Liberal Arts students travel to Egypt through embedded program

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The College of the Liberal Arts offers many opportunities for students to enrich their studies by gaining real-world experience. One of these opportunities is embedded programs, which are Penn State courses taken on campus or online that include a short-term international travel component.  

This past winter break, students taking ARAB 99/499 had the opportunity to travel to Cairo, Egypt, as part of the Youth Life in Egypt embedded program in the College of the Liberal Arts. The course, taught by Reham Aly, associate teaching professor of Arabic, explores the rich history, culture and society of Egypt and the role those elements played in shaping contemporary Egypt. The seven-day trip allowed students to apply their studies in context and visit a local university to interact with its students.  

Casey Sennett, a fifth-year student quadruple majoring in anthropology, history, Jewish studies and Middle East studies and double minoring in classics and ancient Mediterranean studies and global and international studies, described the trip as “truly surreal.”  

“In Cairo, we learned about different periods of Egyptian history and participated in several cultural events,” said Sennett, a Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar who will graduate this spring with a master of arts degree in anthropology. “We learned about Ancient Egypt at Memphis, the capital of Old Kingdom Egypt; Sakkara, the burial grounds of Memphis; the Egyptian Museum and the Great Pyramid and Great Sphinx of Giza. We also learned about Egyptian history from the ancient to more modern periods at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, the Citadel of Saladin and on a tour of Old Cairo.”  

The most exciting part, she said, was visiting the Pyramids of Giza.

“I was obsessed with Ancient Egypt as a kid. My love of Ancient Egypt helped me develop a passion for history, which I have pursued in college and plan to continue to pursue in my professional career,” Sennett said. “It was extraordinary to visit and explore such an ancient site.”  

Other activities included cooking classes, kayaking on the Nile and upholding the Penn State spirit, even in Egypt. Frank Miele, a third-year student majoring in psychology and minoring in Arabic, said that he and his classmates “sacrificed a night of sleep to stream the Rose Bowl from the hotel.”  

The trip complements the ARAB 99/499 course taking place this spring semester. This course allows students to “discuss the experiences in Egypt and further explore Egyptian history and culture as well as Arabic,” Sennett said.  

Many of these students had not been to Egypt before, so their experiences within Arab studies courses prepared them well for this experience. 

“I had no prior knowledge or advice from family members about going to Cairo, so it was relieving to learn about cultural differences before the trip,” said Caitlin Maggs, a third-year student majoring in English and minoring in Arabic.  

Maggs said her classes within the Arabic program prepared her for the change to Egyptian culture.  

“I remember learning about professions and dynamics that differ in Egypt compared to the United States. In Egypt, it's common for people to initially go to a pharmacist for help if they're sick rather than speaking to a doctor or nurse, which is more typical in the United States,” she said. “I experienced this first-hand since I was unwell at the start of the trip. Professor Aly and I spoke to a pharmacist who recommended medications for me.”  

While Egyptian culture was the primary focus of the trip, the Arabic language was also incredibly important to study and learn while in Cairo.  

“Although Egyptian Arabic is a different dialect than Modern Standard Arabic, which we learn in class, there are plenty of basic words and phrases that are the same or similar,” said Katie Mussett, a third-year student double majoring in political science and global and international studies and triple minoring in Arabic, Spanish and philosophy. “During the trip, we did our best to learn and use a lot of Egyptian phrases, as well as understand the basics of the dialect. Most importantly, we were able to talk with native speakers in everyday situations.”  

Many of these students were able to participate in the trip thanks to Liberal Arts enrichment funding — money awarded to Liberal Arts students through the Career Enrichment Network to help cover the costs of out-of-classroom experiences, such as education abroad, internships and research.  

“Like many students at Penn State, I work part time,” Mussett said. “Enrichment funding helped cover some of the costs of the trip, so I was able to afford the trip without sacrificing the time I dedicate to academics.”  

Martine Boulder, a student double majoring in international politics and security and risk analysis and minoring in Arabic, said the funding “lowered the cost of the trip to a less daunting overall price and helped cover extra expenses like meals that weren’t included in the original trip cost.”  

“Without enrichment funding from the College of the Liberal Arts and the Paterno Fellows Program, I would not have been able to participate in this trip,” Sennett said. “The generosity of Penn State alumni and friends is unmatched. This was my absolute favorite experience as a Penn State student, and it would not have been possible without enrichment funding.”  

Learn more

Interested in participating in education abroad during summer 2023? Explore the full list of summer 2023 Penn State education abroad programs. Most summer programs have a deadline of Feb. 1. Penn State offers many short-term programs led by Penn State faculty and other partners, including 10 Liberal Arts faculty-led course trips this summer. 

The Career Enrichment Network empowers Liberal Arts students to explore, engage and define their career journey through diverse career development opportunities. Students can meet with a career coach to explore careers, internships, education abroad, research, the Liberal Arts Alumni Mentor Program and more. Through donor support, the Career Enrichment Network is able to provide Liberal Arts students with funding to participate in many of these experiences.