawai'i to twenty-first-century Central America, we’ll take a deeper look at how this pastime has driven and been changed by a number of major global developments, such as colonialism and imperialism, globalization, cultural diplomacy, mass tourism, and the Cold War. The program also contains an exciting experiential component: you’ll learn to surf!
We’ll divide our time between three Panamanian destinations. In the vibrant capital of Panama City, which is an important center of global finance, we’ll spend time visiting the canal zone and exploring the city’s historic heart, including fascinating museums and its stunning waterfront. We'll also travel to the mountains near Soberania National Park to go zip-lining through and above the jungle canopy.
From Panama City, we’ll make our way to Combutal, a small coastal community at the southern tip of the Azuero Peninsula. Here we’ll spend a week surfing along wide, jungle-fringed beaches. In addition to surfing, we’ll go for a waterfall hike (with great swimming holes), visit tide pools, and learn about local sustainability efforts.
After a week in Combutal, we’ll make our way to Playa Venao, a popular town with a long, white-sand beach and abundant wildlife. In Venao, we’ll surf, explore the community, and, with a bit of luck, assist in releasing newly-hatched sea turtles.
From Venao, we’ll return to the international airport in Panama City and fly back to the United States.
Activities and excursions are subject to change. Final itinerary details will be provided closer to the departure date.
Academics
Panama: Global History of Surf Culture (ILSA/HIST 3313), 4 Credits
This course will combine traditional academic instruction with outdoor education. We’ll visit community sites and natural areas, and we’ll study the development of surf tourism. A prerequisite for this course is the ability to swim—as you’ll have the opportunity to learn how to surf! We’re confident this will be a wonderful experience and one of the most memorable courses you’ll take as a college student.
Course Topics:
- History of surfing and global surf culture
- U.S. foreign policy in Central America
- Empire-building and the “civilizing mission” in 19th- and early 20th-century Hawai'i
- Growth of international tourism after WWII
- Political mass movements and the anti-apartheid struggle
- American foreign relations and Cold War cultural diplomacy
- Surf industry and corporate globalization
This course is approved to count for:
- Upper-division U.S./Americas elective: History major and minor
- Thematic elective: International Studies major
- Optional elective: Hispanic Studies major
- Capstone requirement: Latin American Studies major
- 3xxx-level elective for programs requiring upper-division credits outside your major
- Liberal Education: Global Perspectives category
- Liberal Education: Humanities category
Cost Information
Use this cost estimate to help calculate expenses and budget for your study abroad program. This includes all program fees billed to your UMD student account and necessary out-of-pocket expenses. Please note that cost estimates and fees may change depending on international economic factors. We will post final fees once enrollments, inflation, and exchange rates are determined in order to provide the most accurate pricing. We strive to post final fees by October 1 for Winter and Spring programs, March 1 for May/Summer programs, and May 1 for Fall and Academic Year programs. This cost does not include the $50 application fee.
If more students apply, a cost reduction is likely. Final cost estimates are posted closer to the program departure; costs vary each year.*
Please note this estimate does not account for unexpected expenses such as mid-program quarantine. Students can learn more about their host country requirements by visiting the State Department website. Students should also refer to the required On Call International to see what is covered in the event a traveler needs medical attention or tests positive for COVID-19.
Scholarships & Financial Aid
- Scholarships are available!
- Financial aid for winter break programs is considered part of the spring semester when determining aid packages. Share the cost estimate with One Stop Student Services to understand how your financial aid can contribute to your study abroad program.
- Note: Credits taken on study abroad programs cannot be used toward the Bulldog Bundle.
Travel Documents
Get a passport right on campus! Processing times vary, but it can take several weeks to a few months to receive one. If you already have a passport, make sure its expiration date goes at least 6 months beyond the end date of your program so it's valid the entire time you're abroad.
Contact
Program Instructors
Scott Laderman, PhD, is a Professor of History at UMD. Born and raised in California, he has been surfing for more than 40 years. He is the author, among other works, of Empire in Waves: A Political History of Surfing (University of California Press, 2014).
UMD College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Dept. of History
317 Cina Hall
218-726-7207
[email protected]
Study Abroad Instructor-Led Program Coordinator
Apply
Before you click on the "Start my application" button below, make sure you know how to identify the correct program by searching for the:
- Program Name: UMD - Instructor-Led: History of Global Surf Culture - Winter Break Session;
and the - Term (e.g. Winter Break Session 2025)
A $50 non-refundable application fee will be billed to your One Stop account upon submission of an application.
After you apply
- After approximately 20 minutes, you will see checklist items for you to complete.
- All application checklist items need to be submitted by the application deadline which is noted near the top of the page.
- Your UMD Program Contact will review your application materials.
- You must complete the Confirmation of Participation form to confirm your participation.
- Once we receive your confirmation, your UMD account will be billed a confirmation deposit.
If you decide you cannot participate, you must log in to the online application system and submit the "Cancellation Request form."
Program health and safety information
is available at GO SAFE.
