Students participate in intercultural studies in Honduras

Earlier this month, 19 Abilene Christian University students and two professors traveled to Honduras for an intercultural experience. The 10-day trip was designed to help students experience different cultures and values, as well as learn to communicate with people whose language is not their own, said Dr. Joe Cardot, professor and chair of the department of communication at ACU.

The group traveled to Travesia, Honduras on the Caribbean coast, where they completed three to six hours of international studies courses, as well as missions and service projects.

"Through the combination of a cultural experience and service fieldwork, students enhanced their professional future, while broadening their understanding of the world," said Cardot.

The group spent mornings participating in service projects with the Bridges to the World Medical Missions program, a non-profit organization that works to meet basic human needs and spread the gospel. One group of students worked with a physician, dentist and ophthalmologist to provide care to more than 1,000 people over a six-day period. The other group worked as a construction crew, expanding the Travesia Church of Christ building and building a new home for a widow and her nine children.

Students spent their afternoons in class discussing theories related to intercultural, multinational and global communication. The application of these theories centered on the Honduran cultures. Students conducted interviews and observed the living conditions and economic realities of their surroundings. A day trip to the Mayan ruins in Copan gave students additional perspectives.

"It (the Ruins) provided a stark contrast between a highly developed people who vanished and the stark existence of the coastal population made up of former slave families," said Cardot.

The students were required to keep a journal throughout the experience, beginning two weeks prior to the trip and finishing two weeks after their return to the United States. The journals chronicled their experiences as they entered a new culture, and then re-entered the U.S. culture.

"This experience has changed our students," said Cardot. "Seeing firsthand how blessed they have been relative to much of the world's population has changed their thinking. Most will never again take for granted what they have."

While this is the first time that the communication department has offered course hours to students, many ACU students have worked with the Bridges to the World Medical Mission program.

"Combining academic requirements with a mission effort enables students to see how classroom theories work in everyday life," said Cardot. "It allows them to see the connectedness of faith and learning in a practical way."

If you are a member of the media who would like more information about this release, please contact ACU's Public Relations Office or call (325) 674-2696.