Blending Academics and Culture: The Uniqueness Behind EdOdyssey's Virtual Study Abroad Program
Expand your academic experience this semester with courses that go beyond traditional online classes. Take part in EdOdyssey’s virtual study abroad program that uniquely combines a cultural learning module with academic course(s) at the top university in Peru.
Expand your academic experience this semester with courses that go beyond traditional online classes. Take part in EdOdyssey’s virtual study abroad program that uniquely combines a cultural learning module with a selection of academic courses at the top university in Peru.
This is an incredible opportunity for eager learners excited about taking their education to gain cultural and academic knowledge from a local perspective.
Growing your global understanding is integral to being an impactful society member wherever you live. Throughout the virtual study abroad program, you will connect with Peruvian professors to learn about either Indigenous Rights, Peruvian History, Global Pandemics, Spanish language, or Traditional Medicine in the Andres.
While students receive academic coursework, our Peruvian team based in Peru will engage in an open dialogue and support students while they learn about aspects of Peruvian culture.
As a Virtual Study Abroad student, you’ll gain knowledge about Peru from local perspectives, gain cultural competencies and even prepare yourself for future study abroad and travel!
LOCAL PERSPECTIVE
These courses, taught by PUCP professors who are highly knowledgeable in their fields, will create an opportunity for students to connect with other students throughout the U.S., while also engaging in dialogue with the Peruvian professors.
Class photo with one of the awesome professors at PUCP from our in-person semester program
How often do you get the chance to take a course about “Indigenous Rights and Legal Pluralism” with a Peruvian professor who has extensive knowledge and experience related with indigenous rights? This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity!
The five exceptional course options challenge students to build cultural competencies beyond the classroom. By learning directly from Peruvian professors with lived experience in Latin America, students will be able to ask questions, engage in fruitful dialogue and greatly expand their knowledge.
CULTURAL MODULE: BECOMING A GLOBAL CITIZEN
In an increasingly globalized world, these courses provide you with an opportunity to gain crucial skills of cultural competence and a wider global perspective through interacting with citizens from another country and covering important sociocultural topics. The cultural module of the Virtual Study Abroad program will include a series of guest speakers who will share their perspectives and experiences on numerous topics related to accomplishments and challenges in Peru.
Various presentations will inspire you to reflect and gain perspective on your personal identity, experiences, and capital through discussions and conversations in the cultural modules. While specific aspects of Peruvian society may not resonate with a student, there are numerous takeaways which students can use to reflect on social justice issues and questions such as:
How can I make a difference in the world and community in which I am a part of?
In what ways can I focus my community engagement where I live?
In what ways do my individual actions impact global economies, societies, and peoples?
What values do people have in different regions such as rural areas and cities?
A TASTE BEFORE STUDYING ABROAD
For high school upperclassmen and college students, this program may also be helpful for those debating studying abroad or future travel. Knowledge gained will help students build cultural confidence and possibly reduce the intensity of culture shock upon arriving to study abroad in Lima in the future.
The Peruvian History and Culture course will be particularly useful for students who will eventually study abroad in Lima, as you will be able to discuss historical events and social issues with locals. As wonderful as study abroad information sessions and slideshows may be, the more you know before you go abroad will help you feel ready and excited about the new experiences to come.
IS VIRTUAL STUDY ABROAD THE RIGHT FIT FOR ME?
If you are a high school upperclassmen, high school graduate, or undergrad student then YES, this program is PERFECT FOR YOU! Knowledge about diverse cultures, regions, and societies will help you succeed in any avenue you pursue in life. Additionally, during this unprecedented time of a global pandemic, some may find the course “Pandemics, Global History & Peruvian Society” to be an exciting new perspective on what is happening across the world.
If you plan to travel somewhere, the lessons you learn in this program about Peru’s culture will apply to various aspects of your life. Learning about Peru’s diverse range of cultures, climates, and languages will help students reflect on their own realities and how they’d like to better engage with them.
If you’re still working on your Spanish, or haven’t studied a language in awhile, that’s okay! The Peruvian History, Indigenous Rights, and Global Pandemics courses will be offered in English. You will provide you with an opportunity to learn about various aspects of Peruvian culture and society, expand your cultural competency and better align you for a future of impactful societal engagement.
If you’re looking to improve your intermediate or advanced Spanish language skills, or learn about Traditional Medicine in the Andes, you’ll gain even more perspective and improve your language skills!
Want to learn more about the virtual study abroad program? Learn more about the Curriculum and Experience!
Scholarships That Inspire: Share Your Passion for the Global Community
Education is becoming more and more integrated with virtual learning and now you have access to virtual programs that connect you with people and ideas from different continents. Continuing to engage with people of different backgrounds, and learning about new cultures is vital even if travel opportunities are limited.
Education is becoming more and more integrated with virtual learning and now you have access to virtual programs that connect you with people and ideas from different continents. Continuing to engage with people of different backgrounds, and learning about new cultures is vital even if travel opportunities are limited.
Scholarships that increase access to programs are integral to any program, which is why we’re proud to present exciting scholarship opportunities for our virtual programs .
Students are highly encouraged to apply for EdOdyssey’s merit-based scholarship opportunities, and to share with the EdOdyssey team what excites and inspires them about the world. EdOdyssey does its absolute best to provide all students with access to affordable programs so that students of all backgrounds, identities, and socioeconomic statuses are able to learn, explore, discover, and connect with global societies.
SHARE YOUR PASSION FOR GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
Our scholarship prompts enable you to reflect on your experiences, passions, and inspirations, and to share some of this with the EdOdyssey team. Learn more below about the ways you can convey your passions and desire to explore global perspectives with the EdOdyssey scholarship committee.
Both of our scholarship prompts encourage you to share your personal experiences, interests, and inspirations, while thinking about how they connect with international education. Global thinking and engagement are central to both of our two prompts for our virtual programs that you’ll see below.
The prompts ask you to reflect on the EdOdyssey values and mission, as well as your personal experiences.
1. Young Global Citizen
This prompt focuses on EdOdyssey’s vision for students to become Global Citizens. Global Citizens are always looking to expand their knowledge of the world, gain an international scope of social problems and systems, and develop crucial communication and cultural competency skills to understand people from unique backgrounds.
The first option within this prompt is to describe an international leader who you look up to and discuss the qualities which make them an inspiring global citizen. The second option asks you to be more introspective and explain what you would like to learn from the world as a global citizen.
It also challenges you to think about some new skills you could gain from EdOdyssey’s programs and how your global education could inspire others to also become global citizens.
2. A Diverse and Connected World
This second prompt focuses on the highly connected world which all of us are a part of and how you expand your understanding of humanity from international exposure. The prompt asks you to indicate a time when you had a meaningful interaction with someone, or a group of people, from a different background, culture, or country than your own.
Follow up questions will guide your response as you think about how this interaction influences your desire to engage in international studies, and connect with people of different cultures or backgrounds from your own. Additionally, we ask you to think more broadly about the importance of meaningful dialogue or shared experiences with people of different backgrounds.
CHOOSING A SUBMISSION THAT REFLECTS YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL
You are encouraged to use your talents and submit the application material that you believe best represents you as a person and learner, and that demonstrates your strengths and passions. The options for submission are a Poetry Portfolio, two short written responses, one long essay response, a video, or Photography. All submissions require some sort of written component, whether it is the essay option, or a caption to accompany a video or photography submission.
SUBMISSION EVALUATion
Our scholarship committee judges entries based on how well participants reflect our company values of Authenticity, Positivity, Harmony, Passion, Professionalism, and Adaptability. Additionally, students are encouraged to reflect on our motto “Travel Changes People, People Change the World” and how it relates to their journey.
Our scholarship committee looks for insightful responses from enthusiastic students who are excited to open themselves to new experiences from different cultures. Organization of the essay or entry and whether the student responded to the prompt completely will also be taken into consideration when evaluating entries.
CREATIVE FREEDOM
The goal of these scholarships is to enable excited and eager learners to participate in EdOdyssey’s virtual programs. While our team asks that you follow the scholarship instructions and guidelines, we also want to encourage creativity and allow some flexibility.
The various submission options allow you to showcase your best style of work, and be able to respond to either one or both prompts depending on your preference. High quality, thoughtfully created submissions are what we are looking for and excited to receive from you! Scholarships are available for students registered in any Virtual Study Abroad program or the Virtual Medical Spanish course.
As a company that values authenticity, we look forward to hearing your experiences and learning about how your personal passions, experiences, goals, and interests relate to international education.
To learn more about EdOdyssey’s new virtual programs, head over to the EdOdyssey website!