Category: Study Abroad

Summer Academy Peacebuilding & ICD

2nd International Summer Academy in Peace-building & Intercultural Dialogue
17.08 – 27.08.2014
Baar, Switzerland

IPD logo

The Institute for Peace and Dialogue is very glad to announce its next International Summer Academy in Peace-building & Intercultural Dialogue, which is going to be held in Switzerland 2014.  Its image as one of the most favourable places for traveling has made it more interesting to offer an exited and comprehensive program for our participants. Our experts, who are professionals in their fields will contribute to this event, with many years of experience in peace and conflict studies.

Nowadays unfortunately several frozen or ongoing conflicts between or within states still exist. Conflicts are different and if we look to the world mankind, how they are facing many new challenges, coupled with new dangerous situations, i.e. terrorist acts, non-legal arming of conflict sides, re-determination of borders, establishing new countries in the world map, non-providing territorial integrity, trafficking of arms, drugs and human; disputes on the implementation of transnational energy projects, democratization and false elections, revolution and internal political conflicts, armed guerrilla movements, violation and discrimination by nationalists, world economic crisis, climate change and unsafely biodiversity etc. Unfortunately the list is long. Conflicts are related and an integral part of human beings, as conflicts cause violation of human rights.

Existing conflicts weaken every kind of cooperation between nations and states. Without mutual cooperation and understanding, the future prosperity of the region would remain only as a good dream. Taking into consideration of peaceful behavior and engagements, we can make a decision on the strict belief, that opportunities for solving conflicts are feasible. Because in every conflict situation and tension forms we consequently face the below mentioned common situations:

1. Desperate situation and non-solving problems are not eternal;
2. It is possible to make common decision which both sides;
3. We can find common values, traditions and similar situation among conflict parties;
4. Protracted conflicts on the same time endanger regional development and prosperity;
5. Any mediation and negotiation actions are better than nothing.

Main Goal
The main goal of the summer academy is to support institutional academic peace education and strengthen peace-building skills and intercultural dialogue of the international society.

Language of the program
The International Summer Academy will be held in English.

Further information, and application, available from the Institute for Peace and Dialogue.

Summer in Greece with Villanova

SUMMER IN GREECE
Undergraduates are invited to apply for the 5-week “Rhetoric and Performance in Ancient Greece” summer program sponsored by the Department of Communication at Villanova University.

The communication discipline has its origins in the study of the spoken word and its power to move and persuade. Greece is the site of much of the history of the spoken word, from epic storytelling, to oratory, to drama and lyric poetry, to the messages of the oracles. This five-week, 6 – credit summer program allows Communication majors and minors and honors students to gain important insights into the roots of the discipline and make contemporary applications through hands-on experience in Greece. Students can gain additional intercultural insights by observing and participating in a contemporary culture that continues to surround itself with, and to be influenced by, its ancient history.

6 credits; 2 professors; 20 students! Classes are held at key archaeological sites across the mainland and islands. This program brings to life the roots of the Communication discipline in its place of origin and engages students in critical aspects of contemporary culture. The 2014 program consists of two interdependent courses that will engage students in understanding connections between the ancient and contemporary Greek worlds: Performance of Greek Literature focuses on ancient Greek theatre as a way to understand rhetorical constructions of myth; and Performing Place, Space, and Public Memory focuses on tourism and places of public memory as rhetorical and performative sites. Course instruction takes place primarily in outdoor, nontraditional spaces, and as much as possible on or near specific ancient sites. The students’ primary work—analysis and performance of significant rhetorical, dramatic, and myth texts—needs to be grounded in the specifically historical, social, and cultural contexts, and much of this is gleaned from the physical space. Thus, travel to these sites is an integral part of the academic program.

Open to Communication majors and minors and all Honors majors at Villanova University as well as Communication majors and minors from other universities. Special permission may be granted for students who are not COM majors or minors or in honors but who can demonstrate coursework that provides a comparable background and preparation for this program of study.

Program dates: 19 May-26 June 2014

Early action application deadline Dec. 15th.  For more information, please contact Dr. Heidi Rose.

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Peacebuilding through Dialogue N Ireland

For the second year , Gonzaga University‘s Master’s Program in Communication and Leadership Studies is offering a graduate course in Derry, Northern Ireland to MA and PhD students. January 2, 2014-Januray 12, 2014 Peacebuilding through Dialogue in Northern Ireland.

Program Overview:
This hybrid on-line and study abroad program, sponsored by the Master’s Program in Communication and Leadership Studies provides a unique opportunity for students to develop understanding and the skills necessary for fostering peacebuilding and storytelling.  With pre and post online components as well as eight days of residency in Derry, Northern Ireland, and a day excursion to Belfast, Northern, Ireland.  Additionally there is a free travel day to the Northcoast of Ireland.  The aim of this course is to introduce concepts from the field of communication that enable an understanding of how local peacebuilding can build bridges across conflicting groups in deeply divided societies. Communication and dialogue are closely intertwined and together act at the heart of establishing shared space and creating a common future. It is in this shared space that the process of peace has begun to take shape.  However as Bakhtin (1981) insists, “each word tastes of the context and contexts in which it has lived its socially charged life” (p.293).

The course will reflect on the causes and history of The Troubles (1969-1998) as well as the tortuous peace process following the Belfast Agreement in 1998. Based on that agreement, Northern Ireland’s devolved government finally became reality in 2008. Local peacebuilding through dialogue is central to understanding how peace has been maintained.

Dialogue requires responsiveness which is made possible by qualities of thought and talk allowing transformation to take place: transformation in how people understand the self, the other, and the societies they inhabit. These qualities of thought and talk include a willingness to risk change in one’s own perspective and a commitment to embracing and struggling with others whose worldviews may be different from and threatening to one’s own.

In addition, working with former combatant’s of these troubles, students will complete a profile writing component of using storytelling and photography to tell the story of a local community member for our Faces and Voices of Derry Project.

Course Objectives:
Given full participation in the course, the student will be able to:

  • Explain the role of dialogue in communication.
  • Analyze the causes and history of The Troubles and the post-1998 peace process.
  • Recognize the development of shared community.
  • Interview and tell a story in a photojournalistic style of a one of the citizens of Derry using the class blog/website.
  • Explain the role dialogue can play in effective leadership in contemporary America.

Program Highlights:

  • Meet with peace practitioners, former combatants and local leaders from both the Nationalist and Unioninst communities in Northern Ireland
  • Walk the famous 17th century wall of Derry with an experience local guide
  • Visit the Shankhill and Falls Road areas of Belfast, their murals, and “peace walls” with former combatants from the Nationalist and Unionist communities as guides
  • Hear first hand how local peace leaders have created projects to work toward understanding and healing
  • Learn interviewing and facilitation skills for building dialogic practices
  • Create daily photo and storytelling blog.

Additional Information: See an archive of the student work and reflections in the program.

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Cultural Planning online certificate U British Columbia

University of British Columbia/Centre for Cultural Planning and Development
ONLINE CERTIFICATE IN CULTURAL PLANNING COURSES

Registration is now open for online courses in cultural planning offered by the new international UBC Centre for Cultural Planning and Development. Each course can be taken individually for professional development, or combined to earn the UBC Certificate in Cultural Planning – an international professional learning program delivered 100% online.

Authored and taught by senior practitioners, courses include:
*Cultural Tourism: Impacting Communities Worldwide (Oct 15-Dec 15, 2013)
*Festivals, Events and Eventful Communities (Oct 15-Dec 15, 2013);
*Foundations of Cultural Planning (Feb 3-Apr 6, 2014); and,
*Creating Culture Plans (Feb 10–Apr 13, 2014).

These courses include interactive online discussions, case studies, and learning activities that offer opportunities to engage and network with other professionals in a dynamic online learning environment.

This term, you are invited to register with the coupon code CPLAN to save C$100 on the standard registration fee. For more information, and to register visit the web site.

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Atlantic International School

Senegal is one of the favorite destinations of west Africa, particularly Ngor, a traditional village close to the isle of Cap Vert,  only 10 Km away from the capital. This has become an important pole  due to the fact that tourist from all over the world prefer this location to others in Dakar, for its geographical location  and also for its many cultural and natural advantages. This is why, having all this advantages, we decided to set up here our project, the Atlantic International School.

Our aim is also to
–         Promote social cohesion and encourage the pluralism and the dialogue of cultures.
–         To live in a mixed environment of foreigners and locals despite the social, religious differences where they will have the chance to realize their potential in a positive and durable way.

The service we wish to give will allow to students and locals to take advantage of the stay based on a cultural exchange through the language courses (French or Wolof), religious debates, guided visits etc., but also to create a rich contact with the local population with a particular friendship and human exchange.

The student who wish to make this experience with us will be welcomed directly at the airport and accompanied to his host family. He will join life with his family during all his stay, having the chance to eat with them for all the meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner). During his stay he will attend the course in the language he has chosen to learn in our school located in Ngor village. Having the possibility to be close to the school, to enjoy a friendly and safe environment.

Through life in a Senegalese family, the student will naturally explore the lifestyle, cooking, music, rhythm of life and the beautiful resources of landscape and people. Our courses are designed to provide a full intercultural perspective, though local debates, songs, guided trips to places of interest and local traditional shops.

The language will be taught with an intercultural perspective. It will be learned by the students developing the four main activities required in a language. The passive ones: listening and reading and the active ones: speaking and writing.

To enable our students to have these abilities we will use the heritage of culture itself, learning songs, poems, traditions, articles, stereotypes, etc. in an interactive way.

Irene Manos
Atlantic International School

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Summer 2013 Shanghai

Villanova University is hosting two fantastic summer programs in Shanghai, China, in 2013. The programs best fit the undergraduate students who are looking to have an international communication internship this summer and/or interested in intercultural communication, Chinese language (any level) and culture, double majors or major & minor in Communication and Business or Asian Studies (or related areas), or simply hope to become a globalized citizen and experience formal and informal learning in one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Shanghai has been rated as one of the world’s top-20 metropolitan cities and “#1 in attracting foreign capital investment and job-creating projects” (The Atlantic, 2011). Here are some highlights:
1.     Intern and Study in Shanghai, China (via Villanova School of Business or VSB)
*       Internship placements over 5 weeks of the program, for 150 hours total (past internship placements: Citibank, IPSOS, McKinsey).
*       A 3-credit course: ECO 3108 Transition of Chinese Economy.
*       A “Survival Chinese Language” training.
*       Cultural excursions: (a) Survival in Shanghai (inc. a boat tour, museum visit, and an acrobatic show) and (b) 2-week cultural excursion, inc. Shanghai to Shandong (Confucian and Taoist traditions), to Beijing (Forbidden City, Summer Palace, the Great Wall of China, Ming Tombs, and Chengde Summer Resort)
*       6 credits in total.
*       Dates: 6/26-8/13, 2013.
*       Cost: Approximately $7,700 (including tuition, housing, PRC visa, and tour; excluding airfare and meals).

2.     Intensive Chinese Language and Culture (via Global Interdisciplinary Studies or GIS)
*       Study and live in the heart of Shanghai.
*       Two 4-week-long courses: (a) Chinese language course (placed to different classes based on language level) and (b) a cultural course. Students may earn 6-9 credits depending on the Chinese language course level. The courses are sponsored by Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
*       Offers an opportunity for all students, at any Chinese language levels, to explore the Chinese language, culture, literature, history, art, theatre, business, society, and Chinese lifestyle.
*       Cultural excursions: (a) Survival in Shanghai (inc. a boat tour, museum visit, and a acrobatic show) and (b) 2-week cultural excursion, inc. Shanghai to Shandong (Confucian and Taoist traditions), to Beijing (Forbidden City, Summer Palace, the Great Wall of China, Ming Tombs, and Chengde Summer Resort)
*       Dates: 7/7-8/13, 2013.
*       Cost: Approximately $5,800 (including tuition, housing, host university health insurance, PRC visa, and tour; excluding airfare and meals).

Both programs are competitive. Please contact Dr. Qi Wang for application procedures or questions at q.wang AT villanova.edu.

Japan tour 2013

The Committee for International Discussion and Debate (CIDD) of the National Communication Association (NCA) seeks applicants for the 2013 Japan Tour.

Approximate Dates of Travel: Early June to Early July 2013

Eligibility: Any past or present forensic participant who is under 25 and is a full time undergraduate in good standing (juniors and seniors preferred), or who has received an undergraduate degree but is no older than 25, is eligible.  We encourage applications from students active in all forms of forensics, including Lincoln-Douglas debate, team policy debate, parliamentary debate, and individual events.  Students who apply should have (or plan to obtain) a valid current passport.

Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on the basis of their debating skills and their ability to teach debate basics.  Knowledge of political, social, and cultural conditions around the globe is a must.  Students’ ability to represent the United States and American forensics (in all its forms) accurately, effectively, and professionally is a strong consideration.  The ability to educate students about the style and substance of debate in the United States is an important component of the tour.  Personal diplomatic skills are a must.

Tryouts:  Applicants will be notified of their status as finalists by early April. The application process will include a round of phone interviews and a second round of video tryouts in which applicants will showcase their debate skills.

How to Apply: If you are interested in trying out for the tour, send the following by no later than March 22, 2013.

1.  A letter of interest
2.  A copy of your college transcript
3.  Two letters of recommendation that address your skills in debate, your professionalism, and diplomatic skills.  (It is preferable, though not required, that one letter should be from someone other than your debate/forensics coach and focus on aspects of professionalism, diplomacy, presentation, and/or knowledge of the political, social, and cultural traditions of the region.) Please have your letter writers send their letters to nca.cidd AT gmail.com with your last name and “2013 Japan tour” in the email subject line.
4.  A current resume
5.  Contact information (including phone and e-mail address)
Send all application materials to nca.cidd AT gmail.com. Materials received after March 22 will not be considered.

Carly S. Woods, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Communication Studies and Women’s & Gender Studies
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Email: cwoods3 AT unl.edu

Summer 2013 Ghana

Critical Reflections On Communication

The Department of Communication at Villanova University is inaugurating a pilot program this summer for what is expected to become a regular summer program offering in the department: a summer program in Ghana. During our six weeks in Ghana, we will explore issues related to communication in the classroom and in the broader culture.   In particular, we look to study, critically, the patterns of communication in the classroom with a focus on student/teacher interactions.  Our goal is for students to learn about the complexities, perspectives, and traditions of another culture.  Video production, as a universal tool of narrative exploration, will be used to enable students to share their own artistic perspectives while enhancing the conversations about Communication and Education.  We believe that through study, observation and personal experience, we will all leave Ghana with a new understanding of the Ghanaian culture.  Through the mutual exchange of information and ideology we will all grow and know better our responsibilities as global citizens. As a part of our course, we will visit Heritage Academy and work with the teachers and students on projects most relevant to their expressed needs and desires.

Dates: May 27th – July 5th
Location: Cape Coast, Ghana – University of Cape Coast
Course Credits:
Total of 6 credits
COM 3390: Special Topics in Interpersonal & Organizational Communication (3 Credits)
COM 3390: Special Topics in Media & Film (3 Credits)
Contact:
hezekiah.lewis AT villanova.edu

SJSU study abroad Finland

San José State University is hosting an Early Summer Study Abroad Program in Jyväskylä, Finland (May 27-June 13, 2013).

Please consider participating in this opportunity to earn 3 units in the lush, beautiful town of Jyväskylä, Finland. In just three weeks, explore Jyväskylä, and also, through guided excursions, also Helsinki (Finland), Tallinn (Estonia), Stockholm (Sweden) and St. Petersburg (Russia). Communication, Hospitality and Tourism, and Business students may be able to earn credit in their majors/minors. Courses will be taught in English by international faculty and will include students from around the world. Program costs are approximately $2000 plus travel and meals. To learn more, please contact Dr. Deanna Fassett at Deanna.Fassett AT sjsu.edu or Professor Minna Holopainen at Minna.Holopainen AT sjsu.edu

Participants may earn 3 units of credit in 3 weeks by taking courses ranging from creative leadership to international business speaking to Russian language and culture. Anyone, including graduate students, is welcome.

Study abroad in England

Seminar in Freedom of Speech. COMM 3983/5193.

This special three-week seminar will be offered July 7-July 27, 2013 at the University of Cambridge (ten days) and the University of Oxford (ten days). It is open to undergraduates, graduate students, and other members of the intellectual community. The seminar will focus on the history and philosophy of freedom of expression, examining the arguments about individual liberty and community order in republics from Plato to the present. We will be reading selected works and discussing the ideas of writers such as Plato, Machiavelli, Milton, Spinoza, Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Hume, Burgh, Price, Priestley, Blackstone, Bentham, Mill, Jefferson, Madison, Wortman, Kant, Constant, Tocqueville, Hegel, Grimke, Schofield, Schroeder, Chafee, Meiklejohn, Marcuse, Emerson, Haiman, Gates, MacKinnon and others. Seminar members will receive the reading materials in late May and will have ample opportunity to do additional background reading before leaving for Cambridge.

Students also will be offered an additional course COMM 4903/5903 Special Problems to pursue individual research that can best be investigated while at Oxford and Cambridge on such topics as British Public Address, Rhetoric of Irish Independence, BBC Programming, Foreign Films, British Rhetorical Theory, Legal Communication, International NGOs, and Communication and Culture. The curriculum will be designed with each student before departure to meet their intellectual and educational needs.

Accommodations for students will be in Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and Brasenose College, Oxford (private room). There will be two field trips to London, where we will visit the Houses of Parliament, the Royal Courts of Justice, the Inns of Court, the Tower of London, and Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner, as well as day trips to Ely and to Warwick Castle and Stratford-upon-Avon for a Shakespeare Tour.

For further information: see the University of Arkansas study abroad site, or Facebook page. Or contact Professor Stephen Smith: Libertas AT uark.edu