Mason Galemore
Contributing Writer
[email protected]

The Kentucky Institute of International Studies has organized a winter study abroad program for in-state college students.

The two-week program will be held in Mexico City and the Yucatan from Dec. 26 through Jan. 7, 2023. Students who are interested can earn three course credit hours while also being immersed in Mexican culture.

The program starts in Mexico City, where students and professors will visit various historical landmarks and cultural hubs. Namely, two of these places will be the Zocalo Plaza, the oldest neighborhood in the city, and the Aztec temples of Teotihuacan. Students will also have the chance to view artwork by famed Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

Two Murray State professors will be teaching in this program. Professor of Marketing Ismail Karabas will teach international marketing, and Assistant Professor of Political Science Brittany Wood will teach Mexican politics. Both professors have taught for KIIS programs in the past. 

Wood said studying abroad is a valuable tool to broaden one’s perspective. She said the courses for this program will rely on excursion-based learning activities where students will familiarize themselves with local traditions and ways of life. 

Karabas said his class will study local markets by observing local brands and talking to locals in Mexico.

“I have selected topics that are applicable and hands-on,” Karabas said. “We can study through observing things and doing things while we are in Mexico. It’s applying a cultural dimension onto what the students observe.”

Wood said the classes involved in the program are unconventional because they won’t be in a classroom. She said the program will take full precautions in regards to COVID-19 and travel safety, including complying with COVID-19 testing. 

“People still need to be aware that travel can be interrupted,” Wood said. “As long as we are taking the right precautions according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Murray State, KIIS and the Mexican government, then we will be in a good spot.”

Karabas said studying abroad and traveling in general makes people draw similarities between a foreign culture and their own culture and think about what is important to them back home.

“[Traveling] in some ways is almost as if you’re in a room full of mirrors,” Karabas said. “Studying abroad is also about self awareness.”  

Wood said students leave with their lives changed or with a different view on life and referenced a quote from Mark Twain to explain the benefits of travel.

“‘Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts,’” Wood said, 

quoting “The Innocents Abroad” by Mark Twain. “‘Broad, wholesome, charitable views cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.’” 

The program will cost $2,775 plus airfare per student. The cost will cover hotel accommodations, meals and medical insurance. 

The deadline to sign up for the program is Sept. 15. Students who sign up by Aug. 1 will save $100. 

For more information visit KIIS.org, contact Karabas at [email protected].