Global Gateways

First, please ensure that you have applied to and been accepted by Stetson University. Once you have been accepted by Stetson and have been issued a Stetson ID (it will start with 800) and user name, you can click "apply now" on the Global Gateways application page and log in using your Stetson user name and password.

In the application, you will be asked to write a short response (1-2 paragraphs) OR upload a short video (around 2 minutes) answering one of the following prompts. Please do not use AI in your responses. 

• Write about an experience where travel changed how you thought about something. Where did you go (it doesn’t have to be far)? Why did you go? What was it like? In what way did it make you think differently about something?
• Write about your favorite place away from home. Again, it doesn’t have to be some exotic location. It could be your grandmother’s farm or your friend’s beach house or that giant oak tree behind your cousin’s or the arcade down the street. Describe the place as specifically as possible, and tell us why it’s so special to you. 

If you are accepted into the program, you will be asked to submit a non-refundable $500 deposit to confirm your spot in the program. The deposit will be applied to your Spring 2026 bill, reducing the amount you will owe to Stetson that semester.

Applications are reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Apply early for the best consideration!

For questions about the Global Gateways program, please contact [email protected]

All students in the program will take the following two classes with a Stetson professor:

FSEM: Voices of Ireland: Language, Education, and Culture Today

This course introduces students to contemporary Irish culture, education, and society through an exploration of language, identity, history, and social change. As students live and study in Ireland, the course provides a framework for understanding the cultural, social, and political forces shaping the country today. Through readings, media, and other primary and secondary sources, students will examine Ireland’s transformation in areas such as language revitalization, educational reform, migration, globalization, and the role of the Irish language in contemporary society. Course materials are designed to be both accessible and intellectually rigorous, encouraging students to engage critically with ongoing debates about culture, belonging, and national identity.

Drawing on perspectives from bilingual education and language policy, the course also encourages comparative analysis between Ireland and other contexts, including places such as Puerto Rico. Students will explore shared and contrasting experiences related to colonialism, language maintenance and revitalization, education, migration, and diaspora, fostering a broader understanding of how language and culture shape social and political life across diverse societies.

Multicultural Children’s Literature: Stories, Identity, and Irish Traditions

This Creative Arts General Education course explores children's literature through diverse cultural, linguistic, and social perspectives, with a special focus on Ireland’s rich storytelling traditions and contemporary literary culture. The course will examine how children’s literature reflects, preserves, and shapes cultural identity through oral folklore, mythology, language, and artistic expression. Students will engage with a range of texts, including retellings of Celtic myths and legends, Irish folklore, contemporary Irish children’s literature, and Irish-language and bilingual children’s books commonly used in schools. Together, these texts provide insight into Ireland’s cultural heritage as well as contemporary efforts to promote language revitalization and cultural continuity.

Through close reading, discussion, and creative analysis, students will examine how literature supports language maintenance, identity formation, and a sense of belonging across generations. As an A (Creative Arts) General Education course, students will engage not only as readers and critics but also as creators. The culminating project invites students to design and develop their own children’s literature book, choosing to work as an author, illustrator, or both. Students may create an original picture book or a culturally grounded adaptation of a folktale, applying literary and artistic techniques studied throughout the course. Structured peer critiques, reflective writing, and collaborative discussions will support students in analyzing artistic choices, audience engagement, and cultural representation. Through both critical and creative work, students will gain a deeper understanding of the power of storytelling to transmit language, culture, and community values.

Students will also enroll in two additional 4-credit courses taught by faculty at Griffith College in Dublin. Griffith offers a wide range of courses, with past offerings including communication and media studies, history, Irish studies, psychology, business, and other related fields. Course availability may vary by semester, providing students with opportunities to explore a variety of academic interests while studying in Ireland.

Stetson will arrange an optional group flight from Orlando at the start of the program. If preferred, students who are traveling from outside the central Florida area can choose to book their flights and meet the group in Dublin. Flight costs are separate from tuition and housing fees.

Program Dates

Late January to Late May, 2027. Exact dates will be announced in fall 2026.

Orientation

All students will attend both a pre-departure orientation and an on-site orientation in Dublin. More information about this will be sent to program participants after they are admitted.

Program housing is located in student accommodation on Griffith College’s Dublin campus. All students are provided with a bus pass (we’ll get you started with approximately 50 euros on your bus pass – but you can add more money to the pass if you use it all up!) and are welcome to "top up" their bus pass throughout the semester.
 
While housing can vary slightly depending on which on-campus accommodation they are in, most students can expect to share a bedroom with an ensuite bathroom, while common areas (such as the kitchen) will be shared with 3-4 flatmates.

Meal plans are not included; however, all students have access to a kitchen in their apartments to prepare their own food, and the apartments are centrally located within Dublin City, with several affordable restaurants nearby.