Study Abroad Blogs

Elmira College students will travel to Berea Kentucky, to spend three weeks conducting hearing tests among children enrolled in the Child Development Laboratory at Berea College. Our students will be housed at Berea College and will have an opportunity to perform this important health care mission while learning about the culture of Appalachia. The culture and stereotypes of Appalachia are often misunderstood. This will be an opportunity for Elmira students to learn and observe more factual information about the culture of the region while performing hearing testing among children of the area. EC students will be exposed to the family life, education, politics, and economics of Appalachia. In addition to hosting our students, Berea College will offer lecture and background information about the region.

We will be in Australia for four weeks, visiting the cities of Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Cairns, and Alice Springs. Included in this course are: an overnight trip to Fraser Island, a cruise on the Great Barrier Reef that will include snorkeling opportunities, and a camping trip in Central Australia. Course time will be devoted to field trips to zoos, museums, wilderness areas, and other points of interest; occasional lectures at appropriate sites; and periodic group meetings to discuss students experiences. Students will keep a journal of their trip, and there will be periodic reading quizzes as the course progresses. At the course's conclusion, students will prepare a paper on a topic of their choosing.

This course is a study tour of the principal archaeological and historical sites in Turkey and Greece stressing evidence for ancient Mediterranean life, continuation and change in the modern Mediterranean experience as well as an appreciation for the timeless masterpieces of Greek and Anatolian art and architecture.

 

Immerse yourself in Chinese culture through intense study and extensive travel experiences. This course will begin on campus orienting the participants to China past and present through a concentrated exploration of China’s history, current social and political structure, language, arts and culture. Then we will embark on an intense travel program that will begin in Beijing, the modern political capital of China and the final seat of traditional imperial power. In Beijing we will examine the new and the old, from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square to the vibrant modern art scene. From there we will travel west by night-train to the ancient capital of Xi’an (trad. Chang’an) the locus of Chinese culture for over two thousand years and home to the famous Terracotta Soldiers. From Xi’an, we will venture into the very farthest west out to the minority region of Xinjiang and the cities of Dunhuang, Turpan, and Urumqi. This will bring us to the traditional beginning of the Silk Road and introduce us to the place where “East” met “West.” These moves will reveal: geographic differences, from the green plains of Beijing to the hilly river valleys of Xi’an and on again to the singing sands of Dunhuang; historical difference, from the modern megalopolis of Beijing to the capital of the first united empire of China in Xi’an; ethnic difference, from the centers of Han Chinese culture to the varied lands on the edge of Central Asia. This course will give students an opportunity to meet the complex of things that we often call China and the diversity of folk that we often term “the Chinese” in person.

"Project DUMBO" is an all-encompassing intermediate to advanced off-campus art appreciation and career oriented course examining the general to specific challenges of the life of a young artist in NYC. This course focuses on viewing, appreciating and understanding art including potential career development and job placement. The course as a whole is a very unique and rare opportunity for any student interested in art and/or the business of art. Students will see a lot of private and public art, visit many museums and galleries, and meet people from a wide range of art-related careers and possibly establishing vital connections. The day-to-day itinerary involves looking at art and experiencing art-related and culturally diversified activities, i.e.; attending exhibition openings and receptions, museum functions, performances with a focus on visiting artist’s studios including dining on a variety of ethnic cuisine. Nine to ten students live together in a large loft in a dynamic and artistic neighborhood in Brooklyn known as “d.u.m.b.o.” (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). New York City has always been and continues to be a mandatory stop for any and all young artists and creative professionals in order to get a basic to specific understanding as to what it takes to make it in any number of art related fields and disciplines. The experience as a whole encourages creative and critical thinking, networking skills, and learning about a range of cultures, while opening up students’ minds to a bigger and more potentially creative and hopeful world.

This is month-long course, from April 19th to May 18th, in Segovia, Spain. Students study every weekday morning at the "Centro de Estudios Hispánicos," located near the center of the city. Each student is placed with a host family and is expected to speak in Spanish at "home." Except for the two-day stay in Madrid and two weekends of trekking in the Sierra de Gredos, students will be living with their host families. Afternoons will have structured tours to places of interest in Segovia, as well as some unstructured time to explore the city. A day trip to near-by sites of interest such as Toledo, La Granja, or El Escorial will also be made.

This course is an introduction to the history, peoples and institutions of one of the major countries in Western Europe through an educational tour of United Kingdom. Specifically, it will introduce the students to the historical, political, economic, artistic, literary, cultural, and educational environment of the country, through a multi- dimensional focus on developments between 1783 and the present day. Students will also be exposed to British institutions, such as Parliament, the City of London, Oxford University, major museums, and architecture. Furthermore, the students will have the opportunity to travel to Ireland to explore the City of Dublin, Trinity College and Library, Kilmainham Gaol, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin Castle, museums, and architecture.