CCI offers news study abroad programs

Taylor Titus

Students in the College of Communication and Information can still sign up for three new study abroad programs in Europe and Asia.

“What’s been amazing is just that students have just been coming out of the woodwork with enthusiasm about doing it,” said Deborah Davis, CCI coordinator for international programs. “It feels like they have been waiting for and wishing for an opportunity.”

Programs

International Strategic Marketing in Vienna, Austria

This program is open to graduate and undergraduate students who have an interest in marketing, advertising and public relations. The program is scheduled to run from May 11 to 19. During the trip, students will visit marketing and public relations firms to learn how they work in Europe. Students will collaborate with communication students at St. Polten University of Applied Sciences to create a plan for a European organization. The approximate cost is $1,900, which includes airfare, breakfasts and housing. Interested students can

contact public relations professor Bob Batchelor at [email protected]

Global Comparative Media Systems in Paris and Geneva

This program is open to graduate and undergraduate students interested in how European media functions. The two-week program runs from May 14 to 29. Students will watch presentations by media professionals in journalism, public relations, programming, advertising, policy and production. The approximate cost is $2,700 not including the Intersession 2011 tuition. Students interested can contact Evonne Whitmore at [email protected]

Photographing the World in Turkey and Greece

This program is for graduate and undergraduate students who have completed an entry-level photography class in photo-illustration or photojournalism, or who can demonstrate camera proficiency. The trip is from May 14 to 26. Students will be photographing and exploring the cities of Istanbul, Ephesus, Greek Islands and Athens. They will also take a two-day cruise through the Greek Islands. The cost is approximately $2,914, which includes airfare, breakfasts, three dinners, all meals on the cruise and housing. Interested students can

contact Bryan Rinnert at [email protected]

There are three new programs offered this summer: Strategic Marketing in Vienna, Austria; Comparative Media in Paris and Geneva; and Photographing the World in Turkey and Greece. Study abroad programs are also offered in Florence, Italy and Shanghai during the school year.

A student created the idea for the Turkey and Greece program.

Bryan Rinnert, visual communication design instructor and coordinator of the Turkey and Greece program, said it came together quickly. He and Davis have been planning for three weeks.

“I’m excited to see what students come back with,” Rinnert said. “I want to see how the different students will approach the same subject matter.”

Rinnert said he hopes to show the students’ work in the summer or next fall.

Students in the Paris and Geneva program will learn new skills by adding multimedia content to a website made specifically for the course.

“I’m most excited about the opportunity to expose students to media content they haven’t seen before,” said Evonne Whitmore, electronic media production associate professor and coordinator of the Paris and Geneva program. Whitmore first got involved with the program two years ago when she co-led a Comparative Media trip to Paris and London with another professor.

The university is offering scholarships for some of the study abroad programs. CCI is offering a $1,000 scholarship for its Florence program. Davis said they have been working to keep the costs down, and they have been trying to find different ways to make the programs more affordable.

The college is hoping to have more programs in the future so every student can find something to fit his or her needs.

The School of Library and Information Science has a short-term museum studies summer course in Florence, Italy and an international libraries workshop based in Geneva is in the works.

CCI would also like to develop more semester-long programs, specifically in a Spanish-speaking country.

Announcements have been sent to students in the College of Communication and Information through e-mail Listservs. Information sessions will continue throughout the semester as new information is announced.

“I would highly recommend anyone to go,” said Emily Carle, senior communication studies major. “My favorite part about studying abroad (in Florence) was experiencing a completely different life and culture. It’s not an experience you can get anywhere else.”

Interested students can contact the professors.

Contact Taylor Titus at [email protected].