Global Start

Global Start, a new addition to Clemson’s experiential learning portfolio, is designed exclusively for first year students. After one week on campus in July, students and faculty travel to a unique destination for 8-10 days while earning credit for a 3-credit Global Challenges course.   

Contact us at globalstart@clemson.edu   

 

Check the Power Point Global Start Overview here

 

Why Global Start?

  • Earn course credit before starting your fall semester
  • Travel with faculty experts to unique destinations
  • Get to know students with similar interests
  • Learn your way around campus and get over any “first course jitters”
  • Become part of the growing cohort of Global Start alumni
  • Gain experiences to launch your Clemson career

Who can apply? Application deadline extended until March 20th, 2023

  • All majors welcome!
  • Open only to incoming first year students
  • Students must be 18 years or older prior to travel
  • No prerequisites, no language requirements
  • For Spain and Italy programs, students must have valid passport until January 2024  

Costs: $1,911 tuition + program fee*

Program fee covers:
  • Group airfare and airport transfer
  • Accommodations while on-campus and traveling
  • All group activities, excursions and local transportation
  • Most meals
  • International health coverage

Program Dates: 

On Campus:
  • July 9-15, 2023
On Site:
  • July 16-24, 2023

 

2023 Destinations: 

Destinations are carefully selected to take advantage of Clemson’s partners around the world and to match faculty expertise. In addition, programs are limited to 16 students ensuring an enriched and engaged group dynamic. 

  • PUERTO RICO

    Move beyond the tourist façade of Puerto Rico to study how history, culture and identity are intertwined in the production of popular culture, identity and a sense of place. Students will hear from Puerto Rican artists, musicians, community organizers and historians. Perfect for students from any major interested in the processes of globalization and change. 

    After a week on campus, getting to know your fellow travelers, the faculty and learning a lot about Puerto Rico’s history, culture and arts, we will travel together from Charlotte to San Juan.  Once there, activities have been arranged to reinforce the readings allowing you to visualize, experience, question and absorb all the earlier learning.  We will be exploring Old San Juan and areas surrounding the capital,  and be doing things like:

    • Night kayaking in a Bioluminescent Bay,
    • Meeting with and hearing from musicians, from folk music to hip hop.
    • Exploring the island’s cuisine, and getting a cooking lesson from a local Chef
    • Walking through neighborhoods whose buildings are covered with incredible murals and street art
    • Holding discussions in the former home of the first elected Governor of Puerto Rico, providing insights to the important works of his time in office.
    				 

    Excursions and schedules may need to be adjusted due to weather, availability, or travel restrictions.

    HOUSING AND MEALS:  Dormitory housing and a meal plan are included in the program fee for the week at Clemson.  While in Puerto Rico, the full group, including the professor and staff mentor, will be staying in furnished apartments on the campus of Interamerican University.  Meal vouchers for breakfast and lunch will be provided for use in the campus cafeteria.  A group dinner will be offered on the first and final nights.  You will have the opportunity to explore local restaurants for dinner with classmates on the other nights.  Or, if you prefer, you can prepare a simple meal in your campus apartment.

    TRANSPORTATION:  Global start programs all include group airfare. The students will be traveling as a group, accompanied by the faculty member, and or staff mentor to the destination. A Clemson bus has been arranged to take students from Campus to the departing airport. For the return, students have the option of working directly with the travel agent to redirect (at their own expense) their return ticket to their home destination. If the student returns with the group to the original airport, transportation has been arranged from that airport back to the Clemson campus. The Spain and Italy group will be departing and arriving through the Atlanta airport. The Puerto Rico group will be using the Charlotte airport. 

     

    Program Leadership:

    SHARON NAGY, Ph.D. / Lead faculty

    Sharon Nagy, Ph.D. is a professor of Cultural Anthropology, serves as Clemson’s Associate Provost for Global Engagement and is the primary administrator for the Global Start portfolio.  Both her life and career have been flavored and focused on the movement of people around the globe.  Not only has she lived in nine countries on four continents, but her anthropological research focuses the lives of South Asian migrants in the global cities of the Middle East.  As a faculty member, she trusts in the power of informed and intentional travel to open minds and instill new knowledge and awareness in the traveler.  She has been designing, leading and building study abroad programs for over 15 years and has traveled with over 150 students.  These are, she claims “among the best courses and students I’ve taught over my career.  Join this program and I promise we will learn much from each other.”  

     

    JOSE CARLOS ARROYO, Ph.D. / Faculty

    TBA 

     

    MAGGIE GUERRA-AYALA / Staff Mentor

    Maggie Guerra-Ayala was born in Guatemala and is a former diplomat. She served her country for almost 12 years in different positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters for 5 years, and she served abroad for 6 years in different countries including Argentina and Washington D.C. She joined Clemson University 4 years ago and currently seerves as Program Operations Coordinator at the Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad. Maggie specializes in Exchange programs and agreements, global partnerships, and multilateral international negotiation. She speaks 5 languages, is a certified translator, and has study, trained and lived in Guatemala, Mexico, Italy, Argentina, and the USA. 

  • SPAIN

    Learning about Gender, Health and Human Rights might not at first glance seem like an exciting way to spend your final summer after high school. Well, we promise to prove you wrong! Everything from the on-campus classes to the on-site activities is designed for you to learn about important and timely challenges facing the world and become a more informed global citizen.  Yet, at the same time you will experience the wonders of a vibrant country, old and modern, that will captivate your senses with its history, culture, art scene, gastronomy, and unparalleled street life. We’ve left some room in the program for spontaneous opportunities to be decided by the group (we wouldn't really be in Spain otherwise...).  Here are a few highlights:

    • Visit Madrid's Prado and Reina Sofía National Museums, but also wander Madrid multicultural streets and popular markets. 
    • Meet a Supreme Court Justice and get a private tour of the Supreme Court as he shares major challenges facing the court and sharing surprising anecdotes.
    • Travel by train from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela enjoying the unique landscape and diverse geography along the way
    • Study on the campus of one of the oldest and most prestigious European universities, the beautiful University of Santiago de Compostela founded in 1495. Students have loved Santiago for centuries and are a distinctive force of the city. You will live in the dorms and have access to beautiful parks, live music, free theater and art fairs, amazing and inexpensive food. All within walking distance!
    • Visit the research Hospital of Santiago, meeting doctors and scholars to learn about Spain’s public health system
    • Learn the history of Santiago and understand why so many people from around the globe walk the Camino to its end in Santiago!
    • Go to the beach. Yes! We told you that you would have fun!

       

    Excursions and schedules may need to be adjusted due to weather, availability, or travel restrictions.

    HOUSING AND MEALS:  Dormitory housing and a meal plan are included in the program fee for the week at Clemson.  While in Santiago de Compostela, the full group, including the professor and staff mentor, will be staying in furnished dormitory on the campus of Universidad de Santiago de Compostela -USC-. Breakfast and lunch will be provided at the USC campus cafeteria. You will have the opportunity to explore local restaurants for dinner with classmates on the other nights.

    TRANSPORTATION:  Global start programs all include group airfare. The students will be traveling as a group, accompanied by the faculty member, and or staff mentor to the destination. A Clemson bus has been arranged to take students from Campus to the departing airport. For the return, students have the option of working directly with the travel agent to redirect (at their own expense) their return ticket to their home destination. If the student returns with the group to the original airport, transportation has been arranged from that airport back to the Clemson campus. The Spain and Italy group will be departing and arriving through the Atlanta airport. The Puerto Rico group will be using the Charlotte airport.

     

    Program Leadership:

    RAQUEL ANIDO, Ph.D. / Lead faculty

    Raquel Anido holds a Ph. D in Hispanic Studies from The Johns Hopkins University and a Law Degree from the University of Barcelona. She has also been a fellow at Boston University, Cornell University, and the University of Catania in Italy. At Clemson, Dr. Anido is an Associate Professor of Spanish and is affiliated faculty to the World Cinema program. She has received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching (2017), the Gentry Award for Excellence in the Humanities (2015), and the National Scholars' Award of Distinction for student mentorship (2012). Her research and teaching address contemporary Spanish culture, with a double emphasis in politics and law. She is the author of the book  El pasado en solfa. La música literaria y fílmica de la España contemporánea (Barcelona: Anthropos, 2018), which examines the role of music within literature and film vis-à-vis the Spanish past and historical memory. 

    Dr. Anido led the 2019 Maymester for the National Scholars Program in Spain. The course on campus explored the multicultural heritage of Medieval Spain before the group toured Granada, Cáceres, Toledo, Santiago de Compostela, and Madrid in order to address contemporary resonances and current debates on religious conflict, immigration, and Human Rights. 

    JULIA SHERRY, M.S. / Staff mentor

    Julia Sherry,  M.S, MPH, is a lecturer in the Department of Public Health Sciences and coordinates internships for the Language and International Health Program.  She holds a Master of Public Health degree and a Master of Science in Geography degree from Virginia Tech, as well as graduate certificate in Global Planning and International Development.  Her teaching and professional practice focus on global public health issues, with a special focus on water, sanitation, and hygiene in low-income countries.  She teaches Global Health and Social Epidemiology in the Department of Public Health Sciences, as well as Internship Abroad and Internship Abroad Preparation courses in the Language and International Health program.  Prior to joining Clemson in 2021, Julia worked for Water Mission, a nongovernmental organization that designs, builds, and implements safe water solutions in developing nations and disaster areas.  She has completed global health research and field work in Latin America and the Caribbean, East Africa, and Southeast Asia.

  • ITALY

    Explore the rich culture of Rome and investigate the scientific advancements that have enabled the centuries long conservation of Roman culture. Among the vast aspects of Roman culture, the course takes a close look at the conservation of architectural monuments, decorative arts, food practices and agriculture. 

    After a week on campus, getting to know your fellow travelers, the faculty and learning a lot about Rome’s history, culture and arts, we will travel together from Atlanta to Rome.  Once in Rome, our days will be spent exploring the city, visiting historic landmarks such as the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountian and the Pantheon. On an excursion outside of Rome, to the Minardi vineyard, students will be learning about sustainable food systems  and attend a Pizza making masterclass. Under the guidance of an Art Historian at the American University of Rome, one day will be spent learning how ancient mosaics have been uncovered and restored.  Students will even have a chance to make their own mosaic in the lab that day. 

     Excursions and schedules may need to be adjusted due to weather, availability, or travel restrictions.

    HOUSING AND MEALS:  Dormitory housing and a meal plan are included in the program fee for the week at Clemson.  While in Italy, the full group, including the professor and staff mentor, will stay in a hotel near the Vatican City with convenient transportation connections to dowtown Rome. Breakfast is included at the hotel, and lunch vouchers will be provided during the trip.  You will have the opportunity to explore local restaurants for dinner with classmates on the other nights

    TRANSPORTATION:  Global start programs all include group airfare. The students will be traveling as a group, accompanied by the faculty member, and or staff mentor to the destination. A Clemson bus has been arranged to take students from Campus to the departing airport. For the return, students have the option of working directly with the travel agent to redirect (at their own expense) their return ticket to their home destination. If the student returns with the group to the original airport, transportation has been arranged from that airport back to the Clemson campus. The Spain and Italy group will be departing and arriving through the Atlanta airport. The Puerto Rico group will be using the Charlotte airport.

     

    Program Leadership:

    MINORY NAMMOUZ, Ph.D. / Lead faculty

    Dr. Minory Nammouz is a principal lecturer at Clemson University Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences department. Dr. Nammouz's research and teaching interests relate to studying how students learn. She applies research-based teaching methodologies to develop introductory science courses for nonscience majors. Nammouz developed and implemented a series of science classes for nonscience majors that reinforced the interconnection among scientific concepts. Her introductory courses range from physical sciences to environmental science and sustainability. Her main pedagogical goal is to incorporate global learning into college classes through virtual exchange models to assist students in seeing the connections between their studies and the world outside the classroom. Nammouz served as a Global Learning Institute Faculty Fellow to support the Clemson University International Virtual Exchange -IVE- initiatives.   

    CALEB McGill, M.A. / Staff mentor

    Caleb McGill serves as a Program Operations Coordinator for the Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad, where he supports and manages a portfolio of faculty-directed programs. He joined Clemson's team in June 2022 after earning his Master of Arts in International Education from the University of Maryland, but has over 5 years of professional international experience, including designing, managing, and advising for study abroad and international exchange programs. Caleb also studied abroad for a semester in Hong Kong during his junior year of undergraduate study and worked as English teacher in China for one year after completing his undergraduate studies. These experiences serve him well to support the university's study abroad programs, and he looks forward to sharing in a meaningful travel experience with students.

     

  • Costs in detail*  
     
    Puerto Rico Spain Italy
    Program Fee $2,100 $3,400 $4,000
    Tuition $1,911 $1,911 $1,911
    TOTAL Program Price $4,011 $5,311 $5,911 
     

Financial Policies & Withdrawal deadlines:

APPLICATION FEE: The $750 application deposit is only refundable if you are not placed in a program, or the program is cancelled.

PROGRAM FEE: Once you have committed to the program as indicated above, you will be held liable for the full program fee.

TUITION: Tuition refunds are determined by the University tuition and fee schedule.

Financial Aid:

To discuss if you would qualify for Financial Aid, please send an email to finaid@clemson.edu