Spotlight on Centenary’s Cultural Modules
More than 70 Centenary College students embarked on trips abroad and locally, this summer, to earn culture credits and develop a deeper cultural understanding of the world around them. There are seven faculty-led sessions in all: Australia, Barbados, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and Archival Explorations were in May. Another local module focused on Japan and American Culture is planned for August.
Each Centenary freshman has the opportunity to go to Paris, France, even before most students move into their dorms, so most are no stranger to travel by the time they enroll in international modules. Modules are a short-term study abroad opportunity led by Centenary faculty where students can experience another culture and grow their intercultural skills. Centenary also offers longer-term study abroad programs through the Office of Global Engagement. Students may choose to study abroad at one of dozens of international university partner schools for a summer, a semester, or a year, or they may choose independent study abroad or an international internship.
Since the 2014-15 academic year, The Open Doors report has named Centenary College the #1 school in the United States (of any institution type) for percentage of participation in Study Abroad. The only exception was in the 2020-2021 year when all of Centenary’s international programs were cancelled due to COVID.
“Since 1992, Centenary has required all of our students to have an intercultural experience,” said Mark Miller, vice president for student affairs and dean of students. “They are also required to have a career experience, like an internship, and a service-learning or civic engagement experience as part of our Trek experiential learning program. After participating in Centenary in Paris their first year, most of our students choose to go abroad again before they graduate.”
Trek is an innovative educational journey which is part of the core curriculum at Centenary College. It fosters understanding of personal values, explores these values with service of community, and connects values to pressing global challenges.
“Global learning fosters reflection of self and personal culture by making connections with other ways of understanding and living in the world,” said Catherine Walsh, director of Global Engagement. “It humanizes other societies and helps students create a sense of connection as a global citizen. Global learning promotes an appreciation for diversity, improves communication, cultivates resilience, and expands a student’s potential for creative problem-solving.”
There are no-cost and domestic opportunities available, but the most popular way to satisfy the intercultural requirement is short term study abroad. To make these affordable, Centenary offers Passport Points. Students can earn up to $500 per semester ($2,000 total) by attending campus events and activities. Passport Points may be earned at a wide range of events, including intercultural programs, academic convocations, residence hall activities, sporting events, and student exhibits and performances.