Study Abroad Opportunities

Studying abroad in Asia or studying about Asian culture and history at universities abroad can be an invaluable complement to your minor in Asian Studies or to your major studies in other disciplines. The Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies offers a wealth of programs in Asia and in other foreign countries that can fit within your major or minor requirements. Contact the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center for more information.

Bhutan

Summer Program

Eastern Himalayan Forests & Rural Livelihoods

Bhutan is located in the Eastern Himalayan region and has been identified as one of the ten biodiversity hot spots in the world.  The people of Bhutan have rich cultural traditions and social and political institutions.  Students will have the opportunity to travel across Bhutan and explore Bhutanese culture and environmental issues.

View the course website for more information about this program

India & Dubai

Winter Term

GBL 286/REL 286: India’s Identities: Religion, Caste & Gender in Contemporary South India (4 S.H.)

This Winter Term course emphasizes the diversity of contemporary Indian identities, devoting particular attention to religion, caste, and gender. This course brings students into a range of Indian religious spaces associated with Hindu, Jain, Muslim, Christian, and Jewish traditions and into direct contact with Indians from an array of caste backgrounds, education levels, and occupations, allowing them to develop an informed appreciation of the diversity of the world’s largest democracy. Through directed study opportunities, lectures, and daily interactions with Indians who live and work in the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, we will consider the nature of religious identity and practice; explore cultural expectations regarding gender (including arranged and other forms of marriage); assess the ways in which caste does and does not matter in contemporary society; and analyze how tradition and modernity interact in this rapidly changing nation.

PHS 381: Public Health Practicum (4 S.H.)

Three weeks of direct practice and observation in a public health organization provide the opportunity for students to apply and conceptualize various aspects of health care delivery using this approach. Student learning will be guided and enhanced through weekly seminars, written assignments, and faculty site visits.

View the course website for more information about this program

Semester-Long Programs

India, Manipal: Indian Studies & Public Health at Manipal University (Alliance)

Students will study Public Health and Indian Studies through the Alliance for Global Education. The program is based at Manipal University, a premier private university known throughout India and around the world for its strong medical college and health science programs.  With over 18,000 graduate and undergraduate students, including 3,500 students from countries in the Middle East, Europe, Australia, and other parts of Asia, Manipal’s world-class faculty bring a dynamic approach to the classroom.

Download a PDF with more information or visit the program website

International Business and Culture in Mumbai

India is home to nearly 1.2 billion people and is the world’s largest democracy.India continues to rise on the world stage and is becoming an economic superpower and a leader in technology.Mumbai is the economic and entertainment capital of India and combines the traditional as well as the modern, ensuring that students gain insight into the linguistic, historical, and cultural diversity of modern India.  Hindi is the most widely-spoken of India’s 14 official languages, but English is the most important language for business, government, and political communications.

Contemporary India: Development, Environment & Public Health in Pune

Pune, a vibrant, bustling city of 3.5 million people that has long been considered India’s intellectual center, makes an ideal base for a Contemporary India program. It is a short train ride from Mumbai. Home to many of India’s top academic institutions with a thriving student scene, Pune also has a wealth of traditional culture and performing arts resources, hosts many of the country’s most forward-thinking NGOs, and has been named in Forbes’ Magazine as one of the world’s top three emerging global cities. Technology and international business are rapidly bringing a new, fascinating dimension to the city’s already multi-faceted urban landscape. Pune stands out among Indian cities as a compelling indicator of national and global economic, social, and technological trends.

View the course website for more information about this program

Varanasi: The City, the River, the Sacred

India is home to nearly 1.2 billion people and is the world’s largest democracy India continues to rise on the world stage and is becoming an economic superpower and a leader in technology. Hindi is the most widely-spoken of India’s 14 official languages, but English is the most important language for business, government, and political communications. Located on the Ganges River in Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi is among the holiest of places for Hindus and is also home to a vibrant Muslim population and is located only a few miles away from Sarnath where the Buddha preached his first sermon.  Arguably the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Varanasi is a dense, diverse urban center in a close symbiotic relationship with a river that can be simultaneously understood as pure and polluted. A window into the ancient, spiritual, and cultural past of India, Varanasi is an example of the ways in which the ancient and modern coexist.

View the course website for more information about this program

China

Winter Term

GBL 280-IS: The Flying Dragon (4 S.H.)

This course is designed to give students an overview of the paths for China’s modernization from different perspectives: geography, history, language and arts. It offers a strong emphasis for the student to build a solid foundation to understand the Chines culture, history, tradition and language.

View the program website for more information

Semester or Year-Long Study

The Beijing Center

Students attend the Beijing Center, housed at the University of International Business and Economics in the Chinese capital. Here students can take Chinese language courses and electives in business, Asian Studies, communication, natural science, art, philosophy, political science, theology and much more. All courses except for Chinese language courses are taught in English.

China, Shanghai: Chinese Studies & Internship in Shanghai (CET)

This is a study abroad program for résumé builders. Students pursue an internship at a company or organization of interest in Shanghai. They complement this internship with coursework in Chinese language, economics, history and political science. CET Shanghai introduces students of all majors and language levels to the challenges and rewards of working abroad.

View the program website for more information

Summer Programs

Beijing, China: China Voice

China has a long and distinguished history of more than 6,000 years. In the capital, the Beijing Center, housed at University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) welcomes students and exposes them to a unique and rich culture and society. ChinaVoice offers courses for beginners to those in the advanced level. Courses are designed for balanced and rapid improvement in language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. One-on-one tutorial sessions are held at least five days a week. You will take a language pledge to be exposed to a full-Chinese language environment. Study activities and excursions are designed to practice what you have learned in the classroom.

View the course website for more information about this program

Japan

Semester or Year-Long Study

Kansai Gaidai University

Students attend Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, where they take a mandatory spoken Japanese language course and may choose electives in business, social sciences and art. All courses except the Japanese language course are taught in English. View the program website for more information.

The Pacific Rim

Winter Term

GBL 177: Business in the Pacific Rim

Our course explores the impact of emerging markets using the perspective of two influential works of contemporary finance and economics – Jim O’Neill’ (2011) “The Growth Map: Economic Opportunity in the BRICs and Beyond” and Thomas Friedman’s (2005) “The World is Flat”. The former book by the Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, who coined and popularized the ubiquitous BRIC acronym, describes the author’s vision of the future for emerging markets – Goldman Sachs’ research paper series largely contributed to opening the floodgates of financial investment flows into emerging markets. The latter book describes the flattening of the business world due to increasing digital connectivity and ease of international travel and trade, and highlights the impact on both the developed and the developing countries. Students on this course would gain immensely from a deeper understanding of the significant opportunities, and of the challenges, brought about from a flatter, better connected world – with significantly higher future growth prospects in the developing world as compared to the developed economies. Multiple countries; varies by year.

View the program website for more information

Singapore

Semester-long Program

Singapore, Singapore: Nanyang Technological University Exchange Program

Tailored specifically for Communications and Business Administration majors, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore is ranked 74 of the top universities in the world. Settled in a tropical paradise NTU boasts an exquisite garden campus, 22,000 undergraduates, 16 residence halls and hundreds of exchange and international students every year. Ranked among the “Top 20 Most Livable Cities” in the world, Singapore is a vibrant cosmopolitan city with one of the world’s busiest ports. In a predominately English- speaking environment, Singapore serves as a crossroads of Eastern and Western culture, rich in diversity, traditions and cuisine. In the heart of Southeast Asia, Singapore is an ideal starting point to explore the region, with countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, China and Indonesia just a short distance away.

Visit the program website for more information

Vietnam

Winter Term

GBL 248 IS: Business and Culture of Vietnam (4 S.H.)

This course will take you to five different cities in the ancient and culturally-rich country of Vietnam. We will learn how Vietnam developed politically and economically after a long and difficult war. You will learn about Buddhism and its role in the religious life of Vietnamese people. We will also learn why multinational companies are currently building factories in Vietnam, manufacturing goods, and creating jobs in that country. Vietnam is rapidly becoming a tourist destination. With its beaches and new hotels, cities like Nah Trang are attracting visitors from all over the world. You will learn about the booming hospitality industry in Vietnam and why name brand hotel companies such as Sheraton, Hilton, and Novotel have built new hotels in this location.

Visit the program website for more information

Studying About Asia Abroad

Sometimes taking a course on Asia while studying elsewhere can spark an interest in pursuing an Asian Studies minor or Asia concentration within the International Studies major here at Elon. Some sample programs are listed below. As always, make an appointment with a study abroad adviser to make sure all requirements are fulfilled (Asian Studies minors and International Studies majors with Asia concentrations are required to study abroad in Asia or the Pacific Rim to fulfill their program requirements).

Denmark International Studies, Copenhagen

Living in the modern Danish city of Copenhagen, students study a variety of topics amidst world-renowned architecture. Live in dormitories with students from around the world or experience a homestay with a Danish family. Take classes in your major as well as Advanced Studies credits. Course offerings may include:

  • China: A Cross-Cultural Exploration
  • Chinese Language (Mandarin)
  • Introduction to Chinese History and Culture after 1912
  • Introduction to Chinese History and Culture before 1912
  • Men and Women in Chinese History
  • Transition Economies: Chinese and Russian Reform Strategies
  • Writing in Chinese History
  • Asian Economic Organization and Competitiveness
  • Asian Economics and Business Practices
  • Global Issues for Asian Management: Employment, Politics and Social Responsibility
  • History of Japan: The Meiji Period (1868-1912)
  • Is There Such a Thing as “Ethics” in Buddhism?
  • “Karma:” The History of a Buddhist Concept
  • Southeast Asian History
  • Southeast Asia Today

University of Sussex, Brighton, England

A medium-sized school, Sussex is located in the bustling coastal city of Brighton and hosts hundreds of international students every year. This program allows students to integrate completely with the university and take a variety of classes. Live in dormitories with British and other international students. Each semester consists of two terms with a break in the middle. Course offerings may include:

  • Political Change: China’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1969)
  • Migration in Japan and East Asia
  • History Short Period: South Asia since 1880
  • Economic Geographies of Asia

University of St. Andrews, Scotland

One of the most renowned and ancient universities in the United Kingdom, the University of St. Andrews is located north of Edinburgh in a small university town that attracts students from all over the world. Students can take a variety of courses for many majors. Course offerings may include:

  • Asian Security

Curtin University, Perth, Australia

Located in the Western Australia capital city of Perth, Curtin University provides a culturally diverse setting in which students can study numerous disciplines. Stay for a semester or a year, and live in apartments with Australian and other international students during your stay. One class taken during a semester at Curtin must be a culture class in Aboriginal or Australian Studies. Other course offerings may include:

  • Full curriculum of Indigenous Studies
  • Full curriculum of Australian Studies
  • Full curriculum of Asian Studies, including coursework on Japan, China, India, Singapore, Indonesia, etc.
  • Beginner through advanced language study in Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Indonesian