During the winter break between the fall 2017 and spring 2018 semesters I had an incredible opportunity to go on a two week Europe tour for a study abroad program. We visited four countries and learned about their media, their media problems, how the United States fits into their media and how these journalists and marketing professionals are advancing their fields. Plus, we got to sight see along the way.
We started out adventure in Prague, where we learned about being the media in a country that is still developing its national identity from a professor at Charles University. We also visited McCann Erickson and learned about how they target European audiences with their strategy.
In Barcelona we learned about journalism in a state that is struggling to gain independence and how their culture is very unique in that political aspect. We visited Atrevia and learned how they juggle that in their work.
Brussels is the home of the European Union headquarters and creates so much news. We learned what it’s like to be a U.S. journalist representing the country abroad and what it’s like to work in a country with a split identity, since Belgium is kind of French but kind of Dutch while also being an international hub.
Our final stop was Rome. Here we got to learn about being a religious reporter and about papal communications. We spent a lot of time with the communications department of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross learning about church communications and why they’re important.
As someone who had never been out of the country before, the experience was very eye opening. I learned a lot about culture outside of the United States, and how people view our culture. The trip made foreign journalism feel more real, as I could see it happening before me. For a project after the trip we were asked to write two blogs, one about media and one about culture that I am linking to below.
Representing the United States Abroad
Finding Culture on City Streets
Katelyn Brown 