Whitman Study Abroad Immersion Programs

For undergraduate students:

Short-term Immersion

Kenya Trip (May 2023)

Overview: 

Tied to the required core course, SOM354 (Managing in a Global Setting), the Kenya Immersion Experience allows students to engage business and academic partners in Nairobi and Nakuru, Kenya, during the spring term class and then with the smaller travel team in-country for a week-long trip. 

Throughout the semester, the entire class would engage each of the three stakeholders (one established international business, one smaller refugee-artisan entrepreneurial business and a rural school for orphaned and abandoned children) for interaction, discussion and project work in their SOM354 course. Upon conclusion of the semester, a select number of students travel on an instructor-led experience to collaborate with the business in providing solutions and assisting in initial implementation related to the critical challenges. Students also travel to the school to present a global business lesson to students in person—the initial trip launched in May, 2022—with annual trips planned each May.

Connection to Whitman Mission: 

Directly supportive of the “globally-minded, innovative and entrepreneurial leaders” that the Whitman mission statement identifies as our student group, this immersive experience also take the course content from theoretical reading and discussion to a “transformative learning experience” both for the students in the classroom engaging with African- based partners throughout the semester, and particularly those that are traveling after the semester concludes. All students will have the opportunity to build “collaborative networks of lifelong learning and discovery” because of the partnership with businesses, entrepreneurs and the school in Kenya. Students will create daily social media content during the travel experience for Whitman to use inappropriate marketing content to emphasize the core values applied to the student experience and engage students, alumni and donors.

Read the Kenya Travel Blog  

Business in East Asia
(May 16-27, 2023, in Tokyo and Seoul)

Course Rationale and Description:

This course focuses on the economy, culture, and significant characteristics of business systems and strategies in Japan and South Korea, two of the most developed economies in East Asia and among the most significant players in the global economy, as they:

• Represent, along with China, the only three Asian countries ranked among the world’s top 10 nations in GDP top five exporters, and,
• Have the only two Asian cities ranked among the top five in the world in terms of city GDP (Tokyo at #1 and Seoul at #4, Brookings Institution).
  

The history of economic development in Japan and S. Korea shows fascinating contrasts and similarities, reflecting their rich and unique cultural traditions and turbulent geopolitical interactions with each other over thousands of years. 


Building on the economic success of the 20th Century based on manufacturing (steal, chemical, shipbuilding, automobile, etc.), businesses in Japan and S. Korea continue to evolve with growing global leadership in technological innovations and “soft businesses” such as entertainment, gaming, fashion, cosmetics, e-sports, etc. in the 21st Century, in the presence of challenges including an aging population, global competition, climate change, and uncertain political climate.


This course offers students a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the following: 

• Unique economic, geopolitical, and cultural environments of Japan and Korea that have shaped their status and roles in the global economy.
  
• The business strategies and innovation activities of leading firms in Japan and Korea, especially in the high-tech, fashion, and entertainment sectors.
  
• Japanese and Korean business cultures and their implications for Western companies’ business opportunities and challenges in East Asia.
  
• Career opportunities and Whitman alumni networking opportunities in East Asia.
  

Through visits to significant companies, historical/cultural sites, and opportunities to interact with Whitman alums in Tokyo and Seoul.

Read the East Asia Travel Blog