Well aware of the interrelatedness of language study and cultural exposure, the Modern Language Department at CCSU has developed short- and long-term programs that provide students with the life-changing and career-enhancing opportunity of studying abroad. Our faculty have initiated partnership agreements with overseas teaching institutions for world language students to improve their language proficiency and augment their cultural awareness and sensitivity.

Dr. Shizuko Tomoda, a professor of Japanese, said “Our course abroad programs are carefully planned to make them affordable, and are designed to fit the offerings of the foreign institutions, as well as our own.” Her upcoming program in Japan this summer, Old Japan, New Japan: Buddhist Temples, Atomic Bombs, and
Hello Kitty, is an exciting experience for students to explore the old and new

Japan, through visits to the cities of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Kyoto, Osaka, and Nagoya. This interdisciplinary course also attracts students participating in history and in the Peace Studies Program.

“Based at the University for Foreigners of Perugia, Italian Language and Culture in Perugia is designed to build language abilities and cultural understanding in an ideal setting and with the intensity that only courses abroad can provide,” according to Carmela Pesca, professor of Italian and director of this program. “Our students have the unique opportunity to explore the treasures of this extraordinary city, which was once an Etruscan capital,” she added. The success of this program demonstrates that students are very interested in exploring the cultural and economic opportunities in the emerging global community.

Another innovative program recently created is the Spanish on the Move program. Professors Gustavo Mejía, Paloma Lapuerta, and Lilián Uribe have been “on the move” with students. “We are very proud of this custom-made course that brings students to different parts of the Spanish-speaking world. We went to Guanajuato, México, last summer and are now ready to spend time in Salamanca, Spain,” said Mejía. “I believe that a key benefit of our summer abroad programs is that they allow for the timely completion of students´ degrees.” As chair of the Modern Language Department, I believe that these summer initiatives enable our students to have one of the best graduation rates of our university. “Our summers are getting busier and busier each year with both at home and abroad intensive programs that provide students with unique opportunities to continue their studies,” said Dr. Lapuerta.

The dynamic faculty of this department –which offers Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and will reinstate Russian next fall--is now developing qualitatively distinctive Inter-University BA and BS programs that will require students to spend one semester abroad. This will create endless opportunities to immerse our students in authentic settings where they can deepen their understanding of world cultures while strengthening their language skills.