Take your education beyond the classroom

Challenge yourself to be the next generation of communicators that has exposure to international communication. Can you image yourself walking the street of a city that was inhabited over 5,000 years ago? Athens is the historic capital and largest city of Greece, widely celebrated as the birthplace of Western civilization, democracy and where our written language was birthed? The food is awesome, the people are friendly and the city is still dominated by many 5th-century BC landmarks like the Parthenon built in 447 BC.

What’s the class?

Employers know that international experience and understanding cultural diversity is essential to give their organization an advantage — this class was designed to help you get that experience. This CIC faculty-led class will challenge you to investigate what we have been made to believe about the Greek culture from a U.S. perspective. Students will explore concepts of multicultural communications, semiotics, cultural competency, culture shock and media literacy in an international setting.

The assignments are designed to explore, analyze and prove or disprove many aspects of Greek culture from history, food, lifestyle, leisure, advertising, journalism and public/personal communication. You will present your findings using creative writing, professional photography in a multi-cultural designed project that is suitable for a Greek and American audience.

Who can go?

All undergraduate and graduate students of all majors are welcome! Prerequisites: None required The classes counts as major electives for students in CIC.

• Class size: 25-30
• Prerequisites: None required
• Language barriers: You do not need to know Geek to attend. Athens is a huge European city, and English is frequently spoken, making it easy to navigate and participate

Pre-departure:

To participate in the Greece trip, you must attend three mandatory meetings in the Spring. These meetings will occur in January/February, March, and April of 2027, and are meant to help you prepare for the experience of a lifetime.

During the trip, you’ll . . .

• Be introduced to the city on a bike tour
• Experience six modes of transportation as you explore Athens and surrounding area to get content for your project.
• Experience the romance of the sea with a sailing cruise
• See incredible history that you can touch yourself
• If you are up to challenge, we will set out to discover a Greek island!

Trip program cost: $2,106

Includes: Daily accommodations daily breakfast, several group dinners, Athens metro pass, Three Athens class excursions and a three-day Geek Island excursion

Additional costs:

• Airfare: $900 - $1,400 (estimate)
• USC tuition for a 3-credit course (in-state tuition for all): $1,500 (estimate)
• USC Study Abroad application (includes international emergency insurance): $225
• Spending money for additional meals, snacks, souvenirs: $20 -30 per day

Trip leaders:

• Scott Farrand: farrand@mailbox.sc.edu
• Dean Tom Reichert: reichert@sc.edu

Application and deposit:

Interested? Then complete an application. But do not wait too long because there are limited spots and we expect the class to be full shortly after Thanksgiving or before. If you submit an application we will keep in touch with you and let you know when we have only a few spots let.

If this is the trip for you! A $600 deposit secures your spot in the class. The deposit is 100% refundable until Jan. 1, 2027. After Jan. we can’t return your deposit.

Apply now:

Use this link to get started. Check your email after submitting the application for the link to submit the deposit.

Scholarships:

CIC scholarships available: $1,000 (25 to award for CIC study abroad programs)

Complete the Mary Caldwell Study Abroad Scholarship application. – Must have applied and submitted a trip deposit to be eligible.

Scholarship application deadline: December 2, 2026.

Still can’t afford the trip?

Meet with Scott Farrand, CIC study abroad director, to discover more options. farrand@mailbox.sc.edu