If you are looking for a way to navigate an increasingly global society, IDS 154, Introduction to Study Abroad, should be on your short list. A sprint course offered online for Fall 2020, IDS 154 is more than a more than a travel pre-departure course: it allows you to explore the culture-general frameworks that will allow you to feel more comfortable interacting and engaging with people from different cultural backgrounds, both at home and abroad.

Global Learning Coordinator Dave McAvoy, is looking forward to his second semester of teaching the course. "I think that IDS 154 is helpful for every Miami student, regardless of whether they have any immediate plans to study abroad or not," he said. "We're seeing right now that the world is a lot smaller even than many of us had assumed, and it's so much more important to have the resilience and global awareness necessary to work together to face the unfamiliar."

Students in IDS 154 consider questions, issues, and challenges that will be part of their travel, study, and daily lives while studying abroad and develop tools for increased cultural competencies. The course provides opportunities for deep discussion and a chance to practice new intercultural skills, culminating in a personal intercultural leadership vision statement.

"From the outset, this course will introduce you to the basic vocabularies of 'culture' and intercultural engagement, mapping out a specific and individualized plan for personal growth for every student in the class," said McAvoy. "We will develop the self-awareness, global mindset, attitude of exploration, and resilience necessary to communicate and behave appropriately and effectively when placed in challenging intercultural situations."

IDS 154 Overview