We believe every Ohio Wesleyan student should be immersed in new cultures and new environments - it's an essential part of a 21st-century college education.
We live and work in a world of global markets, global climate, and global communities. To live and lead in this world, you must have a global perspective.
With The OWU Connection, you have many options for getting off campus and exploring the world. You can build your global experience to match your own personal goals.
Get your passport ready.
From your first year on campus, you can get off campus — with Travel-Learning Courses and individual grants. In recent travel-learning courses, students and faculty have studied geology in Death Valley, medieval castles in France, biology in the Galapagos, and politics in South Korea.
OWU also awards hundreds of thousands of dollars to students for theory-into-practice research projects around the world.
Immerse yourself in a new culture for a full semester. Conduct social research in Tanzania. Learn in one of Spain's historic universities — or universities in Ireland, Prague, or other sites around the world.
Every year, OWU students perform more than 40,000 hours of community service—connecting with organizations and individuals in central Ohio and around the world.
During spring break, many OWU students expand their horizons during Spring Break Interfaith Service Week. They travel across the country and overseas to do community service work.
In 2017 an OWU service team traveled to Bucerias, Mexico, to work with Human Connections, an organization that specializes in cross-cultural immersion. They explored the economics of social responsibility and sustainable practices as well as served with community members.
In 2017, OWU students worked with Repair the World, a Jewish-based service organization, to address issues of food and education inequality in the city of Pittsburgh, PA.
Ohio Wesleyan's interdisciplinary Global Studies Institute is the collaborative hub where scholars from the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and fine arts converge to explore ideas and issues that span national boundaries, tackle challenges from many perspectives, and develop solutions for real world problems. The institute fosters scholarship on global issues by linking all of OWU's international programs and initiatives across the University.
Each year, the competitive Global Scholars Program admits a small number of high-achieving first-year students who are eager to immerse themselves in interdisciplinary coursework and embrace international perspectives. Scholars take advantage of a special course and programs, and in their junior or senior year receive a grant to pursue an approved international research or study project of their choice.
OWU offers language majors and minors in French, German, and Spanish, and courses in Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, and Swahili. OWU also offers interdisciplinary majors in International Studies, International Business, Latin American Studies, East Asian Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies.
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Travel-Learning Course to the Serengeti region of Tanzania. With guidance from zoology professors John Gatz and Amy Downing, students examined the biology and ecosystems of East Africa.
Travel-Learning Course to the Serengeti region of Tanzania. With guidance from zoology professors John Gatz and Amy Downing, students examined the biology and ecosystems of East Africa.
Travel-Learning Course to Alaska to examine climate processes from the point of view of mathematical modeling led by professor Craig Jackson.
Theory-to-Practice Grant to Alba, Italy. Students gained musical knowledge and experience by attending a contemporary composition workshop.
Students traveled to France with professor Mary Anne Lewis Cusato to explore French Imperialism and the impact of colonialism.
Study Abroad at the University of Salamanca, Spain. As one of Europe’s oldest universities (1218), you take classes and enjoy other academic, cultural, and social opportunities, while living with host families.
Theory-to-Practice project to France focusing on the economic and cultural importance of the French local market
Students took a field seminar in geology with professors Bart Martin and Karen Fryer. They examined the cultural history and geology of the Death Valley region before traveling to California and Nevada.
International Studies major Cierra Cresanto '17 worked with Prof. Jim Franklin on a research project exploring the Arab Spring uprisings.
Study Abroad in Morocco. Ahmed Hamed '20 traveled to Morocco for six weeks to study Arabic through the Arabic Language summer study abroad program overseen by the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE).
Students took a field seminar in geology with professors Bart Martin and Karen Fryer. They examined the cultural history and geology of the Death Valley region before traveling to California and Nevada.
Travel-Learning Course studying the front of space exploration. The astronomy students visited European Space Agency (ESA) centers in Germany and historical astronomical sites in England.
Travel-Learning Course exploring Shakespeare and his sites of performance across England. Led by professor Zack Long, students retraced the trajectory of Shakespeare’s career from country player to courtly entertainer.
Travel-Learning Course following the Mississippi River through Louisiana. Students, led by professor Nancy Gamso, explored the musical culture along the river.
Travel-Learning Course studying the front of space exploration with professor Robert Harmon. The astronomy students visited European Space Agency (ESA) centers in Germany and historical astronomical sites in England.
Travel-Learning Course exploring Shakespeare and his sites of performance across England. Led by professor Zack Long, students retraced the trajectory of Shakespeare’s career from country player to courtly entertainer.
Travel-Learning Course following the Mississippi River through Louisiana. Students, led by professor Nancy Gamso, explored the musical culture along the river.
Travel-Learning Course to Alaskan tundras to examine how plants respond to global changes in climate with professor Laurie Anderson.
Travel-Learning Course to the Serengeti region of Tanzania. With guidance from zoology professors John Gatz and Amy Downing, students examined the biology and ecosystems of East Africa.
Theory-to-Practice Grant to Parque Patagonia in Chile. Associate chaplain and director of wilderness ministry Will Hayes with sociology professor Paul Dean traveled with five students to study environmental conservationism issues.
Theory-to-Practice Grant to Alba, Italy. Students gained musical knowledge and experience by attending a contemporary composition workshop.
Travel-Learning Course on tropical biology.
On a Theory-to-Practice Grant, students traveled to Ireland and Northern Ireland to explore issues of Catholic-Protestant sectarianism in Ireland in comparison to issues of racism in the U.S. with Assistant Chaplain Lisa Ho and Director of Career Services Leslie Melton.
Students traveled to France with professor Mary Anne Lewis Cusato to explore French Imperialism and the impact of colonialism.
Study Abroad at the University of Salamanca, Spain. As one of Europe’s oldest universities (1218), you take classes and enjoy other academic, cultural, and social opportunities, while living with host families.
Travel-Learning Course on tropical biology.
Travel-Learning Course on Japanese literature.
On a Theory-to-Practice Grant, students traveled to Ireland and Northern Ireland to explore issues of Catholic-Protestant sectarianism in Ireland in comparison to issues of racism in the U.S. with Assistant Chaplain Lisa Ho and Director of Career Services Leslie Melton.
Travel-Learning literature course in Liverpool.
Theory-to-Practice Grant to attend the Association for Childhood Education International Conference in Costa Rica.
Travel-Learning Course studying the front of space exploration in England and Germany with professor Robert Harmon. After visiting an observatory in Bristol, England, students took a natural slide down a hill.
