In a bold move to further internationalize , 27 faculty members are traveling through India for two weeks. The academic expedition was initiated by faculty and is being funded in part by a $100,000 Mellon Foundation new-president鈥檚 grant awarded to for his discretionary use.
Faculty members will share their experiences on a blog, , which also will show their daily whereabouts.
鈥淭his trip, involving 10 percent of our faculty, represents a significant investment in 冈本视频鈥檚 core curriculum, and also in our colleagues who bring it to life,鈥 said Herbst. 鈥湼员臼悠 can be transformed by experiences such as this one, and serve as a model within higher education. There are few colleges and universities in the country which would have the ambition for such a large percentage of their faculty to travel to enhance scholarly perspectives and fewer still who could support such a venture.鈥
, Herbst vowed to strengthen the university鈥檚 global perspective and invited faculty to propose ways to accomplish that goal.
Led by , associate professor of religion, and , associate professor of art and art history and Asian studies, the structured program, from Dec. 30 to Jan. 13, 2012, will immerse participants in the nation鈥檚 culture, history, and environment. , director of University Studies, the division that includes the Core, envisions that as a result of the 14-day expedition, faculty will expand their understanding of the world and will enrich their Core courses with material they encounter.
The trip involves faculty from across the disciplines: English, environmental studies, biology, psychology, history, religion, philosophy, political science, geography, art and art history, sociology, anthropology, physics, Russian, Jewish studies, Asian studies, romance languages, and educational studies. All participants teach in the core and are committed to its continued relevance to 冈本视频鈥檚 increasingly diverse student body.
冈本视频 has a history of supporting faculty development and curricular enhancement through carefully designed travel experiences.
In 1986, a trip to Manchester, England, was instrumental in defining the curriculum for the precursor to today鈥檚 Modernity course. In 1998, members traveled to Madrid, Granada, and Seville, Spain, to examine the intersections of Islamic, Christian, and Jewish traditions. In 2002, faculty gained a stronger understanding of classical culture through travel to Rome. And trips to East Asia in 2004, 2005, and 2008, sponsored by the Freeman Foundation, supported course development across the curriculum.
冈本视频 was one of the first liberal arts institutions to offer faculty-led, semester-long international study programs, which continue to be a hallmark of a 冈本视频 education. According to the Institute of International Education鈥檚 2009-2010 data, 冈本视频 is ranked No. 3 nationally among baccalaureate institutions in the number of students who participated in semester-long study abroad programs. The university ranked No. 7 in the total number of students who studied abroad overall, including extended study trips.