New Programs Announced for BU Study Abroad
Zanzibar, Paris among seven unique offerings
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If you’ve dreamed of learning Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro, studying the inner workings of the European Union while living in Brussels, or exploring Renaissance masterpieces in Venice, mark your calendars. Tomorrow is the annual Study Abroad Expo, which provides information about BU’s more than 90 study abroad programs and the requirements necessary for applying. The Expo, originally scheduled for February 8, was rescheduled because of the blizzard that closed the University that day.
BU offers programs in more than 30 cities on 6 continents across the globe, with concentrations ranging from anthropology to public health to finance. BU Study Abroad staff, former student participants, and directors from the Argentina, Zanzibar, Dakar/Paris, and Rio de Janeiro programs will be on hand to answer questions, and students can find important information about internships and financial aid.
The Expo will include information about the seven new summer programs that have been added to the BU Study Abroad portfolio, each covering new and unique topics, says Christopher Russell, Study Abroad associate director of campus outreach. “We’ve worked closely with departments across the University to design programs that complement and extend the curriculum here on campus in Boston,” Russell says.
The new offerings include an event management curriculum to be taught in Washington, D.C.; a program examining religion, politics, and identity in East Africa that will be offered in Zanzibar; an intensive Portuguese language program in Rio de Janeiro; a College of General Studies social sciences program, where students take one Chinese language course and a course on modern Chinese history, in Shanghai; and a course of study examining West African youth and migration, with students spending two weeks in Dakar immersed in West African culture, then traveling to Paris for four weeks to study the experience of West African immigrants in that city. Two additional programs are still pending: a studio arts curriculum in Venice and a political science internship program in Brussels, where students explore the challenges facing the European Union. Programs are open to all students, with the exception of the CGS program, which is available only to CGS students.
“These new programs are dynamic new additions to our program portfolio—eclectic and vastly different,” Russell says. Until now, the University has lacked study abroad opportunities in Africa, and an effort was made to develop the programs in Zanzibar and Dakar to address that, says Debra Terzian, International Education director of academic affairs.
Studying abroad during the summer months gives students an opportunity to work towards completion of their degree and hone their language skills, Russell says, while also giving them a break from campus. “It’s really a chance to round yourself out. Summer is a way to get ahead or to catch up, especially if you’re tied up during the school year with your major,” he says.
The deadline to apply for most of this summer’s Study Abroad programs is Friday, March 1, and the deadline for applications for most fall programs is Friday, March 15. Both merit and need-based financial aid are available. The application can be started on the Study Abroad website.
The Study Abroad Expo will take place tomorrow, Friday, February 22, from noon to 3 p.m. at the George Sherman Union Student Link, 775 Commonwealth Ave.
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