New ideas, new nations, and new cultures. Illinois State University offers ways for students to learn and grow through studying abroad. And the School of Communication offers students four different study abroad programs in France, Netherlands, Panama, and Brazil.
Two of these four programs are offered every other year, and they offer students opportunities to advance in their majors by taking communication courses at different universities in other nations and learn in those contexts. Here are the plans for the next two summers of study abroad programs for School of Communication students.
Summer 2023 programs
Early in the summer 2023 term, the School of Communication will offer its study abroad program in Fortaleza, Brazil. Led by Associate Professor Dr. Phil Chidester, the study abroad program will consist of two classes focusing on media (identities in the media) and journalism (Latin American journalism) at La Univsersidad Federal de Ceara, taught by Chidester and Dr. John Baldwin. The Brazil program offers many cultural and social excursions for students. Some excursions include visiting the famous soccer stadium that hosted the 2014 World Cup; attending a media conglomerate to learn how they produce TV, radio, and print projects; outdoor adventures; and much more.
Chidester has a passion for Brazil and the takeaways students get from attending this program. “I like how students love immersing themselves in the culture, and I appreciate how they want to learn and experience new things,” said Chidester.
This program will take place for one month beginning at the end of May through June and is open to students in all School of Communication majors, especially those in journalism and mass media.
Another study abroad program available next summer for School of Communication students, especially those in the PR major and the organizational leadership sequence of the communication studies major, is “Doing Business in Europe,” which is hosted by Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, Netherlands. The three-week program, running May 30 to June 16, 2023, focuses on sustainable communication of promotional content and intercultural communication, which will fulfill credit in certain School of Communication courses and an Interdisciplinary Studies course. Dr. Pete Smudde, professor and associate director of the school, is the program’s director.
Students from multiple nations enroll in the program, and School of Communication students will be studying, living, working, and socializing with them in classes, teams, excursions, and near-campus residences.
Students will experience Dutch culture and partake in business and social excursions, such visits to Grolsch Brewery, FC Gronigen’s stadium, the island of Schiermonnikoog, Groningen Sea Ports, the city of Groningen, and ultimately Philips in Amsterdam. In fact, students will work on a project to solve a real marketing opportunity for Philips and present it to corporate executives in the company’s global headquarters in Amsterdam toward the end of the three-week program.
There are many reasons as to why students should experience life abroad. Smudde says, “It’s a wonderful experience to go and participate in another culture, especially learning another language and the culture’s history. For what you pay for at classes here, students can extend their learning and experience life abroad.”
The third study abroad program is “Communication in Paris,” which was led in summer 2022 by Program Coordinator Julie Navickas and Dr. Lance Lippert, professor of communication. While in Paris at ESSCA School of Management, Lippert taught the upper-level Organizational Communication course.
Initially, this program was scheduled for summer 2024, but with the Olympics being held in Paris that year, the program will be held this coming summer, running four weeks from the beginning of June. Students will have the opportunity to experience French culture and are able to take courses in theory and research in intercultural communication and organizational communication that count toward students’ communication degree.
In Paris, students will have the opportunity to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Castle of Versailles, attend National Music Day, and take a boat ride on the Seine River through the historic city.
Summer 2024 programs
Looking ahead to summer 2024, the School of Communication plans to offer a study abroad program at Quality Leadership University in Panama City, Panama, developed by Dr. John Baldwin, professor of communication. Professors from the School of Communication will teach classes in the program.
The Panama program begins in the middle of June and runs through July in 2024. In Panama, courses will be on Latin American journalism and identities in Latin American media. These not only count toward students’ communication degree, but also fulfill the required AMALI classes for students to graduate from Illinois State.
While in Panama, students will participate in many different excursions. Some visits include the Panama Canal, a jungle excursion where students can see wildlife, and a trip to a colonial town called Casco Antiguo, which has old structures and beautiful architecture.
Baldwin is enthusiastic about this program and believes that it is important that students experience life abroad, “I think this is a great way for students to appreciate what we have in our culture, and as communicators we get to learn different ways to see the world,” said Baldwin.
“Studying abroad creates life changing memories students will remember forever,” ISU alumna Mary Cullen who attended two study abroad programs at ISU said. “After two study abroad trips during my time at ISU with the school, it isn’t the beautiful sights or the historic settings that continue to stick with me; it’s the new perspective on life that I gained by simply putting myself in unfamiliar situations.”
For more information about study abroad programs visit StudyAbroadApp.IllinoisState.edu.
