UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Several dozen Penn State communications students — representing every major in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications — have some serious plans for spring break.
They’ll be traveling across the world as their respective “embedded courses,” which combine on-campus preparation with hands-on opportunities, put them face to face with people from other cultures and offer the chance to learn about different places to eventually tell a variety of stories.
“Embedded courses have given our students unmatched opportunities through the years, and this year is no exception,” Dean Marie Hardin said. “The courses give students the chance for an international experience combined with on-campus classroom instruction and they’ve proven to be a popular option.”
This spring’s destinations include:
- Costa Rica for COMM 372 Digital Public Relations, with those in the 12-person traveling party introduced to business perspectives and industries, including topics such as tourism, sustainability, coffee and chocolate, as viewed through the lens of people who live in the country. The trip will be led by Bill Zimmerman, a lecturer, and Tara Wyckoff, an associate teaching professor, both from the Department of Advertising/Public Relations.
- Estonia for COMM 402 International Reporting as a group of 13 students, accompanied by four faculty and staff members, pursues a variety of story topics. Even from afar, students have been conducting initial reporting on topics such as the country’s medieval history and gentrification efforts, national defense, a quadrennial music festival, renewable energy and many more. Lecturer Katie O’Toole is leading the trip, accompanied by three Department of Journalism colleagues — Steve Kraycik, an associate teaching professor; Mila Sanina, an assistant teaching professor, and Brian Shoenfelt, a multimedia production specialist.
- Israel for COMM 473A Advanced Documentary Production, as the traveling party continues a semester-long partnership with Bezalel Art Academy. During their working visit, which happens to fall during the holiday of Purim, the nine students will be collecting footage and conducting interviews for stories ranging from the Dimona settlement of the Black Hebrews and a Vietnamese-Israeli family who found refuge in the 1970s under Menachem Begin to LGBTQA+ and surfing culture. Pearl Gluck, the Donald P. Bellisario Career Advancement Professor in the Department of Film Production and Media Studies, is leading the trip with Kevin Hagopian, a teaching professor in the department.
- South Korea for COMM 419 World Media Systems, a course that includes communications students along with others majoring in accounting, biochemistry and life sciences. The group of 11 students will visit public media organizations, tech startups, NGOs, digital media museums, cultural and historical sites. They also hear from academic and professional leaders and plan to try to connect with Penn State alumni in the country. The traveling party, led by Sara Liao, an assistant professor of media studies, includes students from Penn State Harrisburg.
All of the trips will be conducted during the University’s spring break, scheduled March 6-10, and are working trips — intended for students to gather content for projects that will be completed once they return to Penn State. Some of the courses also plan to chronicle parts of their trips on Bellisario College social media channels.