Students to Learn by Traveling the World this Summer

May 30, 2018 Grace Mitchell, Staff Writer

HSU offers many opportunities for students to study abroad, whether for a semester or for a summer class. This summer, HSU students will be living and learning in Italy, Vienna, Ireland, Norway, and in the United States. Students participating in these trips or any other summer travel can enter the #HSUTravels contest by taking a picture holding an HSU flag or wearing an HSU T-shirt for a chance to be featured on the HSU Instagram page and win a $50 gift card to their favorite restaurant. Prizes will be awarded for most creative, farthest distance traveled, and most likes on the HSU Instagram page.

Honors-Italy

HSU Honors students are traveling to Italy from May 20-30. In Rome, they will explore the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, Pantheon, Circus Maximus, Pompeii, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel. They will also travel to Assisi and Florence to see art, medieval buildings, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

“Traveling is an incredible form of education,” said Dr. Tom Copeland, Director of the Honors Program. “Italy is one of those places that gives you multiple avenues for education. There’s the history of the world, the history of Christianity, the best collections of art in the world, and it’s beautiful everywhere you go.”

Art—Florence

Art students will be studying Watercolor Painting and Art History in Florence and Naples May 20-June 21. The students will explore the archaeological site of Herculaneum, the sister city to Pompeii. They will have the chance to see the David statue in the Academia Museum and the Medici Palace. They will also visit the Duomo church and the San Lorenzo churches.

“Traveling abroad is one of the best ways to learn history,” said Dr. Linda Fawcett, Professor of Art. “This will be a priceless, once-in-a-lifetime trip.”

Leadership—Vienna

Students minoring in Leadership Studies will travel to Vienna July 12-August 2. The students can take a course in Cross-Cultural Leadership or Great Leaders of History. During their trip, they will learn about Vienna’s history, religion music, art, government, and education. They will also study the effects of WWI, WWII, and the Holocaust. The group will be joined by HSU’s Traveling Range Riders, a new alumni travel group.

“Students can always study on an intellectual level, but I prefer to learn at an experiential level,” said Dr. Coleman Patterson, Director of Leadership Studies. “You can read about something, or you can go see it for yourself.”

The Leadership program will also be ‘Riding for a Cause’ as they bike the Katy Trail June 2-9. They will bike 50 miles per day for five days as a part of the Great Cycle Challenge to raise money for cancer research. Dr. Patterson says that even though this is their seventh bike trip, each one is different, and each one is an adventure.

Counseling Diverse Populations— Ireland

Students in the Clinical Counseling program traveled to Dundrum, Northern Ireland May 13-23. The class will taught students how to counsel diverse cultural groups like African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, homosexuals, and other religions. In Northern Ireland, they worked with troubled teens who struggle with depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, grief, spirituality, self-esteem, and other issues.

Justice Abroad—Norway

Students studying Criminal Justice had the opportunity to experience the Norwegian justice system May 20-30. The students compared the police, court, and correction systems found in Texas, the United States, and Norway. They attended research meetings with the students and faculty of the University of Bergen. The students were also immersed in Norwegian culture as they took a train ride across Norway and hiked by waterfalls, fjords, and glaciers.

Hydrology—Colorado River Watershed

Students studying Geology, Biology, and Environmental Management will explore rivers, lakes, and springs during their summer Hydrology course. During this twelve-day excursion, the students will camp out along the Colorado River in Nevada and Arizona and the Pecos River in New Mexico and Texas.

The students will experience the Grand Canyon, Lee’s Ferry, Lake Mead, and Lake Powell. They will also see two of the largest dams in North America: the Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam.

“I live by a philosophy that seeing is believing,” said Dr. Mark Ouimette, Professor of Geology. “Our students learn about these places in books and PowerPoints, but seeing and feeling these things for themselves is truly breathtaking.”

Human Trafficking—Across Texas

Social Work and Sociology students will travel across Texas to learn about human trafficking. They will travel to Lubbock, Austin, and Houston, touring crisis centers and agencies. They will also hear from guest speakers who are experts in the field.

We originally were considering international or another state, but when we began our research, we found Texas is #3 in the US in the number of trafficking victims identified,” said Professor Milliorn, Chair of Social Work Department. “We found this to be significant and decided to stay in our home state.”

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