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Studying overseas isn’t just for college students anymore.
Two of SUNY Fredonia’s summer programs-- in England and Ghana-- are open to community members, offering invaluable experiences and a lifetime of memories. Eight other summer programs are open to SUNY Fredonia students only: Japan, Turkey, France, Brazil, Morocco, Mexico and Russia.
Study abroad can be life-changing, and according to a study conducted by Global HR News, 73 percent of the Human Resources executives who were surveyed ranked study abroad as important in evaluating job candidates.
The deadline to apply for summer study-abroad programs was in December but late applications and full payment will be accepted until March 1. Applications and programs are handled by the International Education Office located in LoGrasso Hall. Online applications are available on the SUNY Fredonia website.
Literary London Program
The Literary London program in London, England, melds history, fiction and the contemporary city to offer unique perspectives on literature. The program takes place from June 18 to July 4 and includes two courses: “Dickens and His City” and “Women Writing London.”
In addition to an in-depth look at the sites that inspired some of England’s most influential writers, the program offers “an amazing opportunity to completely immerse one’s self in the culture and exquisite scenery of the United Kingdom’s capital,” according to senior childhood education major Ashley DeJohn, who attended last summer.
“The Literary London program introduced me to a grand, historical and beautiful city that I would’ve been baffled by, had I attempted to visit it on my own,” said Susan Kornacki, a senior Visual Arts and New Media and English double major who went in 2008. “I would recommend this program to anyone, especially to a first-time [traveler] like myself… London is an approachable, clean and diverse place that you can get a very satisfying taste of in two weeks.”
Ghana: An Artistic Expression
For a more rural adventure, consider Ghana: An Artistic Expression, from May 25 to June 18. Experience a culture immersed in the arts, where dancing and making music is a part of everyday life. Daily activities include museum visits, music and dance lessons, bead and drum making demonstrations, batik making (wax pressed on cloth) and kente weaving.
For senior Megan Carroll, the Ghana program was the obvious choice. “I chose Ghana because I had never been out of the country before, and I wanted to try something completely different,” said Carroll, went in 2008. “I mean, how many people have a chance to go to Africa?”
The program is based at the Dagara Music Center, which is owned and operated by Fredonia alum Bernard Woma. The facility, located just outside Ghana’s capital, Accra, will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer, and celebrations will feature two weeks of activities, including an “America Day.”
Learning to play new instruments doesn’t come easily to Carroll, an art and social work major, but at the center, she enjoyed “how much there is to do even if you are not a musically inclined person.”
Junior childhood education major Oriel Romano also participated in the 2008 program. “We got to know a number of people due to the small village we stayed in called Medie; it was as if we were living… with the native people instead of as tourists,” said Romano.
For Carroll, who is this year’s student leader for the program, the highlight of the trip was walking on a forest canopy 200 feet above the ground in Kakum National Park, despite her usual fear of heights.
The class will also travel north from Accra to the Ashanti Chief's palace in Kumasi, to Mole National Park where wild elephants and monkeys live, and to visit the slave trade castles in Elmina and Cape Coast.
Romano remembers observing a traditional wedding ceremony and shopping at the biggest outdoor market in West Africa. “I think about my friends and experiences in Ghana almost every day,” said Romano.
Women and Dickens in London
The Literary London program was memorable in a different way for Kornacki. “We gained a deeper and more dimensional understanding [of the course literature] than could ever be achieved in America, said Kornacki.
The program’s “Women Writing London” class focuses on British women writers of the 20th century, and excursions include an angel tour at Highgate Cemetery, research on Roman London and militant suffragists at the Museum of London and on Virginia Woolf at the Women's Library, and day trips to Vanessa Bell's country home, Charleston.
As a part of “Dickens and His City,” students will have the chance to explore the city through the eyes of the author’s principal characters by focusing on landmarks in his life and literary works. Trips will include visits to Regent's Park, Lincoln's Inn Fields and The Strand.
The class will also take day trips to Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock and Oxford. “We went punting (a combination of kayaking and gondola riding) along a river that cuts through the town of Oxford, toured the various colleges that comprise the University… and visited the pub that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien frequented,” said Kornacki.
Additional outings may include trips to view the design history and fashion trends in Britain at the Victoria and Albert Museum of Textiles and Design and the poet’s corner at Westminster Abbey. Other possibilities include visits to the Indian and Bangladeshi communities at Brick Lane, as well as related art exhibits at the British Museum, the Tate Modern and the Institute for Contemporary Arts.
Extra time in London will be allowed for general sightseeing, so the class may experience the London Eye, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Tower of London or other famous attractions. Past participants also chose to watch sports with the locals at a pub, see Buckingham Palace or explore Oxford Street, the London equivalent of New York’s 5th Avenue.
Cost of attending
Costs for the London and Ghana experiences are estimated at $4,563.30 and $4,281.65 respectively for state residents taking the courses for undergraduate credit. Community members are charged differently and should contact the International Education Center for information about travel and course fees. Learn more on the International Education Office's website or contact the Office of International Education at 716-673-3451.
In the Global HR News study of HR executives, two-thirds believed the experience of studying abroad greatly distinguishes a job candidate, and almost all felt that participants would be more likely to possess key skills such as independence, maturity, cross-cultural communications, cultural awareness and flexibility.
For specifics on the Literary London program, email Adrienne McCormick, and for Ghana, contact Megan Carroll.
