HPHD Sends Students Abroad
April 3, 2007Article by Kendra Smith
The School of Health Promotion and Human Development (HPHD) seeks to develop professionals who have a global view and embrace cultural diversity by offering two opportunities for international experience in 2007.
HPHD students will have the option of studying in either of two three-week programs, "Culture and Health" in Austria or "Family Life South of the Border" in Mexico.
These opportunities are offered at a prime time. The Institute of International Education reports that the number of American students who study abroad has more than doubled over the past decade. International experiences have even become a graduation requirement at some universities. According to an article by John Christoffersen, Yale recently became the first major university to require its MBA students to study abroad. Mindful of the global economy and in response to the needs of the marketplace, Yale and other schools like HPHD at UW-Stevens Point are placing more emphasis on studying abroad.
Growing evidence is emerging about the benefits of international experiences for college students. At the University of Southern Mississippi, students who studied abroad showed increased independence and self-confidence.
An article in About Campus, titled "Providing a Global Perspective: An Educator’s Duty", reports that students who study abroad are more culturally aware and show improved communication and leadership skills. Other studies show that students who study abroad participate in more academic and community activities and are more likely to work internationally or for a multinational organizations when they graduate.
From Tuesday, May 22 to Tuesday, June 12, 2007, HPHD students who enroll in "Culture and Health in Austria" will visit Bad Gleichenberg, Austria, in the foothills of the Alps. They will be hosted by the FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences, where they will experience firsthand European education and lifestyles. Through this program participants will study health-related issues in another country and learn how different cultural, social, and economic factors shape health, wellbeing, and lifestyle.
Participants will learn from Austrian experts about cultural and social influences on health care and health promotion and will be challenged to apply their observations to health promotion in the American context. They will also visit the Sigmund Freud museum in Vienna, curative mineral baths, local food producers and cooperatives, and other health-related venues. There will also be a three-day field experience in a small mountain village. Along with Austrian students, they will experience the lifestyle of the local people, including their food ways, physical activity habits, and outlets for leisure and culture. On weekends, students are free to visit cities such as Vienna, Salzburg, Budapest, and other cities in the Czech Republic, Italy, and Slovenia.
This trip will be lead by Dr. Annie Wetter, an Associate Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics in the School of Health Promotion and Human Development. She has lived in several different European countries and has traveled extensively, including Africa.
The "Family Life South of the Border" trip will take place Monday, May 21 to Monday June 11. This experience will be separated into three segments introducing them to the most modern, and still developing, aspects of Latin American culture and family life. This trip will provide opportunities to become intimately acquainted with the homeland and culture of the fastest growing segment of our U.S. population. Participants will consider environmental and family well-being in the cultural context of Latin America, along with the unique challenges, commonalities, and resources to assist in improving the quality of life.
The trip will begin in Mexico City, where participants will visit the National Palace, the Museum of Anthropology, the Diego Rivera museum, cathedrals, and pyramids. Here they will consider issues of population, pollution, and poverty, as well as the social service structures that support the people who successfully live with these and other challenges day-to-day.
Later, about 90 minutes outside of Mexico City in Cuerna Vaca, participants will be immersed in a one-week intensive course of Spanish for Social Service and Health Care Professionals,
while living in Mexican families’ homes. In addition, they will explore and volunteer at medical and social service agencies in the area, as well as participate in the cultural night-life where communities gather together.
The climax and final part of the trip will allow participants to use their newfound language skills, with the help of translators, in professional settings. Participants will live onsite at a special needs orphanage in Oaxaca, Mexico. Here they will interact with children at the orphanage, help in delivering meals to families who live and work at the local dump, and help construct a cinder block home for one of those families. They will also enjoy the usual points of interest, such as the world’s largest tree.
The academic leader of this trip is Dr. Sterling Wall, an Assistant Professor of Family & Consumer Sciences in the School of Health Promotion & Human Development. Sterling has worked personally with the Hispanic population in the United States for several years and looks forward to becoming more familiar with some of their cultural roots.
For more information on either of these trips, you can contact the trip leader by calling the HPHD office at 715-346-2830 or visit the UWSP study abroad website at http://www.uwsp.edu/studyabroad.