Susquehanna Academics

Off-Campus Study: Focus on This

Geared to first-and second-year students, the Susquehanna Focus programs build a rich web of connections among science, social sciences, humanities, business and the arts with classroom study and include short-term, travel/study abroad.

The goal is to help students broaden their global perspectives early enough in their college careers to assist in planning future study and career paths.

Each program begins with an interdisciplinary "triad" of courses addressing issues central to a foreign country or region. Students then visit the country with Susquehanna faculty for a two-credit, 14- to 16-day cultural immersion during winter-, spring- or summer break.

Here's what students say about the experience: "The best education ever." "I learned a lot about myself and my future." "I brought back an understanding of a new culture, and a better understanding of my own culture."

Focus: Australia students take courses in biological issues in Australia, Australian literature and post-colonialism, and environmental psychology, then traveled to Sydney and explored the Great Barrier Reef, aboriginal sacred sites and the Australian rainforest.

Focus: Ecuador draws on courses in environmental science, Spanish and management, Students and faculty travel to locations such as Quito, the Andean region and the Amazon River basin to explore issues including the impact of the petroleum industry on the rain forest ecosystem and native cultures.

Focus: Caribbean combines studies in French Caribbean literature and culture, Caribbean music, and biology of island ecosystems. A trip to Martinique included seminars in on the banana trade and the country's movement in to gain independence from the French as well as steel drum lessons and an 11-mile hike through the rainforest.

Focus: Southern Africa participants prepare with courses in post-colonial African history, music and psychology. Visits to Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Capetown encouraged students to reflect on race, democracy and transformation in post-Apartheid Economy.