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13 weeks
Theme: Indigenous Communities and Globalization
Global Engagement
Cross-cultural study programs at Goshen College
Building Relationships Locally and Abroad
As a Goshen College student, you will devote at least 12 credit hours to global citizenship and experiential learning. Goshen College’s premiere global engagement program, Study-Service Term (SST), offers students the opportunity to approach life, leadership and career as global citizens who are able to collaborate for the common good and respect human dignity across cultural differences.
We offer several global engagement themes designed to help focus your experience. You will discuss global issues, encounter people from other cultural backgrounds, and volunteer with a community organization. If you spend a semester abroad, you have the opportunity to learn to speak another language. We understand that travel can be a challenge for many students and their families, so we have developed multiple formats to better accommodate student needs.
The SST experience is one that stays with students well beyond graduation, with alumni regularly referencing their trips as some of their fondest and most formative memories.
Semester Format
Immerse yourself in another culture for 13 weeks. You’ll be able to focus on the experience without outside distractions, and your language skills will improve rapidly. Many students form strong bonds with their unit members and host families. Plan for a semester off-campus early in your college career to make scheduling easier.
Destinations
Sequential Format
Sequential students pursue the same learning goals as semester SSTers, but the immersion experiences are shorter. Follow a theme over a four-course sequence. You can take courses over several semesters or during three-week May terms. Foundations courses and Global Issues courses will take place in a classroom setting. Cultural Perspectives and Community Engaged Learning courses will immerse you in a new context–whether locally or abroad.
Required courses for SST in sequential formats
- GLST 241, Foundations – an introductory course on campus
- GLST 251, Cultural Perspectives – immersive/experiential study
- GLST 271, Community Engaged Learning – immersive/experiential service
- GLST 300, Global Issues – a final capstone course, on campus
Chicago and Elkhart County
Detroit
Disaster Site
Guatemala
India
London, UK
Northern Ireland
Puerto Rico
On Campus
semester courses or May terms with off-campus components
Theme: Multiple threads, including Global Health and Inequality
Global Themes
Our programs focus on a variety of themes. Choose your SST experience by location, by format – or pursue the theme that fits your interests best.
- Arts and Purpose
- Ecological Justice
- Global Health and Inequality
- Hispanic Identities and Resilience
- Indigenous Communities
- Interreligious Relations
- Peace and Reconciliation
- The Global Heartland
Study AbroadA Visit to Derry/Londonderry
In week two of our trip, our class went on its first train ride in Northern Ireland, and some of us rode a train for the first time! We were on our way to one of Northern Ireland’s more famous...
Study AbroadRathlin Island
At the start of our final week, we traveled from Corrymeela to downtown Ballycastle Harbor to meet the ferry that would take us to Rathlin Island. For some of us, it was our first time on a boat. The ride...
Study AbroadAt the Gateway to the Amazon
By Hillary Harder This week for our final group trip during the Study period, we traveled to the western edge of the Amazon rainforest. This was our first time leaving the central sierra region of Ecuador and traveling to a…
Study AbroadA Visit to Narnia: Dunluce Castle
To begin our second full week here in Northern Ireland, we set out for Dunluce Castle on a rainy Monday morning. Our journey began with our daily walk to Ballycastle to catch the bus. From there, our Translink bus drove...
Study AbroadSeamus Heaney HomePlace Museum
In the first week of our trip, after a day of orientation and rest, we took our first excursion: a long and bumpy bus ride from Corrymeela to Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy. While the journey there was hot and...
Study AbroadLife at Corrymeela
When we first arrived, the cliffside view of the coast reassured us that we were really here! Now on days when we don’t have any other excursions, we’ve settled into Corrymeela’s morning schedule of 8:30 breakfast (which always includes fresh...