SMCCCD Study Abroad is excited to offer students the opportunity to participate in several short-term study abroad programs this summer: Costa Rica, South Africa, Ghana, Florence, or Brazil. These courses are two or three weeks over the summer and offer students a chance to complete three units of college credit outside the classroom walls. Classes are CSU and/or UC transferrable and are led by SMCCCD faculty.
From July 25 – August 11, 2018, students will have the opportunity to take Communications 130: Interpersonal Communication in Costa Rica with Skyline College Communication Studies Professor Brielle Plump. Professor Plump submitted a proposal for this program in the summer of 2017 and received approval from the Study Abroad Advisory Committee in September 2017. For all new Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs, faculty and staff conduct site visits through the Faculty Travel Grant, a President’s Innovation Fund Grant received by Study Abroad. In preparation for the Costa Rica Program this summer, Professor Plump, accompanied by SMCCCD Study Abroad Program Coordinator Stephanie Wells, conducted a site visit to San José, Costa Rica this past December. These visits are essential in order to review all safety and security considerations and forge academic collaborations.
During the site visit, Professor Plump met with several academic organizations and institutions to plan for the onsite lecture series in Costa Rica next summer. For example, the Centro de Estudios para la Paz (Center for Peace Studies/CEPPA), will conduct a multi-day workshop focusing on “Creative Conflict Resolution,” ideal for an Interpersonal Communication course, where relationships and everyday communication are a prime focus. With CEPPA, the students will have the space to learn more about power dynamics as they try on different approaches to conflict.
Another exciting collaboration will be with Dr. Delia Peña, an Intercultural Communication and Psychology professor at Veritas University in San José, Costa Rica. By working with Dr. Peña, students will have the opportunity to engage in deep conversations about how the culture in the US and Costa Rica differ, and how these differences influence both identity and relationships. At the end of the program, the students will return to Skyline College’s campus to share these learnings with the wider community.
SMCCCD Study Abroad recognizes that study abroad can often be out of financial reach for our students, and for this reason we make it a priority to help students find and apply for scholarships for study abroad. Students can attend workshops this February to learn more about the summer study abroad programs and scholarship opportunities for study abroad.
Study Abroad Scholarship Workshops
- Wed. Feb. 7, 3:30 – 5:00 PM, Library Classroom, Bldg 5, 2nd floor
- Mon. Feb. 12, 9:00 – 10:00 AM, Bldg 5-102
- Thurs. Feb. 15, 11:30 – 12:30 PM, Bldg 5-102
- Wed. Feb. 21, 3:30-4:30 PM, Bldg 5-102
- Tues. Feb. 27, 4:30 – 5:30 PM, Bldg 5-102
Visit smccd.edu/studyabroad or email studyabroad@smccd.edu to learn more.
Article by Brielle Plump and Stephanie Wells