Clarke Students Visit London and Paris

In early May, 13 Clarke students, faculty, and friends of the University enjoyed a short-term study abroad trip to England and France. The trip is offered every other year as part of BUMG 280 Special Topics-London/Paris, taught by Instructor of Business B’Ann Dittmar. 

Throughout the weeklong trip, participants saw highlights of art, architecture, and culture. In England, this included stops at Piccadilly Circus, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and more. The second half of the journey took students to the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre, and many other locations in France. 

Business Administration major and class valedictorian Emma Kanne ’24 was lucky enough to have her father, mother, and sister join her on the trip, making the memories made on the journey even more special. 

“I can finally say I saw the Mona Lisa in person!” Emma said. “There were so many things to enjoy—especially the food. This was an amazing trip, and I was not ready to leave!” 

In the semester leading up to the trip, students in the Special Topics class undergo a cultural pre-assessment to gauge their cultural knowledge and ability to adapt in multicultural contexts. They then use the coursework and B’Ann’s guidance to work on their personal areas for growth, as well as more broadly analyzing differences between the United States and England and France within the class. 

“One of my favorite parts of the trip was watching my students demonstrate independence while learning how to navigate environments that are unfamiliar to them and learning to adapt to cultures that are different than their own,” B’Ann said. “When we returned, the students took a post-cultural assessment and the results showed that all of these students demonstrated growth in their cultural intelligence capabilities, due to what they learned in this course, and their experience with traveling abroad.” 

BUMG 280 Special Topics-London/Paris is just one of several study abroad and travel opportunities available to students and alumni through Clarke University. Watch our alumni events page for future trips.