DANBURY, CONN. — Western Connecticut State University will celebrate International Education week from Monday, Nov. 17, through Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, with a variety of lectures, workshops, film screenings, culinary offerings, trivia contests and info booths to provide details about international education not only for Western students, but members of the public as well.

A complete list of International Education Week events can be found at www.wcsu.edu/newsevents/events.asp.

WCSU serves as a gateway to the world for those who are interested in obtaining an education outside of the United States. Options include participation in the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), which has sent students in the past for a semester or a year abroad to such places as Malta, Holland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Africa. This fall, Western students are studying in Morocco, Spain, Sweden and Germany. In the spring, students will study in Italy, Turkey, Germany, Ireland and Costa Rica. Additional opportunities to study abroad are a winter intersession study opportunity in Italy and month-long summer studies in Spain.

Among the offerings during International Education Week will be a workshop about the four-week summer Arts and Culture Study in Spain trip that will occur in May/June 2015. Participants will be able to immerse themselves in Spanish language, arts and culture while living in San Sebastian, a vibrant coastal city in northwestern Spain that borders France. WCSU students who attend will fulfill the university’s language requirement in just four weeks while earning up to six college credits.

Highlights of the annual trip to Spain will include the opportunity to become immersed in the Mediterranean lifestyle while enhancing participants’ knowledge of Spanish. The Basque region is well-known for its abundance of arts, culture and cuisine — all of which will be experienced during the month-long study-abroad opportunity. Students will learn to dance flamenco where it originated and will taste — and learn to prepare — traditional meals such as tapas and paella.

The trip is open not only to students, but to members of the community as well. The application deadline is in mid-February 2015. To view the application, go to www.wcsu.edu/spain/Application_-_Spain_2015.pdf.

Between now and next summer when the students depart for Spain, a short study-abroad excursion to Italy will head out next month.

In December 2013, 16 students spent two weeks in Florence immersed in Italian culture and the arts. This year, nine students will be joined by three members of the public for the trip that has been described as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

To learn more about International Education Week events, go to www.wcsu.edu/newsevents/events.asp. To find out more about study-abroad options, visit www.wcsu.edu/international/abroad.asp.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.