New Global Pathways Open Up to Europe, Cuba, Africa

This summer, students who are interested in the history and future of comedy will have the opportunity to study it in the comedic crucible of London.

From Shakespeare to Stand-Up (July 13–August 13) is an 8-credit, two-class program, and one of four new Global Pathways programs Emerson is offering this year through the Office of Internationalization and Global Engagement. Other new Global Pathways programs include trips to Berlin, Ghana, and a reimagined Cuba excursion.

“Hopefully, it will become a signature trip,” said Manny Basanese '82, assistant professor in the Department of Visual and Media Arts (VMA), and the faculty co-director of the program, along with VMA Associate Professor Tom Kingdon.

The London trip includes two classes: Kingdon will focus on class identity in British comedy, while Basanese’s writing class will learn about the influence of British comedy and infusing that influence into their own work.

In addition to studying the history of British comedy, students will explore the current scene through comedy and improv clubs, theater, and the TV and film industry. They will finish the program with a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Basanese said he’s wanted to direct a Global Pathways program since he filled in to direct the  Screenwriter’s Lab in Patmos, Greece.

“I was trying to think of something that would incorporate comedy and global travel, and I thought British comedy seemed like such a great fit,” said Basanese, who serves on the College’s Comedic Arts committee and wrote for sitcoms including The Wayans Bros. and The Tracey Ullman Show. “And Tom has a great background in working in TV in London, and he’s lived there.”

The London program, while obviously appealing to students in the Comedic Arts program, is open to any undergraduate going into their junior or senior year. They’re exploring opening it up to graduate students.

Students interested in marketing in West Africa can join Agaptus Anaele, assistant professor in the Marketing Communication Department, for Digital Marketing Trends of Business and Health Promotion in Ghana (May 17–June 15).

“[I]t provides an opportunity for students to learn about emerging trends in digital technology and how marketing, communication, and development nonprofits utilize digital technology for health promotion and business in Ghana,” Anaele told Emerson College Today last fall.

Students in the three-week program will stay in Accra and meet with representatives from universities, nonprofits, non-governmental agencies, and UN agencies to learn how they use digital technology. They will also learn about Ghanaian culture, including art, music, and dance.

In The Turbulent Past and Glorious Present of a Global City (May 26–June 25), Kasteel Well affiliated faculty member Ralph Trost will guide students through the study of Berlin as a historical cinematic metropolis throughout the 20th century. 

Assistant Professors Mneesha Gellman (Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies) and Katerina Gonzalez Seligmann (Writing, Literature and Publishing) are co-directors of Cuba and the United States: Politics, Identity, and Cultural Production (May 11–June 1). Students will live and study in Havana, and learn about the culture, history, politics, and economy of a country on the cusp of tremendous change.

Info sessions on the Ghana program (Thursday, February 9, 1:00–2:00 pm) and the Cuba trip (Monday, February 13, 3:00–4:00 pm) will be held in the Common Ground lounge on the 10th floor of the Walker Building.

All Global Pathways program applications are due Wednesday, February 15, and the scholarship deadline is Wednesday, March 1, according to Ilse Damkoehler, administrative assistant for Internationalization and Global Engagement.  Students need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid as soon as possible.

Financial aid information can be found here.

Returning Global Pathways programs include: Intercultural Communication in Aix-en-Provence; Kasteel Well: The Role of the Portrait and Self-Portrait; Screenwriter’s Lab in Greece; Kasteel Well: Travel Writing; Prague Summer Film Program; Barcelona: Art, Theater, and Culture; Salzburg Global Seminar; Writing Place and Distance: Art and Environment in the West of Ireland; Mobility Medellín: Art, Research, and Social Change; and the Rosarito Public Diplomacy Workshop.