The school year is in full swing, and students all over campus are beginning to sign up for study abroad trips.

Study abroad opportunities are plentiful this year. Dr. Craig Christy, chair of the foreign languages department, strongly encourages every student to take advantage of the study abroad programs offered at UNA.

“The best time to study abroad is right now,” Christy said. “While you’re in your college years and you’re not tied down. You’re only limiting yourself if you don’t see other parts of the world.”

Dr. Keith Lindley is leading a trip to Paris March 23-31. The trip includes visits to the Louvre museum, the Royal Palace of Versailles, and a bus tour of Paris, as well as several other tours of the city. Students can earn up to six credit hours in FR 352 (French Culture and Civilization) and IE 499 (Intercultural Experience). The approximate cost of the trip is $2,500, plus tuition.

Students looking to earn credit during the May Intersession period can apply to participate in the Peru travel study program. Dr. Scott Infanger will be leading a group of 25 students through several major cities and places of interest in Peru. The program costs approximately $2,600, plus tuition, meals and incidentals.

Dr. Robert Adler will be taking a group of 20 students to spend six weeks traveling across parts of Spain. Students will spend four weeks studying at the university in Salamanca and the last nine days will be spent touring different cities and sightseeing. Students will stay with host families and get to experience much of the nightlife and festivities of Spain. The program costs $2,100, plus roundtrip airfare.

The Costa Rica travel study program will be taking place July 7-27. Dr. Claudia Vance will be leading the trip. Students will spend three weeks living with host families and attending Centro Panamericano de Idiomas, a SACS accredited Spanish language school. There will also be weekend excursions. The maximum enrollment for the trip is 15 students.

July 1-28, Drs. Jeffrey Bibbee and Lesley Peterson, of the History and English departments, will lead a group of 20 students to London. Participants will earn six hours of course credit in either History or English after completing an in-depth, capstone-style research project. Students will have free time to explore the city, as well as travel to surrounding areas such as Oxford, Canterbury and Stonehenge. The total cost for the trip, including airfare and tuition, is approximately $5,700.

UNA students who have studied abroad in the past would strongly encourage other students to do the same. Allison Ray, a senior sociology and international studies major, has had the opportunity to study abroad twice.

“The most interesting and challenging part for me about studying abroad is finding a balance,” she said. “That balance between immersing yourself in this new culture and not losing who you are.”

Geography major Cynthia Martel spoke the same way.

“I was really looking forward to something new,” Martel said. “I think when you travel and study abroad, you really gain a new perspective and it changes your life and who you are. The culture is so different (in another country) and it makes you appreciate ours a little more.”

Students can contact the Foreign Languages department at 256-765-4390 for more information about studying abroad.