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Demand
Grows for UC Academic Programs Abroad
UC student
demand for the Education Abroad Program (EAP) continues to increase,
despite dramatic world events such as the September 11 attacks, wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome).
In 2002–03, more than 3,600 students studied abroad under the
EAP banner, an increase of 27 percent over the previous year. An estimated
4,250 students are expected to study abroad this academic year.
Recent international events have stimulated student interest in the
rest of the world, and students are eager to develop skills that will
help them succeed in an increasingly globalized environment, said UC
professor Scott Cooper, EAP associate director.
The dearth of those skills among Americans recently prompted the Association
of International Educators to recommend the federal government establish
a fellowship program to triple the number of American students who study
abroad. The group’s report argues such action is urgently needed
to overcome Americans’ continuing insularity.
Program Benefits
Once students travel abroad, Cooper said, they gain more advantages
the longer they stay. These advantages include knowledge of the culture,
language and educational systems of a host country; new perspectives
on academic subjects; different approaches to intellectual issues or
applied problems; and increased sensitivity to foreign views of international
issues and the United States.
“Many students abroad go through a cycle of adjustment ranging
from initial euphoria to culture shock and depression to gradual adjustment
to the host culture,” said Cooper. “Because it takes time
for students to get through their initial reactions to being in a new
country, long-term stays are necessary to maximize the benefits to our
students.”
EAP emphasizes semester- and year-long programs so students can acquire
practical and critical skills to operate in the international arena
in all fields. As UC’s only systemwide international academic
program, EAP leads the nation in the number of students sent on long-term
study abroad programs (minimum of two semesters).
Top
10 Countries
EAP
has programs at 141 universities in 35 countries. Here are the top
10 countries based on student participation for 2002-03: |
| United
Kingdom/Ireland |
572 |
| Spain |
561 |
| Italy |
534 |
| France |
292 |
| Chile
|
160 |
| South
Korea |
158 |
| Australia |
153 |
| Japan |
143 |
| Hong
Kong |
115 |
| Mexico |
107 |
“In
my career, it is crucial to be able to understand someone else’s
point of view,” says psychiatrist Joanne Seltzer, who attended
EAP’s academic year program in the United Kingdom at the University
of St. Andrews. “Living in another English-speaking country with
a different culture and talking with exchange students from other countries
was an invaluable introduction to the work I do today.”
EAP alumni are employed in all fields, including teaching, engineering,
international development and space. Notable EAP alumni include Michigan
Governor Jennifer Granholm, who studied in France; Undersecretary of
State Mark Grossman, who went to the United Kingdom; and California
Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh, who studied in Mexico.
Academic Focus
A
fundamental goal of EAP is to expand the academic reach of each UC campus
to the international arena. With its strong academic focus, EAP’s
courses are integrated into UC campus curricula and its students fulfill
requirements and complete their degrees on time.
“In
essence, EAP allows the world to become the classroom for UC students,
providing them with hands-on and novel experiences that will allow them
to meet their academic and career goals,” said Cooper.
Darius Arya, a distinguished archaeologist who is a faculty lecturer
for the EAP Rome program, said about half his course time is devoted
to on-site visits and lectures in the ancient city. “It is 10
times more effective (and enjoyable) to discuss some aspect of ancient
culture when students are physically immersed in the ruins [e.g., the
Roman Forum, Colosseum] rather than discussing the same sites in a classroom,
looking at slides of them.”
Security Concerns
Since the program began in the early 1960s, EAP has sent more
than 40,000 UC students abroad. Even with that record, parents are naturally
wary of potential health and safety issues, especially in the current
world climate.
To ensure students are safe, EAP has developed a wide-ranging international
network that includes overseas staff, including on-site UC Study Center
directors (many of whom are UC faculty); host university officials;
and staff at other study abroad programs. EAP also consults with the
U.S. Department of State, local embassies and consulates at every site
and various international monitoring entities, including the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
Through
this network, EAP regularly monitors conditions abroad that may impact
its students.
“Our
highest priority is the health and safety of EAP students,” said
professor John Marcum, EAP universitywide director and UC associate
provost for international academic activities.
Following September 11, a survey of 170 EAP students overseas found
that the program’s international partner universities, staff and
host students provided extensive emotional and physical support to them.
“I have never felt worried about my safety while at school or
on school-related events,” said Elizabeth Bailey, a UC Irvine
student who was on EAP’s program in Siena, Italy, during fall
2001.
Universitywide Office, Education Abroad Program
Hollister Research Center
Goleta, CA 93117
(805) 893-4762
Web
To order EAP’s World magazine or brochures for high school and
community college students, contact
publications@eap.ucop.edu.
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