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Educational Exchange Program Overview

The one year program entails six integrated components, bringing together foreign language training, undergraduate research opportunities, and common curriculum. Student eligibility is limited to advanced undergraduates and first year graduate students, who are committed to participating in all program activities. Student participants are responsible to complete a capstone project on a related theme, involving a final paper with a field research component, mapping and graphics, and a project website with video representation. The program structure and timeline are visually displayed in the Program Schedule.

Each component of the program is described below:

1. Foreign Language Training (September – April). Preparatory Language Training in both English and Portuguese during the two semesters prior to the exchange component of the program at the student’s home institution.

2. Global Citizenship and Cultural Exchange (GCCE) – Social Networking Infrastructure. GCCE facebook is an open communication environment that fosters and encourages the emergence of global partnerships among faculty and students in the U.S. and Brazil. The page serves as both a communication medium between all participants engaged in research and curriculum development, as well as a recruiting tool to reach potential students. In addition to informal communication among participants, a selection of readings and topics for discussion will be updated on a weekly basis to guide student-faculty discussions.

3. Global Connections: Development and Environment (March 5 to May 4, 2012 Online/hybrid). This is a bi-lingual online course offered at MSU, but co-developed by faculty from all the partner universities. This course combines online readings, videos, and discussion board with bi-weekly seminars that bring together all student and faculty participants from the U.S. and Brazil via video conferencing in a model 21st century classroom to engage the social, political, and economic dimensions of today’s pressing global environmental challenges. The reading list provides relevant literature in English and Portuguese, and faculty exchanges will encourage participant engagement in both languages. During this course, student participants will identify a thesis and relevant research questions for their capstone project. The tangible outcome from this course will be a literature review, and an outline of their final project. The course is available to all MSU, KSU, UFPA, UFBA students, not just program participants. Students enroll in GEO454 at MSU and can earn three credits.

4. Globalizing Forces: Comparative Culture, Politics, Environment. Summer Program Part 1 at UFBA in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (June 24 – July 19).  The series of courses that make up this program are held at UFBA, but the materials and structure was co-developed by faculty from all the partner universities. The focus is on comparative democracy and international relations, and it provides students with the cultural and historical background for understanding contemporary Brazil and Latin America. The program also includes comparative aspects of culture and politics, U.S. and Brazil, with a special consideration of contemporary social and environmental challenges. In addition to participating in class discussions, cultural events and language training, students will be involved in ongoing research and service learning activities in the region. During this part of the program, student participants will develop the necessary socio-economic and political background and context for their capstone project, define the research methodology, and design the necessary research instruments to address their research questions. The course is available to all student participants and others at UFBA. Students earn six credits. Visit Program Description for greater detail.

5. Globalization - Human and Environmental Dynamics - Summer Program Part 2 at UFPA in Belém, Pará, Brazil (July 20 to August 18th). The series of courses that make up this program are held at UFPA, but the materials and structure was co-developed by faculty from all the partner universities. The focus is on the history of development and globalizing impacts of human-environment interactions. Although students will have the opportunity to learn first-hand about environmental and social challenges in Amazonia, the program will be designed to illuminate the interconnected and global nature of the problems and solutions. In addition to participating in class discussions, field excursions, and language training, students will have the opportunity to participate in on-going research and service learning in the region. During this period students will be responsible to further develop their research project by refining their main thesis and collecting data and necessary information for analysis. Students earn six credits. Visit Program Description for greater detail.

6. Social and Environmental Policy Analysis - Fall Program at MSU or KSU (August 29 – December 14th, 2012). This program will be offered at MSU and KSU in the fall semester, and will entail two to three courses designed to provide students with basic knowledge of geographic information sciences methodology and tools to analyze the spatial complexity of human-environment interactions, as well as environmental policy assessment. A lab course will be developed specifically for students participating in this program. In addition to participating in class discussions, cultural events and language training, students are expected to analyze their research data and write-up conclusions for their capstone project.  For this program, MSU and KSU students will return to their respective institutions, and the Brazilian students will be divided between the two U.S. institutions. Students earn 9 credits.

   Tentative Courses
   GEO 423	Cartographic Design and Production, 4 credits GEO Analysis, Maps, Website with Video
   MC 459	Science, Technology, Environment and Public Policy Capstone, 3 credits
   GEO/MC	Lab - Analyses, 2 credits

   Global Connections: Environment, Development, and Politics - Part Two of a Two Part Web-based Virtual Course (August 29 – December 14th, 2012). The second part of the Global Connections course is offered in the final fall semester at MSU and KSU. The discussions and readings during this part of the program allow students to reflect on all they have learned, and provide necessary context for their final research papers. Students earn 1 to 2 credits.