U of A Launches 26 New Study Abroad Offerings

The University of Arizona Study Abroad office recently expanded its programs catalog, introducing 26 new and updated offerings, from Engineering Design in Germany to Fashion in Lima and “Cities of the Future” in Tokyo. The expansion is part of a broader effort to make study abroad accessible for every U of A student and a core part of the Wildcat academic experience.

"We’re working to create a culture shift on campus where study abroad isn't seen as something extra but rather an essential element of a U of A education," says Harmony DeFazio, executive director of U of A Study Abroad. "To get there, we aren't just looking to triple student participation — we want to triple faculty engagement as well, whether that’s by leading a program, teaching at our Arizona Abroad locations, helping with curriculum mapping, or just encouraging their students to study abroad."

Field Notes from Trinidad & Tobago: Rigor, Culture & Immersion

Dr. Nadia W-Charles, assistant professor in the College of Humanities Department of Africana Studies, was more than up for the challenge, working with Study Abroad to create one of the new course offerings: Culture & Community in the Caribbean.

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When W-Charles set out to help revitalize her department's Caribbean Studies certificate program, she felt a dedicated study abroad course was essential. "Arizona is not the Caribbean — it’s such a distinct cultural experience," she explains. "To really understand the region, students need to step inside a Caribbean neighborhood and view daily life through the eyes of a native."

Designed for immersion, academic rigor, and partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI), the 16-day itinerary balances historical and political inquiry with local engagement, with W-Charles leading students through activities in the neighboring West Indies islands where she grew up, Trinidad and Tobago.

Students will spend most of the program on Trinidad, staying in UWI housing, with a final three-day stretch in Tobago. Alongside local students, they’ll learn about Caribbean history, discover how small-island nations address things like public health and infrastructure, attend lectures, explore museums, tour historic and religious sites with the National Trust.

They’ll also visit villages where Spanish and French are still primary languages and attend Labor Day celebrations for perspectives on union organizing and participation — all with plenty of local musical and food traditions, including the steel pan, crab dumplings and callaloo, a stew made with the plant of the same name.  

A Lifelong Perspective on Global Citizenship

For W-Charles, awakening students to the power of international perspectives reflects her own experience as a scholar. Raised in Trinidad and Tobago, she didn't begin traveling internationally until her late twenties, when her graduate research took her across the UK, Jamaica, and the U.S.

“I was seeing people waking up to snow, but they had to go to class. They were going to their places of worship. There were the things that they eat at a particular time, and all their cultural traditions, and it was a mirror, in a sense, to just see, ‘Oh, this is how families work here.’ It made me appreciate so much what we all have in common, and though it might look different in other places, that love and community is the same."

"Write a course about something you love — something you’re genuinely excited about."

— Nadia W-Charles

One of her goals in creating the Culture & Community in the Caribbean study abroad course is to give her students the chance to discover their own insights, to have a similar broadening of horizons and experience the new understandings that come with it.

"It's really good for students to have these kinds of experiences that boost your critical thinking and your ability to empathize. It's important for students to understand that there's a world outside of their own."

Advice for Faculty Considering Study Abroad

For faculty inspired to take that step — whether designing a new course from scratch or getting involved in global teaching — W-Charles offers advice grounded in her own experience.

"Write a course about something you love — something you’re genuinely excited about," she offers. "And write that course for the students in your classes. Think about the kinds of questions they ask and the things they need to know to be a whole person. When you're excited to share that content, it doesn't seem like work — you’re just so excited to share it with everybody."

She also notes that faculty don't need to tackle logistics on their own. The U of A Study Abroad team works closely with instructors to handle US-side administrative setup, format requirements, cost structures, and more to make ideas for faculty-led programs a reality.

Full List of New & Updated U of A Study Abroad Offerings

Africana Studies

• Culture & Community in the Caribbean (Summer)

Architecture & Landscape Architecture

• CAPLA Abroad: Chile & Peru (Summer)
• CAPLA Abroad: Cities of the Future – Tokyo (Winter)

Business

• Eller in Indonesia (with Sampoerna University) – Emerging Markets Immersion (Summer)

East Asian Studies

• Arizona in Bhutan: Spiritual Ecology & Himalayan Buddhism (Summer)

Education

• CIELO Bali (Winter)
• CIELO Peru (Spring Break)
• CIELO Japan (Summer)
• Explore Barcelona (Spring Break)
• Explore Costa Rica (Summer)
• Explore Dublin (Summer)
• Explore Italy (Summer)
• Explore Panama (Winter)
• Explore Paris (Winter)
• Explore Tokyo (Spring Break)

Engineering

• Engineering Design in Germany (Spring Break)

Environmental Science

• Conservation Field Studies: Galapagos (Summer)

Fashion Science & Technology

• Fashion in Lima (Summer)

Honors College: Health & Human Values

• Global MedCats: Portugal – Honors (Summer)

Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences

• Hydrology Field Studies: Mexico (Summer)

Information Science

• Game Design & Development in Japan (Pre-Summer)

Nutritional Sciences & Wellness

• Nutrition & Physiology of Marathon Training: Portugal (Summer)

Public Health

• Alternative Visions of Health in India (Summer)
• Comparative Aging in Ireland (Summer)
• Environmental Health Field Studies: Guatemala (Winter)
• Maternal Health in The Americas: U.S. & Mexico (Spring Break)