In the heart of the nation’s media capital, the School of Communications’ offers the New York City Experience, an exciting program that will focus on the world’s great religions, their beliefs and practices, their relationships to new and traditional media, and how they interact with aspects of popular culture. We will visit religious sites (e.g. temples, mosques, cathedrals, etc.) and talk with religious leaders in our pursuit to deepen our understanding of different faiths and how the media can both shape and reflect societal views of religions. Additionally, the NYC Experience will expose you to the fascinating field of Persuasion. Using NYC as a rich source from which to examine and explore the role of persuasion in society, you will learn principles and theories that will allow you to become a more critical consumer and creator of persuasive messages. Students will also have the opportunity to attend at least one Broadway play, a trip to the famous Apollo Theater for Amateur Night, museums, a trip to the Sacred Grove, and many other activities in the City of Lights.
New York Experience
DATES
21 Jun–10 Aug 2021
HOUSING
Students will be housed in the 92Y Residence complex, located in one of Manhattan’s best neighborhoods, three blocks from Central Park.
COURSES
Students will register for 6 credit hours during the program from the following courses:
COMMS 426 Persuasion (3 credit hours)
COMMS 482 World Religions and the Media (3 credit hours)
Students may not take any other courses on this program, including BYU online courses, without approval by the program director and ISP.
COST
$3,300–3,700
Includes Latter-day-Saint, undergraduate full tuition (increased cost for graduate and non-Latter-day-Saint students), housing, sponsored excursions, admission to cultural sites and events, and local transportation.
Not Included: airfare, personal expenses, and meals.
TRAVEL
Students are responsible for purchasing their own airfare to and from the program sites. Airline reservations must be made through BYU Travel. Students should contact a BYU Travel agent.
BYU Travel
280 HRCB | (801) 422-6293 | travel@byu.edu
PREPARATION
Accepted students are required to participate in a cross-cultural preparation course (IAS 201, 1 credit hour). This evening course will be held during the second block of winter semester 2021.
Part-time and non-BYU students will need to pay an additional tuition fee for enrolling in the prep class.
Accompanying spouses need to be credit-bearing participants on the program. Spouses will also need to apply online and enroll in the preparation course.
FUNDING SOURCES
Regular BYU tuition scholarships, Pell Grants, and Federal Insured Student Loans may be applied to study abroad programs.
Students who submit the financial aid section of the ISP application and who have a current FAFSA form on file at the Financial Aid Office (A-41 ASB) will be considered for a study abroad scholarship and may be considered for other scholarships.
Students must indicate on their original online application that they want to be considered for financial aid.
Academic departments and colleges may assist with scholarships and grants.
Private grants and scholarships outside of BYU may also assist (see kennedy.byu.edu/scholarships).
APPLICATION PROCESS
Students must be 18 years-of-age or older to participate.
Complete the online application at kennedy.byu.edu/apply. A nonrefundable $35 application fee is required.
Applicants will be interviewed once the application is complete.
Students will be notified via e-mail of their acceptance into the program. The first payment is due upon acceptance.
Please refer to the 2021 Payment Information document (see kennedy.byu.edu/isp-forms/ISPpayments2021.pdf).
Deadline: 1 March 2021
FACULTY
The program will be directed by Mark Callister, professor in the School of Communications. He received a PhD in Communication with emphases in theories of persuasion and marketing communications at the University of Arizona. He is the recipient of the 2020 University Alumni Professorship Award, the 2016 School of Communications Forsyth Award, the 2011 University Randall L. Morgan Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellowship Award and member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. His general research interests include adolescents and the media, visual imagery in advertising, and the role of persuasion in nonprofit fundraising and storytelling. He will be accompanied by his wife Colette.
SCHEDULE AND TIME COMMITMENT
Students should plan to be in New York on 21 June. The program will end 10 August. Students should refrain from scheduling late arrivals or early departures.
INTERESTED STUDENTS SHOULD CONTACT
International Study Programs
101 HRCB
(801) 422-3686
isp@byu.edu
kennedy.byu.edu/isp
Mark Callister
(801) 422-6143
mark_callister@byu.edu
PROGRAM ADJUSTMENTS
International Study Programs (ISP) reserves the right to cancel this program, revise its offerings, or make any adjustments to the preliminary cost. If it becomes necessary for ISP to cancel a program, all program payments made to BYU ISP will be refunded to the student’s BYU Financial account. ISP is the only office authorized to cancel any of its programs.