UW-Madison launches new study abroad program
Have you ever wanted to study abroad, but felt that a semester or year-long program was too much time away from campus?
A new program from the Office of International Studies and Programs (OISP) is designed to help solve that problem. Beginning during Winter Break of the 2003-2004 academic year, International Seminars will allow undergraduates to take a three to four-week, faculty-led trip overseas in one of eight countries. Each three-credit seminar of up to 25 students will have a specific academic focus.
During the seminars, students will engage in a combination of formal instruction, fieldwork, cultural activities, excursions, and self-directed learning. Student participants will cover costs.
The seminars are designed to create additional opportunities for students to study abroad for a shorter period of time, says Steven Duke, student services coordinator for International Academic Programs, a unit of OISP.
“Some students have family responsibilities or jobs where they can’t take a year or a semester to go overseas,” Duke says. “We wanted to provide a type of program for students who wouldn’t ordinarily get a chance to go.”
“Recent national polls show that young people recognize that knowledge of international issues is important for their careers and that study abroad experiences during college are invaluable in preparing them for a globalized world and global economy,” adds Gilles Bousquet, dean of International Studies.
“These new seminars underscore our ongoing commitment to offer students more study abroad opportunities, including short-term as well as full year and semester programs.”
Two seminars are being scheduled for winter break and six seminars for summer 2004.
The sites, seminar topics and faculty leaders for the winter programs are:
- England: The London Theater, English Professor Michael Hinden
- Samoa: Polynesian Cultural Use of Plants for Material and Medicinals, Forest Ecology and Management Professor Raymond A. Young
The sites, seminar topics and faculty leaders for the summer programs are:
- Finland: The Architectural and Cultural Landscapes of Finland, Landscape Architecture Professor Arnold R. Alanen
- France: Contemporary French Film in Paris, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts Kelley Conway
- China: Design – The Connection of Western Environment and Behavior Research and Chinese Feng Shue: Theory and Application, Wei Dong and Michael Hunt, professors, Environmental Textile and Design
- Cyprus: Mapping a Diverse Cyprus, Comparative Literature Professor Mary Layoun
- Hungary: Central Europe in the Middle Ages, History Professor Maureen Mazzaoui
- Kazakhstan: History and Religion in the New States of Central Asia: The Legacy of Colonialism, Languages and cultures of Asia Professor Uli Schamiloglu, and Geography Professor Robert Kaiser
A faculty committee and an internal administrative committee selected seminars and associated faculty after proposals for pilot seminars were submitted last semester.
Faculty members are encouraged to design and propose their own programs for the future as a way to pursue areas of specialty or interest, make contacts and conduct research.
IAP offers 70 study abroad programs on six continents.
For more information on International Seminars or applying to a specific seminar, call (608) 261-1020.
Tags: learning