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.
