The USC School of Social Work will offer two new study-abroad opportunities in Israel and China this summer for students who want to explore another culture and different models of social service in an international setting.

The Israel program, convening over a three-week period in June, will focus on social conflict and creative problem-solving, highlighting expressive practice skills. The China course, also a three-week program in May and June, emphasizes Eastern approaches to successful aging in the areas of health, family and social engagement.

Each program will combine a classroom component with experiential learning through field trips, emphasizing diverse approaches to social issues similarly prevalent in the United States.

"The issues are very similar between the places, which is the whole point. The similarities are in the issues, but the methods of looking at how to solve the problems are different. The ways of thinking about what needs to be done are different," said Clinical Assistant Professor Michal Sela-Amit, the faculty adviser for the Israel program.

Students in the Israel program will begin with a one-week preparation session at USC, which will include distance-education lectures from faculty at Tel Aviv University, where students will be staying for the majority of their time in Israel.

The university will serve as the base of operations for the two weeks in Israel. There, students will engage with the community in various field activities, in addition to attending lectures and discussion panels on "outside the box" methods ranging from community theatre to therapy using horse-riding as a means of assisting troubled youth.

The final part of the program will include field excursions to Galilee and Jerusalem, where students will focus on creative problem-solving and international social work, with a special emphasis on immigrant and youth issues.

"This opportunity will expose participants to these different methods and the social workers who implement them in the field, as well as clients who have been exposed to them," said Sela-Amit. "Talking to these people about how they responded to the methods will inspire our students to deal with different ways of thinking and develop new methods once they enter the field."

The China program will also kick off with a weeklong pre-departure seminar on the country's social welfare system and cultural influences, followed by the remaining two weeks in Beijing.

Participants will be able to immerse themselves in China's social and cultural life through daily interaction with faculty and students at Peking University, People's University and Beijing Normal University. Visits with community care organizations and leading research centers that study aging-related policy will allow students to look at gerontology through the lens of the vastly different political, social, economic and cultural structures that affect the process and perspectives on aging, as well as how they shape the practice of social policy and services in China. Also included in the program are outings to the Great Wall, Forbidden City and other Beijing-area attractions.

Students will be exposed to the different methods of dealing with aging in China, which have a long-held cultural emphasis on the importance of filial respect and family support. This new knowledge can help students explore alternative approaches to social issues affecting older adults, which may be particularly beneficial in treating the significant East Asian population of Southern California.

Both the Israel and China programs offer students the option of four units of course credit, which will go toward their master of social work degree.

For more information, contact Michal Sela-Amit at mselaami@usc.edu for the Israel program, or Iris Chi at ichi@usc.edu for the China program. Alternatively, contact International Program Director Dan Hester at hester@usc.edu.