In Summer 2019, the Department of Communication Studies is offering three education abroad programs in Spain, South Korea, and Italy. These programs offer unique experiences out of the class room while still earning course credit.
All programs offer various financial aid opportunities including a $1,000 Communication Studies Education Abroad Scholarship per program. The Frank B. Davis and Sue Davis Pendell Scholarship will also be available to students accepted into any of these programs. Financial aid and scholarship opportunities are detailed on the Education Abroad website.
Rome
2019 marks the fifth year of the Communications in Rome program led by Dr. Carl Burgchardt and Dr. Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager. Students will live and study in Rome over the course of a five-week stay.
The program consists of two courses that will build intercultural communication skills and critical ability. “Bridging Cultures” (SPCM 370A – 3 credits), taught by Khrebtan-Hörhager, and “Cinematic Rome” (SPCM 470A – 3 credits), taught by Burgchardt, each fulfills upper-division requirements and count towards a Communication Studies degree.
Burgchardt’s course, which counts towards a Film Minor, analyzes movies that revolve around culturally significant locations in Rome.
“During my course (SPCM 482) we will watch films that are set in some of the most iconic and recognizable locations in Italy,” Burgchardt said. “You will have the opportunity to visit the actual locations that were used for filming, such as the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, and the Colleseum. Students will also have a chance to wander through the movie sets at Cinecittà, Italy’s main film production site.”
Khrebtan’s courses will focus on differences between culture in the U.S. and Italy. Students will investigate social tensions, immigration, and intercultural communication situations, and apply those practices while living in Rome. Every day will be an opportunity to learn, practice and make excellent impression on the locals.
During the program, students will be based at the American University of Rome, a beautiful and safe campus near the center of the historical city. Within Rome, students will visit many important cultural sites, including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, and the Vatican Museum. Expected group excursions will include Florence, Sienna, Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii, and others.
All students and majors are welcome to apply for one of 20 available positions. For more information, please contact the program co-directors at Carl.Burgchardt@colostate.edu and Julia.Khrebtan-Hoerhager@colostate.edu or visit their website.
South Korea
Professor Hye Seung Chung will be leading the new study abroad program on South Korean cinema, culture, and history in Summer 2019.
The three-credit course, “South Korea – Cinema, Culture, and History” (SPCM 382C/HIST 382C) primarily takes place in Seoul. CSU students will be joined by hundreds of other students from all around the world and have a chance to socialize with them during Friday field trips (to such places as the DMZ and the Folk Village).
One of the greatest benefits of this program is that each participant will be paired with her or his own Ewha, or “peace buddy,” who will be available to give local tips on everything from campus amenities and good restaurants to places to visit in Seoul and surrounding areas during weekends.
Students will study 20th century Korean modern history through film and television with focused attention on national divisions, civil war, U.S. Military occupation, and conflicts between North and South Korea. Classes will showcase connections between the U.S. and Korean histories during the Cold War and the influence of Hollywood on Korean cinema.
At the end of the study abroad, students will have a better understanding of Korea’s role in the construction of U.S. Cold War empire and meanings of today’s North Korean nuclear crisis.
“As a professor, this is a dream opportunity to teach a topic that is dear to my heart, but more importantly I am happy to add this program to CSU’s study abroad list as there are not many options for students to go to East Asia with CSU professors,” Chung said.
Home to 10 million people, Seoul is an exciting, busy metropolis—one of the most wired places on the planet with pockets of traditional architecture and gardens preserved to give glimpses of Korea’s five-thousand-year old history.
Learn more at an info session:
Wednesday, November 7 @ 12 p.m., LSC 312
Tuesday, November 13 @ 3 p.m., LSC 304
For more information, please contact Hye Seung Chung at Hye.Chung@colostate.edu. Or visit their website.
Spain
Dr. Meara Faw will lead a new three-and-a-half-week program in Murcia, Spain, titled Communication and Social Support Abroad in Spain (SPCM 482B). This upper-division, three credit, course will count as elective credits for CMST majors. They also fulfill an AUCC core course requirement for non-majors.
According to Faw, students will be asked to stretch their thinking about critical issues. How do we build community? How do the structures we put into place in our physical environment promote meaningful connection? How do we build relationships in a time of increasing fragmentation?
These questions will be explored first hand through field experiences that consider differences between the United States and Spain. For instance, students will explore how built environments influence community-building by traveling throughout Murcia and rural areas. They will meet leaders of the University of Murcia and local area media organizations to understand the role that business and educational institutions play in shaping communication and social support. And, they will experience communication and cultural differences in family life through a short-term home stay.
“Spain is an amazing country–the people are friendly, the culture is rich and engaging, and Murcia is a beautiful, historical place,” Faw says. “I can’t wait for students to experience all that Spain has to offer while bringing a critical eye to exploring differences between the communication experience in Spain and in the United States.”
Learn more at info sessions:
Monday, Nov. 12 at 3 p.m., Eddy 107
For more information on the study abroad to Spain program, please contact Meara Faw at Meara.Faw@colostate.edu or visit their website.