The College of Information and Communications is excited to announce two new study away programs taking place in May and June, offering students fresh opportunities to explore the world while expanding their academic horizons. These new experiences are incredibly valuable as they will expose students to diverse cultures, real-world contexts and hands-on learning that simply can’t be replicated in a traditional classroom. 

USC-UA in the Caribbean - Sint Maarten

By William Mims

For the first time, the universities of Alabama and South Carolina will be co-hosting a study abroad program in Sint Maarten from May 10 to June 6, 2026.

The trip will include 12 to 15 students from each university and will focus on advertising and public relations. No prerequisites are required, and the trip is open to students from all majors.

USC trip leader Jameson Hayes, Ph.D., started the program in Sint Maarten at the University of Alabama, where he worked eight years. Upon joining USC in August, he organized the trip between the two universities.

“Getting those people together to collaborate ideas and marrying those two different university’s ways of teaching advertising and public relations is going to make everyone better,” said Hayes.

As part of their studies, students will do market research for a local client on the island. Classes offered on the trip for USC students include Brand Communication in the Caribbean and Social Media Analytics for Tourism Marketing.

Hayes views Sint Maarten as an ideal environment for learning about marketing and public relations. The island, which is split between a French territory and an autonomous Dutch territory, has two different sets of media regulations. 

Sint Maarten also serves as a major tourist destination, which Hayes believes leads to a diverse media ecosystem.

“You have locals. You have people who have second homes there. You have people there for six hours because they’re on a cruise. You have people there for two weeks ... so there’s a lot of different audiences to think through and figure out how to best develop a communications campaign for the brand,” said Hayes.

Additionally, Hayes believes the trip will give students confidence and experience to succeed later in their academic and professional careers,

“The students who come on this trip are essentially being put in a simulated campaign environment ... when they become seniors and start doing ad campaigns or PR campaigns, they’re going to be the leaders of those classes. We’ve seen this time and time again in previous trips,” Hayes said.

Outside of the classroom, students will have the opportunity to go on a variety of excursions while on the trip. This includes a tour of Sint Maarten with a local guide, a day sail around the Island’s coast on a catamaran and shopping in the Dutch capital of Philipsburg, among others.

“Where you get to go, where you get to explore, it’s really fun. And we give the kids a lot of freedom,” said Randall Huffaker, the trip leader for Alabama.

Sports Media Study Abroad Program in London and Edinburgh

By Kaycie Wellman

The College of Information and Communications is debuting a three-week Maymester course in London and Edinburgh focused on sports media.

The course counts as a CIC elective and welcomes students from any major, offering hands-on learning in settings ranging from stadiums and studios to historic city streets. It will be led by faculty members Clay Owen and Renée Ittner-McManus.

“There was no study abroad program to England right now, and I felt like I could use my experience of the city and sports and corporations,” said Owen.

Owen has a particularly personal connection to this course, as he first visited London as a junior at USC during a year-long study abroad from 1980 to 1981. He later returned to London to earn his master’s degree at the University of Kent. Owen plans to leverage his 25 years of public relations experience with major sports organizations like NASCAR and the Dallas Cowboys to lead the class.

The course is open to all USC undergraduate and graduate students, with priority given to those studying journalism, sports media, public relations, visual communications and sport and entertainment management. The class will enroll 20–25 students, and no prerequisites or multimedia experience are required. Owen said they intentionally seek a mix of majors because it strengthens what students can produce together.

The streets of London will be the main classroom. Students will discuss the venue they will visit, go on a tour, and recap together afterwards. Then there will be assignments for them to write.

“This study abroad opportunity gives students the chance to see how sports, media and culture connect on a global scale,” Owen said. “This provides students an international point of view. We’ll be examining sports media and marketing on a scale that you do not see here in Columbia.”

The class will visit some of the U.K.’s most iconic sports and media venues, from Arsenal Football Club to Wimbledon, to explore how global sports organizations engage with fans.

Owen explained that as the sports industry becomes increasingly global, understanding how international teams and sponsors communicate is essential for future professionals.

“When we look at sports media, it’s not just how the traditional media are covering sports, it’s how organizations themselves are creating content and speaking to the fans directly,” said Owen.

 Students will also take a closer look at the growing world of women’s sports in the United Kingdom, visiting a women’s football club in Edinburgh.

Between academic visits, the group will experience the culture of London and Scotland. The class will tour the sets of “Ted Lasso” and “Harry Potter” and compete in the Gamecock Highland Games, a Scottish-inspired sporting event.

With students from journalism, public relations, and sports and entertainment management majors, the class encourages collaboration across disciplines. Whether students are pursuing careers as future content creators, journalists, or marketers, the business of sports is large and has ample opportunity.

Owen hopes the trip will give students the same life-changing experience that his own study abroad provided years ago.

“I know how study abroad changed my life,” he said. “It opened my eyes tremendously to different cultures, different people, and different parts of the world.”

He believes the kind of student who will thrive on the trip is one who is curious and eager to step outside their comfort zone.

“This is an opportunity to see things with a new lens,” Owen said. “Getting to go explore a city by yourself, having the opportunity to mature as a young adult… I think these students will be able to get out and really stretch themselves.”

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About the Authors

These stories were produced as part of Bertram Rantin’s Honors JOUR 291 Writing for Mass Communications course taught by Bertram Rantin.