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 AbroadFirst Translink Trip: Giant’s Causeway
On Friday, May 29th, after making the 30-minute trek from Corrymeela to downtown Ballycastle, we made our first voyage using Northern Ireland’s location public transportation system TransLink. After Jessica purchased 17 tickets we took our seats on the...
Study AbroadMeeting Muralist, Hector Duarte
By Kaliah Lefever and Kenny May Nearly every wall seemed to tell a story as we walked the streets of Pilsen with our guide, Luis Tubens. Luis introduced us to the Mexican muralist movement while guiding us past the neighborhood’s…
Study AbroadLiving History in Cuenca
By Hillary Harder This week our travels took us to the beautiful city of Cuenca in the south of Ecuador! Because it’s a long ways from Quito, we broke up the drive and spread our travels over the whole week,…
Study AbroadVisit from N. Irish author Tony Macaulay
On Saturday night, Northern Irish author Tony Macaulay visited our group to answer student questions and read from his book Paperboy, which the students were assigned to read before the start of the class. Paperboy tells the story of Macaulay’s...
Study AbroadMusic of the People
By Hillary Harder This week in Quito our group experienced a very different type of “guest lecture” – a musical presentation by a band called the Banda de Pueblo Urbano! The banda de pueblo is a long-standing musical tradition in…
Study AbroadVolunteering at Corrymeela
We’re working on more posts about our excursions, but in the meantime, here are some photos from Thursday afternoon. The students completed their first round of volunteer hours at Corrymeela. The weather was beautiful, and they helped harvest vegetables...