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Abroad at AU students with former President Jimmy Carter. |
International Affairs
Successful First Year for
Abroad at AU ProgramEFFORTS TO INTERNATIONALIZE further AU's campus received a big boost in August 2005 when the university welcomed its first class of Abroad at AU students. Representing 18 universities in 12 countries, the 20 Abroad at AU participants made a quick impression last fall, getting involved with activities as diverse as interning for members of Congress to volunteering for an international classroom project with Washington, D.C. public schools. True to the objective of the new program, they fully integrated into campus life.
Nine of the 20 students are spending the full academic year at AU and 20 new Abroad at AU students have joined them for the spring 2006 semester. Last fall, the group's core course was "What is America?" taught by Professor Allan Lichtman. "The course included a mix of students from other nations and from the United States," Dr. Lichtman said. "I was extremely impressed with the foreign students, who showed an extraordinary ability to grasp several centuries of American history along with critical aspects of contemporary life in this country. Although the entire class performed extremely well, the students from overseas outperformed the students from the United States." The group's core course this spring is "How Washington Works" taught by Professor Kimberly Cowell-Meyers.
Beyond these two classes, Abroad at AU students select courses from AU's undergraduate curriculum. While enrolled in the core courses together and engaging in some activities - such as meeting former President Jimmy Carter and exploring the U.S. Capitol and Mount Vernon -- as a group, the students live with AU students in different dorms and each has a distinct course load. Three Abroad at AU students have on-line blogs to document their U.S. experiences. Romain Brunet's blog is hosted by the well-known French newspaper, LeMonde.
To date, AU has concluded agreements with nearly 50 overseas universities -- including most recently with Nanjing University in China and the University of Toronto in Canada. Outreach and recruitment for the 2006-07 program have been extensive. Since September, Abroad at AU staff have visited universities throughout Asia, Europe, and the Middle East to meet with administrators and hold information sessions for students. The application deadline for Abroad at AU's 2006-07 program is March 15, 2006; materials can be found at Abroad at AU's website.
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