New SIT programs for 2023 feature hip-hop in Ghana, diplomacy in South Africa, traditional medicine in Vietnam
School for International Training opens summer 2023 registration today with 39 extraordinary study abroad programs around the globe, including three new immersive opportunities in Ghana, South Africa, and Vietnam.
Ghana: Hip-Hop, Resilience, and Black Struggle examines how artists are using hip-hop to question traditional representations of Africa, imagine Africa’s future, and raise consciousness about globalization and (in)equality. In one of the most innovative countries in Africa, you will have the chance to study, engage, and perform with international hip-hop artists and activists such as Kojo Cue, Wiyaala, Cina Soul, M.anifest, Wanluv, Angel Maxine, Worlasi, and Koo Nimo. Excursions include Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region and home to the biggest market in West Africa; Cape Coast, the first capital of Ghana and near two of the oldest sites of the transatlantic slave trade; and Tamale, where Islamic cultural practices flourish due to cultural influences from north of the Sahara. Earn six credits on this six-week program and participate in one of the most innovative study abroad experiences available today.
South Africa: Internship in Diplomacy, Politics, and International Relations is an exceptional, seven-week opportunity to explore career paths, meet diplomats and politicians, and enhance your understanding of non-western perspectives in the field of international relations. Your program base is Durban, one of South Africa’s most cosmopolitan cities with a rich fusion of African, western, and South Asian influences, and home to key historical figures like Albert Luthuli, the first African awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace, and Mahatma Gandhi. The core component of this program is a five-week internship with one of SIT’s partner civil society NGOs. These include the Africa Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, the Institute for Global Dialogue, Institute for Security Studies, and Centre for Conflict Resolution. On an excursion to Maputo, Mozambique, you’ll learn about the strong historical and political bonds between the two countries and the role Mozambique’s ruling party played in the liberation struggle against apartheid. You will also visit Johannesburg and close out this groundbreaking experience in Cape Town. Earn eight credits on this mind-opening, career-expanding summer opportunity.
Vietnam: Traditional Medicine and Community Health provides an unparalleled look at the ancient yet flourishing practices of traditional Vietnamese and Chinese medicine. You will observe ethnic folk medicine practices, get an introduction to yoga philosophy and practice at a yoga training center, and visit a monastery to study the concepts of life and death in Buddhism, and participate in meditation sessions. Visit local public health and traditional Vietnamese medicine clinics in the Mekong Delta to compare rural community health practices to those in urban Ho Chi Minh City, the program’s base. Through visits with doctors, professors, and traditional medicine practitioners, you will gain a multidimensional view of healthcare and health delivery among diverse groups including marginalized and Indigenous populations. Choose to study either Vietnamese or Chinese language on this six-week, six-credit program that will broaden your understanding of medicine and enhance your career and academic prospects in the medical, health, NGO, or other fields.
These three innovative programs are among 39 immersive and virtual language and internship programs offered by SIT for the coming summer and available for registration through April 1, 2023. Click here to learn more about these and all of SIT’s “not your ordinary” program offerings.
Reflections on a semester in Vietnam
By Margaret Cox
SIT Vietnam: Culture, Social Change & Development
Fall 2018
She/her/hers
I chose to study abroad with SIT Vietnam for a variety of reasons. I really wanted an experience that would be unique and different from anywhere else I have ever been. I liked that the program’s focus on culture, social change, and development was rooted in the place. I thought (and I was right) that the focus on culture would prioritize my immersion within Vietnamese culture and push me to learn more about the histories and differences in the culture.
I liked that the program’s focus on culture, social change, and development was rooted in the place.
One of my fondest experiences from my time in Vietnam was when we went hiking in Sa Pa. Those three days of hiking contrasted with our recent trip to Hanoi and allowed me to experience the deep beauty of northern Vietnam. We had three days in the “cold” (relative to the other very, very warm days), and had great conversations with the people who lived in rural Vietnam about their lives. These juxtapositions really struck me and made me fall in love even more with the diversity of Vietnam.
Another one of my fondest memories is coming home in the afternoons and spending time with my host family, playing, doing some homework, and then eating a delicious family style meal. My host brother was 7 years old and did not speak much English yet, so we would practice each other’s languages. He also would let me play soccer with him and his friends in his neighborhood.
…one of my fondest memories is coming home in the afternoons and spending time with my host family, playing, doing some homework, and then eating a delicious family style meal.
Something unexpected about my experience was how close I became with people on my program. I was in a small group of 12 students who were together for about three months. Many of us are incredibly different and come from very diverse backgrounds, but the time we spent together really pushed us to get to know each other on meaningful levels. The friends I made on my program are some of my friends for life.
The friends I made on my program are some of my friends for life.
Another unexpected thing is how our academic director, Co Thanh, knows what feels like practically everyone in Vietnam and has amazing connections. She is able to reach out to people in places that can be challenging for the average person, which was such a privilege.
My time in Vietnam did change my career path. Prior to leaving for the program, I was an elementary education major. While I was in Vietnam, I chose to explore mental health among Vietnamese college students for my ISP project. This project propelled my interest in examining mental health and systems approaches, which has led me to where I am now: getting a master’s in social and nonprofit leadership.
Something fun about my semester in Vietnam is that the last month of my program was during a huge soccer tournament. During our ISP period, my friends and I would go out at night with some people from our neighborhoods to watch the games projected in the streets. After each win, there would be a parade, which was always fun. On our last night in Vietnam, Vietnam won the entire tournament and all of Ho Chi Minh was ecstatic. The energy was amazing and the unity over a single sports win was like nothing I have ever seen. It was an amazing last night, for sure.
Margaret Cox studied abroad in fall 2018 during as a student at Vanderbilt University. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree at University of Pennsylvania.
Registration now open for nearly 40 SIT summer programs
If you haven’t yet begun planning for next summer, this is a great time to start.
Registration opens Wednesday, Sept. 15, for 38 SIT summer 2022 study abroad opportunities. Included are new programs that encompass art and social change in Eastern Europe; hip-hop music and decoloniality in Senegal; climate change in Jordan; peace-building and human rights in the Balkans; human trafficking in the Netherlands; food security in Italy; epidemiology in Argentina; and urban design and social justice in Spain.
“SIT has historically expanded the frontiers of international education, creating global opportunities of learning and cultural immersion for thousands of students a year across all continents,” notes SIT Dean of Faculty Dr. Said Graiouid. “The summer 2022 portfolio maintains that tradition with programs that focus on social, political, economic and scientific arenas and in diverse historical periods and geographical settings.”
Students are challenged to embrace a human-centered, comparative approach …”
SIT’s immersive programs next summer will take place in sub-Saharan Africa, the Asia Pacific region, Europe, and the Middle East/North Africa.
SIT will also once again offer virtual internships that allow undergraduates to build invaluable professional and academic experience on a range of subjects. These include two Jordan internships, in counseling and humanitarian action, and in community empowerment and climate change; women’s rights in Cameroon; education and social change in Chile; sustainability in India; public health in Kenya; human rights in Serbia; diplomacy and international relations in South Africa; and development and gender in Vietnam.
Regardless of which program they choose, says Graiouid, “students are challenged to embrace a human-centered, comparative approach in which they engage with resources and the competencies needed for the development of the skills of critical literacy, intercultural communication, and intellectual polity.”
Alix Swann, an international studies major at Spelman College, did a virtual internship on the Chile program in fall 2020 in which she worked with a women’s collective that fights street sexual harassment. Alix’s task was to teach about U.S. laws and policies on sexual harassment in the workplace and digital sexual harassment.
“Before this internship, my viewpoint was solely from a U.S. perspective, and I now no longer try to relate everything to the U.S.,” she says.
Yardena Meyerhoff, a physics and astronomy major at Whitman College, also did the Chile program, interning with the Colegio de Profesoras y Profesores de Chile to conduct a comparative analysis of Chile’s standardized testing system and the effect of standardized testing on student learning and development.
“My meetings with my internship advisor were very organic and natural and would often go in fascinating and sometimes unexpected directions. Our conversations made me think about my own experiences with education growing up in Minnesota, and how education systems around the world suffer from similar inequalities,” Yardena recalls.
SIT’s virtual language programs have also been popular during the pandemic. Language options for summer 2022 include all levels of Arabic (from Jordan); Swahili (Kenya); Hindi (India); Nepali and Tibetan (Nepal).
New SIT programs for summer 2022 are:
Argentina: Epidemiology and Healthcare Management—Through SIT’s close partnership with ISALUD, the nation’s top health university and think tank, examine urban epidemiology, health inequalities, and the challenges of managing health services and policies to expand access to healthcare.
Czech Republic: Studio Arts—Explore photography, creative writing, or contemporary dance through an intensive arts workshop while examining debates around art, politics, and society.
Italy: Food Security and Nutrition—Delve into sustainable agriculture on a Tuscan estate and explore how international experts are confronting challenges of food security, nutrition, and health.
Jordan: Community Empowerment and Climate Change Internship—Gain professional experience with a UN or government agency or NGO working with youth and vulnerable groups on community empowerment and environmental sustainability.
Netherlands: Human Trafficking, Sex Trade, and Modern Slavery in Europe—Examine diverse areas of human trafficking and the sex trade, including the relationship between sex workers and broader societies.
Senegal: Hip-Hop, Resilience, and Black Struggles—Examine how young Africans use hip-hop to question traditional representations of Africa, imagine the continent’s future, and raise consciousness of globalization and (in)equality.
Serbia: Transitional Justice, Human Rights, and Memory Activism Internship—Look at justice, human rights, and memory in post-conflict societies and contribute to the work of an important organization with a meaningful internship.
Spain: Sustainable Urban Development and Social Justice—Explore the approaches Spanish cities are taking to pursue sustainable urban development within a social justice framework.
Switzerland: Global Health and Development Policy—Compare public health systems within the framework of international and sustainable development, humanitarian action, human rights, and social justice.
For more information about these and all SIT Study Abroad programs, visit www.studyabroad.sit.edu.
Launching this fall: MAs in Global Health Policy, Administration & Management; International Education; Diplomacy & International Relations
BRATTLEBORO, Vermont – School for International Training has received accreditation for three innovative new global master’s degrees in Diplomacy & International Relations; International Education; and Global Health Policy, Administration & Management.
The Vermont-based SIT Graduate Institute received its accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education, the regional accreditation agency responsible for colleges and universities in New England. The one-year Global MAs are delivered entirely abroad, with coursework in SIT centers around the world capped by students’ final practica, which, for most programs, may be completed in the U.S. or abroad.
The new MAs launch in September, led by faculty in the U.S., South America, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa, who will guide students through programs designed to develop leaders who can respond to some of the most critical global issues of our time, including global health crises, economic inequality, natural resource degradation, and political and ethnic conflict.
“These one-of-a-kind global degrees build on SIT’s nearly 90-year history of training the next generation of innovative, compassionate global leaders at a time when the world faces unprecedented challenges,” said SIT President Dr. Sophia Howlett. “Our dedicated faculty around the world have carefully designed these programs to help students learn to tackle urgent issues of the day in every corner of the globe and turn those skills into careers.”
The new degrees expand on SIT Graduate Institute’s stable of other accredited global MAs in Climate Change & Global Sustainability; Development Practice; and Humanitarian Assistance & Crisis Management, also based in cities around the world.
SIT also offers low-residency master’s degrees in Sustainable Development, Peace & Justice Leadership, TESOL, International Education, and a self-designed degree in Intercultural Service, Leadership & Management, putting SIT at the forefront of global institutions sending effective leaders, professionals and change-makers into the world.
Many of SIT’s graduates go on to work in high-level positions with organizations such as the United Nations, nongovernmental organizations, and major foundations across the globe.
To learn more about SIT Graduate Institute programs, visit our website. To learn more about the School for International Training and its programs for students at every age on every continent, see SIT’s website.
Dao Mai Phuong holds an MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom. While there, she helped immigrants from Vietnam, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan to learn English and settle in the UK. She grew up in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where she studied finance and banking at the University of Economics. She has previously worked as a finance officer for Unilever in Vietnam and she has participated in many volunteer activities to help children and teenagers across Vietnam. She has also worked as an interpreter in Vietnam.
After graduating with a degree in anthropology from the University of Cape Town, Nic worked as a photographer in commercials, photo-journalism, and fine art. His personal work includes long-term research-based projects focused on society, history, migration, memory, and identity. Of special interest is the way in which the lived experiences of ordinary people are shaped by, or interact with, larger political and economic forces. His work has been exhibited and published, and he has received various accolades and grants. Moving back to South Africa in 2014 after spending a few years living in Spain, Nic became a partner in a local Cape Town mapping company, researching, designing, developing, and retailing South African travel maps both locally and in Europe. He is passionate about Africa and has a keen interest in sustainability, economic development, and social justice.
Jawad graduated in 2000 with a degree in civil engineering from the EHTP engineering school in Casablanca. He worked as project manager in several companies including OCP, the Moroccan phosphates state company, and as a temporary professor in Bouchaib Doukali University. He is currently working as consultant in construction management services. Jawad has been working as country coordinator for IHP climate change program since 2013. Jawad is also an activist for social and environmental justice. He took part in world social forum in Belem 2009 and Tunisia 2013 and he is an active member of ATTAC/CADTM Morocco since 2000 and has been member of its secretariat several times.
As a political ecologist, educator and researcher, Nicolas Stahelin has worked in experiential learning, international and cross-cultural exchange, school-community partnerships, and higher education for 20 years. He has a BA in environmental studies from Oberlin College, an MA in international educational development from Columbia University, and an EdD in international and comparative education focusing on sustainability, also from Columbia. His teaching and research engage with climate change and sustainability in global and comparative perspectives at the intersection of political ecology, environmental justice, critical policy studies, and education. Nicolas is also a faculty member of SIT Graduate Institute’s MA program in Climate Change and Global Sustainability. Active on several research fronts, Nicolas has published in a number of academic journals, including the Journal of Environmental Education and Environmental Education Research. Current projects include investigations into global climate change education policy programs driven by UN organizations, and reconceptualizing how the lens of climate justice should inform critical education for sustainability curricula and program design in post-secondary international education. Nicolas is an alum (fall 2000) and former program assistant (spring 2001, 2003–2004) of an SIT Study Abroad program in Brazil. Originally of Swiss- Brazilian nationality, Nicolas lived for 20 years in Brazil and Venezuela and is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
See Dr. Stahalin’s list of publications
Dr. Szántó received her PhD in social anthropology in 2015 from the University of Pécs in Hungary. Her PhD dissertation was based on long-term fieldwork with polio-disabled people in Sierra Leone. A migrant herself, Dr. Szántó has built a professional career in France and Hungary. Beginning in 1998, she participated in the Hungarian post-socialist democratization process as the founder and leader of the Artemisszió Foundation, a local NGO based in Budapest. Under her leadership, the organization has grown to be a focal point for intercultural dialogue and intercultural learning in Hungary. Its intercultural community offers a safe space of encounter and mutual learning for forced and voluntary migrants and Hungarians interested in making Hungary a more inclusive place. As the president and one of the part-time operational directors of Artemisszió, she overviews the organization’s training and migration-related activities.
She is the author of a dozen scientific articles. Her book, Politicizing Polio in Sierra Leone, appeared in 2020. She is also the co-author of several anthropological documentary films. She teaches anthropology at several Hungarian universities. Her research focuses on urban anthropology, migration and social movements, and the intersection of international development, social justice, and health.
Carolina holds a five-year degree in arts from the University of Buenos Aires and a postgraduate degree in contemporary cinema and theater. She became involved in the field of international education in Argentina when it was a little explored field in the country and specialized in the design of materials for cultural immersion in multicultural contexts. Her interest in intercultural education led her to design study programs for various universities and study abroad institutions from the United States, focusing on the area of Social Studies. In 2005, she started her pedagogical involvement with the International Honors Program by implementing the first IHP program in Argentina: Cities in the 21st Century; and in 2012, she designed and implemented the Health and Community program. Her approach to the field of international studies allows her to deepen and unify her passion for culture, arts, and politics with the field of intercultural education, and she feels very fortunate to be able to share that passion with the students, as well as awakening their curiosity and desire to learn, all in a context of mutual respect and understanding.
Dr. Vu Cong is the deputy director of the Institute of Population Health and Development. He was previously director of the Family Health Research Center, lecturer at Hanoi Medical School, program officer with the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, and program officer with Family Health International. Currently, he is leading several HIV/AIDS research and intervention projects in Vietnam that target most-at-risk populations and implementing an HIV prevention project targeting young Vietnamese soldiers completing mandatory military service. He obtained his medical doctorate from Hanoi Medical School in 1993 and a master’s of public health at Brown University in 2005. He is also a founder of the Vietnamese Society for HIV/AIDS Medicine and a member of the Vietnamese Public Health Association and American Public Health Association.
she/her/hers
Dr. SherriLynn Colby-Bottel received her PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of Virginia in 2012, and a BA in anthropology and an MA in music, with distinction, at California State University, Fresno. From 2005 to 2012, with support from the National Science Foundation and the University of Virginia Faculty Senate Fellowship Award for Scholarly Achievement and Excellence in Teaching, she conducted ethnographic research on disaster recovery, nonprofits, urban traditions, authenticity and sincerity in the local production of music, and community-based musical activities in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her research explored issues highlighted by disaster and recovery: how racial inequities align with health disparities, how the built environment and social policy act as determinants of recovery, and the vital role of community in one’s ability to achieve well-being. Dr. Colby-Bottel has worked and volunteered for several nonprofit organizations in the last decade while also researching how nonprofit organizations retain and reward labor. She has worked in higher education for more than 20 years as both faculty and administrator in four distinct university settings. She has been with SIT since 2011.
Courses Taught
SIT International Honors Program
Globalization and Health
Public Health: From Biology to Policy
Select Publications
Colby-Bottel and Handler. (2021 online, 2022 to print). Making the Scene and the Making of a Scene: The Loose Marbles on Royal Street in Post-Katrina New Orleans. Anthropology and Humanism. https://doi.org/10.1111/anhu.12354
Lanning, Colby-Bottel, Sakash, and Hagos. (2018). Humanizing High Impact Practices: Leveraging Learning Communities. Global Impact Exchange, Diversity Abroad, Special Issue on High Impact Practices, Fall 2018, pp. 28
Colby-Bottel, S. (2021). Review of Dr. Gregory Button’s “Disaster Culture: Knowledge and Uncertainty in the Wake of Human and Environmental Catastrophe”. Environment and Society: Advances in Research, Vol. 3, pp. 123-124
Select Presentations
Colby-Bottel, S. (November 2020). Being an Anthropologist with Students Abroad: Disruption, Identity, and Change [Conference presentation]. American Anthropological Association 2020 Annual Meetings, virtual, USA
Colby-Bottel, S. (November 2018). After Disaster: Critical Explorations of Recovery [Conference presentation, panel organizer, and chair]. American Anthropological Association 2018 Annual Meetings, San Jose, California, USA
Colby-Bottel, S. (November 2010). Civic Associations, Popular Art, and Local Democracies in New Orleans Traditional Jazz Music-Making [Conference presentation]. American Anthropological Association 2010 Annual Meetings, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Research Interests
Holistic community well-being
Ethnography
Ethical considerations of representation
Inclusivity in the practices of study abroad
Dr. Duong Van Thanh teaches courses on educational policies and practices in Vietnam that integrate with development and social changes and related issues in Southeast Asia. Her research focuses on community environmental sustainability, narrowing the gender gap, and addressing challenges and opportunities and solutions initiated by local peoples. Her teaching and research are community-based and her students engage actively with stakeholders in development of class projects and independent student research.
See Dr. Van Thanh’s full list of publications
Select Published Work
Van Thanh, D. (Ed). (Forthcoming) Higher Education in Vietnam: Emerging Trends.
Berger, J.B. and Van Thanh, D. (2004) Leading Organizations for Universal Design, Equity & Excellence in Education, 37:2, 124-134, DOI: 10.1080/10665680490453959
Van Thanh, D. (2005). Educating Hard-to-Reach Children in Viet Nam. In Vargas-Barn, E. and Alarcn, H.B. (Eds.), From Bullets to Blackboards: Education for Peace in Latin America and Asia. (pp.83-107). Inter-American Development Bank.
Chapter: Multi-grade Teaching and Alternative Basic Education in Post War Viet Nam: One Purpose, Different Ways, chosen as a case study author for the Project “Education and Social Reconstruction in Latin America and East Asia”. July 2003. This project is assisted by the Inter-American Bank/Japan Program and implemented by the Institute for Reconstruction and International Security through Education
A Case Study on Community Development and Girl’s Education in Northern Upland Areas of Viet Nam, 1999, published by Oxfam, Ha Noi.
A Case Study on Girls’ Work and Girls’ Education in Viet Nam, 1997, published by UNICEF, Ha Noi.
Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (ISVNS 2021). Digital Education in Narrowing the Gender Gap. Conference Proceedings on Viet Nam’s Active Integration and Sustainable Development. Publishing House of Social Sciences. October 2021.
VNU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. Paper presented on December 8, 2021 Empowering Women and Girls in Mekong Delta, Vietnam: Opportunities and Challenges in Climate Action Plan 2021-2030 (Forthcoming)
Review of Social Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City, Developing the Critical Thinking
Through Learning Experience and Typology: A Model of Studying Abroad in International Schools in Ho Chi Minh City. Vol 8(252) 2019. ISSN: 1859-0136)
Mentoring Students Conducting Research in Developing Countries: Case Studies Vietnam (Forthcoming)
Presentations
Van Thanh, D. (2021, December). Empowering Women and Girls in Mekong Delta: Opportunities and Challenges in Climate Action Plan 2021-2030. Vietnam National University, virtual.
Van Thanh, D. (2021, October). Digital Education in Narrowing the Gender Gap: Studies in 50 Universities in Vietnam. Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.
Van Thanh, D. (2021, September). Centering Indigenous Voices: The Promise of DEI and the Limits of Coloniality. School for International Training Critical Conversations Series, virtual.
Van Thanh, D. (2021, April). Digital Education and Gender Leadership. School for International Training Critical Conversations Series, virtual.
Van Thanh, D. (2019, July). A Discussion on Air Pollution in Hanoi Capital of Vietnam: Issues, Challenges and Local Efforts. [Conference presentation]. Vietnam in Europe, Europe in Vietnam: Identity, Transnationality and Mobility of People, Ideas and Practices across Time and Space, Leiden University, Netherland.
Van Thanh, D. (2017, June). Perception Toward the Vietnamese Current Performing Art: Case Studies in Vietnam. [Conference presentation]. International ADI Conference, Asian Dynamics Initiative, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Van Thanh, D. (2015, May). Enhancing Cultural Competence through Vietnamese Language Instruction Among SIT Study Abroad Students in Vietnam. [Conference presentation]. GUAVA Conference at University of California, Los Angeles, CA.
Van Thanh, D. (2010, August). Teaching the Vietnam War for Undergraduate American. [Symposium presentation]. Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: An SIT Symposium. School for International Training, Brattleboro, Vermont.
Van Thanh, D. (2008, June). Integrating Service Leaning in Study Abroad Program: Engaging Students with the World and Lessons from Vietnam. Center for International Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts.
Van Thanh, D. (2003, November). Multigrade Teaching and Alternative Basic Education in Post War Viet Nam: One Purpose, Different Approaches. [Conference presentation]. The Future of Children and Youth in Countries with Conflicts: Education and Social Reconstruction in Latin America and Asia Conference, Washington, D.C.
Van Thanh, D. (2003, March). Learning from the Field: Applying Dimensions of Social Capital Theory and Educational Attainment during the Doi Moi Process in Viet Nam. [Conference presentation]. CIES Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Applications open Sept. 15
With undergraduates’ schedules in full swing for the new academic year, it’s not too soon to start thinking about how to make the most of summer 2019. Imagine snorkeling in one of the world’s top diving sites as you study marine ecology in Panama, building career skills with an internship at an NGO in Vietnam, exploring Madagascar’s extraordinary natural environment to learn about traditional medicine, or learning Arabic in Jordan or Morocco.
Those are just some of the many opportunities available through School for International Training (SIT). During summer 2019, SIT Study Abroad is offering 23 programs in 17 countries that will appeal to a wide range of majors and interests, including five skills-building internship opportunities.
Like all SIT Study Abroad programs, each summer program offers academic rigor and an immersive cultural experience within the framework of at least one critical global issue. Applications for these programs open September 15.
New to the SIT Student Abroad summer portfolio this year are:
Colombia: Building a Culture of Peace – Integrate peace studies with Colombia’s cultures through music, dance, and food from the program base in the vibrant, multicultural Caribbean Coast city of Cartagena, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Vietnam: Nongovernmental Organization Internship – Learn about development and the roles of nongovernmental organizations engaged in social change through this guided internship, which also includes lectures and site visits. Customize this program based on your areas of interest.
SIT summer programs, sorted according to themes, are:
Climate | Environment
Iceland: Renewable Energy, Technology, and Resource Economics
Indonesia: Biodiversity and Conservation in Bali and Borneo
Jordan: Engineering and Design for Sustainable Environments
Nepal: Geoscience in the Himalaya
Panama: Marine Ecology & Blue Carbon Conservation in the Pacific & Caribbean
Tanzania: Climate Change and Sustainability, Mount Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar
Development | Economy | Inequality
India: Agroecology and Food Security in the Himalaya
Panama: Community and Nongovernmental Organizations Internship
Vietnam: Nongovernmental Organization Internship
Global Health
China: Community Health and Traditional Chinese Medicine
India: Traditional Medicine and Healthcare Practices
Jordan: Counseling and Humanitarian Action Internship
Kenya: Public Health in the Tropics Internship
Madagascar: Traditional Medicine and Healthcare Systems
Switzerland: Food Security and Nutrition
Media | Arts | Social Change
Argentina: Art, Memory, and Social Transformation
Migration | Identity | Resilience
Jordan: Intensive Arabic Language Studies
Morocco: Arabic Language and Community Service
Peace | Human Rights | Social Movements
Colombia: Building a Culture of Peace
South Africa: Education and Social Change
South Africa: Social Justice and Activism Internship
Switzerland: International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy
Uganda and Rwanda: Peace and Conflict Studies in the Lake Victoria Basin
Visit our website for more information on these and all of SIT’s immersive, experiential study abroad opportunities.
SIT Study Abroad Programs
- IHP: Climate Change: The Politics of Food, Water, and Energy
- Vietnam: Culture, Social Change, and Development
- Vietnam: Nongovernmental Organization Internship (Summer)