International Programs

This trip is directly connected to L384, On the Front Lines: World War II through Literature and Film. Students can register for the Spring 2023 course and trip beginning in Fall 2022. The travel dates for the trip are May 11-25, and will include stops in Berlin, Amsterdam, Normandy, St. Malo, Guernsey, and London. Between 10-20 travelers and two faculty members, Michelle Westervelt and Sarah Heath, are expected. The approximate cost per student traveler is $3,800 - $4,000.

The course will address the following goals:

• Help students clarify the complexities surrounding this conflict by examining the stories of those who experienced the war and its aftermath.
• Help students establish connections between those complexities and similar issues we face today, highlighting sometimes-underemphasized circumstances fueled by this war, including scapegoating, religious persecution, rationing, malnutrition/starvation, refugee relocation, economic ruin, family ruin, sacrifice, resilience, and innovation.
• Help students examine the ‘stories behind the stories,’ so that they can see the significant effects the actions of individuals can have, encouraging appreciation for the efforts of those involved and an understanding that their own society’s stories will become the history and literature for the next generation.

The travel component will address these outcomes:

• The course offers challenges both in the depth of content and in the extent of the travel.
• Readings and films raise questions without simple answers, requiring students to examine the history and draw comparisons to current political, social, and economic situations.
• Students experience four very different cultures, all within relative proximity to each other, which will underscore how cultural perspectives affected pre-war and wartime decision-making.
• Students will also be able to grasp the scope and intensity of the conflict, seeing the same place where battles were fought in neighborhoods and city streets.

This program, led by Gloria Preece and Adam Smith, includes an 11-day trip to Copenhagen and Aarhus in the country of Denmark, and Almhult in the country of Sweden. Students can register for the Spring 2023 course and trip beginning in Fall 2022. The travel dates for this trip are May 23 – June 2. The approximate cost per student traveler is $3,300.

This trip is connected to a three credit-hour, cross-listed course: BUKO-C 566 Issues in International Management: Denmark and Sweden, and D496 Foreign Study in Business: Denmark and Sweden. This special topic, cross-listed graduate/undergraduate study abroad course will explore the most innovative and effective business strategies for developing positive social impact around the world.

The program will begin by introducing students to each of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and will require each of them to identify one or more of the goals to address in a research project. Students will then travel to Denmark and Sweden where they will learn to develop strategies needed to create measurable social impact through sustainable business practices.

Applied learning will connect students with various managers in a range of sectors where they will hear about opportunities and challenges related to social impact. More specifically, students will explore the complexities of social and environmental issues and conduct an economic assessment to identify failures in various international systems and markets.

Students will conduct research for an integrative final project, which will require them to create a plan to drive environmental or social impact through the application of management and marketing principles.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have gained the experience needed to promote, develop, and implement sustainable business practices to create social impact. Denmark was chosen for this topic, as it is ranked first in the Environmental Performance Index, which provides a quantative basis for comparing the environmental performance of over 180 countries. A one-day visit to Sweden is included, as faculty plan to bring students to the IKEA museum, where students will be introduced to several of IKEA’s sustainability initiatives.

Through the course HSS I-450 (Innovation Symposium), students get the opportunity to learn about global issues and address those issues by developing innovative projects that would result in positive change for local communities.

Students must be nominated, fill out an application form, and be interviewed by previous Symposium participants. The selected students will travel to England to study innovation and a broad view of sustainability for three weeks. The dates for the Innovation Symposium are May 16 - June 5, 2025.

Learning Objectives:

During the Innovation Symposium, students will:

• Gain awareness of global environmental issues through readings, reader response writings, group discussions, photography, meetings with experts, and on-site visits;
• Practice lateral-thinking and problem-solving skills through readings, in-class activities, and project development;
• Develop critical thinking skills through reader response writings, group discussions, personal philosophy reflection, a feasibility study for project, and project development;
• Promote awareness of the impacts of commerce, tourism, transportation, and individual choices on local environments with the goal of encouraging positive change, to be met through photography, group discussions, writings, and the presentation of that information in England and on the IU Kokomo campus;
• Create an individual project beneficial for local community stakeholders that addresses a global environmental issue as well as a pertinent social concern, through in-class discussions, photography, completion of a project proposal, a feasibility study, and a final project presentation;
• Establish the capability for implementation of the individual project through the development of a specific plan for piloting local implementation.