Global Education adds new study abroad locations

Photo provided by LVC Office of Global Education.

By Meredith Haas ’24, co-editor-in-chief

The Office of Global Education has added additional locations for summer 2024.

As the demand for study abroad on LVC’s campus continues to grow, the Office of Global Education continues to seek new opportunities and new locations for students to explore.

For many students, pursuing a summer study abroad opportunity versus one that runs for a full semester can be an ideal situation. Studying abroad over the summer allows students the ability to continue on with their regular semester while not having to forgo the unique experience of studying abroad in college.

Because of this, Jill Russell, director of global education, has been working tirelessly to get new locations established as a summer program. For summer 2024, two new programs have been added: Edinburg, Scotland and Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The three-week Scotland program gives students the chance to engage with the music and culture of historic and modern Scotland. While partially geared towards music students, this program is open to anyone who has an interest in the rich musical heritage found in Scotland.

Led by Dr. Warren Gramm, students in Scotland will have the opportunity to visit many significant cultural and music sites, attend concerts and museums and have the chance to visit other cities. Students will also earn three credits taking “Music in Traditional and Contemporary Culture: Scotland” and fulfill an IME requirement.

“LVC has not offered many short-term study opportunities around music, so if you love watching local bands in small concert venues and pubs, this is absolutely the program for you,” Russell said.

In addition to Scotland, a four-week program in Belfast, Northern Ireland will be taken for the first time, headed by Dr. Bettie Bertram.

Students will take two classes, “Communication Across Cultures: Northern Ireland” taught by Dr. Bertram and one by the host institute, earning six total credits and fulfilling an IME requirement.

“I have been considering studying abroad for a while because LVC has some great opportunities,” Alexis McCarney, a junior English and History double major, said. “I’m looking into the new Ireland summer program because it is open to any major, and the history of the area is interesting to me.”

When not taking classes, students will travel to popular tourist attractions nearby, such as Titanic Belfast and Giants Causeway, but also visit local museums, memorials and more.

“Northern Ireland has a complicated and beautiful history and is the perfect location to explore peace-making initiatives in a larger context,” Russell said.

Along with these two new programs, summer programs in Costa Rica, Italy, the Netherlands and Quebec City will continue to run in 2024.

Students who are interested in a summer study abroad program should consider attending one of the upcoming study abroad information sessions – details can be found on the LVC events calendar.

For more general information on study abroad, contact Jill Russell, the director of global education, at russell@lvc.edu.