College of Human Sciences Study Abroad: Summer 2018

The College of Human Sciences (COHS) provides students with a wide range of experiential learning opportunities around the globe that each work towards our mission of improving and enhancing the human condition.

Study abroad is seen by industry leaders as a highly-valued experience that provides students the chance to develop multicultural and global skills. This summer's study abroad courses featured many countries and learning opportunities. From Scotland to Spain, the journey offered a unique approach to a classroom setting.

Retailing in Scotland and Ireland

RTL 4300/RETL 5300: Retailing Field Study Tour

Hospitality and Retail Management (HRM) students ventured to Scotland and Ireland in the Retail 4300 and 5300 courses. The study tour included trips to local distilleries, the Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, and many guided sessions with retail and hospitality speakers. The trip was a unique opportunity to network with professionals from major UK retailers including Harvey Nichols, Jenners, House of Fraser, and more.

Retail Management Program Director and Interim Associate Chairperson of Hospitality and Retail Management Deborah Fowler, Ph.D. believes that study abroad is important for all Texas Tech University students, but particularly when study tours like this are available for Retail Management majors.

"They not only learn about retailing and culture in other countries, but they learn how to travel as a business person," Dr. Fowler said.

Dr. Fowler recalls a student in a previous year who traveled on a study tour to Europe.

"Immediately upon graduating one of the students was sent by her new employer, a major retail software provider, to India," Dr. Fowler said. "Study abroad is more than just following a professor in another country, but it is also being respectful of the culture, learning the cultural norms, and accepting things never go as planned."

Imagineering Emotions -TTU-KIIT Workshop in Sevilla, Spain

ENVD 5311: Individual Study in Environmental Design and Consumer Economics

The Department of Design's Debajyoti Pati, Ph.D. led an international study abroad workshop in Sevilla, Spain. While exploring the unique Spanish architecture and pristine beaches, students from KIIT University were invited to learn from faculty in the College of Human Sciences' Department of Design.

Students from KIIT University were taught to use biomimicry concepts to develop sustainable design solutions for the elderly Spanish population. International working teams comprising of students and faculty from three universities in three continents together discovered the cultural differences between each team's elderly populations.

"We appreciated the cultural differences between the elderly population in the U.S., Europe, and India, while learning about the differences in emotional, psychological, physical, and financial needs," Dr. Pati said.

Collegiate Recovery Community in Prague

ADRS 4000: Family Dynamics and Educational Process in Central Europe

This course is an examination of the family dynamics of addiction and recovery. Specific reference to understanding the factors and influences of substance abuse, addiction, and the process of recovery in Central Europe was explored through this journey abroad. Students learned first-hand the factors of addiction and were able to understand both personal and familial factors that contribute to substance abuse, addiction, and recovery.

Students have the opportunity to attend historical sites in Prague as well as community recovery meetings in the surrounding area. Located on the banks of the Vltava River, Prague is rich in political, cultural, and economic history.

Nutrition, Culture and Community in South Africa

NS 4330, NS 4130, NS 2380

All majors, with a particular focus on pre-health professions and dietetic majors, were invited to learn in South Africa through the Community Nutrition and Cultural Foods courses in the Nutritional Sciences department. Students were able to work in a variety of community settings that provided the local communities with nutritional education to children, adults, and elderly.

"They learned cultural food practices and how to design a nutrition education program for specific populations," Assistant Professor and Chief Dietitian of Nutrition & Metabolic Health Initiative (NMHI) Allison Childress, Ph.D., said. "Most of the students described their experiences as life-changing."

Dr. Childress says she enjoyed seeing the students grow in their knowledge and skills as they put into practice what they've learned in the classroom.

"I love to see the students gain confidence in themselves as they learn to navigate new cultures, languages, climates, and societies."

Want to know more about what it's like to study abroad in the College of Human Sciences?

Watch this video to hear about the experience from a student and faculty member in the Department of Design.