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SXSW: An Immersive Media Experience

Program Details

SXSW presents an opportunity for immersing media-oriented students into the largest creative media industry event in the U.S., which converges the music, film, television, digital, interactive, gaming, and audio professions into a single week-long event. It will provide students with an excellent opportunity to interact with and observe media practitioners in action, sit in on numerous professional panels and discussions, network with industry leaders, and get a firsthand feel for the different and innovative ways people are doing in the rapidly evolving field. It will also be a rich cultural experience.
 

Selection Criteria:

No prerequisite courses are required. Students may need to request permission from their spring instructors as they may miss
classes the week following Spring Break. Students will be responsible for this process on their own.

Destination:

Austin, Texas

Program Dates:

March 7th - March 15th, 2025

Cost

Cost: $2,900.00 (Airfare not included)

Scholarships are available! Visit our scholarships page for more information.

Deposit: $500

Deposit is due 72 hours after registration. If not paid in that timeframe, you may be dropped from your trip.

Payments can now be made online! Visit this website for instructions on how to pay your deposit and future payments online. Charges should show on your account within 24-48 hours after registration. If you want to pay with cash or check, please pay at the Hurst Center for Lifelong Learning.

Includes: insurance, tuition, room and board, local transportation, excursions, and some meals. 

Not included: airfare, incidentals, excess baggage costs, any unscheduled travel, and some meals.

Itinerary

Pre-departure orientation and meetings will take place the last week in January, and the second and fourth weeks in February, dates/times/locations TBD. 
During the trip, each day will end with a debrief session at an agreed upon location.
March 7 - Travel from SLC Airport to Austin, Tx. Arrive at Lodging. Familiarize with public transport and conference locations,
and begin work documenting their early experience.
March 8 - SXSW programming begins, social media scavenger hunt, group dinner
March 9 - Conference Programming (official schedule released early 2025)
March 10 - Conference Programming 
March 11 - Conference Programming 
March 12 - Conference Programming 
March 13 - Conference Programming 
March 14 - Conference Programming, Group Dinner
March 15 - Final conference wrap-up, travel from Austin, Tx to SLC Airport.
Students will have until April 1 to complete their assignments and submit them for assessment.

Academic Courses

Students may enroll in (3) of the following credit hours:

  • COMM 4500 - Special Topics
  • FILM 3810 - Special Topics

Program Directors

Dr. Aaron Atkins is an mass communication professor with a focus on digital media.

datkins@weber.edu

Andrea Baltazar is a media production professor and the director of the film studies program.

andreabaltazar@weber.edu

Trip Cancellations

If Weber State cancels a trip for any reason, all participants will be refunded 100% of funds paid to the school. If a participant withdraws from the program for any reason, they are subject to the refund policy found on the first page of the application.  Deposits are always non-refundable, unless the program is canceled by Weber State.  No refunds will be issued 30 days prior to program start date. 

Refunds will NOT be given to students due to COVID-19 concerns. Before programs were canceled in 2020, every student was given the option to withdraw from programs without penalty due to COVID-19. This year students are applying, cognizant of the pandemic. Weber State will not intentionally place students into high risk situations. We will work together with Program Leaders and Departments on canceling should the destination demonstrate increased risks, be they from COVID or any other concern. As such, students must abide by the standard refund policy.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Study Abroad Office at (801) 626-8715.