Kylie McGovern, Editor 

La Salle University students will be departing for travel studies over the spring break this week. There are two classes participating in travel studies this semester. MKT 305: International Marketing led by Dr. Swee-Lim Chia. will travel to Germany and France and Dr. Volpe will be traveling with his HON 336: Contesting Narratives Versions of Vietnam War class to Vietnam. La Salle University believes in the importance of providing students with a global perspective that helps to connect local and wider world issues. The intent of La Salle’s travel/study courses is to help bridge cultural divides and prepare our students to be citizens of the world. Travel study courses are semester-long courses taught at La Salle, with a 7 to 10 day trip over spring break. Travel studies courses have been to Germany, China, Chile, France, Quebec, Bermuda and England. 

The Vietnam travel course is taught by Philosophy department professor Dr. Volpe, a Vietnam war veteran. Through the class, Dr. Volpe and his students have read histories, memoirs, fiction and poetry. They have also watched documentaries and dramas. The class has examined different perspectives of the war through this media. The class’ travels will not only be informed, animated and directed by their readings, but also by their attempt to identify the ways in which the Vietnamese represent what they call “the American War.” This group of 15 students accompanied by Dr. Volpe and other faculty will travel from Hanoi to Saigon with stops in Hue City, Khe Sanh and My Lai. Students in the Vietnam travel study are eager to experience the nation where both the emotional and historical narratives they have studied take place. 

 Students in International Marketing class have been studying international business and comparative business practices. Adriana Puelo expresses her excitement about the class and the trip saying, “This class has taught us all about the global aspects of marketing and how it applies to the broader audiences, beyond the scope of one country. Specifically we focused on Germany and France. We learned a lot about its many areas of history, culture and various industries of those countries. We then put what we learned into action by actually traveling to Germany and France over spring break to visit the different companies we learned about!”

 This class gives students ​​a managerial view of the marketing function from a global perspective. It also describes and explores the complexities, problems, and opportunities of worldwide marketing. Eric Wilson, a student in the International Marketing travel study explains, “it has been very interesting to learn how businesses and products adapt to different cultures around the world. I’m excited to experience these cultures and see how business is done abroad during our time in Germany and France.” Another student, Jake Cooper, says, “This class is giving us a unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in different cultures to better understand how business is conducted overseas.” Both of these classes provide students with worldwide perspectives that are important to their education and later their professional lives.