Local, National, Global: Understanding Diversity and Community in Europe
4th European Conference
Hosted by NYU Prague
Prague, Czech Republic
October 17-19, 2018
As individuals, each of us play a role in building our local, national, and global communities. U.S. students in Europe are challenged to integrate into their host communities and to understand the broader national and regional contexts that shape their experiences, while developing their own identities and defining their places in the world.
As international educators, we are challenged to support students as they navigate these layers of identity, at a time when tensions between regionalism, nationalism, and globalism run high in both the U.S. and in parts of Europe, and the definitions of local, national, and global are evolving.
How can education abroad professionals work with our students in Europe to build a sense of community at the local, national, and global levels? How can we encourage them to embrace the blending of these distinct identities in a way that celebrates diversity as well as the commonalities of the human experience that we all share?
Critical Dialogue:
RESIDENT DIRECTORS & ON-SITE STAFF: TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONSHIPS AND MAINTAINING FAITH IN THE FIELD
(Offered in collaboration with EUASA: European Association of Study Abroad)
Facilitators: Pia Katharina Schneider (Chair EUASA, Iowa State University of Science and Technology Rome, AACUPI ); Stephen Robinson (Board Member EUASA, President of ASAPI, Champlain College Dublin); Loren Ringer (Board Member EUASA; President of APUAF; Parsons Paris); Kline Harrison (Wake Forest University)
Communication across the ocean brings many challenges due to contrasts in local and U.S. legislation, absence of face to face meetings, and a lacking awareness of the complex tasks on-site staff face in a different cultural and political context. The goal of the dialogue is to create a platform for sharing best practices and to offer the opportunity to create an auxiliary network among European administrators.
Pre-Conference Workshops:
HEALTH, SAFETY, SECURITY & RISK MANAGEMENT (STANDARD 8)
Natalie A. Mello (The Forum on Education Abroad)
MISSION, ETHICS & INTEGRITY (STANDARDS 1, 9 & THE CODE OF ETHICS)
Amelia Dietrich (The Forum on Education Abroad)
OVERVIEW OF THE STANDARDS OF GOOD PRACTICE
Heidi Piper (Griffith University)
PROGRAM RESOURCES, POLICIES & PROCEDURES (STANDARDS 6 & 7)
Heidi Piper (Griffith University)
STUDENT SELECTION, PREPARATION, CODE OF CONDUCT & RETURNING SUPPORT (STANDARDS 4 & 5)
Natalie A. Mello (The Forum on Education Abroad)
STUDENT LEARNING, DEVELOPMENT & ACADEMIC FRAMEWORK (STANDARDS 2 & 3)
Amelia Dietrich (The Forum on Education Abroad)
Plenary Speaker: Jan Urban
Jan Urban, who has recently worked on several projects in Iraq training journalists and working on building reconciliation measures through the reconstruction of cultural heritage sites, was one of the leading dissidents in Czechoslovakia before 1989. In 1974, he graduated with a degree in history and philosophy from Charles University. From then until 1989, Urban, forbidden by the communists to continue his academic career, worked as a schoolteacher and a manual laborer. He was one of the founders of the Eastern European Information Agency, a dissident network. He also worked with underground newspapers and as a reporter for Radio Free Europe and the British Broadcasting Company. In November 1989, he helped found the Civic Forum, the movement that led to the eventual overthrow of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, and was placed in charge of its logistics and management. In 1990, Urban was elected as the Civic Forum’s spokesperson and leader. He led the Civic Forum to its victory in the first free democratic elections in June 1990.
He resigned from all political positions one day after announcing the electoral defeat of Communism and returned to pursue his career in journalism. He studied post-conflict societies in Central America and won two international human rights awards from Humanitas, San Francisco, in 1991 and Centro Demos in San Salvador in 1995. Urban also served as a war correspondent in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1993 through 1996 and was the publisher of Transitions magazine from 1997 to 1999.
More recently, he has made two documentary films, one of them on the Kosovo conflict. He is the author of three books, two of them on the war in Bosnia and one on a major corruption case in the Czech Republic. He is currently working on a book of interviews with the founder of the People in Need Foundation, Simon Panek. He has taught at NYU Prague since 2000.
Education Abroad: The Cure to Cultural Despair?
The totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century succeeded in ruling over hundreds of millions of people less than a century after the industrial revolution and the birth of a nation state. Continuity became a cursed word and “cultural despair” helped to radicalize the search for new identities. From then on, each new young generation has experienced the intoxicating feeling that the “old world is dead” and “old” knowledge and values require reinvention from scratch. Each new young generation ever since believes that History begins only with them. Old forms of human identity, dictated predominantly by location of one’s birthplace – had already been replaced during industrialization with a model of “belonging to somebody” – an employer or a nation state. The unsolved 19th century issue of “the politics of cultural despair” is becoming even more complicated and destructive today with inevitable societal changes created by social media technologies. Within the lifetime of the last three generations we have witnessed the march from educating an international elite to closed national mass education. In a large part of the world it was accompanied by national self-isolation and indoctrination. Today, education abroad is among the most effective tools for reopening the world, offering different perspectives, recreating what was lost along the way, and restoring much needed respect towards intellectualism in every society.
Sessions & Session Materials:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 | 8:45-10 A.M.
AM I HERE WHAT I WAS THERE? EXAMINING IDENTITY IN DIFFERENT EUROPEAN CONTEXTS
Rich Kurtzman (Barcelona SAE); Pardip Bolina (University of Michigan); Flor Macias Delgado (IESabroad Amsterdam)
BECAUSE GOOGLE TRANSLATE WON’T TEACH YOU THE IMPORTANT STUFF: PRE-SEMESTER LOCAL LANGUAGE AND CULTURE PROGRAMS IN STUDY ABROAD
Lauren Nestler (University of California Education Abroad Program); Carla Kist (University College Utrecht); Katrine Samson Heller (University of Copenhagen); Tanja Jung (Free University, Berlin)
IN TOUCH WITH MAIN STREET?: DESIGNING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ABROAD PROGRAMS TO ENHANCE COMMUNITY IMPACT»
Katherine Martin (University of Limerick); David Puente (International Studies Abroad); Noel Habashy (The Pennsylvania State University)
A STUDENT-CENTERED FRAMEWORK FOR ADDRESSING HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES WHILE MITIGATING RISK ON STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS IN EUROPE
Daniel Kampsen (Lafayette College); Bill Bull (CIEE); Aubrey Tranter (CIEE)
TEACHING MINORITY ISSUES STUDY-ABROAD PROGRAMS
Raymond Bach (Syracuse University Strasbourg Center); Samim Akgönül (Université de Strasbourg and Syracuse Universtiy Strasbourg Center); Michael Woolf (CAPA The Global Education Network); Juliet Golden (University of Lower Silesia)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 | 10:45 A.M.-12 P.M.
DIVERSITY, COMMUNITY, AND INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION IN THE CONTEXT OF PRESENT-DAY EUROPE
Said Graiouid (School for International Training/Mohammed V University); Orli Fridman (School for International Training); Sarah Brock (School for International Training); Victor Tricot (School for International Training)
THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF U.S. STUDY ABROAD IN IRELAND
Stephen Robinson (Champlain College Dublin); Lucia Reynolds (Enterprise Ireland – Education in Ireland); Karl Dowling (Foundation for International Education – FIE)
EDUCATING U.S. STUDENTS ABOUT NATIONAL IDENTITY AND NATIONALISM AT HOME AND ABROAD»
Melissa Hardin (Ursinus College); Rosa Almoguera (International Education Consultant, Edualamo); Ignasi Pérez (IES Barcelona)
SPEED DATING WITH THE EUROPEAN CAPITALS OR A VOYAGE OF SELF-DISCOVERY AND GROWTH?
Pia Katharina Schneider (Iowa State University of Science and Technology); Jana Cemusova (CIEE Center Prague); Wedigo de Vivanco (Freie Universität Berlin [retired]); Rebecca Woolf (EUSA – Academic Internship Experts)
THREE REASONS WHY U.S. COMMUNITY COLLEGES MAKE GOOD INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS
Tracey Bradley (Tennessee Consortium for International Studies); Theresa Castillo (Tennessee Consortium for International Studies); Wes Dulaney (Columbia State Community College)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 | 1:45-3 P.M.
DEVELOPING INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS: BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF MENTORING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN A EUROPEAN CONTEXT
Eric Hall (Elon University); Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler (Elon University); Tina Mangieri (DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia); Osman Ahmed (Bournemouth University)
EXPLORING ETHNIC MINORITIES IN CENTRAL EUROPE
Vanda Thorne (NYU Prague); Salim Murad (NYU Prague); Yasar Abu Ghosh (NYU Prague); Yveta Kenety (Romea/NYU Prague)
IDENTITIES AND HERITAGE IN CONTEMPORARY EUROPE
James Skelly (Institute of Advanced Study Koszeg); Carl Jubran (IAU College); Nahal Kavain (Duke University)
INCLUSION OF REFUGEES IN EUROPE: LESSONS FOR AMERICAN STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS FOR FIRST GEN STUDENTS
Cheryl Francisconi (Institute of International Education- Europe); Helena Lindholm (University of Gothenburg); Hilary Landorf (Florida International University); Borbala Barnahazi (Institute of International Education)
NEW DEVELOPMENTS WITH THE FORUM’S CRITICAL INCIDENT DATABASE
Natalie A. Mello (The Forum on Education Abroad)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 | 8:45-10 A.M.
COMPARING DIVERSITY IN DIFFERENT CULTURAL CONTEXTS: THREE EUROPEAN CASE STUDIES
Elyse Resnick (IES Abroad Milan); Natalia García Caballos (IES Abroad Granada); Helmut Summesberger (IES Abroad Vienna)
LOCALIZING FACULTY-LED/CUSTOMIZED PROGRAMMING FOR MAXIMIZED STUDENT IMPACT
Ian Samuel Terkildsen (DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia); J. Scott Van Der Meid (Brandeis University); Miriam Grottanelli de Santi (Siena Art Institute); Zoé Kilbourne (DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia)
MOVING BEYOND A DIVERSITY OF VIEWS ON RISK
Kerry Geffert (Terra Dotta); Holly Carter (University of Evansville, Harlaxton College Programs); Loren Ringer (Parsons Paris)
MUSIC ABROAD: A KEYHOLE TO CULTURE, BUT IN WHAT KEY?
Ray Casserly (CIEE); Brent Keever (CIEE); Ellen Sayles (University of Richmond)
THE THIRD MISSION OF EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES: ENGAGING LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
Milton Bennett (Intercultural Development Research Institute); Ida Castiglioni (University of Milano Bicocca)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 | 10:45 A.M.-12 P.M.
FROM BIG TEN TO BIG BEN: STUDENTS OF COLOR NAVIGATING EUROPE
Vanessa Barton (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, School of Kinesiology); La’Joya Orr (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, School of Kinesiology)
VOICE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE NEXT STANDARDS OF GOOD PRACTICE FOR EDUCATION ABROAD
Members of the Standards Update Working Group
THE LOCAL, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCE IN EUROPE: AN ANALYSIS OF CHANGING TIMES FROM THE BARCELONA CASE
Lucía Conte (Universitat Pompeu Fabra); Jaume Gelabert (Arcadia University, The College of Global Studies)
“OUR HISTORY BEGINS BEFORE WE ARE BORN”: IRISH-AMERICAN IDENTITY AND ITS IMPACT ON STUDY ABROAD PARTICIPANTS IN DUBLIN
Janice Gaffey (EUSA-Academic Internship Experts); Suzanne Shorten (University College Dublin)
“YOU WILL NEVER HAVE JUST ONE HOME ANYMORE”: FACILITATING CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY INTEGRATION DURING STUDY ABROAD IN EUROPE
Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler (Elon University); Maja Sbahi Biehl (DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia); Jennifer Duncan-Bendix (DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia); Antonio Vanni (Accademia Europea di Firenze)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 | 1:45-3 P.M.
CULTURAL INTEGRATION AND HOMESTAYS BEYOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: AN INTERACTIVE SESSION
Sasha Perugini (Syracuse University); Dieter Roberto Kuehl (Syracuse University)
DIFFERENCES OF “DIVERSITY”: INSTITUTIONAL DEFINITIONS AND THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
May Kao Xiong (University of California, Merced); Garett Gietzen (University of California, Merced)
FOSTERING INTERCULTURAL AGILITY THROUGH INNOVATIVE PROGRAM DESIGN
Erika Ryser (Institute for Study Abroad); Jana Zalska (Institute for Study Abroad); Matthew Tornquist (Swarthmore College); Evan Przyborowski (Roger Williams University)
MAKE EUROPE GREAT AGAIN! WHAT U.S. STUDENTS ABROAD AREN’T LEARNING
Scott Blair (The Education Abroad Network – TEAN); Michael Woolf (CAPA The Global Education Network); Wedigo de Vivanco (Freie Universität [retired])
“TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO STUDENT HAS GONE BEFORE”: ACADEMICALLY SUSTAINED WORK EXPERIENCE AS VEHICLE OF INTERCULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
Kristina Rödder (Freie Universität Berlin European Studies Program [FU-BEST]); Yasmin Fischdick (Freie Universität Berlin European Studies Program [FU-BEST]); Britta Kallmann (Ayusa-Intrax GmbH)
Post-Conference Workshop:
CREATING INCLUSIVE GLOBAL COMMUNITIES: INSIGHTS AND INNOVATIONS FROM THREE DISTINCT INSTITUTIONAL MODELS OF EUROPEAN-U.S. PARTNERSHIPS
Emily Brocks (DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia); Martin Hogan (DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia); Samantha Brandauer (Dickinson College); Julia Carnine (Dickinson College, Toulouse Center); Louis Berends (Syracuse University); Erika Wilkens (Syracuse University)
Sponsors:
Absolute Internship
The American College of Greece
Boston University Study Abroad
CEA Study Abroad
CIEE
EUASA: European Association of Study Abroad
Spanish Studies Abroad
Terra Dotta
Conference Committee:
Thea Favaloro, NYU Prague (Chair)
Alexis Phylactopoulos, AACG, CYA (Past Chair)
Janet Alperstein, New York University
Kathryn (Katie) Behringer, AASAP UK, Florida State University London
Jana Cemusova, EUASA, AAUP CZ, CIEE Prague
Amy Conger, University of Michigan
Wedigo de Vivanco, AASAP Germany
Erin French, Iowa State University
Rob Hallworth, IES Abroad, Forum Council
Rochelle Keesler, Lafayette College
Melody Knutson, University of California Education Abroad Program
David Puente, ISA (Spain)
Fabrizio Ricciardelli, AACUPI, Kent State University Florence
Thomas Roman, APUAF, IFE (France and Belgium)
Rebecca Woolf, ASAPI, EUSA Academic Internship Experts