A group of 12 students from Misericordia University studied world music and experienced cultural immersion on a 10-day study abroad trip to Ireland that was sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts. Representing a variety of majors, the students participated in the trip during spring break as part of a semester-long course in world music that was taught by Ryan Weber, Ph.D., assistant professor of musicology and associate director of the Honors Program at Misericordia University.
The students and Dr. Weber participated in extensive tours of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, including Dublin and surrounding regions, the coastal city of Howth, and the eastern city of Dundalk where they were welcomed as special guests at a concert celebrating the 1916 Easter Rising – the centenary of Ireland's fight for independence. Students also had the opportunity to tour numerous historic sites throughout the country, including Mercy Center International – the homestead of Catherine McAuley from where she established the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1831. The Sisters of Mercy founded Misericordia University in 1924.
"The opportunity to study human identity and culture – especially its various perceptions and misconceptions – by traveling and interacting with people halfway around the world far surpasses any experience we could offer in the traditional classroom," said Dr. Weber. "At Misericordia, we are excited to expand the possibilities for developing a global perspective on critical issues that concern our students and our communities – both at home and abroad. This trip demonstrates that traveling to Ireland and engaging with scholars, artists and citizens of other countries prepares our students to be dynamic thinkers in a rapidly changing world. Even more, international travel permits us to gain a deeper perspective on others and ourselves."
Misericordia University has affiliation agreements with study abroad/away programs in Australia, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Wales, and at American University in Washington, D.C., and University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota. Misericordia also has an affiliation agreement with the Council on International Educational Exchange, a study abroad service provider based in Portland, Maine. In addition, faculty-led summer programs are taking place in Florence, Italy; Montreal and Quebec City, Canada; Ireland and Jamaica, as well as a short-term, collaborative public health program with Wilkes University in Uganda and Tanzania. The University also offers annual service-learning trips to Cross Keys, Jamaica and Georgetown, Guyana, and hosts service trips to Peru every other year, under the direction of Christine Somers, D.Min., director, Campus Ministry.
For more information about Misericordia University, please call (570) 674-6400 or log on to www.misericordia.edu. Misericordia University is Luzerne County's first four-year college and offers academic programs on the graduate and undergraduate levels in full- and part-time formats. Misericordia University ranks in the top tier of the Best Regional Universities – North category of U.S. News and World Report's 2016 edition of Best Colleges, and was designated a 2016 Best Northeastern College by the Princeton Review.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Misericordia University students visited Dublin Castle as part of their Department of Fine Arts study abroad trip to Ireland. Participating in a photo opportunity, front row from left, are Tierney Hafner, Newtown, Pa., occupational therapy; Miranda Bellas, Dupont, Pa., teacher education; Nicole Sadler, Florence, N.J., Government, Law and National Security; Nicole Negron, Dallas, Pa., English; Ann Webster, Wilkes-Barre, nursing, and Ashley Peachey, Dallas, Pa., health science; second row, Fallon Cooper, Freeland, Pa., occupational therapy; Emily Betterly, Hazleton, Pa., teacher education; Alivia Womelsdorf, Benton, Pa., biology; Asia Thompson, Dallas, Pa., English; Danielle Gorski, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., speech-language pathology, and Sarah Carne, Nanticoke, Pa., speech-language pathology.