We offer a wide variety of cross-cultural experiences, as we have led trips to Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Puerto Rico, England, New England, Costa Rica, the American South, France, and Japan. The following are trips that have been conducted recently and planned for the future:
Completed/Planned Trips:
This is a trip for Spanish majors and minors who are looking to immerse themselves in the target language as well as fulfill the cross-cultural requirement. Students will spend four weeks traveling around the Caribbean and the Andes, exploring various tourist sites and taking classes. The coastal city of Barranquilla will serve as a “home base” where students will live with church host families, allowing them experience the Colombian culture in a deeper and more personal way. Students will also take several weekend excursions to surrounding areas. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to participate in acts of service throughout the trip. This includes interacting with bilingual education majors at the Universidad Reformada and supporting the service organizations VIVE for a Dream and Nuevo Amanecer. Students receive six hours of Spanish credit, in addition to the one hour cross-cultural requirement. Estimated cost: $5400.
Students study on campus for two weeks, taking classes in British literature, then spend two weeks in England. They visit London, Canterbury, Oxford, York, and the Lake District. Among other activities, students see Shakespeare plays at the Globe; tour Canterbury Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the British Library; visit the houses of C.S. Lewis, William Wordsworth, and William Shakespeare. Students receive six hours of English credit, in addition to the one hour cross-cultural requirement. Estimated cost: $6000.
Students study on campus for two weeks, taking classes in American literature, history, and humanities, then spend two weeks traveling through the New England region. They stay primarily in Boston, making trips out to Salem, Plymouth, New Bedford, Amherst, Lexington, and Concord. Among other activities students visit the homes of Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Louisa May Alcott, walk Boston’s Freedom Trail, see the Old North Bridge, and Lexington Green, hike the trails around Walden Pond, and tour Plymouth Plantation and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of Seven Gables. They experience a Whale Watch and a Boston Pops concert. Cross cultural credit is earned through interaction with the Wampanoag culture in New England. Participants earn 6 credit hours in English, history, or humanities, in addition to the one hour cross-cultural requirement. Estimated cost: $4995.
Students studying French at Lee University may choose to study in a French-speaking country. There are currently two collaborative programs available to students: ACCES and CHEZ VOUS. Students may also arrange to do their senior semester abroad in a program other than these, but other programs must be approved by the Department and students assume sole responsibility for program set-up and financing. This would include academic semesters at the Université de Québec at Trois-Rivières (UQTR), and the Université Catholique de l’ouest (UCO) in Angers (France).
The ACCES program is a semester study experience in Strasbourg, France. The on-site director is Dr. Alex Neff. Alex has been coordinating programs in Strasbourg for Lee Students since 2012. Students study at the program’s study center as well as at the Université de Strasbourg. Participants have the choice to live in a student center or with a host family in the city of Strasbourg. Interested students should view the information on the ACCES website. For additional information, please speak with Dr. James Wilkins (Department of Language and Literature) or communicate directly with Dr. Neff.
CHEZ VOUS is another program that affords students the opportunity to study for six weeks or for an entire semester in Normandy (France). The on-site director is this program is Steve Darling. Steve has coordinated summer programs for Lee Students since 1998. Participants in summer programs study at the Jacques Lefèvre Institute in Merville-Franceville. Majors in semester programs here reside at the center in Merville-Franceville on the English Channel, but study at the Université de Caen, a university renown world-wide for the teaching of French as an additional language. Interested students should view the information at the CHEZ VOUS website for information especially on summer programs. Majors interested in the semester program should speak with Dr. James Wilkins (Department of Language and Literature) or communicate directly with Steve Darling.
