University: Hawaii Pacific University
City: Honolulu
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: English Studies / American Studies, German Studies
Study type: semester abroad
Hawaii is amazing! Such a diverse chain of islands. There is so much new to see and learn. I recommend everyone to spend their semester abroad there!
But let’s start at the beginning.
MicroEdu helped me with all of my questions about my application to Hawaii Pacific University. You get step-by-step instructions for applying for a visa, checklists for preparing for the semester abroad – nothing was missing and you are not alone with problems! I’m studying to become a primary school teacher, specializing in English, German and mathematics. During my time at the HPU, it seemed to me that I was the only student studying this subject…mainly I got to know business administration students, economics students and the like there;). But the HPU was also made for me. Since I’m studying English, the only requirement was that my courses be in English, and of course that wasn’t a problem. Check andyeducation.com to see California State University Chico study abroad opportunities.
In retrospect, I did not keep all of the courses I had previously indicated. On the spot I changed again. In the end, the courses I took were:
World Film Studies (Tuesday and Thursday from 12: 30 p.m. to 1: 55 p.m.)
Cultural Anthropology (Tuesday and Thursday from 2: 05 p.m. to 3: 30 p.m.)
Anthropology of Food and Eating (Wednesday from 17: 15 – 20: 00)
Sociology of Marriage and Family (online course)
World Film Studies:
A relatively relaxed course with a very nice professor (Dr. Wood). In the first lessons, we often used one of Dr. Wood watched selected world films in class and afterwards had to write a short blog entry on the online platform (Blackboard) for the lesson in question.
In the further semester we had to give some short presentations and write two film reviews.
After this course you see films in a different light and go further than ‘I like or I don’t like’.
Cultural Anthropology:
One of my most entertaining classes ever!!!!! The best professor ever, Christopher Erickson!!!! It makes it easy for you to listen attentively and, above all, to remember. In this course there were chapters that we had to read every hour and in addition weekly quizzes on what we had read. But everything is possible! At the beginning of the semester, the course is relatively relaxed… but in the last third it really gets going and you’re under constant stress! So it’s best to start early. During the entire semester there are also field trips at the weekend – a total of 16-20 hours. There are a number of excursions to choose from, all designed to help you learn more about Hawaiian culture. Apart from getting up early
Anthropology of Food and Eating:
My Most Challenging Course! Very good professor with a lot of experience! This course is not about which culture is what or what and it is not eaten here all the time! I had to buy most of the books for this course – I think there were 7 in total. We read these over the course of the semester and discussed them in class. In addition, we should write reading notes (about half a page) for the chapters we have read. There were also two homework assignments.
Sociology of Marriage and the Family:
I took this course online. And although I previously thought that this was a good choice and that I have more time for other nice things because I can schedule myself when I do something for this course, I was wrong and was taught a better one. This course was the course that gave me the least benefit. I didn’t learn anything, there was still a time limit and it didn’t fit very well into my timetable and there was no personal contact at all. Every week you had to write a blog entry on a specific topic and then a response to a blog entry from your fellow students. In addition, there was a midterm and a final exam, which were easy. Overall, the course was very easy, but I don’t think you learn anything at all!
Overall, I can say that the level of my courses was not that high, but the workload was!
The university itself is relatively unusual, in the middle of downtown in a shopping street with many small snack bars. The classrooms are distributed throughout the buildings. However, if you need to pass a little time between courses, there are definitely plenty of options downtown. Chinatown or the Aloha Tower are very close by. You could also do a bit of sightseeing and see the King Kamehameha Statue and the Kings Palace. So there’s a lot to do downtown if you don’t have to go to university.
