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by MEGAN NORTHCOTE
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
Appalachian State University students will get a chance to explore the world tomorrow at the fourth International Fair, sponsored by Appalachian Overseas Education Programs (AOEP).
Nearly 60 different study abroad programs covering 30 different countries will be represented at the event held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Grandfather Ballroom of Plemmons Student Union.
“The good thing
about the fair is that students can talk one-on-one with professors and
really get to know if [the study abroad program is] a good fit for
them,” Nathalie M. Turner, assistant director of AOEP and coordinator
for the event, said.
AOEP will introduce a new series of short-term, faculty-led international programs.
Tables
will be set up for each study abroad opportunity and faculty and
student representatives will be on hand to answer questions students
may have about a particular program.
In
addition to the new programs, representatives from International Global
Outreach, International Appalachian and Alternative Spring Break trips
will be present at the fair.
Last
year, over 450 students traveled through study abroad trips offered by
Appalachian’s Department of International Education and Development.
Turner hopes this fair will spark more students’ interest to study abroad.
Participants
of the new faculty-led, international programs will be given the
opportunity to earn up to nine hours of course credit for their time
abroad.
“The
[new faculty-led international] programs will provide Appalachian
students with the reassurance of benefiting from the expertise of a
faculty member so that they don’t feel alone,” Turner said. “They will
learn a lot about themselves and gain self-confidence.”
Kevin G. Kennedy, German professor, will lead a group of approximately 50 students to Trier, Germany this summer.
This
interdisciplinary study abroad opportunity is led by professors from
five different departments at Appalachian including the College of
Education, College of Business, German Department, Sociology Department
and History Department.
These
professors will teach a new course overseas, “Germany in a Changing
World,” to provide students with a holistic experience of German
culture.
In 2006,
Kennedy established a foreign exchange student program with a
university in Trier, allowing Appalachian students to switch places
with German students for a few weeks.
“Our
students go there as foreigners themselves and they’ll see how
foreigners are treated and how they are assimilated into society,”
Kennedy said.
This
year, the trip to Trier focuses on a new service-learning component
where students seeking German credit can volunteer in retirement homes
and take classes with German immigrants through a multi-cultural
center.
Another
group, led by Scott R. Meister, music professor, will head to Ireland
this May to experience and partake in traditional Irish music.
“Unlike
a lot of music schools that take students abroad, we go over there and
my students sit next to Irish musicians and go to Irish pubs and really
get into the culture,” Meister said.
Students do not need musical background to participate and will receive credit for two two-hour Irish music classes.
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