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New Study Abroad Opportunity in Italy

By Kit Sydloski
Journalism senior

Starting this fall, Department of Communication majors will have a new option in the already large study abroad program.

Purdue University, which currently has study abroad opportunities in more than 40 countries, will add Asolo, Italy, to its list of study abroad sites.

The added program comes from Purdue joining the Consortium of Universities for International Studies. The consortium was started in 1985 and is made up of over 30 major public universities.

On March 2-3, the department hosted representatives from 14 universities' Communication programs to discuss expanding the Communication curriculum in the Asolo program. Representatives from Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, University of California at Santa Barbara and others were joined by Big Ten members University of Illinois, Penn State and Michigan State.

Department head Howard Sypher previously taught at the consortium campus north of Venice, Italy, while at the University of Kansas. He received a grant from Purdue's International Programs to facilitate Purdue's involvement and enhance the communications component.

"I felt that it was the type of program that we (Purdue) should be involved with," Sypher said. "I want the university’s students to have the opportunity to learn about international studies and to get a different perspective on how things are done in other cultures."

The program can be done in a summer session, two short-sessions, or over a full semester, and is open to juniors, seniors and graduate students. The program originally began as a business program but has expanded into the communications field.

During the program, students can choose from a multitude of business courses, two journalism courses, two Communication courses and two Italian courses. Each of the non-Italian courses is taught in English, and all of the courses are taught by professors from the universities that are members of the program. All of the courses transfer back to Purdue with full credit.

"It was important to us to have the courses fit in with students' plans of study," Sypher said. "We didn't want students or parents to shy away from the program because it made them pay for another semester."

Paderno del Grappa Campus

Along with the academic courses that students elect to take, the program teaches courses that deal with social aspects and etiquette. Some of the courses involve dinner etiquette, Italian cinema, history of the area, and wine making and wine selection, said Al Ringleb, the program's founder and executive director.

"I think that it is important for the students to get something tangible from the program," Ringleb said. "By combining the academic and cultural aspects, students receive both an intellectual and personal experience."

The program also has a monetary benefit in addition to the academic and social benefits, Sypher said.

"Aside from the travel costs, tuition and room and board are the same as an in-state student at Purdue pays," Sypher said. "It is especially beneficial to out-of-state Purdue students, who can receive a semester of classes, while only having to pay in-state fees."