Produced by: Office of Marketing and Communications
January 22, 2013
Students can spend their summer exploring the rainforests of Costa Rica to learn about sustainability. Others may choose to examine the cultural treasures of historic Puebla, Mexico, or see Australian kangaroos in their natural environment.
These are some of the life-changing study abroad experiences available this summer through the Office of Global Studies at St. John’s University. “It’s easier than ever for students — undergraduate and graduate — to live and learn in remarkable places while earning credit to stay on track for graduation,” said Matthew Pucciarelli, Associate Vice President for Global Studies. “Whatever their major, they can now choose from more courses in more countries.”
The summer programs are open to matriculated students from St. John’s and other colleges and universities — but they need to register as soon as possible, said MyKellann Ledden, Director of the Global Studies Programs. Students at St. John’s may apply online. Visiting students may download and submit an application after consulting with their advisors.
“Courses are starting to fill up,” said Ledden. “Financial aid, including Licari Scholarships, is available to help offset costs and make our programs as affordable as possible.”
Education majors will be able to appreciate the beauty of Brisbane and Sydney, while observing teachers at a cross-section of Australian elementary, middle and high schools. “Students will learn about the differences between our system and Australia’s,” said Charisse Willis, Associate Dean of The School of Education. “This will help them to enhance their own teaching by adopting effective methods used elsewhere.”
Reflecting St. John’s Vincentian mission, participants also will engage in service at local schools, soup kitchens and other sites. All courses include Academic Service-Learning, which is an essential part of the University’s study abroad experience.
In Costa Rica, students will reside in sustainable housing, spend time with indigenous communities and work at wildlife sites and organic farms. “I find the prospect of teaching there especially unique and exciting,” said Julie Carter, Ph.D., Coordinator of the Graduate Adolescent Education Program. “We’ll be able to get involved in important environmental and educational issues, which students will find invaluable when they become educators themselves.”
Students also may decide to study in China with Bernadette Li, Ph.D, Professor and Director of Asian Studies. “We’re going to visit the Mawangdui archaeological site in Hunan Province,” said Dr. Li. “We’ll see how sophisticated Chinese handicrafts were even as far back as 2,000 years ago.”
With four summer sessions, Global Studies programs run from two weeks to two months. Some of the courses incorporate studying in two countries, such as France and Morocco (global communications) or Italy and Greece (psychology). Others, like the multidisciplinary program in Vietnam, take students to many cities and sites in one country.
Students can apply online or download an application to secure their place in any of this summer’s 19 Global Studies programs in 15 different countries. They also can attend the Study Abroad Fair at the Queens campus on February 14; or the Information Session at the Staten Island campus, from 2 - 3 p.m. on March 18.
Students praise St. John’s study abroad program, as in this excerpt from an editorial in The Torch, the University’s student newspaper.