It’s Peru and Britain for UCBA Study Abroad in 2015

UCBA will be offering two study abroad programs this coming year, one in Great Britain and one in Peru.  Studying abroad is a chance to experience culture around the world in your own eyes, and with the variety of choices, there is a chance you’ll find a program that will take you to somewhere you have always wanted to go before. 

The Great Britain program will be led by UCBA Professor Mike Roos (English) and Mark Otten (Biology).  The name of the program is “Evolution and Revolution: The Beatles, Darwin, and The Process of Change.”  

Prof. Sue Sipple’s 2015 study abroad literature class in the Harlaxton Manor Conservatory.

Students in the program will be learning about the cultural impact of the Beatles (an English course taught by Professor Roos) and a course on Biology involving Darwin’s theory of evolution and its historical development.  

“The two courses go well together,” Professor Roos said, “because culture evolves in ways similar to the way biology evolves. When you’re talking about cultural evolution, the Sixties stand out as a time when there was some of the most dramatic cultural change in history, and the Beatles were right in the middle of it.  Some of that change, they pretty directly produced.  And of course, there were other changes going on that influenced them. And their music reflects all of it.”  

For more information on the British Study Abroad Program, contact Professor Roos at roosme@ucmail.uc.edu or call (513) 745-5764.

There will also be the Spanish Language and Latin-American Culture program, which will be led in Peru by Professor Angel Anorga.  Taking this class will give students a chance to speak with native Spanish-speakers, so they will really get to delve into Latin-American culture with their own language.  

Students will also be introduced to the local traditions and customs of Peru, as well as the influence of the Quechua, which is an indigenous spoken language from Peru and how it impacted the Spanish language today.  After this course you will have experienced the confluence of three cultures in the area, the Spanish, Inca and Quechua.  For more information on the Peru Study Abroad Program, contact Professor Anorga at anorgaal@ucmail.uc.edu or call (513) 936-7188.

The application process for both programs this year will be on-line for the first time.  You will need to have a faculty member who knows you personally and is willing to write a recommendation letter for you. You will also have to write a one-page statement expressing why you want to study abroad and also what you think you’ll be able to take back home from this experience, how the program ties in with your academic and career goals.  

The deadline to apply for either program is November 15, 2014.  There is a $200 deposit to be paid by that date also.

For those who are interested but do not have finance to support these trips, there are four study abroad scholarships (worth $400-$1,000 each) up for grabs.  You can find these scholarships inside the Study Abroad Scholarships tab under the Study Abroad information tab on the UCBA main website. 

UCBA Dean Cady Short-Thompson has also set aside $20,000 for a study abroad scholarship fund for UCBA students.  If you are interested in studying abroad, these can greatly help you finance this educational opportunity.  

In October there will be three one-hour workshops (10/22, 2:30 p.m.; 10/23  2 p.m.; and 10/24, 10 a.m.), which will go over the program application process and help students write a strong scholarship application.  All workshops will be in Muntz Hall, Room 350.  Each workshop will cover the same material, so there is no need to attend more than one.

This information and more can be found on the UCBA Study Abroad website at http://www.ucblueash.edu/academics/study-abroad.html.