If homesickness or financial concerns have ever prevented you from studying abroad in the past, the short-term study abroad program can help resolve those issues.
Cabrini’s short-term study abroad options offer students the chance to go overseas for one week during the spring as opposed to an entire semester. This program was created to allow students who may not be able to afford a full semester or students whose class schedule does not allow them to escape their classes, to travel the skies.
Every short-term opportunity has a class matched along with it, so students select which they are most interested in and will then enroll in that course for the upcoming semester. The class will provide background information on the culture they are going to experience as well as discuss issues that are the primary focus of the expedition.
For the approaching semester, three journeys are offered through this program.
Dr. Thomas Stretton and Dr. Kimberly Boyd will be leading the On Stage: Live in London course, which will take students to London after finals have concluded in May. This class is all about learning the history of contemporary English theater, both British and American, and will focus on dramatic and musical-dramatic pieces.
“Students are enamored by the nature of being in London since it is such a different experience,” Stretton said regarding the interest in the course.
While in London, Stretton will guide the students through many aspects of western theater’s heritage. The combination of backstage tours, performances and acting classes will keep the students active with their studies and engage them in the depth of the course. London’s theater atmosphere has been one of the city’s most popular destinations for years and its tradition entices people to learn more about it.
An opportunity presented to go to Guatemala is also available for this upcoming spring. Two of the Engagement for the Common Good (ECG) classes will be heading down south during spring break to experience the lives of the Guatemalans. This study abroad trip will help students gain a better understanding of the way Catholic Relief Services (CRS) interacts with the community members by engaging in a variety of cultural happenings.
“I would recommend this trip to anyone. The people and the country were both so beautiful and it opened my eyes to a whole new meaning of service. Service isn’t just about helping others, it’s about being in solidarity and learning and serving with them,” Maura Lemke, junior social work major, said about the trip. Lemke embarked on this journey during the 2013 spring semester and said it opened her eyes because she learned that the rest of the world does not live like the United States.
This upcoming semester, the trip will be held at a mission located by Lake Atitlan, which is surrounded by three volcanoes and is the home to many people of the Mayan culture. After students return from Guatemala, they will be able to take what they have learned from their travels and apply it to their understanding of the United State’s global communication efforts. This trip will be led by Dr. Jerry Zurek and Dr. Raquel Green.
Vonya Womack and Dr. Erin McLaughlin are the moderators for the third possible short-term study abroad occasion. Understanding Fair Trade in Costa Rica will bring students to the San Jose area where students will learn the difference between fair trade and free trade. The main goal of this class is to enforce the idea that where we purchase our food and from could have a huge impact on someone’s lifestyle in a different country. The class is also considered to be an ECG and will fulfill the ECG 300 requirement for undergraduate students.
Excursions, tours and national parks are on the agenda for the students embarking on this trip to help them understand how people in the Costa Rican community live within rural villages.
“Students will have the opportunity to visit lots of different places there like banana plantations, coffee plantations and volcanic areas,” Womack said about destinations on the trip.
Womack also said that this short-term study abroad trip is not strictly about the classroom content. Students will explore their adventurous side bide by going zip-lining through the Monteverde Cloud Forest and hiking up the biological reserve.
We live in a very globalized world and studying abroad, whether it be short-term or long-term, will have an impact on one’s current understanding. Womack strongly encourages students of all majors to give one of these programs a chance.
“Understanding your broader areas, cultures and religions are important because we now live in a time where we need to understand them. There is nothing better than being there to witness the way other people live their lives. Any opportunity you can take to go overseas and experience another culture first hand is one of the best learning experience you will have in your entire life.”
