International Education

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

*All International Education trips are temporarily on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

See the world — and earn college credit!

Learn about other cultures, and then travel there to see it for yourself. SUNY Adirondack’s International Education courses include trips to Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. The three- or four-credit INT 204 courses begin in either the fall or spring semester (with travel occurring over winter, spring and summer breaks).

The one- or two-week travel experience portion of the course allows students to actively engage in the culture of other nations.

SUNY Adirondack also enjoys a Sister College relationship with Japan’s Saga City Junior College and Sage Women’s Junior College, which alternates host sites. Japanese students visit Upstate New York in odd years and our students travel to Saga City in even years. Students study Japanese culture and visit Saga City through enrollment in INT 206.

Community members may participate in International Education offerings on a space-available basis. Course registration for community members occurs through the Office of Continuing Education. Contact the faculty member leading an individual trip for further details.

See http://library.sunyacc.edu/int for more travel information.

 

Future International Trips

The Capitals, Castles & Fjords of Denmark and Norway

Visit the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Denmark, known for their fairytale beauty, rich history, and ratings as the “Happiest Countries in the World” (2018 World Happiness Report).  We will explore 1200-year-old Viking ships, Copenhagen and Oslo: the capitals of Denmark and Norway, royal palaces, museums, colorful harbors, the medieval town of Bergen, Flaam. We will take the world-renowned Flaamsbana scenic train, and ferry rides through the most majestic fjords in the world, Hardangerfjordand the UNESCO site Naeroyfjord, and more!   

 

Japan

SUNY Adirondack will travel to Japan and be welcomed by both Nishikyushu University and Saga Women’s Junior College. Students travel as a group during the day, experiencing Japanese culture, history, and entertainment. During the evenings and weekends, students are welcomed into their host family’s home to experience Japan firsthand. Past students have formed lasting friendships with the students and host families they met while in Japan.

During this four credit class, students will research and present on a topic based on their own individual interests. Topics have included:

  • fashion
  • religion
  • architecture
  • agriculture
  • food
  • and anime among others.

During our class time we will also study aspects of Japanese society and gain an appreciation for cultural similarities and differences. Knowledge of Japanese language is not required, but we will work on some ‘survival’ Japanese language to help you during your stay.

Highlights include:

  • Overnight to either Tokyo or Osaka
  • Visiting architectural, religious, historical, and cultural sites and events
  • Interacting with Japanese college students
  • Taking day trips to local sites and attractions (such as Nagasaki)

Welcomed into Japanese life, you will experience Japan as a traveler not a tourist!

Ireland and Scotland

This trip will focus on the history and landscapes that comprise the heritage of many of our Scots-Irish students, faculty, and community members, with emphasis on the arts, including music, architecture, art, artisanal work, and poetry. Educational experiences will address many topics, including:

  • the history of shipbuilding industry and international trade (Glasgow and Belfast)
  • Georgian and Victorian architecture (Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin)
  • urban legends, folklore, and mythology
  • medieval life in Scotland and Ireland
  • the importance of the Catholic Church, the Church of England, and the Church of Ireland and the contributions of the monastic tradition, anchored in exploration of the life of early Christian hermits on Skellig Michael and elsewhere
  • traditions of farming, shepherding, and sheepdog training as well as the history of woolen mills in both Ireland and Scotland
  • the geology of unique and distinctive landscapes such as the volcanic rock formations in Northern Ireland and southern Scotland
  • the historic importance of poetry and the role of eloquence in Scottish and Irish culture
  • the importance of seafaring on the Atlantic, the North Sea, and the vital role of the largest river in Ireland, River Shannon, to the Irish economy
  • international conflicts and peacemaking in the area, including the history of The Troubles between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, tensions between Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, and the peace lines (a.k.a. peace walls) of Northern Ireland

 

Medical Mission Trip: Rumundo, Guatemala

The college plans to lead a medical mission to Guatemala.The 5 C's of Caring– commitment, conscience, competence, compassion, and confidence - are highly applicable to the nursing division at SUNY Adirondack. What better way for nursing students to demonstrate the 5 C’s of caring than to participate in a once in a lifetime experience helping those in need in Llano de la Virgen Guatemala.

The participants with have an opportunity to work alongside medical and non-medical providers from the local region as well as around the world. The participants will reflect on evidence based practice as it pertains to medicine in this region of Guatemala. Experiences will include clinic and hospital work as well as two days of R&R in Antigua in Guatemala.

 

Colombia

The Beyond Stereotypes: Seeing Colombia through a Different Lens course will be an interdisciplinary course aimed at discovering the history, archaeology, arts, culture and biodiversity of the Latin American country.  The focus of the trip will be to go beyond stereotypes constructed by the media (news, Netflix, etc.) by experiencing the cultural richness and historical complexity of the nation that functions as a gateway to South America and the U.S. closest ally in the region. Students will travel to four cities in Colombia (Bogota, Armenia, Popayan, and Cartagena). 

While in Bogota—a global city rich in art and culture—students will visit the Museo Fernando Botero and the Gold Museum (containing more than 55,000 pieces of gold and other materials from all of Colombia's major pre-Hispanic cultures); learn about international trade by touring a rose-exporting farm; discover how the nation’s biodiversity serves as an ideal backdrop for conducting cutting-edge medical research by visiting virus research facility; and tour the national Congress. 

In Armenia students will visit a coffee plantation in the Andes—the longest continental mountain range in the world—and learn how coffee beans are harvested, dried and prepared for export.  Colombia is reputed to produce some of the finest quality coffee in the world and is the third largest global producer behind Brazil and Vietnam. 

In Popayan, they will visit the National Archaeological Park of Tierradentro, an archaeological site from the pre-Colombian indigenous period that has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  They will learn about Spanish colonial architecture and take a short drive to a nearby mountain town of Silvia to browse the market stalls of the local Guambiano Indigenous people.

In Cartagena students will discover the colonial Caribbean seaport and fortification system (the largest in South America) that played a central role in securing Spain’s control of the region until the 19th century, and where pirates—under orders of the British and French Empires—vied to expand European colonization in the Americas.