Central Connecticut State University (CCSU): International Courses

Central Connecticut State University

CCSU Department of Psychological Science: Educating Global Citizens

Every year the CCSU Department of Psychological Science offers several courses abroad. Below are a few examples:

Field Studies in Latin America

Dr. Marisa Mealy offers both a graduate and undergraduate courses in Latin America. One of these classes is offered in Costa Rica. For information on current classes, please click here.

Costa Ricans' unique traits derive from a profoundly conscious self-image, which orients much of their behavior as both individuals and as nation. The Costa Ricans feel distinct from their neighbors by their "whiteness" and relative lack of indigenous culture. Ticos identify themselves first and foremost as Costa Ricans (and only Central Americans or Latin Americans, as an afterthought). Costa Ricans regardless of wealth or status are used to acting with utmost humility and boasting of any kind is usually frowned upon.

They remain very strongly oriented around traditional values based on respect for oneself and the others, tolerance being one of their most characteristic traits. The corner stone of society is the family and the village community. Social life still centers on the home and family, bonds are so strong that sons and daughters do not see a need to leave the home until they marry.

The course will be based in the rainforest communities around the famous Monteverde Biological Reserve, where students have the unique opportunity to experience these, and other, Costa Rican cultural traits firsthand. Additionally, we travel within the country and explore Costa Rica's diversity: including indigenous communities, small towns, and the capital city of San Jose, ecological and economic challenges, psychosocial factors, the Monteverde Reserve, Poas volcano, and the Pacific Coast (including the beach)!

Our one warning: although you can generally count on a Tico's loyalty, you shouldn't count on his punctuality.

The Hawaiian Nation

Dr. Carol Shaw Austad offers both a graduate and undergraduate courses in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Hawai'i - islands rich in human, plant, and animal diversity. This course provides a unique travel learning experience that explores the culture, history, and psychology of Hawai'i and its indigenous people. Through immersion in many aspects of Hawaiian culture, students will gain an appreciation for the true Hawai'i and its indigenous people, and Aloha, the Hawaiian way of life.

The psychology program provides the student with guidance in examining the psychological aspects of Hawaiian culture, which looks at how Hawaiian psychology with its emphasis on interdependence interfaces with Western psychology. The psychology program will provide an opportunity to observe, understand, respect, and appreciate Hawaiian indigenous culture and the impact that modern society has had upon the Hawaiian psyche and how the wisdom of the Hawaiian psyche can improve attitude and enjoyment of life.

CCSU: Educating Global Citizens
Carl R. Lovitt, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Readers may be surprised to learn that President Jack Miller’s first piece of advice to incoming CCSU students is to start planning for their first international experience. Miller’s advice reflects CCSU’s distinctive emphasis on international education. To further that mission, CCSU has invested in a new program, “Passport to Global Citizenship,” that will enable first-year students to spend a week in England studying the history of London and British culture. These students, many of whom have never been outside of the U.S., are the most recent beneficiaries of CCSU’s commitment to educate students for global citizenship.

During the [2007-2008 academic year], over 400 CCSU students took courses in another country. Our goal is to increase that number to 1,000 annually. The courses took students to Belize, Brazil, England, France, Ghana, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, and Japan. Earlier this summer, New Britain’s sister city in Greece, Giannitsa, hosted a group of CCSU students who took part in an archeological dig at the site of Alexander the Great’s first capital. In another class, students performed community service on a coffee plantation in Costa Rica. More than 80 students studied at one of 25 foreign universities with which we have exchange agreements.

[In 2008-2009], we expect more than 400 CCSU students to participate in faculty-led courses abroad. They might, for example, travel to the United Arab Emirates to learn about the Persian Gulf in the 21^st century; they might study globalization in Nicaragua; they might get a first-hand glimpse of educational practices in China; they might learn about indigenous cultures in Brazil and study climate change and alternative energy in Iceland; and they might take part in a social work field school in Peru. The CCSU University Singers will also conduct a performance tour in China.