Learning across the globe in WMU's College of Arts and Sciences
The classrooms of Western Michigan University’s College of Arts and Sciences extend much farther than the hallways of main campus buildings like Dunbar, Friedmann or Wood Halls. In pursuit of experience-driven learning, students and their professors traverse the globe acquiring the cross-cultural competencies necessary to thrive in today’s globalized world.
In partnership with WMU Study Abroad, Arts and Sciences faculty have led study abroad courses in more than a dozen countries spanning four continents in recent years. From Tanzania to China, opportunities abound for students to see the world from a new perspective, as they immerse themselves in culture, language and academic study.
“The College of Arts and Sciences is incredibly supportive of study abroad programs, encouraging their students to participate in these life-changing experiences,” says Joe Milostan, director of study abroad and international faculty enrichment at Western Michigan University’s Haenicke Institute for Global Education.
“From the Department of World Languages and Literatures to Spanish and biology, many of the departments and faculty in Arts and Sciences are engaging students with study abroad and creating unique opportunities for their students to learn.”
One such student is Simon Wilke, a 21-year-old from Mattawan, Mich. who is pursuing a double major in Spanish and accounting. Wilke embarked on the two-month Spanish study abroad program in Quito, Ecuador, last summer. The experience was so moving that Wilke returned to his host family as an independent traveler over winter break.
“I will probably be going back there for the rest of my life,” he says. “Before that trip, I had never been outside the country.
“I will probably be going back there for the rest of my life.” “Before that trip, I had never been outside the country."
Students participating in the Quito program arrive in the South American nation with a WMU professor who helps students orient themselves with the partner school, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, before they move in with host families and begin coursework. Beyond the classroom, students learn about Ecuadorian culture through experiences such as a day-long city tour and travel to a local town and market.
“We believe that any study abroad experience is transformative, but even more so a language program such as ours, where students are encouraged to experience the culture and the language as much as possible and take their learning far beyond the courses taken at the host university," says Dr. Germán Zárate-Sández, associate professor of Spanish at WMU. “Several students develop close relationships with their host families,” he says. "It's not uncommon for our students to get invited to family reunions, celebrations and trips, affording them the chance to get a first-hand experience of Ecuadorians’ daily lives while improving on their Spanish skills in real-life and diverse communicative contexts.”
Wilke says he enjoyed the Spanish study and cultural immersion program in Ecuador so much that he is planning another study abroad experience in Spain during the fall semester of his senior year.
“Many in the U.S., especially students, don’t realize just how much more there is to the world,” says Wilke, who is exploring international career opportunities. “Hopefully, having this on my resume will help me land a job.”
More than 460 students participated in WMU Study Abroad courses in the 2023-2024 academic year, with students in the College of Arts and Sciences traveling to more than 20 countries. WMU offers more than 80 study abroad programs around the world.
To ensure that study abroad is accessible to all students, scholarships are available through the Haenicke Institute for Global Education, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Lee Honors College and many academic departments.
The Department of Spanish offers four study abroad programs, one during each semester and summer session, says Dr. Pablo Pastrana-Pérez, chair of the Department of Spanish. Students have opportunities to travel and study in Ecuador, Spain (Burgos and Santander) and Costa Rica. They live with host families, experience Hispanic culture and improve their language skills.
“What we do is provide the means for students to find their voice and assert themselves,” he says. “Studying abroad forces you out of your comfort zone and you come out the other side with appreciation for other peoples and cultures, more compassionate about their struggles, more sensitive to other people’s needs.” With these trips, students overcome their fears, Pastrana-Pérez says. They navigate unfamiliar experiences and learn how to reside with people who live by different norms and values. It opens their minds to new ideas, and they mature socially and intellectually as they adapt and solve problems.
The Department of World Languages and Literatures offers 15 study abroad programs in five countries, says David Kutzko, chair of the Department of World Languages and Literatures. “We have diverse study abroad options for all of the spoken languages in our department, which include Arabic, Chinese, French, German and Japanese.”
These study abroad experiences include language immersion in Jordan (Amman), China (Hangzhou and Beijing), France (Besançon and Lyon), Germany (Berlin and Tübingen) and Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Otaru, and Hikone). Opportunities are not limited to students engaged in language study, however. Study abroad programs span departments and disciplines, vary in length and many are taught in English to include as many students as possible.
Berlin, Germany: Students in The Third Reich, WWII, the Holocaust and the Cold War in Berlin program, led by Eli Rubin, stop at the Brandenburg Gate, one of the city’s most important monuments.
Dominican Republic: Students Brady Handley, Connor Van Avery and Cain Sandoval on Playa Publica Bayahibe beach in the Dominican Republic during their study abroad trip in spring 2024. First-place scholarship winner, 2024–25 College of Arts and Sciences Study Abroad Photo Contest.
Santander, Spain: Students pose with faculty director Pablo Pastrana-Pérez, and program assistant, Jose Francisco “Paco” Rivera Vega, near the city council in Santander, Spain, in summer 2024, at a destination also known as the Casa Consistoria en la Plaza del Ayuntamiento. WMU’s Universidad de Cantabria program allows students to study Spanish language and culture for eight weeks along the historic Spanish northern coast.
Kamakura, Japan: Students in the Japanese Religion and Culture Program stopping at Hasedera, a famous temple in Kamakura, Japan, on their way to see the many national treasures in the area.
Belmopan, Belize: Students snorkel near a coral reef in Belize in summer 2024. WMU’s Tropical Biology in Belize program exposes students to the world’s most diverse ecosystems: tropical rainforests and coral reefs. Faculty leaders Maarten Vonhof and Devin Bloom emphasize spending time in the field and studying living organisms during the two-week trip. The course is run by WMU’s biology department every two years.
Utrecht, Netherlands: Zoann Snyder and her students participated in the International Week Program hosted by the HU Utrecht University of Applied Sciences Institute for Applied Safety and Security Studies. They participated in research presentations and workshops focusing on criminal justice and security with students and colleagues from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
Lisbon, Portugal: WMU has hosted many study abroad programs in Portugal, most recently, a series of WMU Essential Studies summer courses. Faculty-led courses like these are among the most popular study abroad options at WMU.
Sydney, Australia: Hannah Gass, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Australia. First-place scholarship winner, 2023–24 College of Arts and Sciences Study Abroad Photo Contest.
Mark Orbe, a professor in the School of Communication, has taken students to four countries on study abroad adventures: Tanzania, Ghana, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. His Culture, Communication and Community Development in Tanzania course is one of WMU’s most popular faculty-led study abroad options.
Culture impacts every aspect of life, Orbe says, and while there is significant cultural diversity in the United States, it’s important for students to look beyond their own borders.
“Traveling to other countries provides opportunities for students to get out of their comfort zones and experience how culture impacts life up close and personal,” he says. “International experiences enhance the learning experience because they challenge students' own ethnocentric worldviews.
Orbe is a first-generation high school graduate and college student. His experience on a faculty-led, short term study abroad program to Belize and other parts of Central America in 1984 was life-changing, he says. It was the first time the professor had left the United States. The trip marked a milestone in Orbe’s personal and professional path.
“Research has consistently demonstrated that students who study abroad have higher GPAs, a greater sense of belonging, more campus and community involvement and more post-graduation success,” Orbe says. “I strongly believe that is correlated with the type of students that study abroad and the invaluable ways that international experiences enhance applied learning, real life relevancy, personal exploration and development and genuine connection with others.”
"Research has consistently demonstrated that students who study abroad have higher GPAs, a greater sense of belonging, more campus and community involvement and more post-graduation success."
Nearly 125 students in the College of Arts and Sciences participated in a study abroad program last year. That number is sure to grow as program options expand and internationalization and global learning remain a key priority of Western Michigan University.
“Dean Carla Koretsky and her predecessors have under stood how valuable linguistic and cultural immersion are in our pursuit to engage students globally,” says Pastrana Pérez. “The same can be said of the Office of Study Abroad, whose support we depend on to run all of our programs.”
“Many of our students are so eager for multicultural experiences that they go abroad more than once,” says Kutzko.
Tania Vasquez-Olivarez, a Japanese major and double minor in Chinese and Asian Studies, will be going to Hangzhou, China in summer II and Hikone, Japan for the 2025-2026 academic year. “Thanks to the College of Arts and Sciences, World Languages and the Haenicke Institute, I will be able to become more proficient in my fields of study and establish connections with East Asian countries,” says Vasquez Olivarez. “I am so excited to be able to participate in these programs.”
“Studying abroad is the quintessential example of experiential learning,” says Pastrana-Pérez. “I believe it has a bright future at WMU."
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