Location:

Bern, Switzerland

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

MayMester Intersession

Program Overview

Program Description:

Georgia State offers many summer and maymester programs led and taught by Georgia State professors. These programs tend to be focused on a particular topic or theme and range from 10 to 20 participants, though some are larger. Students participate in lectures, site visits, excursions, and tours as part of the program. These programs usually last between two and six weeks. Students find these programs a great way to really get to know their professors and other GSU students while earning GSU credits and grades. Students do not have to study on a program related to their major, but they certainly can. Financial aid and scholarships are available.

Nestled in the beautiful Swiss Alps, the historic capital city of Bern is a vibrant,diverse cultural setting to build intercultural competency skills. In this study abroad program, students will learn to apply theory by working through actual experiences of cultural adaptation and conflict management. Participants will be exposed to cultural differences and will engage in intercultural interactions on a daily basis. This practice, along with the course work, will guide students towards understandings of their own and others' cultural identities, of strategies for preventing and addressing intercultural conflict, and of qualitative methods for cultural discovery. This program is designed for Applied Linguistics students and offers required courses in our degree programs. However, it is also well-suited for students in a variety of disciplines - e.g., anthropology, education, international business, modern and classical languages, political science, and sociology. Any student whose future career or life will require intercultural competency would benefit from this program. Students interested in long-term study abroad would find this program an excellent preparation for intercultural transition. In Bern, students will read and journal to prepare for class sessions, while class meetings will be spent in a) debriefing on study abroad experiences; b) experiential activities; and c) small and whole group discussions of readings. The main assessment for the course is an ethnographic research project. Classes will meet weekday mornings, and students will be free on the weekends to take advantage of their SwissPass privileges and explore the rest of Switzerland individually or in small groups.

Setting Description:

Students will be staying in homestays for their three weeks in Bern. Hosts will be selected from a pool of English-speaking business professionals interested in intercultural exchange. All homestay facilities will provide a private bedroom (single occupancy), access to a bathroom, internet access, access to public transportation, and daily continental breakfast. Homestay hosts will also serve as cultural informants capable of explaining cultural differences in communicative behaviors, norms, values, and other aspects of Swiss ways of life. a private bedroom (single occupancy), access to a bathroom, internet access, access to public transportation, and daily continental breakfast. Homestay hosts will also serve as cultural informants capable of explaining cultural differences in communicative behaviors, norms, values, and other aspects of Swiss ways of life.

Cost:

Please contact for program costs