Sydney May Term: The U.S.-Australia Alliance and the Past, Present and Future of the Indo-Pacific Region

In partnership with the U.S. Study Center at the University of Sydney, this May Term will take 20 outstanding students to Sydney, Australia to study the U.S.-Australia Alliance and the Past, Present and Future of the Indo-Pacific Region. The United States has a long history of strategic interest in the Indo-Pacific region. This includes three major wars fought in the region in the past century, a significant share of our international trade and capital flows for the past 50 years, some of our most important treaty allies, and an emerging geopolitical competition with China.

This course will explore the modern history of American engagement in the region with a special focus on the diplomatic and military alliance between the United States and Australia – the latter being the only nation in the world to fight alongside the United States in every major war since World War I. The course will delve into the history of this alliance as a lens through which to explore U.S involvement in the wider Indo-Pacific theater.

The U.S. and Australia share common roots in the British Empire and common democratic identities, yet different geographies, political systems, and resource bases. While a relatively small country, due to its history and values, its strategic location, as well as accomplished diplomatic and military leaders, Australia has exerted disproportionate influence on American national security policy. The course will include a section on intelligence sharing as Australia is also a core member with the United States of the “Five Eyes” intelligence partnership. 

The exploration of this alliance history will serve as a basis for students to develop a robust understanding of the history of U.S foreign policy and its strategic interests in the region. Particular attention will be devoted to the United States’ operations in the Pacific Theatre during WWII, and the role of maritime and amphibious warfare in overall American military strategy.

The program fee is $3,000 and includes airfare, housing, a transportation pass, and all program related excursion expenses. The fee DOES NOT include overseas health insurance, the Study Abroad Office’s fee, a refundable housing damage deposit, personal travel, and some meals.

INFO SESSION: CANCELLED

The Sydney May Term program has been postponed until May 2025

For more information, please contact Brett Cook at [email protected].