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Focus
Jan 23, 2002
r
World becomes students’ classroom
Jennie Carman
Reporter
ON
WINTER TERM
Jim Barbour, a professor teaching the European Union
study abroad class, said: "Just studying from home is a
lot like studying bread recipes without ever going to a
bakery; it is important and useful, but you never really
understand what baking bread it like/'
We feel this idea is a common thread through the
courses offered both on and off campus. Elon students
are studying across the world, gaining on-the-job expe
rience with internships and exploring the role of a world
citizen with on-campus classes revolving around glo
balization and culture.
In this Focus section, we wanted to highlight some of
the exciting things happening during the month of Janu
ary. Join us for a recount of Winter Term 2002.
Stud&Mi 4AAn4^ei Uome 9^velcmci
Erin Cunningham, The Penduhm’s news editor, is spending Winter Term in Ire
land as part of the Elon Study Abroad program. The following are her accounts
from the first week of her travels.
As 1 sat in the Raleigh airport, desperately hoping the security per
sonnel would not take my tweezers from me, I wondered what my trip
to Ireland would be like. As the woman with the scanning wand in
structed me to remove my shoes, I imagined the beautiful green coun
tryside awaiting me. As a large man with a rifle rummaged through
my bags, I saw myself looking out onto the Aran Islands.
It has been everything I imagined. The most amazing parts of my
trip have been the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher and the time I have
spent in Derry, which is officially called Londonderry.
After hearing about the conflict in Northern Ireland, it was .refresh
ing to come to Derry and realize that the people here are in no imme
diate danger. We first took a tour of the city. We toured both a Protes
tant and a Catholic neighborhood. Signs of the conflict are evident,
and being in the city and seeing the exact spot where Bloody Sunday
occurred was remarkable and truly moving.
The people of Ireland are surprisingly friendly, and they are very
interested in learning about the American culture, which is shock
ingly prevalent in their society. It is hard to find a pub or a nightclub
that does not play American music.
We have travelled to Limerick, Sligo, Derry and Galway. We leave
tomorrow for Dublin where we will spend the majority of our remain
ing time in Ireland.
-Smh
Which sounds more appeal
ing: sitting in a classroom in a un
comfortable desk listening to a
professor lecture or traveling to
a foreign country to experience
history and culture?
“Nothing replaces the experi
ence of being in the situation in
the context, in the place where
something happened or is happen
ing,” Betty Nixon Morgan, one of
the professors leading the Euro
pean Union study tour this year,
said. Her co-teacher, professor
Jim Barbour, said: “just studying
from home is a lot like studying
bread recipes without ever going
to a bakery; it is important and
useful, but you never really under
stand what baking bread it like.”
Perhaps this is why so many
students choose to take advantage
of the various programs at Elon
University by traveling abroad
during the three and a half week
winter term. Programs such as
biology in Belize, art in Italy,
sports in Sydney and economy in
Asia allow students to study top
ics of interest while learning
other cultures.
Professor Michael Lee
Calhoun is in Sydney, Australia,
teaching the sport in the global
community class. He says he
thinks “cultural immersion is the
most effective and profound
method of learning about another
culture.” One of the leaders of the
Sydney film studies course, pro
fessor John DuvaU, says study
abroad is a valuable experience
because “exposure to a different
culture gives students a broader
understanding of the world and
gives them a vantage point for
questioning the values of their
own culture.”
It’s not just professors who be
lieve in the value of traveling
abroad. Bill Rich, the dean of in
ternational studies, says studying
abroad offers students innumer
able benefits. He says studying
abroad is an essential part of the
Elon experience because it allows
students to “develop a sense of in
dependence and decision making
skills, [as well as teaching] students
how to look at the United States
from a different perspective.”
Professor Heidi Glaesel, who
is currenfly teaching the geogra
phy of Great Britain class, be
lieves that Winter Term study
abroad should be “a spring-board
for further study travel.” Many
professors share her opinion; Pro-
fessor Chalmers Brumbaugh,
who is leading the studies in
Costa Rica course, says Winter
Term “should whet the appetite
for more study abroad.”
The experience students have
during a study abroad course vary
from person to person. Some stu
dents come to gain independence
Photo submitted
Mandy McCanna, Shaun
Cowardin, Brett Cassel and
Clara Urquhart stand with a
statue thonoring the Soviet Sol
dier
and self confidence while others,
according to Brumbaugh, “bring
new insights into a new culture
and into themselves.” Barbour
says he hopes his students will
understand that just because cul
tures are different that does not
mean one is better than the other
during their time abroad.
Photo submitted
Daniel Schooff, Mike Trainor and Adam Benjamin enjoyed touring
Budapest as part of the European Union study abroad class.
University takes
precautions
Universities faced many ques
tions about sending their students
abroad after the events of Sept. 11.
Elon’s office of international stud
ies took many precautions before
allowing students to travel during
Winter Term.
The staff spent fall semester
monitoring U.S. State Department
travel advisories, as well as ex
changing information with study
abroad directors at other universi-
des.
“We now live in unprecedented
times faced with more uncertainty
than before,” Bill Rich, director of
international studies, said. “We teel
the countries where we are send
ing students for Winder Term are
safe and that air travel is sale.”