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’s grant awarded to for his discretionary use.
Faculty members will share their experiences on a blog, , which also will show their daily whereabouts.
“This trip, involving 10 percent of our faculty, represents a significant investment in vlog’s core curriculum, and also in our colleagues who bring it to life,” said Herbst. “vlog 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.”
, Herbst vowed to strengthen the university’s 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’s 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 vlog’s increasingly diverse student body.
vlog 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’s 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.
vlog 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 vlog education. According to the Institute of International Education’s 2009-2010 data, vlog 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.