MSSU Study Abroad Fair to spotlight travel opportunities

(From Southern News Service)

Missouri Southern students will have the chance learn about upcoming travel opportunities during the Study Abroad Fair, set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Billingsly Student Center’s Connor Ballroom.

Presented by the Institute of International Studies, the fair will spotlight all 10 of the faculty-led, short-term trips scheduled for 2015 as well as opportunities for students to spend an entire semester abroad through the International Student Exchange Program, the Missouri London program and Missouri Southern’s partner universities.

“Students at MSSU have a myriad of opportunities to study abroad, whether on a short-term trip led by an experienced faculty member or going alone for an entire semester or even an entire year,” said Dr. Chad Stebbins, director of the Institute of International Studies. “We offer $750 and $1,000 study abroad grants to help make the trips more affordable.

“In addition to becoming ‘citizens of the world,’ our students find that studying abroad makes them much more marketable upon graduation, as employers value the problem-solving and intercultural skills that they normally develop.”

Faculty-led trips for 2015 will include:

Community Health in the British Virgin Islands, March 12-20. Dental hygiene students will provide dental screenings, fluoride treatments and preventative dental education. Nursing students will complete physicals, including immunizations, and provide care in selected clinics and the clients' home. Respiratory therapy students will perform Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs) and provide education for children in the islands where there is a high prevalence of asthma. Faculty leaders: Grace Ayton, Chrys Corcoran and Gail Taubel.

International Media Seminar in Paris, March 20-28. A weeklong seminar at the American University of Paris featuring sessions with international journalists, diplomats, Parisian writers, media executives and TV personalities. Program includes media tours and plenty of free time for visiting historic sites and experiencing Parisian culture. Faculty leaders: Olive Sullivan and Shanna Slavings.

International Health: Focus on Climate Change Impacts in Costa Rica, May 10-26. Students will examine first-hand the impact of climate change on the environment and visit some of the jungles, cloud forests and urban areas of Costa Rica to see what the impacts can be. There will be other visits to research facilities, biology stations, wildlife parks, agricultural areas, and universities to better grasp the possible global impacts of climate change. Faculty leaders: Michael Kennedy and Anna Rinner.

Information Systems Study Abroad, May 11-21. Students will spend five days in Paris and four days in Barcelona visiting such businesses as Citroen, Olgivy, ARPSA (information systems), Rexam (manufacturing company), El Jardi (Internet graphics), Daniel Ramirez (Internet startup), and Morillas (brand representation). Students will develop a cross-cultural sensitivity and get a taste of what it would be like to live and work in another country. Faculty leaders: Hartford Tunnell and Nanette Philibert.

Literary Dublin, May 11-25. A trip to Dublin (10 days) and Killarney (four days) will serve as the capstone for a related course, ENG 498 Literary Dublin. Students will tour museums and literary sites associated with the international group of authors who found both provocation and inspiration in Ireland. By traveling outside of Dublin, the students will see more of the Irish countryside and develop a better understanding of the pastoral novelists and poets they will have read and discussed during the semester. Faculty leaders: Michael Howarth and Karen Kostan.

Roots of Science, May 18-June 1. This course will explore four scientists − Gregor Mendel, Robert Koch, Copernicus and Niels Bohr – who each made significant contributions to the various fields of science. The field portion of the class will entail travel to the Czech Republic, Poland and Denmark, where students will visit museums, hear lectures and interact with “the locals” and other travelers. Faculty leaders: Gerald Schlink and Scott Wells.

Summer Study Abroad in Salamanca, Spain, May 15-June 13. Students will participate in an all-inclusive immersion program that includes classes in the morning, activities in the afternoon and weekend excursions. Students will be able to participate in extracurricular activities in and around Salamanca, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its history and beauty. Faculty leader: Leslie Smith.

Intensive Japanese Program in Kyoto, May 18-June 15. The program features daily intensive lectures, academic activities related to the courses taught, weekend excursions to various places near Kyoto, and weeklong travel around Japan. The weekend excursions will expose students to Japanese traditions, culture, society and historical artifacts. Faculty leader: Sherman Hou.

Summer in Sweden, May 20-June 24. Students will complete the Swedish Photography seminar (3 hours) with Swedish photographer Örjan Henriksson and an Art of Scandinavia seminar (3 hours) during weekend field trips to world-class museums and galleries in Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and Paris. Participants will stay at the Mullsjö Folkhögskola during the week and enjoy an intercultural experience in a setting of beautiful lakes and villages. Faculty leader: Kyle McKenzie.

Summer French Language Intensive Course in Orléans, France, June 24-July 25. Students enroll in classes at the University of Orléans, where they will mingle with other international students, adjust to French professors and assignments and join in activities with people from around the world. Most students will live with a French family during the week. The faculty in Orléans plan at least one excursion to the chateaux region, where students typically see Chambord or Chenonceau as well as one of the smaller villages, such as Vouvray. Before arriving in Orléans, students will spend a long weekend in Paris seeing the sights and learning how to navigate the City of Light so that they can return on their own. Faculty leader: Karen Turman.