Faculty: Mara Holt Skov

May 20-June 10, 2026

Housing Check-in: May 20
Housing Checkout: June 10

Program Details

Open to undergraduate and graduate students

This three-week study abroad course offers students the opportunity to learn about circular design practices in Paris and the Netherlands through site, studio, and exhibition visits, and web-based and experiential research. At each step we will study innovative materials and forms, advanced production and distribution methods, and government support for sustainable practices in transportation, water use, manufacturing, food systems, waste streams, and other areas with the goal of helping each student expand their knowledge of circular design and learn how they might incorporate what they learn into their own studio practices.

In each city we will visit manufacturers, design studios, exhibitions, and relevant cultural sites. Lectures, readings and discussions provide context for our activities. Students will develop methods for documenting their observations and experiences and presenting their findings to others. Each student will choose a specific circular design topic to study in depth based on their interests and goals. Our research will culminate in a week of project development in the studios of the Paris College of Art and the presentations of our findings and design responses.

This course is designed for students whose work requires deep knowledge of sustainable materials and systems - Industrial Design, Interaction Design, Fashion Design, Interior Design, Architecture, and other majors who are committed to circular design in their creative practice. It can be counted towards the CCA minor in Ecological Practices.

The Netherlands – Amsterdam and Eindhoven

In the Netherlands we will learn how history, culture, business, and government support sustainable practices throughout every aspect of Dutch life. From local composting and recycling, to renewable energy, to social housing, to public transportation and the most extensive cycling culture in the world, the Netherlands offers a wide range of sustainable practices for students to research and learn from. To experience sustainable transportation firsthand, we will travel on bikes for several days during our time in the Netherlands.

Paris

In Paris we will learn how a world capital where people have been continuously living since ancient times can design for a sustainable future. From the Paris Metro, one of the oldest and most effective urban transportation systems in the world, to expanding green spaces throughout the city, to sorting household waste, to cleaning up the river Seine, the city of Paris has made a commitment to sustainability through their Climate Action Plan adopted in 2007. In Paris we will learn how the city is using circular design to achieve their ambitious goal of being carbon neutral city by 2050.

About the Instructor

Art and design historian, author, and curator Mara Holt Skov has been teaching at CCA since 2006, guiding the next generation of designers towards a deeper understanding of the ways that design influences culture and in turn, how culture influences what and how we design. She has been bringing students to Europe for over a decade, using the urban environment as a dynamic laboratory for learning about historic and contemporary design.

Mara has traveled extensively throughout Europe, visiting over 20 countries as part of her art and design research since 1987. In addition, she lived for several years in France and Germany and speaks both French and German. Her summer study abroad courses have taken students to London, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Milan, Dessau, and Berlin to explore design history in the cities and sites where that history was made. This summer’s focus on circular design has been developed over several years of connecting with designers, researching systems, learning about government policies, and experiencing first-hand how Europeans live sustainably in their cities and countries.

Learn more about Mara Holt Skov »

Prerequisites

All students must fill out the Student Interest Form

• Undergraduate Students: Completion of Writing 2 and at least sophomore level (57 units) by summer 2026
• Graduate students: Completion of Student Interest Form

In addition, all students must be in good academic, conduct, and financial standing for the 2025–26 academic year. Students who are on probation in fall 2025 are not eligible to enroll in a 2026 summer study-abroad program.

Course Satisfies*

• For undergraduate students, this course satisfies a Social Science & History Elective (SSHIS-2000 or SSHIS-3000), H&S Elective towards an Ecological Practices Minor & Upper Division Interdisciplinary studio (UDIST 3000).
• For graduate students, this course satisfies a Grad-wide Elective (GELCT-6200).

*Pending approval

Program Tuition:

$8,000 + $50 summer registration fee

Included in program tuition:

• 3 credits, housing, local transportation, and transportation between cities visited, guest artists, field trips, entrance fees, and workshop materials

Not included in program tuition:

• Airfare to and from Europe, ground transportation to and from airport in Europe, most meals

Please read the Summer Study Abroad Registration & Related Information in its entirety.

Questions

Please see Frequently Asked Questions or email studyabroad@cca.edu.