While spending a semester abroad can be an important aspect of the college experience, Wake Forest also offers a wide range of unique summer study abroad programs. These opportunities take students to places like Italy, Australia and even India and allow participants to study numerous different topics.

These programs vary in length and intensity, but all #deacsabroad come back with stories to share and an expanded worldview to help them navigate the rest of their college careers.

Departmental Studies

Thirteen students traveled to Rome for a month this summer with the journalism department in order to study writing travel columns and other aspects of travel journalism.

Although the course allowed the students to experience popular tourist sites, world renowned restaurants and famed hotels, the curriculum was centered on important global issues like the refugee crisis and climate change.

The students post their articles to their blogs from the Parthenon Institute. This course is one of the most popular departmental programs among students, but it’s just one of many offered. There are biology programs offered in Peru, biochemistry in London and English in Italy.

Language Studies

Wake Forest’s many programs for increasing foreign language proficiency while studying abroad in the summer include studying Spanish in Cuba, Italian in Sorrento, German in Jena and French in Tours. Through complete immersion, students develop their language skills and gain an appreciation for foreign customs.

These intensive courses are a great choice for those majoring in foreign languages, and often coincide with internships and other opportunities for resume building.

Internships

A number of internships are also available for students to participate in. Some students got to intern in Madrid, Salamanca, Paris and various spots in Great Britain, often using foreign language skills in their jobs.

Cultural Studies

For the second year in a row, a group of Wake Forest students spent time this summer in India learning about Indian culture and communications. The program in Cuba also gave students valuable lessons about Cuban culture and society.

One program in Nepal focuses on teaching students about poverty and social status as important factors in people’s lives, particularly the needs of women and children.

Special Programs

Finally, Wake Forest offers many programs that allow students to experience and explore foreign cultures in a unique way.

The Arts and Entrepreneurship program in Berlin, for example, allows students to spend two weeks in what is considered an “edge city.” This means that Berlin’s art culture influences its technology and economy as well as the way people interact with the city.

A similar program, the Barcelona Creativity and Entrepreneurship program, allows students to develop their own creative business models.

The idea behind these programs is that nontraditional, experience-based learning should supplement  what typically occurs in the classroom. When exploring health and diet in Spain, France and Switzerland, the lab for this program is physically active, requiring students to bike together. Students spend one week in each country, comparing and contrasting ideas surrounding healthy diets in America with those in Europe.

Another exploratory program is the “EuroTour,” which allows students to visit ten cities in eight different countries to compare their cultures and political systems.