by Dina Gustin 11/3/26
Learning abroad incorporates many aspects. It can mean navigating public transportation in an unfamiliar city, exploring historic sites while comparing academic notes, or sharing a long meal with new colleagues while experiencing the local culture. These everyday moments help students develop independence and self-direction. In Rome, that growth might begin with something as simple as catching a train at Roma Termini, traveling in the right direction toward Civitavecchia, getting off at Roma Aurelia station, and walking the remaining 15 minutes to campus. As students establish a new daily routine in a historic, metropolitan city, self-leadership becomes part of the learning experience.
At the Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum and the Faculty of Law at the European
University of Rome, professors have developed a course of study in collaboration with
The Honors College at the 91视频. The faculty-led program connects classroom learning at UH with an immersive international
experience. Through this collaboration with the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human
Rights, students explore bioethics alongside medical humanities, history, culture,
religion, and human rights. Rome itself becomes an extension of the classroom, allowing
students to examine these subjects through the city's art, architecture, institutions,
and history.
Global Bioethics: Engaging Rome with the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics & Human Rights is one of The Honors College's established faculty-led programs. The cross-curricular experience begins in a UH Honors classroom and continues in Rome, where students engage with UNESCO Chair collaborators, including Dr. John Lunstroth and Dr. Alberto Garc铆a G贸mez. The program brings together the arts, humanities, social sciences, and life sciences, encouraging students to consider how ethical questions are shaped by cultural, historical, and religious perspectives. Faculty members also encourage students to engage with Italian culture as an essential part of the learning experience.
Global bioethics examines questions about health, medicine, and the life sciences
across cultures and national
borders. Under the guidance of Dr. Lunstroth and Dr. Garc铆a G贸mez, students participate
in discussions and debates about multicultural and multifaith perspectives and consider
how these viewpoints apply to research and the relationship between medicine and society.
Topics may extend to social philosophy, transhumanism, neurotechnology, and the future
of humanity. By exploring these questions alongside Rome's ancient and modern art,
architecture, history and legal traditions, students gain a broader framework for
understanding the ethical challenges facing an interconnected world.
Critical reflection is another important part of the experience. By examining complex
questions in an international setting, students have opportunities to strengthen their
critical thinking, independence, and ability to consider unfamiliar perspectives.
Some students may build on their experience by pursuing the Medicine & Society minor, connecting their global learning to further academic study and future professional
goals.
Dr. Ben Rayder, Honors College Faculty Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Research,
Major Awards, and Learning Abroad/Away, and an Instructional Associate Professor,
supports students as they pursue these academic and professional opportunities. He
sees the Medicine & Society minor as an important pathway for students interested
in understanding medicine beyond the clinical setting.
鈥淢edicine and Society is one of the largest minors in
The Honors College, which offers a pathway to understand historical, economical, and cultural factors in the field of medicine,鈥� Rayder said.
Global bioethics explores how human dignity, health, and human rights shape decisions across cultures and around the world. At the 91视频, faculty-led programs create innovative opportunities to strengthen international research, teaching, and partnerships while helping students understand perspectives beyond their own experiences.
Global learning starts at home
Students encounter ideas that challenge their assumptions and deepen their engagement with complex global issues through classroom discussions and research. At UH鈥檚 recent Coogs Without Borders showcase, students shared research and insights gained through global learning experiences, including Emre Ak, who reflected on how his learning abroad experience broadened his understanding of healthcare.
鈥淥ne of my biggest takeaways from the learning abroad program was realizing that there is more to healthcare than just science. The trip made me realize how people鈥檚 cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and values can shape the way they approach medical decisions.鈥�
鈥� 鈥�-Emre Ak, Biology major
Through the 91视频鈥檚 Global Bioethics program, Rome is more than a destination. Rome鈥檚 historical spaces become a place to question assumptions, explore ideas, and see familiar issues through a different lens. For example, students talked about how walking by the Colosseum and Roman Forum reminded them where ancient laws and rights began.
Karen Wei, a student who loves Humanities, wrote in her research about how participating in the Global Bioethics program in Rome completely changed how she thought about healthcare and what it means to be human.
Swarnil Mandal further explained in her research reflections how the faculty challenged them with questions like 鈥淲hat makes someone a person?" and "What makes a good doctor?" "Instead of seeing patients as just biological machines or sets of symptoms, we learned that humans thrive through connection, relationships, and caring for one another.鈥�
Take your learning beyond the classroom and discover how global perspectives can shape the way you understand the world. Go global! Connect Local.
Where will you be in Spring 2027? Interested in expanding your horizons with neuro bioethics, global art, multiculturalism, religion and bioethics, or human rights? Explore these topics from a global perspective through the 91视频鈥檚 Global Bioethics program in Rome. This interdisciplinary, site-based learning experience connects classroom study with international perspectives and UNESCO initiatives, giving students opportunities to engage with complex ethical questions in a rich cultural and historical setting.
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Explore opportunities with The Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards (OURMA)
Find out more with Learning Abroad and Faculty-Led Programs