Multimedia Storytelling: Culture and History in Vietnam (NTID Faculty-Led Program)

Highlights

• While in Vietnam, you'll participate in excursions and services that are planned by Hands on Travel (HOT), a travel organization that specializes in experiences for Deaf and ASL signers,and offers small-group travel tours with local deaf guides.
• Visit sites in Vietnam such as the “Hanoi Hilton”, Independence Palace, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and Halong Bay - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Create multimedia storybooks using sign language and written language to tell stories about Vietnam, Deaf people, and folklore.
• Learn about Vietnamese culture, Vietnamese deaf culture, Vietnamese history, Asian customs, and cross-cultural team development.
• Develop a basic understanding of Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi Sign Languages.

Visual storytelling is the central focus of this program. Vietnam has rich and complex visual and cultural traditions, allowing for an excellent opportunity for learning outside the classroom and multimedia storytelling. During your spring 2025 in Rochester, you will learn about Vietnamese culture, Vietnamese deaf culture, Vietnamese history, Asian customs, and basic Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi Sign Languages. By traveling to Vietnam during the summer, you will further develop cultural competencies through interactions with Deaf peers in Vietnam and visiting local programs and clubs for Deaf people. During the Spring semester course and while in Vietnam, you will create multimedia storybooks using sign language and written language to tell stories about Vietnam, Deaf people, and folklore.

While in Vietnam, you will travel to Hanoi, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh to learn about Vietnam's history, government, and arts. You'll participate in a fisherman experience in Fishing Villages in Hoi An. In Ho Chi Minh, you'll gain a historical context of the Vietnam War (Cu Chi Tunnels, War Remnants Museum, and Reunification Palace). In the nearby Mekong Delta villages, you'll explore markets and experience Vietnamese people's daily life by water.

Course Term: Spring course at RIT, travel to Vietnam in early Summer
Travel Dates: May 18-June 1, 2025
Credits: 3

Course Details:

• NTID-NDLS 280: International Studies (undergrad)
• MSSE 780: Global Education Seminar (grad)

Students will be enrolled in a spring course at RIT and will travel to Vietnam in early summer.

No previous technical skills required. No pre-requisites. Must know ASL. Open to all undergraduate and graduate majors, all year levels.

You will travel independently to/from your program location and be responsible for booking your flights. Once all students are confirmed for the program, the faculty director(s) will let you know more details about the flights and when to book them.

Application Deadline: October 20, 2024
Note: you must also submit your ASL skill video by this deadline.

Eligibility:

• Must have proven ability to sign in ASL
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher (students with lower than a 2.5 GPA would be considered on a case-by-case basis)
• Have a clear conduct record with RIT
• Have no financial holds on your RIT eServices account at the time of your program acceptance/confirmation

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Program Cost & Financial Aid

Program Cost: A student budget worksheet outlining all program costs will be available soon. 

Financial Aid:
Financial aid may cover some program costs. As you review the budget worksheet, please remember that it does not include your RIT financial aid or scholarships which may cover some of the program costs. The purpose of the budget worksheet is to show all the costs associated with your study abroad program which will help your RIT Financial Aid Assistant Director determine how your aid and scholarships may be applied. 

To understand how your financial aid and scholarships may apply to your program costs:

• Make an appointment with your financial aid assistant director (call Financial Aid at 585-475-2186) and mention that you are calling for a study abroad appointment
• Upload a copy of your budget worksheet(s) via the Financial Aid upload portal at https://join.rit.edu/register/FA_upload (at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled meeting, so they have time to prepare) 
  • Please rename the file name of your budget worksheet before uploading it to the Financial Aid portal based on the instructions provided in the portal (adding your name and student ID)

To find out the name of your financial aid assistant director for your degree program visit: https://www.rit.edu/admissions/aid/contact#counseling-team

We recommend you meet with Financial Aid before the application deadline so you understand how your aid will apply. The RIT financial aid office is located in Bausch and Lomb Center (Bldg. 77), 2nd floor, 2125.

Scholarships:

• RIT Education Abroad Travel Grants ($500-$1,000)
  All students with pending applications in the RIT Study Abroad Compass for this program will be automatically considered for an RIT Education Abroad Travel Grant. You will be informed of your scholarship status shortly after the application deadline. Scholarships awarded based on financial need.

• Other scholarships: RIT Study Abroad Scholarships, National Study Abroad Scholarships

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To Apply

1) Watch this short video on application steps for RIT faculty-led programs.
2) Start an application in the RIT Study Abroad Compass