International Media Class Travels to Italy

Point Park students and faculty gather for a group photo during the International Media Class.

Point Park University School of Communication students are stepping off campus and traveling abroad as part of a unique course that is in its fifth year.

The International Media Class will spend 12 days in Italy to examine a combination of the country's media outlets and culture. Faculty and staff members Helen Fallon, David Fabilli and Ruth Rauluk, along with retired faculty member Jan Getz, will accompany the students.

"The course started as a way to give students the ability to get a taste of international travel and other cultures. Among that is looking at and comparing other countries' media to our own," said Helen Fallon, professor and director of the Honors Program. In previous years, students and faculty visited Prague, Ireland, Toronto and London.

In addition to their pre-trip course work, students will document the trip with daily blogs about the Italian media and cultural experience as they tour Rome, Florence, Naples and Sorrento. Watch for updates to see what they are doing.

"I'm planning on creating a news package in Italy, so all of the technical and performance skills I've learned at Point Park will really pay off while I'm in Europe," said Amanda King, a senior broadcast major.

Adelyn Biedenbach, a senior journalism student, said that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for students at Point Park. "We are not only traveling to Italy to see the sights and experience the culture, we are getting to meet with journalism and communications professionals to see how their media operate," she said.

The group departs for Italy on Thursday, May 10.