International Opportunities

Complement your WGSS Minor with Global Experiences

Study Business and Culture at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan

Kansai Gaidai University, located between the business city of Osaka and the traditional city of Kyoto, offers a wide array of course options for international students that span a wide variety of disciplines, including business, gender and sexuality, and Japanese language. All courses are offered in English.

KGU is an excellent study abroad program for WGSS minors because it offers numerous cultural courses focusing on gender and sexuality in Japan, highlighting how women, gender, and sexuality studies programs are an international academic focus. Review the below sample courses offered during previous semesters. Remember these courses are subject to change each semester, so you should speak to an Education Abroad Advisor.

• Gender and Sexuality in Japan: Norms, Practice and Selves in Motion
• Sexuality and Culture in Japan: Shifting Dimensions of Desire, Relationship and Society
• Culture Power and Belonging in Japan: Perspectives on the Making of Minorities and Majorities
• The Geisha - Evolution and Role in Contemporary Japan
• Women in the Economy

Students in Dr. Jeffry T Hester's Gender and Sexuality in Japan course at the famous Takarazuka Review, an all-female musical theater, for a class field trip. 

Jordan Traut, an MU English and Anth student, is pictured. Second row, gray jacket. (Fall 2019)

 MU student Jordan Traut (middle) at her internship as a Flash Quote Reporter for the 2019 Rugby World Cup at Hanazono Stadium in Japan.

Jordan interned with students from Canada (left) and New Zealand (right).

Check out those official press passes! (Fall 2019)

Statue honoring indigenous Ainu women located in Hokkaido, Japan.

MU student Jordan Traut visited this statue during her fall break at Kansai Gaidai. She traveled from her host family's home in Kozenji, Hirakata (two train stations away from the university) to the northern-most island of Japan by plane to learn about the significance of Japan's indigenous women. She studies North American indigenous women at Millersville and was hoping to learn something that built a bridge between her women's studies at home and across the globe. (Fall 2019)

Study Language and Culture in Cusco, Peru

If you cannot locate a partner university in a country or discipline of your choice, students are encouraged to work with International Programs and Services (IPS) to find outside study abroad organizations with programs that best suit their academic needs and personal ambitions. In this way, students, especially those interested in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, can build a unique program with courses and outside-the-classroom experiences tailored to their major(s) and minor(s). 

This is exactly what Leah Hoffman, a Spanish Major, did during her junior year (2019) at Millersville! She studied in Cusco, Peru with an organization called International Studies Abroad (ISA) with the help of her department and IPS. Leah specifically wanted to study Peruvian language and culture. Ultimately, she learned a lot about the significance of women in Peruvian society.  

Leah (front, left) and another international student (back, left) and their host family at a restaurant in Peru.

Unlike many male-centered or "machista" cultures in Central and South America, Peruvian society is very matriarchal. Through living with her host family, Leah recognized the level of communication that her host mother maintained with each of her children, even those who were no longer living in the home. She was the unifying factor for the whole family, and enjoyed being the point of contact for her children. 

As a society, Peru's language of love is bonding over meals. Leah's host mother prided herself on having a hospitable home and sharing tradition through cooking and eating. (Fall 2019)

 

 In the picture on the left, Irma, an indigenous student who worked and lived with Leah in their host family's home, was studying Spanish and attending school in Cusco because her native language is Quechua. Leah learned firsthand about the limited opportunities for indigenous women in Peru. Recently, the younger generation has been raising awareness about gender inequality and organizing movements to push for indigenous women, especially, to have better access to education and employment. The younger generation, in Leah's experience, has begun to change the dynamics in Peru. In the picture below, MU student, Leah (standing, left), is with a group of young girls from a local school.  (Fall 2019)

Start Your Journey Abroad Today!

All WGSS students can benefit from studying the women and minority groups of other countries. Study abroad at Millersville University advances the quality of your traditional education and can be tailored to meet your major requirements. Additionally, international internships and study abroad stand out on your resume, making you a more impressive applicant in any competitive job market.

Start your journey by contacting the Office of International Programs and Services, today! Email: Education.Abroad@millersville.edu.

Visit the International Programs and Services website to learn more