Global Programs Overview
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Many universities claim they have strong study abroad programs. But
few match Dickinson's. For more than fifty years, the
College has operated its own global study and research centers. These
centers immerse students in the study of foreign language. They foster a
deeper understanding of the political, social, cultural, and economic histories
of the countries and regions in which they are located. And they form a
worldwide network of living laboratories from which students can trace the
causes and consequences of global forces, examine differing policy responses to
global change, and assess and learn from successes and failures.
This network has been carefully
constructed and is continuously enhanced. Most of our centers have been
located purposefully in provincial capitals. Dickinson’s deep and
longstanding relationships in these smaller cities provide our students with
unique access to local leaders in government and business, key internship
opportunities, close ties to community-based partners, and, most importantly,
direct relationships with faculty and scholars at our partner
universities. Moreover,
Dickinson faculty are intimately involved in all aspects of study abroad, from
advising on courses to be taken at partner institutions, to directing and/or
teaching at our global centers.
This approach allows the College to guaranty the quality of the abroad
experience and ensure that it integrates closely with the academic program
on our home campus. It is an approach that has made Dickinson one of
the most respected colleges in the world with regard to the development of
study abroad programs, as our numerous awards and recognitions for excellence
in this area attest.
Dickinson offers its
students both long- and short-term programs abroad, with the vast majority of
students opting to participate in longer programs offered at the College’s
network of global centers.
Long-term Programs Abroad:
Long-term programs run for a semester or academic year, and they fall into
three basic types--Dickinson Programs, Partner Programs, and Non-Dickinson
Programs.
Dickinson Programs
Roughly seventy percent of Dickinson students who study abroad participate
in Dickinson Programs. Moreover, more
than forty percent of the Dickinson faculty have led or taught on a Dickinson
Program. Typically, Dickinson faculty
teach one or two courses on Dickinson Programs, with remainder of the courses taught
by faculty at our partner institutions.
In the instances in which Dickinson Programs are led by an in-country
director appointed by the College rather than by our faculty (e.g., Cameroon),
the in-country director makes regular visits to campus so that students get to
know the director, their work, and the opportunities that exist at the center
they lead. There is a Dickinson faculty
advisor on campus for every Dickinson Program.
The faculty advisor works closely with students, offering them individual
guidance on course selection at the Dickinson Program. In addition, faculty from our partner institutions
regularly teach and lecture on visiting stays at Dickinson, increasing students’
familiarity with what is available at the Dickinson Programs. Accordingly, it’s not just the presence of
Dickinson faculty at a global center that makes a program a Dickinson Program;
it’s the closeness of the overall academic relationship, in all its many dimensions,
between Dickinson and its partners.
Partner Programs
While the College has invested significant resources in developing its own
programs, it simply is not possible for an institution of Dickinson's size to
operate and maintain programs that meet the needs of every student in terms of geographic
and academic breadth. For this reason, the College has developed a select
number of strategic partnerships with some of the oldest and most respected
study abroad provider organizations (e.g., DIS, CIEE, etc.) and designated
these opportunities as "Partner Programs." All Partner Programs are carefully
vetted. New Partner Programs are
proposed when a curricular need or gap in our programmatic offerings is
identified. Typically, a team of faculty scrutinizes the programmatic
structure and academic quality of a prospective Partner Program by conducting
site visit or series of site visits. Site visit reports are submitted to
the Global Study Advisory Committee (GSAC), a sub-committee of all-college
Academic Programs and Standards Committee. With GSAC approval, new
Partner Program proposals are then reviewed by APSC and, pending support, are
required to receive approval by vote of the full faculty. Institutional
aid and cost of participation for Partner programs works the same as for
Dickinson Programs.
Non-Dickinson Programs
A third type of program, the Non-Dickinson Program, is available to the
relatively small percentage of Dickinson students who can demonstrate
persuasively that their academic goals cannot be achieved on any of the current
Dickinson Programs or Partner Programs. Approximately ten percent of
Dickinson's education abroad participants pursue and are approved to participate
in Non-Dickinson Program options. Students must apply to the GSAC for
approval to study on a Non-Dickinson Program, and they are expected to make a
compelling academic case for the program being proposed. Although
institutional aid may not be used toward the cost of a Non-Dickinson Program,
students may take their federal and state assistance with them. Credit
earned on approved Non-Dickinson Programs is treated as transfer credit on the
Dickinson transcript.
Short-term Programs Abroad:
Although Dickinson continues to place a heavy emphasis on long-term
(semester and year) education abroad, the College also offers its own
short-term programs each year. Short-term programs typically fall into two categories:
Summer Programs and Globally-Integrated Courses/Mosaics.
Summer Programs
Generally speaking, Summer Programs are free-standing, self-contained,
one-credit courses taught abroad at one of our global sites by a Dickinson
faculty member. Summer Programs
typically run for four to six weeks in duration.
Globally Integrated Courses/Mosaics
In some ways, Globally-integrated Courses and
Mosaics are not Short-term Programs at all; they are listed here because they
entail shorter stints abroad (usually less than four weeks’ time), with the
short time abroad combine with a semester-long, credit-bearing course offered
on campus. Students must successfully complete both the international and
on-campus portions of the course to receive credit. These programs prepare students to make the
most of their shorter stays abroad by connecting them meaningfully with a
course devoted to a thorough investigation of a global topic or issue.