Starting in Colombo, the vibrant capital city whose metropolitan area population exceeds 5 million, students will have opportunities to meet with leaders working toward inter-group tolerance and fostering pluralism. The group will then travel to the northern and eastern regions of the country – the center of the long-running civil war from 1983 to 2009 between the Sri Lankan Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – to visit with more civil society leaders and academics. The trip will culminate with two days traveling to and climbing Adam’s Peak, a 7359-ft. mountain that serves as the source of three major rivers and the site of a wildlife reserve. The peak of the mountain is a religious site of significance to Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and some Christians as it arguably exhibits the footprint of Buddha, Shiva, Adam, or St. Thomas respectively. Adam’s Peak is a site of pilgrimage and devotion, and the climb, often undertaken at night to witness the sunrise, is seen as both a physical and spiritual challenge.

Spring Short-Term: May 16th – 29th, 2026

Wake Forest University’s Enable Pluralism Across Religious and Cultural Differences program is based in various regions of Sri Lanka. A portion of the program will be spent in the capital city, Colombo, along with other cities across the island, in the north and east. Visits in these cities with various leaders and academics will allow students to learn how pluralism is applied and promoted, specifically in the context of Sri Lanka’s limited legal protection of religious freedom. A hike up Adam’s Peak represents a physical and spiritual challenge as students summit a mountain claimed significant and sacred by several different religions and belief traditions.

PSY 270: Special Topics in Psychology: Enabling Pluralism Across Religious and Cultural Differences
This course (1.5h) will explore the psychological factors that enable individuals to engage in pluralism, which involves the manifestation of tolerance and other characteristics to foster deep engagement and constructive relationships across religious, cultural, and ethnic differences. Students will examine the interplay of character traits, cognitive processes, and social contexts in shaping the capacity for pluralism. The seminar will also explore the challenges and opportunities for promoting pluralism in diverse societies, including those with limited legal protections for religious freedom, with a specific focus on Sri Lanka. Students will engage with material from political and moral philosophy, social/personality & political psychology, political science and religious studies.

Upon completion of the course, taken in the spring semester, students embark on a 10-day trip across Sri Lanka. Starting in Colombo, the vibrant capital city whose metropolitan area population exceeds 5 million, students will have opportunities to meet with leaders working toward inter-group tolerance and fostering pluralism. The group will then travel to the northern and eastern regions of the country – the center of the long-running civil war from 1983 to 2009 between the Sri Lankan Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – to visit with more civil society leaders and academics. The trip will culminate with two days traveling to and climbing Adam’s Peak. The peak of the mountain is a religious site of significance to Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and some Christians as it arguably exhibits the footprint of Buddha, Shiva, Adam, or St. Thomas respectively. Adam’s Peak is a site of pilgrimage and devotion, and the climb, often undertaken at night to witness the sunrise, is seen as both a physical and spiritual challenge.

Eranda Jayawickreme, Ph.D
Harold W. Tribble Professor of Psychology
Telephone: (336) 758-6192
E-mail: jayawide@wfu.edu

Students and faculty will stay in hotels.

NOTE: All students participating in the WFU/Sri Lanka: Enable Pluralism Across Religious and Cultural Differences program are required to live in program-provided housing. Housing accommodations you may have on campus do not automatically transfer to abroad and certain housing accommodations (single rooms and private bathrooms, for example) may not be available.

• Good academic standing
• Interest in psychology

The total cost of summer study abroad can be broken down into four categories:

• Program Fee – Usually covers room, in-country travel, excursions, some meals and other costs associated with the program.
• Tuition – Students on WFU summer programs pay WFU summer school tuition per credit hour. The 2026 summer rate is $950/per credit hour. 
• Airfare (estimated) – Varies per location. Students are responsible for their own airfare unless otherwise noted.
• Personal Expenses (estimated) – These will vary depending on the students’ spending habits, cost of living in the destination country, and the number of meals included in the program fee. This may also include visa fees, vaccinations, academic supplies/books and other miscellaneous daily expenses.

Billed by Wake Forest:
Program Fee (estimated) – TBD
Tuition (1.5hrs) – TBD
                       +
Personal costs (will fluctuate per student spending and location):
Airfare – TBD 
Personal Expenses (estimated) – TBD

Estimated total cost – TBD

Scholarships are available through the Center for Global Programs and Studies.

Passport Information
Students need to check their passport’s expiration date and ensure that it will be valid for at least 6 months after the program’s end date.

Students going on a summer program need to make sure their passport is valid through at least mid-February of the following year.

US passport holders who need to renew their passport should visit the U.S. Department of State’s passport website for information on this process.

Non-US passport holders who need to renew their passport should refer to their home country’s passport office.

Visa Information
If you are a US citizen, you most likely will not require a visa for your summer abroad program. If you do, details will be shared with you by GPS. Non-US passport holders should check with their host country’s embassy or consulate to find out if a visa is required for their program or not.

Eranda Jayawickreme, Ph.D
Harold W. Tribble Professor of Psychology
(336) 758-6192
jayawide@wfu.edu

Amanda Batten 
Study Abroad Advisor
Center for Global Programs and Studies
(336) 758-3194
battena@wfu.edu