France and the Joie de Vivre
Through this study abroad program, UNCA students will be challenged to reconsider the ways they see their world and to better understand the ways they think about self and others. Furthermore, they will observe and experience the French joie de vivre, the art of living where one finds joy in the quotidian. Slowing down to enjoy meals, connecting with new friends, admiring architectural wonders, pondering cultural practices, feeling the presence of nature . . . all of these are simple ways to live this joie. Experiencing it, we believe, can enhance one’s approach to life by encouraging presence, gratitude and contentment, values that are fundamental to well-being and one’s ability to thrive in any context.
Program Contacts:
Professor Allison Weems, jweems@unca.edu
Dr. Kelly Biers, kbiers@unca.edu
On the Outskirts of Empire-The United Kingdom, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow
This study abroad program combines Arts 310 and Humanities credit to bring a critical analysis to the historic relationships between Great Britain and Scotland from the mid 20th century forward. A key component of Humanities is studying the political, economic and cultural spaces of empires as well as the challenges to colonial epistemologies. HUM 414 also highlights the cultures of opposition that challenged colonial and imperial domination. ARTS 310 examines “the significance of the arts in the human experience, the cultural context of creative composition and performance, the foundations of aesthetic values, and the communicative function of the arts” in the context of the United Kingdom.
Program Contacts:
Dr Anne Slatton, aslatton@unca.edu
Dr. Sarah Judson, sjudson@unca.edu
Sustainability and Community in Costa Rica
This program takes place in Atenas, Costa Rica and neighboring areas for intensive language, culture, and sustainability studies. Students will have a home stay experience with local families where they can make close and meaningful connections. During most days, students will have language instruction, community service and/or engagement, excursions to sustainable farms and renewable power plants, classes with locals on Costa Rican cooking and dance, as well as many opportunities for students to spend time getting to know local Ticas (people from Costa Rica). Students will have ample time to engage with experts involved in sustainability efforts related to subjects from volcanology and geothermal energy to blue zones. We will explore what makes Costa Rica the healthiest and happiest places on earth.
Program Contact:
Michelle Bettencourt, mbettenc@unca.edu
Paris, London and Berlin
New Media Research and Production
While designed with new media students in mind, the core of this program is intrinsically interdisciplinary and translates easily to students in multiple disciplines. In NM374 Studio (4CR), students focus on rendering experiential research as creative media projects. The companion course, NM 474 (4CR), a special topics in media course and is comprised of relevant theoretical readings and resultant research designed to inform and support the studio section of the trip.
Program Contacts:
Peter Kusek–pkusek@unca.edu
Curt Cloninger–ccloning@unca.edu
Many of our programs repeat bi-annually. In recent years, UNCA faculty have led programs to: Greece, Italy, Ecuador, Ireland & Northern Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan & Hong Kong and Amsterdam, Rotterdam & Berlin.
Please contact the Study Abroad Office for more information on Faculty-led opportunities at UNCA.
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UNCA Abroad: Ireland & Scotland
Professors Sarah Judson and Anne Slatton took students to Europe for a faculty-led study abroad trip