Is your news feed looking especially international these days? Find yourself flipping through pictures of your friends’ fabulous adventures in exotic international locales while you sit freezing in the very un-exotic Champaign-Urbana? Wishing you could join them?
Lately it seems as if everyone I know is abroad and those of us who aren’t are kicking ourselves for not going. Sure we’d like to, but not everyone has the luxury of spending a full semester abroad. Maybe you switched your major, maybe your credit requirements are too strict, maybe you’re afraid of being homesick, maybe you don’t want to leave your senior year…but that doesn’t mean it’s too late!
The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS), in particular, offers some incredible options for students who cannot or do not want to leave for an entire semester. LAS courses abroad take place during winter or summer break and are taught either entirely abroad or in a combination of on-campus and in-the-field experience. The summer courses, for example, last around 4-6 weeks and are offered in Austria, Belgium, Egypt, Brazil, France and Ecuador. While many are indeed language courses, others include 300-level credit in popular majors like political science and sociology. (What a great addition to that law school application!)
Six weeks still sound too long? Or, still want to be able to hold an internship or summer job? Be sure to check out Global Studies 298. Open to all U of I students regardless of college or major, these courses are held on-campus during the second 8-weeks of the Fall and Spring semester, then conclude with a two-week field experience abroad during Winter or Summer break.
Fall Global Studies courses are generally held in non-traditional destinations which this year included Jordan, Thailand, Turkey, Israel, India, Brazil, China and South Africa. Spring Global Studies courses this semester are offered in Rome, Peru, China and India and Paris and include topics like: global business, multicultural perspectives and international development and community service.
All LAS courses abroad are taught in English (or the language being studied) by U of I faculty and usually carry three hours of credit. They require an application (and $25 fee) which can be found on the Study Abroad website, along with useful information about planning, other programs, costs, and other resources (http://studyabroad.illinois.edu/). The deadlines for the Spring/Summer courses recently passed, but it’s never too late to start planning. Students are encouraged to explore the site and take advantage of the program next year.
Spring and Summer 2011 courses: http://www.las.illinois.edu/students/international/coursesabroad/summer/
Winter Courses Abroad-Global Studies:
http://www.las.illinois.edu/students/international/coursesabroad/winter/