Study Abroad Opportunities
Sociology & Criminology Department
Study Abroad Opportunities
The Sociology & Criminology Department offers a number of spring break course opportunities abroad. Visit the Valpo Study Abroad page to apply or to learn more on these and other opportunities offered through the university.
The Department of Sociology and Criminology offers a spring break criminology course titled “Criminal Justice in Norway.” This 10 day trip is from March 2-11, 2024.
This course offers students a unique opportunity to learn about Norway’s approach to criminal justice through conversations with practitioners who work in different facets of the Norwegian criminal justice system. Students visit the Oslo courthouse, the July 22nd Center, and the universities that train police and correctional officers. Criminal justice practitioners who share their insights include a judge, probation officers, and law school students who work at a legal aid clinic.
To learn more about the geography and culture of Norway outside the urban context of Oslo, students experience the “Norway in a Nutshell” excursion. This includes a ride on the Flam Railway, one of the most remarkable pieces of railway engineering in the world, a brief cruise through the Naeroy and Aurland fjords, and a stay in Bergen where students will have a guided walking tour and see the key sites of the city.
Open to all students, the course serves in partial fulfillment of the general education requirement for social science.
Contact Prof. Dawn Jeglum Bartusch or click here for more information.
The short term study abroad trip to Spain is open to all students, and can serve in partial fulfillment of the General Education Social Science component for the majority of majors. There are no pre-requisites, nor language proficiency requirements for the spring break cultural immersion experience in Spain. This interdisciplinary course includes lectures and experiential learning encompassing a variety of topics including history, criminal justice, education, social life, government, art, and architecture in a country with a rich and storied history.
During the trip, students will experience a cooking class, a sampling of traditional Spanish cuisine, a Flamenco performance, along with visits to Museo del Prado, Almudena Cathedral, and the Royal Palace, and other historical sites. Although the majority of the trip is centered on Madrid, the capital city of Spain, students will also visit Toledo, a UNESCO World Heritage where Christian, Muslim, and Jewish communities have flourished in tandem. An additional day trip to El Escorial, the most important architectural monument of the Spanish Renaissance, and an overnight trip to Granada (at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range) are also included in the tentative itinerary.
Contact Prof. Danielle Lavin-Loucks for more information.
The Department of Sociology and Criminology periodically partners with the College of Nursing and Health Professions to offer a spring break course titled “Ireland: An Interdisciplinary Experience.”
Open to all students, the course serves in partial fulfillment of the general education requirement for social science (or as a sociology elective for sociology majors) by providing students with a unique cultural immersion experience in Ireland. Lectures and experiential learning encompass a variety of topics including Irish social life, history, and politics related to the “Troubles” or conflict in Northern Ireland.
Students have the opportunity to visit a hospice center, businesses, schools, social agencies, and universities, as well as relevant historical sites such as the site of the Cromwellian Massacre in Drogheda and the Battle of Bogside in Derry. Additional excursions include a trip to the Giant’s Causeway, Dunluce Castle, and sightseeing in Belfast and Dublin.
Last offered: Spring 2019
Contact a Counselor
Sociology and Criminology
College of Arts and Sciences
Danielle Lavin-Loucks
Chair Office: 219.464.5004
1400 Chapel Drive, Rm. 336
Valparaiso, IN 46383-4523