Summer Study Abroad

Students interested in earning study abroad credit for overseas study during the summer should follow the same procedures for study abroad during the academic year, but students are not required to select a program from the list of Approved Programs for Overseas Study. Although student do not need to select from the list, students are required to select an accredited program in order to receive credit on the Butler transcript. Accredited program courses are taught by faculty hired by an accredited institution. The official transcript must be issued by an accredited institution. To determine whether an institution is accredited, it must be recognized by a US accrediting body or that country's Ministry of Education/similar accrediting body. Students are responsible for providing the appropriate documentation to demonstrate that a program is accredited. Butler's Center for Global Education, Office of Admissions and the Office of Registration and Records have the final authority in determining whether a program is accredited.

Students also have the option of participating in several Butler faculty-led summer programs. Offerings vary each summer, but below is a sample of programs that have been offered in the past.

Butler Faculty-Led Summer Programs

Guadalajara Summer Program

The Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Butler University directs a three week summer study tour each year in Guadalajara, Mexico. The program consists of five hours of daily one-on-one oral/aural practice with an experienced "maestro" from Guadalajara. Students meet each morning in the historic city center and are paired with a different maestro and cultural tour. By rotating the maestros and guided tours, students experience a wide variety of accents, personalities, and aspects of Mexican culture. Students increase their language proficiency and expand their cultural knowledge as well by living with carefully chosen host families who have participated in the program for many years. Additional activities include weekend trips and classes in ceramics and dance.

Summer Trip to Britain - Shakespeare in Performance

Travel to Britain to see six Shakespeare plays in performance. Students meet before and after each performance to discuss issues of theatrical production and its impact on interpretation. Students must write a review for each play. Tour to include several days in Stratford, a stop in Bath, and several days in London. To learn more about the Summer Trip to Britain, please visit the program's website at http://blue.butler.edu/~wwalsh/london.html.

Summer Chinese Language and Culture Program at Nankai University in China

Students who complete two years of Chinese language study at Butler are eligible to participate in our six-week intensive language and culture program at Nankai University in Tianjin, China. The group is led by Dr. Li-chun Lee-Thompson, head of Butler's Chinese program. A highlight of the Nankai program is the "roaming tutorials" students participate in four afternoons a week. Each student is paired with a native speaker of Chinese, and the pair completes an assignment to visit a site of historical or contemporary social, economic, or cultural significance within the city. The goal is to rapidly develop students' linguistic and socio-cultural competence.

Collaboration with the University of Tasmania in Teacher Education

In the summer of 2004, Professor Lucinda Wilson led a group of six teacher education students to Tasmania for a month-long period of learning about education in Australia and practice teaching in Tasmania primary and secondary schools.

Searching for non-Butler Summer Programs

The Center for Global Education does not maintain extensive information on summer programs, but the Study Abroad Advisor is available to provide guidance to students interested in studying abroad during the summer. Students should begin their search process by determining what they want to accomplish from the summer program. Completing the Understanding Your Goals and Identifying Your Objectives worksheets can help clarify what type of program would be most suitable. The following websites provide search engines specifically for searching study abroad programs.

Financial Aid and Billing

Institutional and federal financial aid is generally only available during the academic year. Students should consult the Office of Financial Aid individually to determine whether financial is available for their summer study abroad program. Students are billed directly by the program and must submit payment directly to the program sponsor for non-Butler programs during the summer.