Overview: Being the 5th largest country in the world, Brazil provides unique cultural and economic business practices from both a local and international perspective. Exploring a manufacturing business of the coffee industry will highlight retail, roasting, sourcing, and packaging of its product for sales both domestically and internationally. Students will also engage in research in partnership with Makenzie University and Mises Brasil faculty, exploring the link between economic freedom and development. Visits will include agricultural irrigation systems with insights into land use and development, low-cost labor sourcing, automation and global supply chains, and economic growth. Whirlpool’s Latin American HQ will add to the experience with distinct compare and contrast perspectives in areas such as supply chain, finance, team building, automation and artificial intelligence.

• Course: BUS-215 – International Business Experience
• Trip Leader: Dr. Jeff Degner, Dean of the School of Business & Innovation

Overview. This course investigates the impacts human societies have on the environment, and in turn the impact these changes have on human health. The focus of this course will be on the coastal-urban interface in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. The trip will begin with tours of historical sites and museums near the city center. For the middle portion of the trip, we will focus on natural communities within the coastal and desert island ecosystems. This includes a survey of the flora/fauna of the region with boat tours to understand human impacts on critical species (e.g. sea turtles, whales, sea lions). The trip will end by exploring impacts of degraded ecosystems on human health from poor air quality, clean water access, wastewater treatment, and hazardous waste sites. The course will have a strong focus on the local culture and faith traditions of the region. By partnering with a local church, students will have many opportunities for service learning, faith integration, and outreach opportunities.

• Course: ECO-443 – Advanced Field Studies Lab
• Trip Leader: Dr. Justin Burdine, Assistant Professor of Biology

Overview: The island of Ireland will provide a unique opportunity to study the interrelationships of the fauna, flora geology and human impacts. The major portion of the time will be spent hiking, studying and interacting with the ecology, geology, and people of Northern Ireland. As an island with 10,000 years of human habitation, Northern Ireland provides an excellent glimpse of how humans and the environment can coexist to the benefit of both.

• Course: ECO-443 – Advanced Field Studies
• Trip Leader: Dr. Rob Keys, Professor of Environmental Biology & Science Education

Overview: The developing country of Honduras will be the setting for this study abroad trip and will focus on how education can change the lives of students in disproportionate poverty. Throughout the five-day clinical experience, Cornerstone students will be actively engaged in placements where they will observe, discuss, assist and support teachers while working with Honduran students. Trip participants will learn a variety of strategies to promote full participation of English learners in classrooms that will improve the effectiveness of equitable teaching practices and decisions in education.

• Course: EDU-365 – Equitable & Inclusive Education Clinical Experience
• Trip Leader: Dr. Laurie Burgess, Professor of Teacher Education

Interested in going on a short-term trip with Cornerstone? Luckily, we have made the process of applying for a short-term trip quite easy. We offer step-by-step checklists to help guide you through the process! For a trip application, contact the appropriate trip leader.

Three Months Prior to Your Trip

1. Apply for the chosen short-term study abroad trip. Contact the trip leader for an application and application deadlines.
2. Upon being accepted, complete a trip confirmation (registration and deposit form). Contact the trip leader for a form; some will give you the confirmation form with the application.
3. Submit a non-refundable deposit to the Business Office. (Please note: It is advised that you do not put a deposit down until you have submitted the application to your trip leader and have been accepted.) Once your deposit is paid, staple the receipt to the confirmation form and give both to the trip leader.
4. Confirm your passport is up to date if traveling outside of the United States. If you do not have a passport or need to get one renewed, do not put this off. The passport process takes weeks to complete, and it is not something that can happen quickly.
5. Confirm your visa is up to date (if needed).

Two Months Prior to Your Trip

1. Complete all mandatory Study Abroad Orientation modules and quizzes in Moodle. Upon registering for the trip, you will receive an email with instructions regarding these online modules.
2. Attend the mandatory wrap-around orientation session. Contact your trip leader for date(s).
3. Attend pre-trip group meeting(s) as assigned by your trip leader(s).
4. Review guidelines and policies in the Student Conduct Handbook. This can be found on Web Advisor under Handbooks.
5. Complete the required items for Cornerstone University Health Services (CUHS):
   • Complete the Off-Campus Study Program Health Record and Personal Authorization Form. (CUHS will send you this form. If you do not receive it before two months prior to travel, contact health.services@cornerstone.edu.)
   • Return the above completed form to CUHS.
   • Discuss required and recommended travel immunizations with CUHS.
   • Complete missing immunizations, and turn in proof of immunizations to CUHS before deadline (as determined by your trip leader/CUHS personnel).
6. Review the packing list. Contact your trip leader.

After Your Trip

1. Complete and submit the post-trip evaluation. Your trip leader will distribute the evaluation.
2. Attend the debrief gathering. Contact your trip leader for date(s).

All tuition and trip expenses are included in the advertised trip cost. Cornerstone does not offer study abroad scholarships for short-term study abroad trips. However, three tuition credits are included in the trip cost during their time abroad. If a student chooses to do a J-Term study trip, they can still take 12-18 credits in the spring semester at no extra charge.