Summer 2022 Study Abroad

After a pandemic-caused pause, L&L is once again offering faculty-led, short-term study abroad courses. This summer, two study abroad classes were offered, one in England offered by Hilal Ergül and another in France taught by Elizabeth Zwanziger.

For over 20 years, Elizabeth Zwanziger has brought students to France, and she was able to do so again this May. Students in Constructing Cross-cultural Bridges examined the link of culture and communication and the importance of intercultural understanding in effective global interaction. The class considered how elements of culture, such as history, religion, values and languages, shape and modify an individual's view of reality. 

This trip was bookended by days exploring Paris, including such famous sites as Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées. In between the group visited Nîmes, Avignon and made day trips to the Pont du Gard and Marseille.

Between July 19 and August 3, 2022, students in Intercultural Perspectives completed parts of their Capstone requirement abroad in southern England. The goal of this trip was to collect ethnographic data to help understand how culture, in all its intricacies, shapes societies and individuals. This trip abroad focused on the social, political, geographical and historical realities of England as well as the day to day activities of its residents. Students were very surprised to find, for instance, that there was so much mayo and so little ranch going around in London restaurants! 

This trip involved travel to iconic landmarks such as the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and some active royal residences like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Students learned about the political and religious foundations of the country on guided tours of the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey respectively. Local guides also helped explain the university education system on trips to Oxford and Cambridge. Other visited landmarks predated the United Kingdom, such as the ancient Roman baths in Bath and Stonehenge. Overall, students were constantly awed by thousands of years of history coming alive at sites that can still be visited today, and they developed an increased understanding of how people live in different cultures.

L&L students also study abroad for full semesters or for longer (such as via the French 2+2 major). Many have been beneficiaries of donor-funded study abroad scholarships.