Nunn School Study Abroad Programs are Accepting Applications
Posted January 13, 2020
The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs study abroad programs in the EU, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Valencia, Spain are still accepting applications for summer 2020.
"Studying abroad really helped me define what I wanted to do with my career path," said Mia Floyd, an alumna who studied abroad in Nunn School Professor Katja Weber's Southeast Asia Program. "Coming back to Tech after that program, I picked up the Global Development minor, which I don't think I would have known about had I not studied abroad and seen the issues firsthand in those countries."
In the Southeast Asia Study Abroad Program, students examine the non-traditional security challenges, environmental problems, water, and food scarcity, human trafficking, and rights of transient workers and ethnic minorities. Students visit Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and India and immerse themselves in the different local cultures, study the history of each place, and learn from a variety of experts from universities, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and locals.
The Japan Summer Program in Sustainable Development is a ten-week, 12 credit hour summer program based on the campus of Kobe University, one of Japan's premier institutions of higher learning. One week of the program is devoted to exploring the beautiful Japanese countryside, including visits to Tokyo, Fukushima, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. Through field trips, lectures, and cross-disciplinary, cross-cultural problem-based learning, this program equips students with the tools needed to understand the complex issues of sustainable development.
"This was an incredible experience to learn about one of the most important institutions in the world while also experiencing unique cultures, making new friends, and exploring new places," said Pooja Patel. Pooja is an International Affairs and Modern Languages student who participated in the EU Study Abroad Program.
The ten-week, 13 credit hour EU Study Abroad Program focuses on the current politics, history, institutions, and policies of the EU. Students in the program can travel independently during the first month, live with a host family for four weeks of and visit nine cities in six countries with the group. The EU study abroad is led my Vicki Birchfield, a professor and co-director of the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies.
Students needing to fulfill International Affairs or Management requirements are invited to participate in the Valencia, Spain Summer Program. In the first seven weeks, students will earn nine credit hours traveling to four cities in Portugal and Spain while learning about the history, culture, soccer, and politics of these two nations. Students have the option of earning an additional three credits by staying for an extra three weeks to take a Spanish course or completing independent research.
“A college degree is no longer sufficient for life and career success," said Kirk Bowman, a Jon R. Wilcox Term Professor of Global Development and Identity who has led over twenty abroad programs in twenty years. "All students need in-depth international experiences as part of their education and experience."
Students interested in going abroad this summer are encouraged to visit the Nunn School website to learn more about each respective program. For additional faculty-led study abroad opportunities, please see the School of Modern Languages LBAT programs.
