BUSG 1191 International Study Tour 
Mexico
May 21-28, 2006

New Application Deadline - February 28

Introduction     Itinerary     Cost     Application     Registration     Course Requirements     Photos     Additional Information

Why travel to learn? I teach public relations and marketing classes and often get this quzzical look from students when I suggest they enroll in an international study course. Karen Hughes Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and former White House Press Secretary in a recent interview put it this way.

As a communicator, I like to boil things down to basics, so our public diplomacy strategy consists of what I call the four “E’s”: Engage, Exchange, Education and Empower. We have to engage more vigorously, advocating our values, policies and the many ways we are helping the citizens of our world. We also have to be faster and more aggressive in our response to rumors and misinformation about our country that travel the world in seconds on the Internet. Every person I met with as I prepared to take this job told me that our exchange programs have been the single most successful public diplomacy tool of the last fifty years. People who come here see for themselves that Americans are decent, hard working people who value family and faith; it’s also important for Americans to study and travel overseas. Education is also critical, especially English language training, which gives young people across the world a skill that improves their opportunities in life while also opening a window to our values. We are also working on an initiative to encourage more Americans to learn important languages such as Arabic and Chinese. Finally, we must empower our most important natural resource – our citizens – to help represent our country to the world. Americans work and travel around the world each day, and we are working on a robust citizen ambassador program to help our citizens share their skills and stories. In the war against terrorism, we must also empower the voices of Muslim Americans and Muslim leaders who speak out against violence because those voices often have the most credibility within the Muslim world.    
source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/ask/20051116.html

BUSG 1191 International Study Tour is a one credit-hour course offered by the Management Department at Austin Community College.  The course will be held from May 21-28, 2006, in Mexico.  Being able to speak Spanish is helpful but by no means required and the course is open to all past, present and future ACC students.

Activities include seminars on language, business, and history at our host college Universidad Regiomontana in Monterrey, Mexico. There will also be visits to businesses, museums, and other sites of interest in Saltillo.

This course offers a great opportunity to learn about Mexico's commerce and culture first-hand.  The city of Monterrey was founded in the 16th Century on a narrow plain between the Santa Catarina River and the foothills of the Eastern Sierra Madre range. Today, Monterrey is the leading industrial center in the country and a major financial center. With many rich traditions from its frontier past, Monterrey blends Mexican heritage and international influences. NAFTA has positioned Monterrey as a vital financial, cultural and industrial bridge between Mexico and the international community.

Tentative Itinerary*

*This itinerary is subject to change.  

Course Cost

In addition to one-credit-hour of tuition and fees this course includes a $635 travel fee that includes roundtrip transportation from Austin to Monterrey Mexico, hotels, some meals, city tours, and guided museum tours.   Students who register during the 16-week registration period can pay for tuition and travel fees through ACC's tuition installment plan.  With the installment plan 50% of the tuition and fees are due at registration, The next payment of 25% is due by February 17, and the final 25% payment is due March 31.  Students who register during the 12-week registration period will be required to pay total tuition and fees at registration.  

Students should plan on taking an additional $200-$300 for meals, entrance fees, taxi/bus fares, and other miscellaneous expenses and spending money.  Most travel costs are non-refundable once they have been paid by ACC.  

Application

An application must be submitted and approved in order to enroll in the course. The deadline for submitting the application is February 28, 2006.  The final date to register for the courses is March 8.  Application forms in PDF format can be downloaded and printed here: 

Application Forms  

 Please submit your application by February 28, to:

Don Morris
Austin Community College
7748 Hwy. 290 W
Austin, TX 78736
Phone:  (512) 223-8118
Fax:  (512) 223-8230 

All participants must have a passport that is valid for at least six months after the date of travel, and an International Student ID Card. For passport information please see the State Department passport web site http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html. You can get an International Student ID Card at STA Travel at 2116 Guadalupe St. in Austin. Cards provide basic sickness and accident insurance when traveling outside the US and cost $22.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT IT CAN TAKE UP TO EIGHT WEEKS TO RECEIVE A PASSPORT!  YOU MUST HAVE A VALID PASSPORT IN-HAND NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 15.  If you apply for a passport after DECEMBER 15, 2005, you need to pay the expedite fee, or go to the passport office in Houston to get your passport in person.  AGAIN, YOU MUST HAVE A VALID PASSPORT IN-HAND NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 28.  There can be no exceptions to this since passports are required in order to purchase airline tickets and finalize hotel reservations.

If you are an international student a visa may also be required. Please contact Don Morris at dmorris@austincc.edu or (512) 223-8118 for more information.

Course Registration

Once your application is accepted you will need to enroll in BUSG 1191.  BUSG 1191 is found in the Management Department course listings in the Spring 2006 course schedule.  You will register for course synonym 36024.   

Course Requirements

Course requirements include:

• Valid Passport
• Maintaining a detailed journal of your experiences
• Attendance at all required activities
• Willingness to give presentations about your study abroad experience to ACC classes

Click here for the complete Mexico course syllabus

Photographs

 Mexico Study Tour Photos, Spring Break 2005 - PDF Format

Additional Information

For more information contact:

Don Morris
dmorris@austincc.edu
(512) 223-8118

This page was updated on 01/19/2006