GREENVILLE, S.C. (August 19, 2019) – Several BJU students participated in the Communication Study Abroad — United Kingdom program May 10–24. Dr. Paul and Michelle Radford led the academic course which fulfilled the requirements of COM 524 Survey of Religious Narrative.
See Also: The Importance of Study Abroad Trips
As part of the program, students toured historical sites in London, Bath, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, York and Keswick in England and Edinburgh, Scotland. Highlights included visits to Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, Stonehenge, the Roman Bath exhibit, Sherwood Forest, King Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, and Loch Ness.
Students attended theatrical productions at Shakespeare’s Globe in London and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. The group also visited the birthplaces, churches, homes and gravesites of literary greats such as C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and William Shakespeare. They studied speeches in the original places they were delivered and went on driving tours of the English Lake District and the Scottish Highlands.
“Study Abroad opportunities inevitably provide rich, immersive learning experiences that will be remembered for a lifetime. I enjoy reading Shakespearean plays on my sofa at home, but how much more engaging is attending a performance at Shakespeare’s Globe in London along with your classmates,” says Dr. Paul Radford, department head of the communication studies department.
“You can read about C. S. Lewis’ conversion to Christianity in his autobiographical writings, but Study Abroad takes you to Addison’s Walk in Oxford. You can walk the dirt path in the footprints where Lewis and Tolkien debated the existence of God one momentous night decades ago. You can experience the environments and observe cultural details that directly influenced the creation of Narnia and Middle Earth. I believe Study Abroad is a crucial part of what the future of education should look like.”
The BJU students who participated in the program for academic credit include Madison Avery of Greenville, South Carolina; Rebekah Church of Plainfield, Illinois; Megan Leasure of Greenville, South Carolina; Cameron Jeffries of Fort Walton Beach, Florida; Grace Johnson of Greenville, South Carolina; Erin Kilian of James Creek, Pennsylvania; Joshua Lobach of Simpsonville, South Carolina; Savannah McPhail of Pursat, Cambodia; Sarah-Kate Mills of Woodbridge, Virginia; Marshall Oliver of Surry, Virginia; Joanna Ryland of Richardson, Texas; and Alyssa Whaley of Greer, South Carolina.
