“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
— Mark Twain
On May 10, when the last class takes the last exam, not all students will be heading off to an academics-free summer. Instead, some jet-setting students will be taking advantage of the college’s new intensive course abroad (ICA) offerings this summer. ICAs are generally three-week, three-credit courses that are led by Goucher faculty.
For students unsure if they want to leave Goucher’s campus for a semester or year to fulfill their study abroad requirement, or for those who simply want to add some more specialized experience to their portfolio, the ICA experience is especially useful. “We find there’s a group that will do only an ICA; then there’s a group that does an ICA and feels more empowered, so they then do a full semester,” said Heather Owens, international program specialist at Goucher. The college — which, in 2006, became the first in the nation to require study abroad for graduation — aims to give students a more globally oriented perspective of their studies through programs such as the ICAs.
This year, almost 70 students from Goucher will be leaving at various times in May, June, and July to study the politics of memory in Poland, the environment in Ecuador, and cultural and artistic experiences in Scotland. Those are just a few of the rotating programs Goucher offers during summers, and there is also a winter term in January between the fall and spring semesters. “We introduce one or two new programs almost every winter and summer session,” Owens said.
One of the new programs this summer is “A World of Difference: Marketing in China and Hong Kong” with Assistant Professor of International Business and Marketing David Grossman. “They’re essentially visiting companies and taking tours, understanding how businesses operate in Asia,” Owens said of the month-long program.
ICAs can closely align with majors, such as Grossman’s trip or the environmental studies course in Ecuador, but they also often closely relate to language. “People can take care of a third semester of language,” Owens said, pointing out that many of the ICA programs are related to language, with courses in countries such as Spain and Germany.
And even with new programs being introduced regularly, many are well-established, such as the popular ICA “Township and Rural Education in South Africa.” Owen said the program has been so well-received they hope to bring South African teachers to Baltimore for professional development, creating new experiences for both parties in the exchange. “They’ve done a really good job of cultivating that relationship,” she said of Associate Professor of Education La Jerne Cornish and Assistant Professor of Dance Rick Southerland, the course leaders.
Though the deadline has passed for the summer ICAs, there are still some openings in the winter term ICA “Society, History, and Culture of West Africa.” Owens said the deadline is Tuesday, May 1, at 5 p.m. Students can get more information either by stopping by the Office of International Studies or by contacting her at heather.owens@goucher.edu or 410-337-3024. More information can be found at Goucher College’s Office of International Studies.