TRAVEL AND LEARN IN 2014 WITH VIU’S EUROPEAN FIELD SCHOOLS

Vancouver Island University has announced Study Abroad programs for 2014 that include opportunities for the public to join students in learning about art, history, architecture and culture in several of Europe’s most beautiful and interesting cities.

The 2014 Study Abroad destinations open to public participation include field schools with the Liberal Studies Department in Italy and Turkey; travels in Poland with VIU’s English and Art History Departments; and an art and cultural trip to Portugal, Spain and Morocco with the Visual Arts program.

Study Abroad programs are open to VIU students for university credit, and also to members of the public who are interested in learning while experiencing the culture, history, art, food, and heritage sites of storied European destinations.

Dr. John Black, Dean in the Faculty of Social Sciences, has coordinated field schools to Italy and Turkey for 16 years. The Liberal Studies Abroad program, offered since 1997, includes on-site lectures, seminars, art studio tours, and guided visits to galleries, museums, concert halls and other cultural sites in either Italy or Turkey. The Italy field school is planned for May 15 to June 15, 2014, while tentative dates for Turkey are May 3 to 24, 2014.

“Our field school destinations in Italy and Turkey offer rich environments for exploring art, architecture, literature, geography, science, music and philosophy,” Black says.

Terri Doughty, Chair of the English Department at VIU, is co-leading a field school in Wroclaw, Poland May 12 to June 2, 2014 with Dr. Justin McGrail, a professor in Art History. Doughty is looking forward to returning to the historical old city with a group eager to explore the area’s art, architecture, and literature, and multi-ethnic history. The group will also take day trips to Auschwitz, the historic Peace Church in Swidnica and Ksiaz Castle, as well on an overnight trip to Krakow, Poland’s cultural heart.

“Our field school in Poland includes hostel accommodation, and includes opportunities for independent exploration by public participants who joins this Study Abroad program, in addition to the activities planned for the group,” Doughty says.

VIU’s Visual Arts Department will set off on a 16-day art and cultural tour in Spain, Portugal and Morocco that includes stops in Lisbon, Seville, Gibraltar, Granada, Madrid, and Marrakesh. Students and those joining the tour for pleasure will take in Roman temples, medieval alleyways, Islamic mosques and great cathedrals, as well as some of the world’s most famous art museums.

“Participants on the tour will have the option to extend it with three days in Barcelona,” says tour leader Cole, professor of Visual Art and Art History at VIU.

To learn more about Study Abroad programs through VIU that are open to public participants, see www.viu.ca/educationabroad and click on “Field Schools/Trips”. Contact information for group leaders, as well as dates for upcoming field school information sessions, are included under each Study Abroad destination.

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For more information and updates on Study Abroad programs offered through VIU, see www.viu.ca/educationabroad

Media Contact
Shari Bishop Bowes, Communications Officer, Vancouver Island University
P:250.740.6443 C: 250.618.1535 E: sharibishop.bowes@viu.ca T: @viunews