Rider students have the ticket to span globe
by Julia Ernst
For some Rider students, studying abroad is a part of the college experience that they cannot envision their four years here without. For others, the commitment of a whole semester away may seem like too much. This summer’s Study Abroad Tours may be a way to satisfy everyone.
Dr. Linda Materna, chairperson of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature and professor of Spanish, says that study abroad trips over the summer months are relatively new for Rider.
“Two- to three-week summer faculty-led programs abroad for credit have not been a common paradigm until perhaps the last five years,” she said. “This paradigm of four-week summer abroad sessions has become increasingly popular as a way to do study abroad either in addition to semester or year-long programs, or as a substitute for these longer options.”
Destinations this summer include Spain, London, Sweden, Norway, Honduras and China. Additional trips to Florence, Italy are planned for vocal and choral seminars.
Professors will also be taking students on a five-city tour of India for two College of Business Administration trips in January.
Materna said there are plenty of options for students to choose from this summer. Students do not have to be language majors to participate in these trips, and faculty from many different departments lead tours over the summer.
“Marine sciences, for example, has a summer course typically somewhere in the Caribbean, Mexico or Central America,” she said. “Dr. Minmin Wang is leading her third three-week, service-learning course in Fuzhou, China, this summer.”
Materna said that in the past, some students attended the programs simply to travel. This is an option for anyone who wishes to visit other countries as a part of his or her summer vacation.
In addition to the numerous unique opportunities studying in another country can offer, the Materna emphasized an increasingly necessary experience for students in today’s world.
“These courses, and study abroad in general, are increasingly important and in fact indispensable,” she said. “Given the imperatives of globalization and the moral obligation of universities to prepare students linguistically and cross-culturally to succeed in the 21st century in an increasingly multi-cultural America and an increasingly complex and interwoven world.”
Students who are interested in the summer programs can visit rider.edu/studyabroad for more
information.
