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The Enduring Enlightenment

Program Details

The Enduring Enlightenment is a 10-day study program in Amsterdam and Paris that examines the intellectual history of the Enlightenment and its later critics. Through guided site visits, museum stops, and on-site mini-lectures, students will connect primary and secondary texts with the physical places where Enlightenment ideas developed and were contested — from canal houses and museums in Amsterdam to the Pantheon, cafés of Paris, and Versailles. The program includes pre-trip seminar sessions, in-country guided activities, travel journals, and reflective writing assignments that culminate in integrative assessments.

Selection Criteria:

  • Open to all majors (especially relevant to Philosophy, Political Science, History).
  • No prerequisites required.
  • Enrollment is first-come, first-serve provided study-abroad guidelines are met.
  • Minimum group size: 9; Maximum: 25.

Destination:

Amsterdam, Netherlands and Paris, France.

Program Dates:

May 12th - May 23rd, 2026

Apply Now

Cost

Cost: $3,000 

Deposit: $500 Deposit is due 72 hours after registration. If not paid in that timeframe, you may be dropped from your trip.

Final Payment Deadline: May 1, 2026
(The remaining balance of the program must be paid in full by this date)

Payments can now be made online! Visit this website for instructions on how to pay your deposit and future payments online. Charges should show on your account within 24-48 hours after registration. If you want to pay with cash or check, please pay at the Hurst Center for Lifelong Learning.

Includes: insurance, tuition, room and board, local transportation abroad, excursions, and some meals.

NOT included: airfare, visa fees, passport, incidentals, excess baggage costs, any unscheduled travel, and some meals.

This program supports Weber State’s sustainability goals and contributes to carbon-neutral travel initiatives.

Itinerary

itinerary subject to change     

*edited*                             

5/12/26 Flight from SLC to Paris


5/13/26 Arrive in Paris/Student meeting and discussion late afternoon
5/14/26 Pantheon (Voltaire and Rousseau)/Sorbonne/Les Deux Magots/Descartes’ Grave/Le Procope (possibly) (Paris’s oldest cafe where Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot hung out)
5/15/26 Notre Dame/Eiffel Tower/Seine River Tour/Museum of Man (Descartes’s skull) 
5/16/26 Day trip to Versaille-Palace of Versailles
5/17/26 Louvre
5/18/26 Train to Amsterdam/Student meeting and discussion late afternoon
5/19/26 Anne Frank House (and a walk past Descartes’s House)/Hop On Hop Off Canal Cruise/Vondelpark philosophy discussion.

5/20/26 Day trip to Rijnsburg—Spinoza House
5/21/26 Day trip to Utrecht—visiting the University (Descartes’s work!)
5/22/26 The Church of Our Lord in the Attic/Rijksmuseum
5/23/26  Students fly from Amsterdam to SLC

Academic Courses

Students who participate in this study abroad program will be able to register for up to three (3) semester credits through Weber State University.

  • PHIL 2920 (3) 
  • POLS 2920 (3)

    Max credits per student: 3 (courses listed as elective credit) 

Program Directors

Dr. Richard Greene - Program Leader (Professor of Philosophy)

rgreene@weber.edu 

Dr. Rachel Robison-Greene (Assistant Professor @ Utah State University)

rachel.robison@usu.edu

Trip Cancellations

If Weber State cancels a trip for any reason, all participants will be refunded 100% of funds paid to the school. If a participant withdraws from the program for any reason, they are subject to the refund policy found on the first page of the application.  Deposits are always non-refundable, unless the program is canceled by Weber State.  No refunds will be issued 30 days prior to program start date. 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Study Abroad Office at (801) 626-8715.