Tag: Study Abroad

Study abroad in Prague 2014

North Carolina State University Program in Prague
May 12 – June 22, 2014

Study abroad in Prague for the summer of 2014.  In this beautiful and historic city, North Carolina State University will be offering a Communication Program at the prestigious Prague Institute.

The Communication Program in Prague is designed to give students the opportunity to experience and study the dynamic of political and cultural change that occurs in a new democracy.  In 1989, the Czech Republic began its transition to a democratic form of government, and in the years since, changes in communication have emerged; changes in communication range from no public discourse allowed to the free exchange of ideas and debate, from limited private talk in the public square to open expressions of lives.  Students will study how communication has facilitated open public discourse, political decision-making, changes in economy, and changes in interpersonal life within the country.  Located in the capital city of Prague, the summer program in Communication is situated with easy access to political, university, tourist, and local venues for the study of a variety of dimensions of communication.

Students of Sophomore standing from any institution are welcome to apply. The program consists of two three-credit hour courses, Interpersonal Communication (COM 112) and Argument and Advocacy (COM 211). These two courses study the fundamental ways in which humans communicate with one another: through our personal relationships and through our interactions with broader publics. These courses aside, the institute offers a range of other courses that may be of interest.

Contact Matthew May with questions.

Applicants who apply prior to December 2, 2013 will receive priority registration. Regular registration is open until February 7, 2014.

Total cost of the program is $5600 and includes:
*       Non-refundable Study Abroad application charge ($300)
*       Non-refundable program deposit ($500)
*       Tuition
*       International accident/health insurance coverage
*       Accommodations in Prague with breakfast
*       Excursions within the Czech Republic relevant to the program
*       Cultural events such as opera or ballet and jazz club performances
*       Orientation materials
*       A map and phrase book
*       Wi-Fi Internet access at the Institute
*       Visits to museums and galleries
*       In-city travel passes

Airfare is not included.

Save

Study international reporting in Jerusalem 2014

SUMMER STUDY ABROAD IN JERUSALEM: INTERNATIONAL REPORTING
June 24-July 24, 2014
IEI Media * Hebrew University of Jerusalem
3 credits
Contact: Dr. Susan Jacobson

A meeting place of ancient and new, holy and secular, Jerusalem is a gathering spot for foreign correspondents from around the world. Get a taste of the global journalist’s life by studying with veteran Middle East correspondents; then go into the community to report your own stories. Learn international reporting techniques from a team of journalists, including NPR correspondent Linda Gradstein and former Christian Science Monitor reporter Ilene Prusher.

Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and a holy place for three of the world’s major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Included in the program are trips to some of the most important sites in Jerusalem and Israel.

Students will live and learn at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a modern campus on Mt. Scopus. Undergraduate student will earn 3 transferable credits from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. GRADUATE CREDIT IS AVAILABLE.

IEI Media will offer other programs on various media-related topics in summer 2014 based in Italy, France, Northern Ireland, China, Spain, and Turkey.

Save

Summer in Greece with Villanova

SUMMER IN GREECE
Undergraduates are invited to apply for the 5-week “Rhetoric and Performance in Ancient Greece” summer program sponsored by the Department of Communication at Villanova University.

The communication discipline has its origins in the study of the spoken word and its power to move and persuade. Greece is the site of much of the history of the spoken word, from epic storytelling, to oratory, to drama and lyric poetry, to the messages of the oracles. This five-week, 6 – credit summer program allows Communication majors and minors and honors students to gain important insights into the roots of the discipline and make contemporary applications through hands-on experience in Greece. Students can gain additional intercultural insights by observing and participating in a contemporary culture that continues to surround itself with, and to be influenced by, its ancient history.

6 credits; 2 professors; 20 students! Classes are held at key archaeological sites across the mainland and islands. This program brings to life the roots of the Communication discipline in its place of origin and engages students in critical aspects of contemporary culture. The 2014 program consists of two interdependent courses that will engage students in understanding connections between the ancient and contemporary Greek worlds: Performance of Greek Literature focuses on ancient Greek theatre as a way to understand rhetorical constructions of myth; and Performing Place, Space, and Public Memory focuses on tourism and places of public memory as rhetorical and performative sites. Course instruction takes place primarily in outdoor, nontraditional spaces, and as much as possible on or near specific ancient sites. The students’ primary work—analysis and performance of significant rhetorical, dramatic, and myth texts—needs to be grounded in the specifically historical, social, and cultural contexts, and much of this is gleaned from the physical space. Thus, travel to these sites is an integral part of the academic program.

Open to Communication majors and minors and all Honors majors at Villanova University as well as Communication majors and minors from other universities. Special permission may be granted for students who are not COM majors or minors or in honors but who can demonstrate coursework that provides a comparable background and preparation for this program of study.

Program dates: 19 May-26 June 2014

Early action application deadline Dec. 15th.  For more information, please contact Dr. Heidi Rose.

Save

Peacebuilding through Dialogue N Ireland

For the second year , Gonzaga University‘s Master’s Program in Communication and Leadership Studies is offering a graduate course in Derry, Northern Ireland to MA and PhD students. January 2, 2014-Januray 12, 2014 Peacebuilding through Dialogue in Northern Ireland.

Program Overview:
This hybrid on-line and study abroad program, sponsored by the Master’s Program in Communication and Leadership Studies provides a unique opportunity for students to develop understanding and the skills necessary for fostering peacebuilding and storytelling.  With pre and post online components as well as eight days of residency in Derry, Northern Ireland, and a day excursion to Belfast, Northern, Ireland.  Additionally there is a free travel day to the Northcoast of Ireland.  The aim of this course is to introduce concepts from the field of communication that enable an understanding of how local peacebuilding can build bridges across conflicting groups in deeply divided societies. Communication and dialogue are closely intertwined and together act at the heart of establishing shared space and creating a common future. It is in this shared space that the process of peace has begun to take shape.  However as Bakhtin (1981) insists, “each word tastes of the context and contexts in which it has lived its socially charged life” (p.293).

The course will reflect on the causes and history of The Troubles (1969-1998) as well as the tortuous peace process following the Belfast Agreement in 1998. Based on that agreement, Northern Ireland’s devolved government finally became reality in 2008. Local peacebuilding through dialogue is central to understanding how peace has been maintained.

Dialogue requires responsiveness which is made possible by qualities of thought and talk allowing transformation to take place: transformation in how people understand the self, the other, and the societies they inhabit. These qualities of thought and talk include a willingness to risk change in one’s own perspective and a commitment to embracing and struggling with others whose worldviews may be different from and threatening to one’s own.

In addition, working with former combatant’s of these troubles, students will complete a profile writing component of using storytelling and photography to tell the story of a local community member for our Faces and Voices of Derry Project.

Course Objectives:
Given full participation in the course, the student will be able to:

  • Explain the role of dialogue in communication.
  • Analyze the causes and history of The Troubles and the post-1998 peace process.
  • Recognize the development of shared community.
  • Interview and tell a story in a photojournalistic style of a one of the citizens of Derry using the class blog/website.
  • Explain the role dialogue can play in effective leadership in contemporary America.

Program Highlights:

  • Meet with peace practitioners, former combatants and local leaders from both the Nationalist and Unioninst communities in Northern Ireland
  • Walk the famous 17th century wall of Derry with an experience local guide
  • Visit the Shankhill and Falls Road areas of Belfast, their murals, and “peace walls” with former combatants from the Nationalist and Unionist communities as guides
  • Hear first hand how local peace leaders have created projects to work toward understanding and healing
  • Learn interviewing and facilitation skills for building dialogic practices
  • Create daily photo and storytelling blog.

Additional Information: See an archive of the student work and reflections in the program.

Save

Sarah Bishop-Microgrant Report

NCA Micro Grant Report
Sarah Bishop, University of Pittsburgh

With generous support from the Center for Intercultural Dialogue and the National Communication Association, I traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica March 29-April 7, 2013 to gather the reflections of graduate students who had studied abroad at universities in the United States for academic credit.  My goal, in short, was to discover how international academic travel influenced an individual’s sense of national identity.  In preparation for the trip, I worked to familiarize myself with the relevant research about study abroad.  Additionally, I read many of the multitudinous study abroad testimonies written by students and currently available on study abroad websites at numerous institutions.  By the time I boarded the flight for San Jose, I felt confident about the kinds of effects academic travel had on students, and I looked forward to adding the dimension of “effects on national identity” to the impressive canon of existing research.  During the interviews themselves, however, I was surprised to find that the interviewees reported experiences, emotions, and challenges about multiple aspects of the academic traveling experience that I had not encountered in any of the relevant literature.

The preparation for this project included a two-month process of correspondence with the Director and other relevant staff at the Office of International Affairs at the University of Costa Rica (UCR).  I owe my deepest gratitude to this staff, including Ana Sittenfeld and Fatima Acosta, especially, for providing me with a list of interested participants as well as details regarding the group’s areas of research and U.S. destinations.  In addition, I completed extensive oral history training from Dr. Ron Zboray at the University of Pittsburgh.  One unexpected challenge arose when I estimated (based on flight costs at the time), that round-trip airfare to San Jose would cost no more than $800 USD.  The Center for Intercultural Dialogue generously granted this amount, but between the time the grant application was due and the time of my actual travel, flight costs had risen by more than $300, and I had to use my savings account to cover the remainder of the flight.  In the future, I will account for fluctuations in flight costs before finalizing my budgets.  Another challenge arose when I realized that none of the roads around the University of San Jose, where I conducted my research, are named.  In the absence of road signs, I relied on an iPhone photograph I had taken of a map I found on UCR’s campus and the patience of students willing to forgive my uncertain Spanish for direction.

UCR-smIn an effort to understand the ways an academic travel experience affects an individual’s sense of personal and national identity, as well as the intersection between study abroad, intercultural competence, and career preparation, I spent approximately one hour interviewing each graduate student.  Our conversation ranged from issues surrounding the legal preparations required before traveling abroad to negotiating needed friendships while away from home.  While I have yet to code and transcribe all of the interviews, one unexpected theme became apparent: though study abroad programs have been especially credited with encouraging a sense of global—rather than national—citizenship, in my own interviews, I found that the majority of students reported that study abroad strengthened, rather than compromised, their sense of national or geographic identity.  This finding requires further exploration and I hope to have the opportunity to find out whether study abroad alumni in other areas of the world report similar outcomes.

While multi-sited, international research is logistically complicated and time-consuming, my time in San Jose confirmed that in cases where interpersonal interaction and nonverbal communication are central to a project, video conferencing remains a poor substitute for face-to-face interaction and exchange.  I am honored to have had the opportunity to conduct this research, and look forward to reporting my full findings at a later date.

GuestHouse-sm

[NOTE: Sarah Bishop’s original project proposal is available here.]

Summer 2013 Shanghai

Villanova University is hosting two fantastic summer programs in Shanghai, China, in 2013. The programs best fit the undergraduate students who are looking to have an international communication internship this summer and/or interested in intercultural communication, Chinese language (any level) and culture, double majors or major & minor in Communication and Business or Asian Studies (or related areas), or simply hope to become a globalized citizen and experience formal and informal learning in one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Shanghai has been rated as one of the world’s top-20 metropolitan cities and “#1 in attracting foreign capital investment and job-creating projects” (The Atlantic, 2011). Here are some highlights:
1.     Intern and Study in Shanghai, China (via Villanova School of Business or VSB)
*       Internship placements over 5 weeks of the program, for 150 hours total (past internship placements: Citibank, IPSOS, McKinsey).
*       A 3-credit course: ECO 3108 Transition of Chinese Economy.
*       A “Survival Chinese Language” training.
*       Cultural excursions: (a) Survival in Shanghai (inc. a boat tour, museum visit, and an acrobatic show) and (b) 2-week cultural excursion, inc. Shanghai to Shandong (Confucian and Taoist traditions), to Beijing (Forbidden City, Summer Palace, the Great Wall of China, Ming Tombs, and Chengde Summer Resort)
*       6 credits in total.
*       Dates: 6/26-8/13, 2013.
*       Cost: Approximately $7,700 (including tuition, housing, PRC visa, and tour; excluding airfare and meals).

2.     Intensive Chinese Language and Culture (via Global Interdisciplinary Studies or GIS)
*       Study and live in the heart of Shanghai.
*       Two 4-week-long courses: (a) Chinese language course (placed to different classes based on language level) and (b) a cultural course. Students may earn 6-9 credits depending on the Chinese language course level. The courses are sponsored by Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
*       Offers an opportunity for all students, at any Chinese language levels, to explore the Chinese language, culture, literature, history, art, theatre, business, society, and Chinese lifestyle.
*       Cultural excursions: (a) Survival in Shanghai (inc. a boat tour, museum visit, and a acrobatic show) and (b) 2-week cultural excursion, inc. Shanghai to Shandong (Confucian and Taoist traditions), to Beijing (Forbidden City, Summer Palace, the Great Wall of China, Ming Tombs, and Chengde Summer Resort)
*       Dates: 7/7-8/13, 2013.
*       Cost: Approximately $5,800 (including tuition, housing, host university health insurance, PRC visa, and tour; excluding airfare and meals).

Both programs are competitive. Please contact Dr. Qi Wang for application procedures or questions at q.wang AT villanova.edu.

Summer 2013 Ghana

Critical Reflections On Communication

The Department of Communication at Villanova University is inaugurating a pilot program this summer for what is expected to become a regular summer program offering in the department: a summer program in Ghana. During our six weeks in Ghana, we will explore issues related to communication in the classroom and in the broader culture.   In particular, we look to study, critically, the patterns of communication in the classroom with a focus on student/teacher interactions.  Our goal is for students to learn about the complexities, perspectives, and traditions of another culture.  Video production, as a universal tool of narrative exploration, will be used to enable students to share their own artistic perspectives while enhancing the conversations about Communication and Education.  We believe that through study, observation and personal experience, we will all leave Ghana with a new understanding of the Ghanaian culture.  Through the mutual exchange of information and ideology we will all grow and know better our responsibilities as global citizens. As a part of our course, we will visit Heritage Academy and work with the teachers and students on projects most relevant to their expressed needs and desires.

Dates: May 27th – July 5th
Location: Cape Coast, Ghana – University of Cape Coast
Course Credits:
Total of 6 credits
COM 3390: Special Topics in Interpersonal & Organizational Communication (3 Credits)
COM 3390: Special Topics in Media & Film (3 Credits)
Contact:
hezekiah.lewis AT villanova.edu

SJSU study abroad Finland

San José State University is hosting an Early Summer Study Abroad Program in Jyväskylä, Finland (May 27-June 13, 2013).

Please consider participating in this opportunity to earn 3 units in the lush, beautiful town of Jyväskylä, Finland. In just three weeks, explore Jyväskylä, and also, through guided excursions, also Helsinki (Finland), Tallinn (Estonia), Stockholm (Sweden) and St. Petersburg (Russia). Communication, Hospitality and Tourism, and Business students may be able to earn credit in their majors/minors. Courses will be taught in English by international faculty and will include students from around the world. Program costs are approximately $2000 plus travel and meals. To learn more, please contact Dr. Deanna Fassett at Deanna.Fassett AT sjsu.edu or Professor Minna Holopainen at Minna.Holopainen AT sjsu.edu

Participants may earn 3 units of credit in 3 weeks by taking courses ranging from creative leadership to international business speaking to Russian language and culture. Anyone, including graduate students, is welcome.

Sarah Bishop – micro grant

Sarah BishopSarah Bishop, a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of Pittsburgh, received one of the National Communication Association’s micro grants in Fall 2012 to travel to San Jose, Costa Rica. In San Jose, Bishop will work with Dr. Ana Sittenfeld, Director of the Office of International Affairs at the University of Costa Rica (UCR), to gather and analyze the reflections of graduate students who have studied abroad from Costa Rica to the United States for academic credit. Costa Rica boasts an impressive history of successful study abroad programs and strong connections to U.S. universities in particular. As the country’s oldest and largest university, UCR has spearheaded a movement to send graduate students abroad to gain international teaching experience with the belief that this opportunity makes the students better prepared and attractive candidates for teaching careers within Costa Rican universities. Bishop is interested in the ways an academic travel experience affects an individual’s sense of personal and national identity, as well as the intersection between study abroad, intercultural competence, and career preparation. This project will utilize an oral history methodology that entails conducting and recording qualitative, in-depth interviews using open-ended questions, and will work to extend Bishop’s continued efforts to navigate the ways in which international academic travel functions as a mediated, value-laden experience.

Study abroad Greece 2013

RHETORIC STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM IN GREECE
5 weeks: May 19th to June 26th 2013

The Department of Communication at Villanova University announces its 2013 Summer Study Abroad in Greece program–and invites applications from undergraduate students across the United States. Admission is competitive; early action deadline for application is December 15, 2012. Interested students should contact the 2013 Program Director, Dr. Billie Murray (billie.murray AT villanova.edu), as soon as possible.

This unique five-week, 6-credit summer program is specially designed to give Communication students important insights into the origin of the discipline and its relevance to contemporary public discourse. The program travels throughout Greece–including stops in Athens, Delphi, and Tolo as well as the Greek islands of Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete–as it focuses on the history of the spoken word–and its relation to epic storytelling, oratory, drama, and the life of the polis.

The program consists of two team-taught courses, one focusing on ancient Greek rhetoric and democracy (taught by Dr. Billie Murray, Villanova University), and the other on the rhetorical function of myth (taught by Dr. Bryan Crable, Villanova University). The courses take place on ancient archaeological sites and on hotel grounds (including, often, the beach). The size of the program is also ideal, since two Villanova faculty members are accompanied by no more than 20 students, from universities across the country. This creates a unique learning environment, one that fosters a close intellectual and personal bond between students and faculty.

Scheduled site visits include the Athenian Acropolis, Agora, and Pnyx, Delphi,’s Temples of Apollo and Athena, Ancient Corinth, the Palace of Knossos on Crete, the sacred island of Delos, Agamemnon’s palace at Mycenae, and Epidaurus.  The program is housed in 3- and 4-star hotels throughout the duration of the trip, and program costs include tuition for 6 Villanova credits in COM, all land fees, all breakfasts, all site admissions, and in-country transportation via bus and ferry.