Student study trips to France and India in 2024 highlight Taubman College’s unique experiential learning opportunities.
Raymón Richardson, M.Arch ’25, and a group of fellow Taubman College graduate students traveled to Paris to study the future of commuting just as the French capital was gearing up to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The May 10–24 field study, led by faculty member Clement Blanchet, was part of the college’s new Proposition Studio option for Master of Architecture students in their final year. Students engage in international fieldwork and, upon returning to Michigan, are offered the unique opportunity to select electives tailored to their independent thesis research. This approach offers a dynamic blend of global immersion and targeted academic exploration — an evolution in architectural education.
“This opportunity to study architecture and urbanism in a city like Paris was an experience of a lifetime,” Richardson says. “Having grown up within an hour of the Motor City, it was quite invigorating to take on such a thought exercise in an era when the City of Detroit, Ford, and others have begun to redefine their relationship with our, generally, car-dependent culture. As a future design professional, this experience has piqued a new interest and inspired me to expand my architectural studies further into the world of infrastructure and urbanism and the role it plays (or doesn’t play) here in the United States.”
At the same time Richardson and his classmates were studying in Paris, some 4,000 miles away in India, another team of graduate students, guided by Mumbai-based architect Ayaz Basrai, were investigating how traditional craft practices can be reinterpreted through contemporary technology and advanced fabrication tools.
Basrai, who’s with the Goa Collective and The Bus Ride architecture office, challenged students to blend cutting-edge technology with cultural heritage, fostering a deeper understanding of the potential for innovation within craft industries.
Connecting students with leading practitioners around the globe is a cornerstone of the Proposition Studio and the college’s longstanding Spring Travel Course program, says Anya Sirota, associate dean for academic initiatives and associate professor of architecture. The opportunities bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, providing students with invaluable insights from industry leaders.
“These global engagements expand students’ professional networks while enriching their educational experience through exposure to diverse perspectives and cutting-edge practices in architecture and design. This intersection of cross-cultural dialogue and advanced methodologies deepens their understanding of the global dimensions of the discipline,” Sirota says.
Through the Spring Travel Courses, Taubman College students have traveled to more than 40 countries on six continents — from Austria to Ghana to Ukraine — since 2008. The courses, held in May and June, generally span several weeks to two months. Students receive $1,500 in support for international travel and $1,000 for domestic travel.
“Our programs introduce students to design methods that extend beyond the conventional confines of studio or capstone courses,” Sirota says. “This year, for example, our students explored archival research in Amsterdam, enhanced their on-site documentation skills in Rome, and honed their interview techniques in Zurich. These competencies are invaluable, yet they often fall by the wayside in traditional courses due to the constraints of academic scheduling and accreditation requirements.”
Selecting which courses get approved is akin to a casting process, Sirota said. Faculty with international research agendas present their course proposals, and students then choose topics and geographies they find inspiring.
The program includes three-credit elective courses open to all undergraduate and graduate students. This year, students journeyed to Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. Other students interested in public interest design studied in Brazil with the U-M Public Design Corps.
Students in the final year of the Master of Architecture program can now take the six-credit travel Proposition Studio. These are the students who traveled to India and France in the spring.
“Visiting a country such as India exposed me to several issues one may need help finding or considering in the United States, opening my views and beliefs,” said Scott Kulis, M.Arch ’25. “This experience started with minimum knowledge of the culture and people and led to a world of knowledge and experience in six weeks. It provided a grand opportunity not only as a student but also as a person.”
Sirota said the insights gained from studying abroad can significantly enhance an architect’s work in the United States. Having led several travel courses herself, she recalls taking students to France to examine the transformation of post-industrial sites into experimental cultural venues. These experiences provided valuable methodologies that could be effectively adapted to the North American context, particularly in Detroit.
“There are myriad interconnected narratives our students encounter internationally, enriching their understanding and sensitivity,” Sirota said. “These firsthand experiences with global practitioners are indispensable, fostering a level of empathy and insight that can’t easily be replicated in the classroom. I consider this an essential component of an architect’s education, especially those who want
to make the world better.”
