CAS students engage in global branding and storytelling experiences in Ireland
MJF assistant professor Phillip Arceneaux led his Strategic Communication class on the immersive, career-focused tour.
CAS students engage in global branding and storytelling experiences in Ireland
Fifteen CAS students participated in a new study abroad experience along with classmates from the Farmer School of Business and the College of Education, Health, and Society, traveling to Ireland in March to study global brand management and storytelling. They were part of the Intercultural Communication class taught by Dr. Phillip Arceneaux, assistant professor in the Department of Media, Journalism, and Film and recipient of a 2025 Junior Faculty Scholar Award.
During the program, attendees stayed in Dublin, participated in a variety of tours, and heard from guest lecturers with experience in marketing, management, and communication. The experience was designed to complement the knowledge gained in strategic communication courses at Miami University.
Arceneaux wanted students to learn about intercultural communication and marketing while immersing themselves in another culture. He hopes to run the program every spring.
“Travelling abroad is such a fundamentally life rewarding experience," said Arceneaux. “These small things that you never expect, you only get them when you go.”
Students said they learned a lot hearing from quality speakers such as former ambassador John Neary and Oskar Persson, head of brands at Irish Distillers. They also attended various advertising and cultural tours including a tour of Croke Park Stadium, the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association.
“Getting that understanding of different cultures and getting out there, learning how to communicate across all sorts of different audiences is a really great skill to have,” said Charlie Cagann, a senior with a double major in Political Science and Strategic Communication.
Cagann has participated in a variety of study away programs with Miami in the past.
“I firmly believe in the power of people, that going out, making good connections, and instilling bonds is really going to be instrumental to your life,” he said. “I think that studying abroad really offers an opportunity to do that.”
Emily Anderson, a Media and Communications major, agreed, adding that she feels she made some of these connections during the program.
”To get to go to Dublin with your peers for just one week, I've made friends that are going to last me a long time,” Anderson said. “It was amazing.”
Media and Communication and Individualized Studies senior Trevor Bowerman added, “The course concepts I learned over in Ireland are definitely relevant to my studies in advertising and portraying the brand image.”
Each of the students agreed that the Global Brand Management & Storytelling in Ireland experience would definitely be an opportunity they’d recommend to other students.
“It’s less any big specific thing that I could tell you has changed, and more just that I feel that it's different. I'm better at handling communication than I was when I left,” said Savannah Slater, who has a double major in strategic communication and professional writing.
