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Academic Programs |
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Study Abroad
International Studies
Italy 2009
Mary Baldwin College students may spend a semester or a year abroad
through a variety of programs, some sponsored by Mary Baldwin, some
offered through a consortium of Virginia colleges, and some operated
by other institutions. Mary Baldwin College also offers a unique May
Term Abroad study opportunity. May Term programs offer students the
advantages of study abroad without having to commit to several months
to a year in a foreign country. Some Mary Baldwin May Term programs
are open to students from other colleges and universities.
May Term Abroad
May Term Abroad courses are distinctly different from tourism. Often students travel by public transportation and stay in homes or in small, family operated hotels. Students may have the opportunity for academic interchange with foreign students in the classroom. In the case of courses where site and subject are interdependent, students have the opportunity to travel with an expert in the field. Learning happens through experiencing, touring, and through informal on-site lectures.
While each study abroad program has a principal faculty leader, there are frequently several faculty who go along so that students can enrich their field experiences with insights from various experts. Some expeditions offer a range of courses. On a recent trip to Russia, for example, students could select a course in modern Russian studies from a professor who had studied in Russia and was fluent in the language, or they could choose a course that focused on the performing arts in Russia and was taught by a member of the theatre faculty.
LANGUAGE-ORIENTED PROGRAMS
Spain and Latin America
Every May, the Spanish discipline sponsors a May Term trip to Spain or to a Latin American country. Recent destinations have included Peru, Argentina, and Brazil.
Students can work on a language through formal instruction by MBC and native speakers, as well as through homestays. Timid speakers will gain confidence, while more advanced speakers will perfect and expand their abilities. There are also extensive opportunities to learn about and experience the culture, history, art, music, folklore, food, natural history, and people of a foreign country. There are extensive excursions to sites of historical and cultural interest.
France
The French discipline also sponsors May Term study in France. The program concentrates on French theatre, but there are also extensive trips to world-famous museums, galleries, and places of great beauty and importance such as Orsay and Versailles. Homestays are available.
CULTURE-ORIENTED PROGRAMS
Italy
Every
May, the art history faculty leads the Renaissance Studies in Italy
program. Student participants should have a strong background in art
history. Students travel with an expert in medieval and Renaissance
art, architecture, and iconography to study in depth the major monuments
of Renaissance art in Rome, Florence, Venice, and a selection of other
northern Italian sites. The small size of the group makes it possible
for students to study the art at cathedrals, palaces, and museums.
Participants also learn about Italian life, staying in 
small
pensionnes or religious houses, eating in local trattoria, and traveling
by public transportation. Students assist in planning the trip and
present topics during the trip they have researched in advance. For
more information, contact Dr. Sara Nair James, associate professor
of art history.
South Africa
In May 2001, for the first time students and MBC faculty studied the unique social and natural environment of South Africa. The trip paid special attention to the spiritual life of the people, and it offered many opportunities to enter into communion with them. The study group was often hosted by religious congregations in the course of traveling through Montague Springs Resort, Kimberley, Bloemfontein, Soweto, and Cape Town. Naturally, there was a visit to the world-famous Kruger National Park to enjoy the incomparable wild life.
Australia and New Zealand
Every other May, students and their faculty leaders spend four weeks exploring the "land down under." In New Zealand, they visit Auckland, Paihia, and the Urupukapuka Islands. In Australia, their travels take them to Queenstown, Christchurch, Brisbane, Crocodylus, Sydney, and the Blue Mountains. Students spend a night in a Maori village and participate in Maori customs. In Australia, a few hundred miles of travel takes them from the Great Barrier Reef, through rain forests, to a desert. There are unique overnights in Gecko Backpacker's Lodge and a sheep station. In 2001, the study group included an expert in Australian ecology. The next opportunity is May, 2006.
"Cradle of Civilization"
Every
May, a group of students is led on a tour of central and southern Europe.
The itinerary varies somewhat from year to year, including sites in
Austria, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, and Italy. The extensive
field explorations are usually supplemented by some classroom time
at the American University in Bulgaria. The itinerary is determined
in part by the expertise of the faculty who lead the trip each year.
It generally is done in several phases, so students can choose from
a surprisingly inexpensive three-week trip, or they can extend it for
six or even nine weeks.
London Theatre
One of the most popular May Terms is the London Theatre trip. Participants spend several weeks attending plays almost every night, from lavish musicals, to Shakespeare in the Globe, to experimental drama in tiny theatres. During the day, theatre faculty introduce the pieces and prepare students so they will get the most from their experience. There is plenty of time for sightseeing and side trips. This trip runs in alternate years.
Music
The music faculty lead two different May trips in different May Terms. One trip is a pilgrimage to Vienna, the quintessential center of high culture and music, to study the music, life, and times of many of the great composers who have come from that city, and to hear their music performed in the original settings. Other May Terms, the faculty lead a trip to the New Orleans Jazz Festival. At this world-famous festival, students not only hear but actually meet some of the legends of jazz, the distinctive American musical form. This internationally-acclaimed festival offers a great opportunity for star-gazing.
Other Venues for Discovery
While the trips described above are established, faculty are always developing new study travel opportunities. For example, a group went to Israel to coincide with the celebration of that country's 50th birthday. At times, groups have gone to Russia, Germany, and the Low Countries.
SUMMER OR SEMESTER STUDY ABROAD
England - Oxford University
(Summer Abroad)
The Virginia Program at Oxford is a six-week summer session at St. Anne's College of the University of Oxford. Six Virginia colleges, including Mary Baldwin, combine to offer a select group of students the opportunity to study the literature, history, and society of late 16th and early 17th century England. Lectures and tutorials are conducted by Oxford faculty. Students may earn six semester hours of English and history credit. Students from all majors at Mary Baldwin may apply to the program. For more information and application, see Dr. Mary Hill Cole.
Japan-Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts
(Semester or Year Abroad)
Mary Baldwin students may elect to study at Doshisha Women's College in Kyoto, Japan. Doshisha's unique program features intensive language, cultural immersion, and cultural studies. Independent studies and internships can also be arranged. The offerings in Japan also include an affiliation with Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka.
Doshisha Women's College has been Mary Baldwin's "sister school" in Japan for 17 years, and the two schools have sponsored many joint programs in international education. The college is located in Kyoto across the street from the legendary Emperor's Palace of old Japan in one of Japan's most beautiful and historic cities. Students may study at the college's brand new campus in Tanabe, about halfway between Kyoto and Osaka.
Participants in the Doshisha program will normally be juniors with
at least a "B" average and will have had at least one year of Japanese
language. Acceptance into the program is automatic upon the recommendation
of Mary Baldwin College.
For more information, see Dr. Daniel Métraux, Asian Studies program
director.
Studies in the United Kingdom
(Semester or Year Abroad)
Through its affiliations with such organizations as International Studies Abroad (Butler University), Leeds University, and St. Andrews University in Scotland, Mary Baldwin offers a variety of opportunities to study at various British universities. Throughout the year, representatives of these programs visit the campus and meet with students through the Study Abroad Office.
Students in all disciplines may study for a semester or a year. Students are fully integrated into the British system. A minimum GPA of 2.8 is required for most of these British programs. Interested students should begin planning for such study in their freshman year.
International Internships
The experiential learning program includes internships with international organizations in both the United States and abroad. Recently, students have had internships in France, the Netherlands, Peru, Costa Rica and Japan. With the assistance of faculty members in the appropriate disciplines and the director of career services, students may develop internships in countries of their choice.
Mary Baldwin students also participate in programs offered by other institutions, such as James Madison University and Boston University.
Financial Aid
In order for students to qualify to apply for financial aid for study abroad, their student tuition accounts must be in good standing in the Business Office. No exceptions will be made. Students applying for foreign study who need aid to support that study must complete the Aid Application for Study Abroad, file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have a completed consortium agreement on file for all programs not registered through Mary Baldwin College. Aid awards are based on demonstrated need. PLUS loans are available for parents of dependent students without filing the FAFSA.
Federal aid and loans can be used for foreign study. Please note that limited college financial aid is available for certain programs. Students majoring in foreign languages or studying at affiliated programs in Japan are eligible to receive institutional aid for up to two academic semesters of foreign study.
Financial Aid applications for study abroad must be filed by November 15 for spring semester and May term. Applications for fall semester and intended full-year study must be filed by April 15. Deadlines must be met to ensure that loan money is available when needed.
Financial aid for study abroad may appear on a student's tuition account preceding the appearance of charges for the planned program. Therefore, particular attention should be given by both students and parents in the case of May Term programs to ensure that normal spring charges are paid in full. Financial aid for study abroad may only be used for such study. Therefore, should the student not participate as originally intended, aid must be canceled and cannot be used for current or future academic charges.
Students must keep the Office of Financial Aid and Student Campus Employment, as well as the Business Office, informed of their abroad program's mailing address and their address abroad so that contact can be made throughout the aid-award year. All charges for foreign study must be billed through the Business Office in order to be eligible for financial aid at MBC. Students should contact the MBC Office of Financial Aid and Student Campus Employment for more details and an application.
Other Study Abroad Opportunities
All students may participate in foreign study programs sponsored by accredited U.S. institutions or other accredited institutions in countries throughout the world. Students must apply for these programs through the Study Abroad Office, and their plans must be approved by their departments and the college registrar.
To learn more about other non-Mary Baldwin programs, contact Director of Student Housing and International Student Services Lisa Wells at 540-887-7330 or e-mail lwells@mbc.edu.
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