Studying
abroad gives more than cultural experience
By
Francis Santos
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
Australia, Brazil, China and England are just a few countries available to
students to study abroad in through Cal State Long Beach.
Different colleges at CSULB sponsor and organize study abroad programs individually.
The journalism department in the College of Liberal Arts organizes a program
for students to study in Brazil for two to three weeks during summer, the College
of Business Administration organizes a program in China and the College of
the Arts has one in Spain.
Although these programs are for very different places, the purposes for going
to each are very similar.
Harold Schefski, the CSULB Russian Program director, teaches an abroad course
in Russia for the romance, German, Russian languages and literature department.
According to Schefski, the purpose of the trip is to acquaint students with
Russian culture, as well as let them see the language in action. He said by
experiencing Russian culture in its natural state students are more inspired
to learn about and
understand it.
“
I find it very inspiring to see students get a first hand experience of the
culture,” he said.
Raul Reis, the journalism professor who organizes the session in Brazil, said
the classes help journalism students understand the difference between Brazilian
media and media in the United States, to open new horizons, experience, learn
about a different culture and to explore and understand its views.
The College of Business’ program’in China has similar goals.
Johnny Fu, a graduate student who helps organize the program, said students
study the comparisons between Chinese and American business.
“
There are differences in leadership and management styles in different countries,
and starting a business in another country requires that you know the culture,” he
said.
Fu said the reason for going to China is that more businesses are moving there
due to low labor cost, as a result Chinese economics are on the rise.
When visiting a foreign country, it is normal for someone to feel a sense of
culture shock, but, according to Fu, it does not necessarily create problems.
“
Students have an image in their minds, but when they see it first hand, they
see the difference between expectations and reality,” he said.
Some argue studying in a foreign place could be distracting because students
are in a different environment. This is not the case according to Reis.
“
In ways it is much better,” he said. “We are together the whole
day, you don’t have to’drive anywhere and you don’t have
to worry about going to work.”
Noppacha Tuansa-Ard is a graduate student who studied abroad in China last
year. She said being in a different environment was not distracting. The university
they interacted with threw students a welcome party, with over 300 Chinese
students, for her student group, made up of seven to eight students.
“
It was overwhelming,” she said.
According to Reis, this type of experience opens students’ eyes to new
possibilities, cultures, different ways of life and new realities.
“
There are a lot of things to learn, it’s different if you go alone,” Tuansa-Ard
said.
“
If you go with an abroad program you get more opportunities to meet people
you can learn from, it’s all set’up for you.”
Despite the positive aspects, students still shy away from studying abroad.
According to Cecilia A. Fidora, assistant director of the Center of International
Education at CSULB, only 1 percent of students nationwide study abroad.
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