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First Year Experience Abroad

The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s First Year Experience Abroad is designed to challenge students to explore a topic through cultural immersion. These academic programs will broaden the student's initial experience in a subject and allow them to explore an area of strong interest early in their college career.

The programs aim to demonstrate the benefits of study abroad experiential learning and encourage students to make plans early to undertake a more extensive study abroad experience later in their college career. FYE Abroad is an optional course experience for students during the spring semester of their first year. These one-credit courses are meant to introduce students to their study abroad options.

First-year students are eligible for these courses regardless of whether they choose to complete their FYE requirement in the fall or spring semester.

Learn More About Study Abroad
FYE Students visit Nyhavn Harbour in Copenhagen, Denmark Accent Image

Go abroad during your first year!

FYE Abroad students visit Nyhavn Harbour in Copenhagen, Denmark during Spring Break 2024

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FYE Abroad 2026 Opportunities

For specific information about cost, signing up, and course requirements, please contact the course's program directors, which can be found beneath the course descriptions. Applications for FYE Abroad 2026 open on August 19, 2025 and are due by October 15, 2025.
  • Culinary Roots and Routes on the Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe
    FYET 116: Culinary Roots and Routes on the Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe

    Embark on an academic journey to Guadeloupe, where you'll delve into the island's rich culinary traditions and breathtaking natural landscapes. This immersive program will explore the history and cultural influences that have shaped the unique foodways of the French West Indies. Meet farmers and artisans at open-air markets, talk and taste with sustainable chocolate cultivators, learn to make signature dishes with a Guadeloupean chef, journey the island’s dramatic land and seascapes with naturalist guides, and experience the island’s acclaimed UNESCO center in honor of the memory of enslaved people to understand the roots and routes that have come to define the island’s intricate blend of African, Caribbean, and French flavor.

    Program Directors: Lauren Ravalico

     

     

  • Mayan Crossroads: Spanish and Mayan Language & Culture in Belize

    FYET 120: Mayan Crossroads: Spanish and Mayan Language & Culture in Belize

    Let’s explore the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Belize! Through this immersive study abroad experience, students will witness firsthand the intersections of Spanish and English with local and indigenous languages, with a focus on Q’eqchi, the most widely spoken Mayan language in Belize. During this 8-day program, students will visit Mayan communities (like San Ignacio, San Antonio, and San Pedro Columbia), engage with indigenous communities, learn about the growing and preparation of coffee and/or chocolate, participate in Q’eqchi language classes, visit impressive archaeological sites, and explore ethical approaches to indigenous language preservation. This transformative journey offers an excellent opportunity for all participants to develop intercultural and linguistic competence.

  • Happiness & Sustainability in Denmark

    FYET 132: Happiness & Sustainability in Denmark

    In a major cross-cultural study of happiness, Denmark consistently rates in the top 5 happiest countries in the world. Why are the Danes so happy? How does one’s life satisfaction relate to cultural factors in particular? In 2021 Denmark was ranked as the second-highest nation for sustainability, and Copenhagen in particular has transformed itself in the past 4 decades. We will explore these issues in the city of Copenhagen and on the Danish Island of Bornholm. We will meet weekly in January and February to discuss book chapters and readings. We will learn more about hygge (a Danish sense of coziness/belonging), and the traps of materialism (gaining pleasure from material objects), both in terms of the health of the planet and our personal mental health. There will be two or three short writing assignments.

    Program Directors: Lisa Ross and Jen Wright

    Learn more about the Denmark first-year experience in the Summer 2024 issue of CofC Magazine!

  • Shakespeare in Scotland: Macbeth and History

    FYET 139: Shakespeare in Scotland: Macbeth and History

    Explore the city of Edinburgh and tour Macbeth country and the Highlands. We will study and compare Shakespeare's imagined Scotland and the historical Scotland of the 11th century ruler known as the Red King. Learn how the play has influenced tourism in Scotland and experience the magic of them both.

    Program Directors: Susan Kattwinkel and Alison Smith

  • United Kingdom: Soccer Experience

    FYET 169: UK Soccer Experience

    An examination of the role of football in English society provides unique opportunities to investigate the complexities of contemporary England. The course examines historical and philosophical meanings associated with the sport of football as well as the role of football within English culture, politics, social conflict, and social change. The main goal of the course is to understand the socio-cultural dynamics of the relationship between football and English society. The course is designed around four main tenets: League Structure & Divisions; History & Culture; Geography; Stadiums & Grounds.

    Program Directors: Bruce Fleming and Cam Saleeby