Bryant University. The Character of Success


Study Abroad

The Sophomore International Experience

Details About the 2011 Sophomore Experience

The Sophomore International Experience is a special winter/summer session abroad led by Bryant University. In January or May/June 2011, these students will earn three academic credits and spend 10 to 12 days overseas to learn about other cultures and how businesses operate globally.

This international education program is geared specifically toward students in their sophomore academic year. All students must be in both good academic and disciplinary standing at the time of application and departure.

**Please note courses are subject to cancellation if there is not a minimum level of participation.**

Current Tour Locations

Winter Break - January 2011

China - Discovering the Real China: Culture and Business

This course will focus on studying Chinese culture and business in the larger context of globalization and the re-emergence of China. Students will travel to Beijing, Guilin, and Shanghai in January 2011. The three cities are carefully selected to enable students to develop an in-depth understanding of multiple aspects of Chinese culture and business. In Beijing, the focus will be on cultural heritage and traditions, economic growth, urban development, environment, education and high technology industry. In Guilin, students will learn China's traditional economy, rural poverty, tourism industry, natural landscape, and rural-urban economic gap. In Shanghai, the trip will provide student firsthand experience on urban modernity, financial industry, textile manufacturing industry and western influence in China. This course can count as an open elective, liberal arts elective, or IB elective for all eligible students.


Costa Rica & Panama - International Business & Sustainable Economic Development

The objective of this course is to develop an eclectic understanding of the evolving international business system and economic development of Latin America. The main theme of the course is International Business and Sustainable Economic Development. This program will focus on the role of Latin America in globalization of business and society and will travel to Panama and Costa Rica. Highlights include studying the ecological conservation and sustainable business practices such as ecotourism, visit to non-governmental organizations, visits to rainforests and national parks, site visits to manufacturing facilities in high technology related industries, as well as learning about the global economic impact of the Panama Canal and the Colon free trade zone. This course can count as an IB elective, open elective or a liberal arts elective for all eligible students.


Germany & Greece - Communication and Culture

Explore the culture, economy, and media of two vastly different countries. In Germany you will stay in Munich and visit sites such as the beautiful city of Nuremberg, the Dachau concentration camp, an international film studio, and take a day trip to Salzburg, Austria. In Greece you will stay in the ancient city of Athens and tour a local television studio, visit historical sites such as the Acropolis and the Parthenon, and take day trip to the ancient city of Corinth. This course can count as an open elective or liberal arts elective for all eligible students. For Communication majors and minors, this course can count as a 200-level elective.


Italy & France - Western Culture and Heritage in the Arts, Architecture, and Urban Landscapes

This Rome/Paris Sophomore International Experience takes culture and heritage as its theme.  We’ll look at this theme from a number of perspectives, most particularly through the exploration of UNESCO World Heritage sites.  The historic centers of both Rome and Paris are designated World Heritage Sites, as are a good many sites within easy excursion distance from both.  The architecture and urban landscapes of these two cities and their immediate surroundings provide an extraordinary cultural library in which we can trace many of the main lines in the development in the western heritage.  Our primary questions for this SIE will involve understanding what we mean when we talk about cultural heritage and what we can tell about that heritage if we walk the streets of a city.

From Rome we’ll also take two day-long excursions out of the city, one to Tivoli to visit Hadrian’s Villa and the Villa D’Este.  These are genuine landmarks in the history of the western cultural heritage.  The second excursion will take us to Orvieto, an Umbrian hill town best approached on an inclined railway.  The city of Orvieto has preserved a very strong medieval flavor and offers some of the best examples of gothic architecture in Italy.   It served as a fortress retreat for the medieval papacy.   The city site, however, is much older than the medieval period, and it is possible to find traces of the western heritage reaching back to the Etruscans.  The site has been continuously occupied for nearly 3,000 years.

We’ll also take two excursions from Paris.  One will involve a day-long trip to two World Heritage sites:  the Chateau and Forest of Fontainebleau and the medieval city of Provins.  Fontainebleau could be called the “keystone” to the French Renaissance.  Provins was the site for some of the most important “Fairs of Champagne,” those fabled gatherings that brought together the lords and ladies, merchants and money changers, and the knights and friars of the high Middle Ages  -- the stuff of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the troubadours, King John, and Richard the Lionhearted.

Our second excursion from Paris will take us to the Palace of Versailles, the architectural jewel created by the Sun King, Louis XIV.  Within the western heritage, Versailles carries significance that will take us well beyond the Sun King’s reign.  From its role as a model for royal architecture, the Palace of Versailles has become a symbol recognized worldwide for its place in international diplomacy and the French cultural heritage.

Students enrolling in the Rome and Paris SIE should expect all required pre-departure class sessions to be held on Tuesday nights in the standard 6:30 – 9:10 time slot.


Summer Break - Late May to early June 2011

England & France - Commerce and Culture of London and Paris

This course offers Bryant students the unique opportunity to engage in theory and hands-on experience in London and Paris. It involves comparisons of the UK, France and the USA blending business, finance, economics, culture, art, architecture, cultural stereotypes etc. The experiential learning portion of this course is the seminars, observation and experience that the participants will attend during site visits.  Students will visit London and Paris during the end of spring session (in-country phase) where they will hear speakers (cultural stereotypes, comparison of marketing practices), as well as visit businesses (Jaguar, Exxon-Mobil, etc.), financial markets (Lloyd’s of London, Euronext, etc.), government institutions (Bank of England, French Ministry of Finance, British Parliament), and cultural components (British Museum, London Theatre, Warwick Castle, Louvre, Palace at Versailles, etc.). Threaded theme assignments and group projects are designed to emphasize linkages and relationships between what was done and learned during both the pre-departure and in-country phases. The commerce component will have special emphasis on applications of economic theory in business, as well as to explore the role of financial markets and institutions in facilitating commerce. Since London is the financial capital of the world, this venue seems especially appropriate. Furthermore, Paris is the center of the luxury goods market (haute couture), an important business sector. In addition, the opportunity to visit and hear executives of Exxon-Mobil (Paris) discuss the petroleum industry provides an exposure to one of the key drivers of the global economy. This course can count as an open elective, liberal arts elective, or IB elective for all eligible students.

 

South Korea & China - Business, Culture and Economics in East Asia (China and Korea)

The purpose of the Sophomore International Experience in East Asia (China and Korea) is to provide students with an understanding of the diverse culture, different economic and political systems, business practices, and various social issues in one or more countries outside of the U.S. In this course, we will focus on East Asia (China and Korea), and travel to Beijing, and Shanghai in China and Seoul, Suwon, Wulsan and Pohang in Korea in May and June, 2011.

While the trip component of the course occurs in May and June during summer break, this course will run throughout the Spring semester. Participants are expected to be fully engaged in all phases of the course (seminars and presentations).

This course will focus on the following components:

  • Increased understanding of global perspectives, including economics, culture, and politics in East Asia
  • Comparison of business practices among selected regions in China and in Korea
  • Reflect on social-economics of each area visited
  • Opportunities to compare the cultural aspects of areas visited; contrast with US culture
  • Gain appreciation for how others work and live overseas and navigate in a foreign environment (make good decisions, solve problems, and take personal responsibility
  • Introduction to the art, history, and language of diverse cultures in China and Korea
  • Begin to develop a global perspective by experiencing international travel

In China and Korea, students will visit global firms (Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motors in Korea and Lenovo/IBM Headquarter in China), financial markets (Korean Stock Exchange and AIG Corporate), broadcasting system (Korean Broadcasting System), cultural sites (Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City, the Great Wall and major palaces and museums), and famous shopping districts.

This course offers a nice of blend of new experiences and fun.  This course also can count as an open elective, liberal arts elective, or IB elective for all eligible students.


Italy - Artisans, Innovation, and Design – Perspectives on Design and Innovation in the Italian Arts

Explore Italy's historical past, and learn about the practice of fine arts and crafts traditions in the cities of Rome and Florence. Students will gain an understanding of modern Italy and the impact of the Italian Renaissance. This course can count as an open elective or liberal arts elective for all eligible students.

Itineraries

Winter Break - January 2011 Programs

Summer Break - Late May to early June 2011

Academic Credit

The three credits for this experience will include the tour activities, as well as pre-trip preparation sessions on culture and basic language training, and pre- and post-trip presentations. Students will begin preparations during the semester prior to travel. Full attendance and participation in pre-departure sessions, scheduled activities on the tour, and final projects are expected.

Cost

The price of the 2011 programs is $3,500 per student. This includes airfare, transportation in country, scheduled activities, lodging, breakfast each day (some additional meals may be part of the program), and the tuition for the academic credits. Participants are responsible for personal spending money and for meals not listed on the itinerary.

Financial aid is limited. Please email Lorna Hunter, Vice President of Enrollment Management, at lhunter@bryant.edu with your name, student ID, and your SIE trip of interest before the application deadline to determine your eligibility. Please note that you must currently be receiving federal aid to be eligible for additional financial aid for this program.

Application

  • Applications are completed online and eligible students can access the SIE application by entering the secure area in BANNER and clicking on Student Services & Financial Aid.

Additional Forms - due upon acceptance

Refund Policy

  • The $500.00 application fee is not refundable, unless the student is not accepted to participate in the program.
  • If a student chooses to withdraw from SIEP for documented health or family emergencies, the University will make every effort to refund the fees. Note well that there is a point at which most expenses are unrecoverable because airline tickets, group activities, meals and lodging etc. are typically purchased for each group in advance and are not refundable to the institution. Unrecoverable costs will not be refunded.
  • If a student is required to return to the U.S. after commencement of the program due to serious illness, or death within the immediate family, the University will make every effort to refund recoverable costs to the student. However, as noted above, most expenses will be unrecoverable at this point.
  • If a student is dismissed from a program due to behavioral, academic, legal, or other related issues, no refunds will be made.

Cancellation Policy

  • Bryant University may, in its sole discretion, determine that circumstances within the foreign country require the cancellation of the SIEP within the country. The University will provide students with as much advance notice as possible of its intention to cancel. The University, the on-site coordinators, or the foreign government may prematurely terminate the SIEP. If there is a cancellation of a SIEP only recoverable expenses (see above) will be refunded. The University will purchase trip insurance (personal property, lost luggage and trip cancellation) for each enrolled student. This insurance may help students recover some of the lost expenses in the event of a program cancellation.
  • If Bryant cancels a program after it has commenced due to safety concerns or an emergency the University will make every effort to help students complete the academic work from the program.

For more information about the Sophomore International Experience visit the Study Abroad Office which is located on the lower level of the Unistructure near Faculty Suite J, (401) 232-6209 or e-mail saoffice@bryant.edu.