Students on the program will use the modern Olympic Games (1896-present) as a way to learn about both global sport and the wider story of modern international relations. Through this program, participants will explore the paradox of an event that was created to celebrate human commonality but one that requires athletes to compete as representatives of different nations. Students will discuss how a celebratory gathering intended to enrich competitors and spectators often leaves host cities and nations in staggering debt. Students will ask whether the Olympic Games have helped mend political divides and ease international tensions, whether the Games have actually served to exacerbate these conflicts, or whether the Olympics are, in the end, politically meaningless.

Summer 2026
May 23 - June 20