In addition to thirteen summer programs abroad for academic credit (in Czechoslovakia, England, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Nigeria, Poland, Spain and Ukraine), Penn currently offers semester and academic year study abroad options in sixteen different countries. The vast majority of Penn students who study abroad choose programs located in Western Europe; in the 1991-92 academic year, almost 25 percent went to programs in the United Kingdom, followed by 20 percent in France, and 11 percent in Italy. Penn-sponsored study abroad programs include:
Belgium: Leuven
A new European Culture and Society program is now available at the
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. The curriculum is particularly relevant
to students seeking course credits in the humanities and social
sciences. Program courses are taught in English and Penn students are
fully integrated with students from Leuven and other European
universities participating in the ERASMUS inter-university student
exchange.
China (PRC): Nanjing; Beijing
Programs at Beijing University and Nanjing University, which are
administered by the Council on International Educational Exchange
(CIEE), provide an opportunity for students with a background in Chinese
to enhance their language skills and knowledge of the culture.
Linguistically advanced students may attend regular classes in certain
departments.
China (ROC): Taichung, Taiwan
This program, which is conducted through the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst, admits students having at least two years of
Mandarin Chinese to the Tunghai University Chinese Language Center,
located on the outskirts of the city of Taichung. Qualified students
may take one course from the regular university curriculum in several
departments.
Czechoslovakia: Prague
This program, newly available through the Czechoslovak Academy of
Sciences, features a range of both social science and humanities
courses, as well as elementary and intermediate Czech language
instruction.
France: Lyon
Penn's Romance Languages Department sponsors a program at the
Centre International d'Etudes Francaises of the Universite Lumiere Lyon
II to help students progress rapidly to a very high level of functional
competence in spoken and written French. A special marketing course is
offered at the Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Lyon for students in the
Wharton School; and an independent study focusing on health care in
France has been developed for Nursing School students under the auspices
of the Institut de Formation aux Carrieres de Sante.
France: Compiegne
Penn offers an exchange program with the Universite de Technologie
de Compiegne for students in the School of Engineering and Applied
Science. Instruction is in French and participants usually combine
courses in their individual fields with elective courses in French
language and culture.
France: Paris
Penn students have the option of studying for a semester or year at
Columbia University's Reid Hall in Paris. The program includes courses
taught in French in Reid Hall as well as regular university courses
taught at the Universite de Paris VII (Jussieu), the Universite de Paris
X (Nanterre), and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques. Special programs
are available in art history and in film studies. Penn students can
also participate in the yearlong Critical Studies Program at the
Universite de Paris III. Coursework in this program focuses on the
critical analysis of literature, painting, film, photography, theater,
and video. Design of the Environment and Urban Studies majors are able
to participate, with departmental approval, in The Shape of Two Cities:
New York and Paris Program, administered by Columbia University's
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
Germany: Munich
Penn students of German are able to spend their junior year in
Munich, through an agreement with Wayne State University. Students
initially attend special language and culture courses in preparation for
the German academic year starting in November. Many students then
enroll in regular courses at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat.
Greece: Chania, Crete
Starting in January 1993, Penn students may participate in the
ITHAKA Collegiate Semester in Greece. This program engages a small
community of fifteen students and nine faculty tutors in an
interdisciplinary curriculum consisting of five courses designed to give
a diachronic introduction to Greek culture: modern Greek language,
ancient Greek history and culture, cultural anthropology, modern Greek
politics and culture, and modern Greek poetry.
Italy: Bologna
In conjunction with six other U.S. universities, Penn offers a
yearlong program at the Universita degli Studi di Bologna. Students
attend a six-week intensive program in language and culture prior to
registering for regular university courses, generally in the arts and
humanities and in the social sciences.
Italy: Rome
Penn is a member of a consortium that sponsors the Intercollegiate
Center for Classical Studies in Rome for undergraduate majors in
classics, classical history or archaeology, or art history majors with
strong classical interests and background.
Italy: Milan
The Wharton School Undergraduate Division has introduced on an
experimental basis a small-scale exchange program with the Universita
Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Milan. Wharton undergraduates will
typically take an intensive, pre-session Italian language course, plus
four courses conducted in Italian on economics or business
administration. The exchange program is also open to College of Arts
and Sciences students.
Japan: Tokyo
Penn students may study abroad for a full academic year at the
International Christian University in Mitaka, a suburb of Tokyo.
Courses are available in a wide variety of fields in English as well as
in Japanese. An affiliation with Sophia University, begun in the fall
of 1992, allows Penn students to study Japanese language and culture,
Asian and international affairs, and many subjects in the humanities and
social sciences. All courses except for languages are conducted in
English. A yearlong exchange program at Hitotsubashi University
provides an additional opportunity for Penn students with advanced
fluency in Japanese and who major in business or a social science.
Instruction is entirely in Japanese.
Japan: Kanazawa
Undergraduate Japanese majors with exceptional background and
ability may be nominated by a faculty advisor to spend the academic year
at Kanazawa University. Instruction is entirely in Japanese.
Japan: Kyoto
Penn has just joined the consortium for Stanford University's Kyoto
Center for Japanese Studies.
Korea: Seoul
A recently established exchange program gives Penn undergraduates
the opportunity to take courses in English in the International
Undergraduate Division of Yonsei University. Students with language
proficiency may also take selected regular university courses in Korean.
Mexico: Oaxaca
A recently established program at the Instituto Cultural in Oaxaca
offers options both for students who would like to study second year
college-level Spanish intensively and for advanced or fluent Spanish
speakers interested in pursuing in-depth study of topics related to
Latin America. (see sidebar)
Nigeria: Ibadan
A comprehensive exchange agreement enables Penn students to spend
either a semester or a year at the University of Ibadan. Instruction is
in English. The program exists primarily to serve students who are
interested in gaining a unique in situ perspective on traditional and
contemporary West African culture and society.
Russia: Moscow and St. Petersburg
Penn maintains an affiliation with the American Council of Teachers
of Russian that enables students who have completed at least three years
of college-level Russian to spend a semester in Russia. The program
places qualified students at a number of different sites in Moscow and
St. Petersburg, all under the general supervision of an American
resident director.
Spain: Madrid
Undergraduates in any major field who wish to perfect their Spanish
language skills and immerse themselves in the culture of the Iberian
peninsula may apply through Penn to the New York University in Madrid
program. The program offers special courses in Spanish language,
literature, history, politics, and art taught by Spanish university
professors at the Instituto Internacional.
Sri Lanka: Kandy
Penn's recently inaugurated affiliation with the Intercollegiate
Sri Lanka Education consortium provides an opportunity for
undergraduates interested in observing and experiencing firsthand issues
of economic and social development in a former colonial country. A
range of courses in subject areas including Sinhalese language and
cultural history, religion, economics, literature, and women's studies
are offered by faculty of the University of Peradeniya.
United Kingdom: London, England
Penn offers a variety of program options for students wishing to
study at the University of London. English majors are urged to take
advantage of a special arrangement with the Department of English
Language and Literature of King's College; a number of other programs of
study are available there to undergraduates in other fields. Other
London options for majors in many fields are available at the Imperial
College of Science and Technology, Queen Mary and Westfield College,
Royal Holloway College and University College.
United Kingdom: Edinburgh, Scotland
An annual exchange of academically distinguished undergraduates
between Penn and the University of Edinburgh is open to students in all
majors in the College, as well as to students in Wharton, SEAS, and
Nursing. Students enroll in regular Edinburgh courses and normally
concentrate in their major fields.
In the 1991-92 academic year, 46 percent of Penn undergraduates who studied abroad participated in one of the Penn-sponsored programs; the remaining 54 percent attended some 70 different universities or program centers in 23 countries. In order to promote international educational opportunities while responding to concerns about educational value and academic quality, a number of efforts are ongoing to expand the range of Penn-sponsored study abroad options.
Faculty groups are also exploring additional undergraduate program possibilities in England, Germany, Israel, Italy and Senegal.
Recently, a number of initiatives have been aimed at developing opportunities for more graduate and professional students to become involved in international educational and research activities:
To index for Penn's International Dimensions.
Almanac
January 12, 1993
Volume 39 Number 17
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