Study abroad programs offer School of Communication students

international experiences in learning

​ Author
​ By Claudia Cesario
​ November 4, 2022

Students from this summer’s "Communication in Paris" program, from left, Peter Snekos, Naomi Ewing,
Alexa Cruz, Michael Escobar, Mackenzie Kron, Kate Mueller, Maggie Mokrzycki, Claudia Cesario, Bella
Ogurek, Abigail Choi, and Kelly Doekler.
New ideas, new nations, and new cultures. Illinois State University offers ways for
students to learn and grow through studying abroad. And the School of Communication
offers students four different study abroad programs in France, Netherlands, Panama,
and Brazil.

Two of these four programs are offered every other year, and they offer students
opportunities to advance in their majors by taking communication courses at different
universities in other nations and learn in those contexts. Here are the plans for the next
two summers of study abroad programs for School of Communication students.

The School of Communication offers four study abroad programs. Typically two programs are offered
every two years.

Summer 2023 programs

Early in the summer 2023 term, the School of Communication will offer its study abroad
program in Fortaleza, Brazil. Led by Associate Professor Dr. Phil Chidester, the study
abroad program will consist of two classes focusing on media (identities in the media)
and journalism (Latin American journalism) at La Univsersidad Federal de Ceara, taught
by Chidester and Dr. John Baldwin. The Brazil program offers many cultural and social
excursions for students. Some excursions include visiting the famous soccer stadium
that hosted the 2014 World Cup; attending a media conglomerate to learn how they
produce TV, radio, and print projects; outdoor adventures; and much more. 
Chidester has a passion for Brazil and the takeaways students get from attending this
program. “I like how students love immersing themselves in the culture, and I appreciate
how they want to learn and experience new things,” said Chidester. 

This program will take place for one month beginning at the end of May through June
and is open to students in all School of Communication majors, especially those in
journalism and mass media.

Another study abroad program available next summer for School of Communication
students, especially those in the PR major and the organizational leadership sequence
of the communication studies major, is “Doing Business in Europe,” which is hosted by
Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, Netherlands. The three-week
program, running May 30 to June 16, 2023, focuses on sustainable communication of
promotional content and intercultural communication, which will fulfill credit in certain
School of Communication courses and an Interdisciplinary Studies course. Dr. Pete
Smudde, professor and associate director of the school, is the program’s director.

Students from multiple nations enroll in the program, and School of Communication
students will be studying, living, working, and socializing with them in classes, teams,
excursions, and near-campus residences.

Students will experience Dutch culture and partake in business and social excursions,
such visits to Grolsch Brewery, FC Gronigen’s stadium, the island of Schiermonnikoog,
Groningen Sea Ports, the city of Groningen, and ultimately Philips in Amsterdam. In
fact, students will work on a project to solve a real marketing opportunity for Philips and
present it to corporate executives in the company’s global headquarters in Amsterdam
toward the end of the three-week program.

There are many reasons as to why students should experience life abroad. Smudde
says, “It’s a wonderful experience to go and participate in another culture, especially
learning another language and the culture’s history. For what you pay for at classes
here, students can extend their learning and experience life abroad.”

The third study abroad program is “Communication in Paris,” which was led in summer
2022 by Program Coordinator Julie Navickas and Dr. Lance Lippert, professor of
communication. While in Paris at ESSCA School of Management, Lippert taught the
upper-level Organizational Communication course.

Initially, this program was scheduled for summer 2024, but with the Olympics being held
in Paris that year, the program will be held this coming summer, running four weeks
from the beginning of June. Students will have the opportunity to experience French
culture and are able to take courses in theory and research in intercultural
communication and organizational communication that count toward students’
communication degree.

In Paris, students will have the opportunity to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum,
the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Castle of Versailles, attend National Music Day, and take
a boat ride on the Seine River through the historic city.

Summer 2024 programs

Looking ahead to summer 2024, the School of Communication plans to offer a study
abroad program at Quality Leadership University in Panama City, Panama, developed
by Dr. John Baldwin, professor of communication. Professors from the School of
Communication will teach classes in the program.

The Panama program begins in the middle of June and runs through July in 2024. In
Panama, courses will be on Latin American journalism and identities in Latin American
media. These not only count toward students’ communication degree, but also fulfill the
required AMALI classes for students to graduate from Illinois State.

While in Panama, students will participate in many different excursions. Some visits
include the Panama Canal, a jungle excursion where students can see wildlife, and a
trip to a colonial town called Casco Antiguo, which has old structures and beautiful
architecture. 

Baldwin is enthusiastic about this program and believes that it is important that students
experience life abroad, “I think this is a great way for students to appreciate what we
have in our culture, and as communicators we get to learn different ways to see the
world,” said Baldwin.

“Studying abroad creates life changing memories students will remember forever,” ISU
alumna Mary Cullen who attended two study abroad programs at ISU said. “After two
study abroad trips during my time at ISU with the school, it isn’t the beautiful sights or
the historic settings that continue to stick with me; it’s the new perspective on life that I
gained by simply putting myself in unfamiliar situations.”

For more information about study abroad programs visit

StudyAbroadApp.IllinoisState.edu.