Study Abroad
Faculty members from various departments lead students on Study Abroad programs, including faculty on the Religious Studies Committee. In recent years, ECU programs with substantial religious content have visited Egypt, Ghana, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, and Mexico.
These are educational journeys for which students receive academic credit. A number of different funding agencies and foundations support foreign travel for academic purposes.
If you are interested in future study abroad programs, please feel free to contact Dr. Nyangweso.
Sacred Space in India
Each summer since 2006 to 2019, Dr. Maher, Director of ECU’s Religious Studies Program, has conducted a study abroad program to India. He is currently planning a program for 2020. Each year, students have visited sites sacred to adherents of many World Religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Jainism. Participants earned 6 s.h. credits as Humanities General Ed electives or as general electives for their major. There are no prerequisites, and instruction is in English.
The Health Face of Rituals Project
Dr. Nyangweso has led the Study abroad program to Kenya since 2013. In her project titles Health Outcomes of Ritual, Dr. Nyangweso explores how religion and informed health outcomes. Specifically, she exposes her students to examinations of religiously sanctioned practices that have resulted in health concerns. These include practices such as puberty rites that lead to reproductive health concerns such as fistula, death rites related health concerns and much more. If you are interested in future study abroad programs to explore experiences, please feel free to contact her.