Developmental Psychology in Albania

Travel to Albania for a two-week study abroad experience focused on Developmental Lifespan Psychology. Students will fly together to Tirana and travel from there to the northern city of Shkodra, a mid-size city situated between Albania’s largest lake and the Albanian Alps, a site inhabited since paleolithic times. Using this setting as its laboratory, this program explores how culture shapes human development from childhood through adulthood.

Students will learn through classes, site visits and cultural experiences. Based at the University of Shkodra, you will interact with local students and learn from Albanian faculty about topics including local culture; gender norms, relationships and sexuality; developmental milestones; family roles and inter-generational bonds; and the role of the environment in psychological well-being.

Highlights include visits to the Drejt se Ardhmes child healthcare center and the Shkodra Development Center to learn about child development in a local context and to the Shkodra Regional Hospital and a local nursing home to explore how mental and physical health are supported throughout the lifespan. You will also visit the Murubi National Museum of Photography and Lake Shkodra National Park, an important ecological reserve on the border between Albania and Montenegro.

All students will take PSY 2250: Developmental Psychology (4 cr.).

This course is open to students who meet program requirements for introductory psychology. Taking this course explores how culture and environment shape human development across the lifespan. It also supports continued study in the psychology major.

This course fulfills OU’s general education requirement for knowledge applications integration.

Students will stay in shared accommodations in a comfortable, modern hotel in downtown Shkodra, in easy walking distance to the university.

Meals will include a mix of group meals and local dining experiences. You will have the opportunity to enjoy traditional Albanian foods such as fërgesë, qebapa, gullash and bakllava. The cuisine of Shkodra is celebrated for its variety of freshwater and saltwater fish and seafood, its Italian influence, and its tavë kosi lamb casserole.

Tuition: 4 credits
You will be charged for four credits on your eBill at your normal rate of tuition.

Program Fee: $3,850
To be paid to OU on our MarketPlace payment system and includes: roundtrip airfare, housing and some meals, ground transportation and all excursions while in Albania, and health insurance.

Additional Costs: $315
You will need additional funds for these expenses not covered by the program fee. Amounts are estimated.

Incidental personal expenses: $100

Meals: $50

Passport (if you don’t have one): $165

Scholarships and Financial Aid: You are able to use financial aid to cover your full cost of attendance to this program (tuition, program fee and additional costs). Scholarships are also available through your study abroad application.