As the new fall 2014 semester gets under way, the Institute of International Studies kicks off the 18th international themed semester program. The country of focus this fall is Turkey. International semesters allow students and the community the opportunity to take a virtual, in-depth learning tour of the featured country. More than 40 films, concerts, artistic and architectural exhibitions, and other cultural and culinary events have been scheduled for students and the community to enjoy free of charge.

 “Hopefully something for everyone,” said Dr. Chad Stebbins, Institute of International Studies director. “A couple of activities [are] mainly just for student fun, like the magic carpet photo and the taste of Turkey.”

The Turkish tasting station will be hosted by the campus activities board on Tuesday, Sept. 16, and will “bring the campus community the opportunity to taste three of the most well-known Turkish exports when it comes to the taste buds,” according to the Turkey semester booklet. These multi-page booklets, available all over campus, detail each of the scheduled events.

“The concept of the themed semester is to get as many different departments involved as possible,” said Stebbins.

The Missouri Southern Art Department has instituted a new program to allow students and faculty the opportunity to travel to the featured semester country each spring. The focus of the study-abroad program will be to produce an art exhibit like “Traveling Turkey – an Artist’s Journey: Istanbul and Beyond,” which is on display in Southern’s Spiva Gallery through Sept. 5.

Some courses even offer extra credit opportunities for attending themed events as part of the curriculum. Please visit the institute’s website for more information:  http://www.mssu.edu/international-studies/global-learning.php.