Study Abroad Blogs

This course provides pre-service teachers with classroom instruction within the grade range of their respective certification area. Students work with cooperating teachers to plan, implement, and assess lessons as well as to participate in other daily school activities. Whenever possible, students are placed in schools where they work with diverse populations across a variety of developmental levels, including students with special learning needs. Additionally, they participate in workshops and weekly seminars that provide a series of topics, including classroom instruction and management.

Elmira College students will be in Australia for thirty days visiting the cities of Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Cairns, and Alice Springs. Included in this course are: a two-night camping trip to Fraser Island, a cruise on the Great Barrier Reef that will include snorkeling opportunities, and a second two-night camping trip in Central Australia. 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.

 

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.

This course includes a four-week cultural, archaeological, and historical study tour of Turkey and Greece. Two weeks are spent traveling in Turkey from Instanbul along the West coast and into Cappadocia. One week we travel Crete. And one week we stay in Athens visiting the city with day trips to the Peloponnese and Delphi.

This class is a non-technical introduction to the natural history and culture of Ireland. Key events in the history of Ireland will be discussed and then the sites of these events will be visited. The Irish political system and the status of Ireland in the European Union will be studied. Students will observe geological features as well as flora and fauna.

This course is a unique off-campus painting course in New York City focusing on career development for Art and Art Education majors. The course examines the general to specific challenges and career opportunities for young artists. The objective of this course is to enable students of intermediate to advanced skill levels to experience an all-encompassing art course equipping them with the necessary conceptual and communicative skills in preparation for a career in the arts. The experience as a whole encourages creative and critical thinking, while offering the students many opportunities to make career connections. Students will meet regularly with artists and other art-related professionals, such as museum and gallery curators and directors, graphic, digital and web designers, fashion designers, film makers, animators, publishers, toy designers, art students, academics, journalists, poets, writers and many others. Students will also regularly visit galleries and museums, attend exhibition openings, receptions, performances, and visit artist’s studios, designer showrooms and production houses.

This course focuses on modern South Africa, with an overview of key social institutions such as colonialism (and post-colonialism), political and economic structures, and social movements. We will be in South Africa for about seventeen days, and our itinerary will include visits to the Soweto Township in Johannesburg, a multi-day safari in Kruger National Park, a three day visit to rural South Africa and the seat of the Venda Kingdom, and a visit to a township and other explorations of Cape Town. This class will give students the chance to experience modern South Africa while learning the history and culture of this fascinating country.

Spring in Spain is a six (6) credit course that will meet both on the campus of Elmira College and in Segovia, Spain. Orientation and preparation for the trip in Spain will occur at the beginning of the term, and students will return to campus at the end of the term to finalize and present their projects. This is a language and culture immersion course where students will study Spanish culture and civilization during the week and will live with Spanish families during the entire stay in Segovia. During weekday afternoons in Segovia, the group will visit the Cathedral, The Roman Aqueduct, the Alcázar, and Romanesque Churches, among other significant historical and cultural sites within the city. Weekends will include daylong excursions to nearby locations of interest such as the city of Toledo, El Escorial and El Palacio Real. One weekend will be spent in the capital city of Madrid exploring El Prado, the Plaza Mayor, El Parque del Buen Retiro, among other places of cultural and historical importance. One excursion will also include hiking in the hills and peaks of the Guadarrama Mountains. This is a course for students interested in improving their Spanish and interacting with the Spanish people, culture, and landscape.

The trip to the United Kingdom 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 architectural landmarks.