Japan Spring Break Trip

UMD Short-Term Study Abroad Program:

Spring Break 2016: Disaster Recovery in Japan

(Students will be enrolled for a 3-credit course: BSST338J or BSST638J)

-Locations: Tokyo, Sendai, & Kesennuma, Japan

-Travel Dates: March 12-19, 2016 (plus 4 weeks of online coursework)

-Program Fee (does not include airfare or most meals): $1,985

- Who can apply: All UMD students (undergraduate-level or graduate-level; all years, all majors)

-Application Deadline: October 1, 2015

-For more information or to apply, go to: www.ter.ps/sbjapan

-Details:

In the U.S., Hurricane Katrina’s devastation continues to impact communities 10 years later.  What can we learn from other countries’ experiences with disasters?

 

In March 2016—five years after Japan’s March 11, 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster and 21 years after the March 20, 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attacks—University of Maryland students will travel to Japan to better understand the field of disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) and disaster recovery.  This short-term study abroad program considers the relationship between disasters, political reform, and social reform, and provides students with the cross-cultural tools and knowledge to make sense of why and how major disasters—natural and man-made—affect societies long after the initial damage is done. 

 

Students will participate in 2 weeks of pre-departure online and in-person coursework in the U.S.; 1 week of study and travel in Japan; and 2 weeks of U.S.-based online and in-person coursework, culminating in a public symposium in which students will present to the UMD community about what they have learned and make proposals to local organizations on disaster preparedness and recovery.

If you are interested in international or domestic careers related to disaster risk management and recovery, risk communication, social entrepreneurship, economic development, community resilience, or U.S.-Japan cooperation, this program will give you valuable experience in an international setting, learning first-hand how to address real world issues and develop potential solutions.

 

-Questions? Contact the Program Director: Meredith Collier-Murayama (maecolli@umd.edu).

-To learn more about last year’s program:

·         Watch this video by 2015 Spring Break in Japan alumna Tong Wu for The Diamondback: www.ter.ps/T2T2015video

·         Read this article by START Communications Intern Samara Tu: www.ter.ps/T2T2015start