The Department of Mass Communication is adding a new study abroad school Centro Universitario in Seville, Spain. This is the sixth partner school for the department.
In Seville, students will stay with a host family where they will have the opportunity to improve their proficiency in Spanish and experience the local culture. The mass communication department encourages its students to study abroad and gain experiences they cannot receive on Winthrop’s campus.
Study abroad students can discover new ways of looking at the world and approach the marketplace with a different and informed perspective.
“With the ever-evolving world, studying abroad is the best way to become a global citizen, you learn to explore, engage, and become a critical thinker of cultures close and far,” Shealy Long, senior integrated marketing communication major said.
Courses offered by the partner school include mass communication, editing, and public relations. Classes will be taught in English.
Centro Universitario EUSA is a Spanish private university in Sevilla. When studying abroad in Spain, there are classes with European students. Matt Symonds, co-founder Fortuna Admissions & CentreCourt, suggests that travel abroad programs become “educational tourism” when students are surrounded only by like-minded peers with little incentive to fully immerse themselves in culture.
“I gained a whole new confidence through studying abroad. Traveling around Europe, adjusting to a new lifestyle, and experiencing different cultures. I feel secure in who I am as a person,” Long said.
Junior Jamie Huynh studied abroad in Spain last year.
“Studying abroad made me feel comfortable being alone but also made me value the connections I had with my friends and my family. Everyone should study abroad because it’s a learning experience you could never get in a classroom,” Huynh said.
“Learn what it’s like to navigate a country whose language you do not know or adapt to social norms you’re not used to. It will broaden your view and ultimately make you a more compassionate person, especially in a country filled with immigrants,” Huynh said.
Mass comm students can participate in fall and spring programs abroad, and tailor their experience to their specific academic goals and personal interests. Additionally, Winthrop has created connections between study abroad and the course classes needed to graduate. Winthrop’s academic departments have identified semesters and classes so students can study abroad and graduate within a four-year time frame. Students may also apply for scholarships to help pay for their study abroad program.
“Being able to step outside of my comfort zone and explore a place that was unlike anywhere I have been,” Long said, “I really enjoyed my internship, I interned with a global non-profit in Ireland. I was able to practice my global communication skills with communicating with people from South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil, and Germany.”
Junior French exchange student, Noelie Kanor, came from Montpellier, France to study abroad in the United States. Kanor takes various mass communication classes here on campus.
“Do not be afraid to study abroad, especially if there’s a different language. You will get used to the culture and do not be shy to ask questions. You can appreciate learning a new language and a completely different culture. I have personally enjoyed seeing how much Americans are so eager to help you to feel at home,” Kanor said.
The mass communication department has study abroad programs in Australia, Ireland, England, Norway, and Sweden. For more information visit www.winthrop.edu/masscomm
