Each summer, the Department of Global Languages and Cultures offers various faculty-led study abroad programs in order to enrich student learning experiences and cultural knowledge while helping students attain higher proficiency in a given foreign language. See below for a list of our faculty-led programs that have been offered recently:
Chile Aggies in the Andes
One of the most vibrant and diverse cities in the world, Santiago de Chile, is also one of the artistic centers in Latin America. It is the birthplace of distinguished poets such as Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda (both winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature), and renowned painters like Roberto Matta. This intensive program allows students to study several Latin American authors and artists, improve their Spanish language skills, and earn 6 credit hours of upper-level Spanish, all while living in the bustling capital of Chile against the picturesque backdrop of the Andes Mountains and studying on one of the most beautiful campuses in the Americas.
China Language and Culture in Taiwan
This 10-week intensive program, located in Taipei, Taiwan seeks to bolster the Chinese language and cultural competence of TAMU students by providing a truly immersive experience at the Chinese Language Center (CLC) of National Chengchi University (NCCU). Students will enroll in high-quality, intensive language classes while experiencing authentic life in Taiwan.
France Language and Culture
Students participating in this program will have the opportunity to be taught by both Texas A&M and the University of Perpignan (Centre Universitaire d’Estudes Françaises/The CUEF) faculty during this faculty-led program. This is an opportunity to take courses from native French speakers while being immersed in the French language and Culture. Visiting and living in the target country is the best way to learn about the culture and practice the language.
Germany Language and Culture
The Germany Culture & Civilization 6-week program offers a fascinating and challenging immersion experience. While living in Bonn with a host family and participating in field excursions, students engage in an interactive investigation of the history of German culture and society from the early Germanic tribes to the 21st-century Berlin Republic. Visits to cities like Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Trier, Aachen, Mainz, Berlin, Dresden, and others, supplement the course and further bring alive the history, politics, art, and culture that we study. Students can extend their time abroad for an additional 4 weeks to participate in a for-credit immersive internship opportunity. Germany’s 6-week program gives you six credit hours.
Italy Language and Culture
This 5-week program offers students a full immersion experience in Italian language and culture. Students will live with in Florence, a young, vibrant university city and diverse cultural hub in Italy, and engage with Italy’s rich cultural and artistic history, from antiquity through the Renaissance and the Baroque periods up to contemporary society. Visits to cities like Venice, Bologna, Siena, and Rome are integrated into the courses and invite a genuine experience of today’s Italy.
Japan Language and Culture
This summer 10-week program is the perfect opportunity for students who have a strong interest in the Japanese language and culture. Students will be able to take a full academic year of Japanese at either the intermediate or upper level during this program. When not in the classroom, students will engage in Japanese culture through organized program cultural excursions and site visits to Edo-Tokyo Museum, Kawagoe, and Yokohama. Additionally, students can explore Asakusa and Senso-Ji, Kamakura and the Great Buddha, Akihabara, The Ghibli Museum, Harajuku, and other sites. In addition, there will be a four-day break between semesters during which students will be encouraged to explore other parts of Japan. Ten weeks in Japan immerses you in language and culture.
Morocco Arabic Institute
This 10-week intensive program, located in Rabat, Morocco, seeks to bolster the Arabic language and cultural competence of TAMU students by providing a truly immersive experience. Students will go on excursions that emphasize Morocco’s ancient identity, visiting some locations that are hundreds of years old. Although viewing these sites will assist students in understanding Morocco, the program seeks to emphasize the country’s role as a significant player in the modern Middle East. The Arabic Institute in Morocco is ten weeks which includes field trips to historical and cultural sites and museums. Counts as twelve credit hours.
Russia Language and Culture
This 5-week course offers the opportunity to experience Russian culture and study the Russian language. Students will earn 6 credit hours in courses providing an intensive study of Russian culture, history, and language. Students will spend a week in Moscow exploring major monuments and museums, and experiencing beloved Russian music and theaters. Students will visit Red Square, Kremlin, Bolshoi Theater, and Tretyakov, and discover the unique cultural heritage of Russia. Next, the program goes to St. Petersburg for the remaining 4 weeks. Students will stay in the central St. Petersburg university dormitory and attend language classes at St. Petersburg State University of Economics, which is located in the center of the imperial capital’s entertainment district. Here students will visit royal palaces, the folk village of ancient Novgorod, and Repino-Penaty. Students will also have the chance to attend performances and festivals. The program can be extended to 10-weeks.
Spain Language & Culture
This program allows students to complete both SPAN 201 and 202 (6 credits) in five weeks. The program begins with a cultural tour of Madrid, the capital of Spain, during which students will visit numerous sites. Students then head south to Granada, a vibrant city in the heart of Andalucia. In Granada, students will live with host families and take classes that cover the grammar, reading, listening, and conversation content of Spanish 201 and 202. Additional excursions to other locations throughout Andalucia.