Director: Wanda L. Reynolds

Tel: 509.313.3549

Email: studyabroad@gonzaga.edu

Website: http://www.goabroadzags.org

Go Abroad ZAGS! Spend a year, semester, or summer abroad and be inspired by the people, cultures, languages, and histories of places around the globe.

Why study abroad?

Gonzaga University encourages students to enhance their undergraduate program with a summer, semester, or academic year of international study. Studying outside of the United States allows students to immerse themselves in other cultures and better appreciate the diversity of peoples throughout the world. In this unique learning environment, students often develop proficiency in other languages, become familiar with new customs and beliefs, and gain access to great historical monuments and works of art. While abroad, students also have the opportunity to reflect upon the United States and its traditions from a new perspective. Students return transformed.

Studying abroad is highly regarded by both educators and employers and is seen as a strong indication of intellectual curiosity and emotional maturity. Students who acquire foreign language proficiency are especially esteemed and sought after by graduate schools, businesses, and organizations of all kinds. Gonzaga University offers a variety of study abroad opportunities for qualified students. See GU sponsored program listings below.

Application & Eligibility

All study abroad program applications must be processed through the Study Abroad office, regardless of which type of program is selected (sponsored or non-sponsored). Approval is based on recommendations, Student Life and Academic Services clearance, as well as the program’s grade point average requirement.

Steps to Study Abroad

The following are steps to help you plan your study abroad experience.

1. 1. Define your objectives

   Consider your reasons to study abroad. Do you want to pursue academic coursework related to your degree? Enhance your language skills? Gain cultural experience in a particular country? Or do you have other reasons? Begin by setting and prioritizing your study abroad goals.

2. 2. Explore your study abroad options

   Find a program to accomplish the goals you set. Research your options. Consult our website and visit the Study Abroad office.

3. 3. Visit the Study Abroad Office

   The GU Study Abroad staff can help you explore your options and prepare you to gain the most from your study abroad experience. The earlier you start planning for your study abroad experience, the better.

4. 4. Meet with your academic advisor

   Discuss your interest in studying abroad with your advisor and keep in mind your four-year plan. While abroad you can take courses that directly apply to your major, electives, or core requirements. Various study abroad opportunities are available following the completion of your freshman year through graduation.

5. 5. Complete your application early

   Once you have selected your program, complete the application well before the deadline. All documents must be processed through the GU Study Abroad office in order to receive financial aid and course credit.

6. 6. Apply for or renew your passport

   Do not delay getting your passport. If you have a passport, check the expiration date. Many countries require that a passport be valid for three months beyond the planned date of return to the United States.

7. 7. Prepare for your time abroad

   Complete all post-acceptance forms and return them to the Study Abroad office. Attend your pre-departure orientation program. Have the time of your life! Go Zags!

GU SPONSORED PROGRAMS:

Gonzaga-in-Florence Program: Year or Semester

Dean: J. Patrick Burke, Ph.D.

Website: www.gonzagainflorence.org

The mission of Gonzaga-in-Florence is a direct extension of the mission of Gonzaga University as humanistic, Catholic, and Jesuit community of higher education. Since 1963, Gonzaga-in-Florence primarily serves junior undergraduates in a year-long core program and welcomes both Gonzaga and non-Gonzaga students. While the program is designed as a full year academic study abroad experience, fall and spring semester options are available.

The city of Florence, long recognized as the intellectual and artistic center of both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, was also the student home of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. Its libraries, museums, churches, and monuments provide today’s students with unique opportunities for understanding the forces which shaped European civilization. The program is located in the heart of the old city near the University of Florence. Housing is provided for students in nearby Italian boarding hotels. Students can also apply for a home-stay option.

While proficiency in the Italian language is not a requirement for acceptance into the Florence program, students are required to complete one course of Italian per semester abroad which may be fulfilled prior to or during the time abroad.

Academic Program: The courses offered cover a wide range of subjects in business and the humanities including: art history, drawing, economics, English literature, fresco, medieval and Renaissance history, beginning through advanced Italian language, philosophy, political science, sculpture, sociology, and religious studies, as well as business courses such as management, marketing, finance and business law. Courses can be found in the departmental listings for Italian Studies and in individual departments where Florence courses are so noted. Students and their advisors should consult the Study Abroad office in Spokane for specific courses offered each year in Florence. The Florence faculty is composed of professors both from Gonzaga and from Italian universities in Florence and in Bologna. In order to supplement and enrich the academic and cultural experience, optional organized three-day weekend trips are offered during the program. Year and semester students are encouraged to participate in the optional Christmas Tour.

Financial Information: The basic cost includes: (1) $500 deposit (applied to program charges but otherwise nonrefundable), (2) Opening Tour (beginning of the semester and serves as an orientation for new students), (3) Tuition, room, board (breakfast every day and seven other meals per week), and general fees in Florence. Basic charges do not cover transportation to or from Europe, books, medical insurance or personal expenses.

Gonzaga-in-Florence Engineering Semester Program

Engineering students have the opportunity to study on the Gonzaga-in-Florence program during the spring semester of their sophomore year. The engineering and mathematics courses offered on the program are designed to fit into engineering students’ existing curriculum and requirement. Interested students must apply during their freshman year.

Gonzaga-in-Florence Summer Program

The Gonzaga-in-Florence Summer Program is an excellent opportunity for any college student who has completed their freshman year to have a fascinating European experience. The program begins in mid-May with an Opening Tour, followed by six-weeks of course work ending in late June. Courses may include art, communication arts, engineering, history, philosophy, religious studies, and business. An Italian language course is provided, with all other classes in English. Guided weekend trips are offered. The program fee includes the Opening Tour, tuition for two courses, housing in Italian hotels, and some meals.

AUSTRALIA: School for Field Studies Center for Rainforest Studies in Queensland

Students research a critical local and regional environmental problem — loss and fragmentation of once extensive rainforests, and the environmental policies under consideration by the local and Commonwealth governments. SFS staff and students, in collaboration with local landholders and stakeholder organizations, focus on enhancing the condition of tropical rainforests, as well as determining how we should regenerate and restore the rainforest on the Atherton Tablelands.

BRITISH WEST INDIES: School for Field Studies Marine Resource Management Center

The Center works with the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) government’s Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) and the National Park Service to develop management strategies that shield the TCI from the fate that has befallen other nearby areas in the Caribbean. Students spend a semester or summer helping to provide the local government, community, and tourism developers with advice that will help sustain the economic, societal, and ecological stability of South Caicos and its island community.

COSTA RICA: School for Field Studies Center for Sustainable Development Studies

In this semester or summer program students observe how Costa Rica now faces a critical juncture as resource management decisions are being made in an effort to keep pace with competitive global markets. Students study different sustainable management models that protect the biodiversity of Costa Rica’s ecosystems while promoting socio-economic benefits for its people.

CHINA: The Beijing Center

This Jesuit program, sponsored by Loyola University Chicago, offers a unique mix of study and travel in China. Humanities and business courses are taught in English except for Chinese language courses. Program trips take students to places of historic and cultural significance where few travelers ever visit. Students choose either a semester or full-year option. One year of Chinese is required.

ELSALVADOR: Casa de la Solidaridad Program

This Jesuit service-orientated program, sponsored by Santa Clara University, offers an intense fall or spring semester of study at the Universidad Centroamericana during either a junior or senior year. Courses in literature, language, politics, religion, and selected other disciplines emphasize a community service component. Candidates are selected by a committee and must have extensive community service experience and two years of Spanish.

ENGLAND: The London Centre

The London Centre, sponsored by AHA International, offers either a fall or spring semester in the heart of London. The program, which includes courses in history, political science, sociology, art, theatre and English literature, is enriched with weekly field trips and London theatre productions.

FRANCE: Gonzaga-in-Paris Program

Gonzaga offers a one-semester or one-year program in Paris. Students take courses at the Institut Catholique during fall semester and La Sorbonne in the spring. This strong academic program leads to fluency, but it is also a program which promotes travel through France and Europe. Students receive continuous personalized support from the director in Paris and the director in Spokane. Some work opportunities are available. Students interested in the program should start taking French their freshman year.

MEXICO: School for Field Studies Center for Coastal Studies

In addition to research on the management of critically important fisheries and water quality issues in Bahía Magdalena, this unique location allows students to concentrate on very different but equally fascinating species each semester. Students in the fall and summer programs research conservation strategies to protect several marine turtle populations reduced to near-extinction. Despite strong regulations against their exploitation, green turtles are still frequently poached for their meat and are caught as bycatch by fishers. A complex interaction of community social and cultural factors, lack of enough protected area sanctuaries, lack of enforcement of existing regulations, and economic hardship in local communities has led to the continued exploitation and the rapid decline of sea turtle populations throughout Mexico.

SPAIN: Granada Program

A fall or spring semester in Granada, Spain is sponsored by Willamette University for Spanish majors. Classes are held at the University of Granada’s Centro de Lenguas Modernas and are taught entirely in Spanish. A Spanish placement test determines which courses students are allowed to select. The semester begins with orientation and a group excursion to Madrid. Students have full university privileges and access to libraries, study areas, sports, cultural and recreational services, and other activities. The equivalent of five semesters of college level Spanish is required.

GU EXCHANGE PROGRAMS:

AUSTRALIA: University of Notre Dame Exchange Program

Located on the Indian Ocean in the heart of Fremantle, Australia, the University of Notre Dame’s vibrant campus is close to the major city of Perth. Classes are offered in Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Health Sciences, and Nursing. Students enroll in classes with Australians and can obtain special certificates in International Studies, Asian Pacific Studies, Asian Pacific Business or Australasian Ecology after completion of one semester’s focused classes. Students can choose either a semester or full-year option.

JAPAN: Akita International University Exchange Program

A year, semester, or summer is available to Gonzaga juniors at Akita International University, a global orientated, small liberal arts college located on the northern Japanese seaboard. A broad range of humanities courses, as well as international studies and international business, are taught in English. Special classes in Japanese studies are offered. Two years of Japanese language is required for the year or semester. A six-week intensive Japanese language summer session is available.

JAPAN: Sophia University Exchange Program

This prestigious Jesuit university in the midst of Tokyo exchanges three students with Gonzaga University for either a semester or full year. Except for language classes, all courses are taught in English and include many international studies and business options. Two years of Japanese language is required for the year or semester program.

THE NETHERLANDS: Erasmus University Exchange Program

This fall or spring semester program exchanges four semester students between Erasmus University and Gonzaga University. The courses, taught in English, focus primarily on political science, but other options are available.

SPAIN: Universitat Ramon Llull Exchange Program

Gonzaga Business majors may take courses at IQS, one of the institutions that is part of the Universitat Ramon Llull, for a semester. Fall courses are taught in Spanish and spring courses are in English. This is a unique opportunity to study in the heart of Barcelona, one of the most exciting cities in the world. Admits four semester or two full year students.

GU FACULTY-LED PROGRAMS:

ITALY: Teaching in Tuscany TESOL Summer Institute*

Students enroll in a four credit course which explores past and current methods and materials used in teaching languages to non-native English speakers during a two-week language camp designed for EFL students.

ENGLAND: London Summer Program*

This summer program operates May – June and is led by selected faculty from Gonzaga or other universities. Proposed courses vary each year. Courses are combined with excursions in greater London and beyond to provide a unique learning opportunity.

MEXICO: Cuernavaca Spanish Intensive Summer Program*

This faculty-led program in Cuernavaca, Mexico offers two three-week sessions for Gonzaga students beginning in late May and ending in early July. Classes, taught by Mexican instructors, include Mexican art, history, literature, anthropology, politics, and all levels of Spanish. Guided tours to various sites of historic interest are an integral part of the program. A resident director from Gonzaga’s Spanish program accompanies the students and monitors their academic performance.

MEXICO, CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: Field Studies in Biodiversity Summer Program*

Students in this faculty-led program use an international experience as a backdrop to learn about evolutionary, ecological and biogeographical processes that determine the ranges and biodiversity of organisms. The course begins with class work on the Gonzaga campus and is followed by 3-4 weeks in the field (locations vary by year, but are usually either in Mexico, Central or South America). In addition, students will observe how other cultures and people interact with their biological environments and exploit and preserve their natural world.

W.A.T.E.R. Summer Program*

Students in this faculty-led program take a common course WATER: West Africa Appropriate Technology, Education and Reciprocity. The service-learning course focuses on the engineering, public health, and cultural dimensions of improving water sanitation in a developing country. Students study one of the central problems of international relief through both classroom learning and a two-week, faculty-led, in-country service learning experience. Limited enrollment selected by a committee of engineering, nursing and English as a second language faculty.

ZAMBIA(Africa): Comparative Psychology Summer Program*

This faculty-led program at Chimfunshi, a 27,000 acre reserve for chimpanzees, offers a unique opportunity to study chimp psychological behavior and provide service to the local people living or working on the reserve. The Psychology Department and the Center for Community Action and Service Learning co-direct this program. Limited enrollment selected by a committee.

Zambia (Africa): Intercultural Servant Leadership Summer Program*

In the spirit of developing leadership for the common good, this faculty-led program offers an international leadership studies summer academic course and includes a three- week immersion experience in the small town of Zambezi, Zambia. Students will have the opportunity to understand and practice key concepts of servant leadership in an international service-learning experience. Through meaningful community development projects, students learn about intercultural competence and leadership development in this unique international setting. Limited enrollment selected by a committee.

*Operation of these programs is dependent upon administrative approval and minimum enrollment. They may not operate on a yearly basis.