Syracuse Abroad strives to create spaces abroad that encourage all students to feel welcomed, supported, empowered and valued. Study abroad students embody a range of backgrounds and identities, and Syracuse Abroad programs and partners aim to prepare all students to adapt and thrive in these new environments.
Resources, courses and program features are available to help students understand and reflect on the diversities they may encounter abroad and within one’s own self, this Pride Month and every day. Below are just a few highlights.
Syracuse London promotes diversity in all aspects of its curriculum and cocurricular programming to build a strong cohort of individuals who are ready to actively improve their lives and the world around them.
“Big cities have historically been places where many LGBTQ+ people have found belonging and community. London—one of the most exciting and diverse cities on the planet—pulsates with possibilities and offers students a chance to live DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility) as a daily experience,” says Troy Gordon, director of Syracuse London.
Faculty and staff work closely together to support all students, tackling diversity and equity at micro and macro levels. “Our staff love to welcome students to our city and help them figure out how to make it their home,” Gordon says.
One way this is executed is through Syracuse London’s diverse curriculum that offers several courses centered around the intricacies and day-to-day life of DEIA in London:
Syracuse Madrid offers several courses related to DEIA each semester, including QSX306 Sexuality in Spain; WGS302 Gender, Race, Migration and Family in Spain; and WGS417 The History of Women in Spain.
Syracuse Madrid celebrates and appreciates the diversity of all students. The center plans activities and partners with local organizations to provide support and empower students within the LGBTQIA2S+ community. The center has established a student group dedicated to DEIA efforts abroad, the Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee (DISC). When this group is active during the semester, it discusses DEIA matters and ways to be proactive within the community and at the center. Learn more about identity and inclusion efforts in Madrid.
Syracuse Madrid program alumni Thenia Desimone ’23 participated in DISC during the Fall 2022 semester. “As an organization, we placed strong emphasis on creating resources to support students who identify with marginalized or historically underrepresented groups. Participating in this group allowed to me to integrate better into my abroad program and smoothly transition into my academic semester,” Desimone says.
While exploring the biggest questions and atrocities of the 21st century related to history and social justice, students can also learn about culture and society through the lens of contemporary Polish film. Through the course Exploring Culture and Society in Transition: Gender, Sexuality, Ethnicity and Disability in Poland, students explore the issues of power, agency and intersectionality in the lives of women, queer people and ethnic minorities, along with the poor, the elderly and the disabled, both during the communist era and today.
While studying at DIS Stockholm, global economics, public health and gender and sexuality are popular areas of study. Approved DEIA courses in Sweden include SOC380 Gender, Equality, and Sexuality in Scandinavia; WGS380 Sex Education and Sexual Reform in Europe and QXS380 Transgender in Scandinavia.
Australia is also a great location for those interested in LGBTQ studies or women and gender studies abroad. Courses at the University of Sydney include QXS280 Sex, Gender, Culture; WGS280 Introduction to Gender Studies and ANT380 Gender, Communities and Belonging.
The University of Sydney has partnered with the Fund for Education Abroad to offer Access Partner Scholarships to undergraduate students from colleges and universities in the U.S. This scholarship is targeted toward students who are from underrepresented demographics in study abroad (i.e., students of color, first-generation, LGBTQ+, First Nations, women in STEM, student athletes). Students can apply through the Fund for Education Abroad website.
For students interested in studying in Asia, the SIT India: Public Health, Gender and Sexuality program explores the links between public health, policy advocacy and community with a focus on women, children, tribal communities and other marginalized and vulnerable populations in India. SIT also offers a Pell Grant Match Scholarship, providing need-based grants to low-income undergraduate students to promote access to study abroad for a diversity of students.
Students applying to the Fund for Education Abroad General Scholarship may also choose to be considered for the Rainbow Scholarship award by indicating this within their application. The fund offers scholarships to LGBTQI students to take part in a high-quality study abroad program.
Point Foundation Scholarship provides scholarship opportunities to the LGBTQ community. Applicants are evaluated on academic accomplishment, financial need, leadership within school and the community and goals for the future.
Visit Syracuse Abroad for more information about identity, diversity and inclusion abroad.
Please note, not all courses listed above are offered every semester. All courses are subject to change.
