8:20 a.m., Dec. 19, 2008----The world has become the University of Delaware's classroom.

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Continuing a tradition that began when a young professor, Raymond Kirkbride, led the first study abroad program to France in 1923, more than 1,200 University of Delaware students will be fanning out all over the globe during Winter Session to learn foreign languages first hand and to gain exposure to other countries' cultures, governments, natural resources, politics, art, music, technologies, economics, heath care issues, and many other subjects.

UD's Winter Session study abroad programs are worldwide, this year with a total of 57 programs in 31 countries on six continents.

Also, 38 freshmen are enrolled in First Year Experience programs in Australia and Mexico, and 79 engineers are enrolled in four different international programs.

“We are thrilled to have so many academic program options for our students,” said Lesa Griffiths, associate provost for international programs and director of the Center for International Studies (CFIS).

UD students will earn credits for courses related to the area they are visiting and will study and experience different cultures in a wide range of settings from sophisticated European cities such as Geneva and Paris to native villages in the Amazon rain forest in Peru.

CFIS recently wrapped up 12 months of preparation with its final pre-departure meeting with 86 University faculty directors who will be teaching abroad this Winter Session.

The process began last December when faculty submitted proposals for 2009 programs. After recruiting applicants, making flight arrangements, arranging for guest speakers, planning cultural excursions, revising budgets, designing syllabi, preparing participants and distributing plane tickets, the faculty will soon head into the world for an academically enriching five weeks with their students.

Theodore Davis, associate professor, and Osman Antwi-Boateng, a doctoral student, both in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, will take 22 students to West Africa on UD's first study abroad program in Ghana.

The students will be exposed to the traditions of an African society and provided an authentic African cultural experience. Davis said he hopes his students come back with knowledge that can only be attained though experience. “I've always had a natural interest in Africa, specifically West Africa as I went through school,” he said. “Learning about the slave trade and how important that was to shaping the world impacted me. I hope my students see the contrast from what a first world country like the U.S. compared to a 'developing nation' is. I want them to see how people live over there and be aware of what we take for granted at home. Hopefully they return with a more global perspective of life.”

Each student will participate in a volunteering aspect of the program, immersing them directly into the community of Ghana. Chris Ahmer, a junior biology student, said he was “intrigued and excited about the volunteering aspect of the trip, however I do not know what to expect. I know it will be very different then what I am used to home in the U.S., but I am looking forward to experiencing a new culture.”

Having visited close to 200 countries around the globe, Kimberly Grimes, supplemental faculty in anthropology at the University of Delaware Academic Center in Georgetown, will be taking her third group of students to the Amazon.

She said chose Peru because “it is a completely different way of life over there, there is no electricity or water. The people hunt and fish and collect their own food. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth.”

In the classroom, Grimes strives for her students to recognize that humans are all one global family that need to work together to solve problems. “It is an opportunity to see a different way of life. People are so generous in the Amazon and they work together and share their resources -- there is no crime or need for police,” she said.

Greg Marchesiello, a student participant, said he is looking forward to applying the anthropological concepts that he has learned throughout his coursework on-campus. “Staying away from the popular ethnocentric view of others, I will be embracing different cultures and traditions and will learn to implement their new ideas and values into my own life,” he said. “I will also seek new methods to improve the quality of life in the third-world country of Peru with utmost respect to its inhabitants.”

Marchesiello added that he is excited about learning arts and crafts from the indigenous Quechua-speakers and experiencing their unique culture, as well as visiting the cities of Peru.

Mahasveta Barua, supplemental faculty in the Department of English, will direct a first-time program to India. With a multitude of jobs being outsourced to India, Barua said student interest in the country is higher than ever and hopes that this opportunity will give students a global perspective of business.

Junior Lauren House appreciates the fact that while English is not the native language of India, it is the common language for education and business. For students, "there is nothing more valuable than having personal and practical experience that will enrich them in their future life,” she said.

The India English program includes an exiting trip trekking to Himalayas, visits to famous tea gardens in Darjeeling and Assam, and meetings with Tibetan and Nepalese in Darjeeling.

Students will visit a Delhi based publishing institute, as well as meet with famous Indian women writers

Barua said she is very excited about the program and hopes that her students will gain a better and bigger perspective about third world countries. "After seeing India and Indian street children, students may be able to appreciate the fact of how fortunate they are,” she said.

While some students will be going to India, others will have an opportunity to study in China.

Ivan Sun, associate professior in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, knows that policing culture and criminal justice are subjects of intense debate in many countries but especially so in China. He will be taking a group of 11 students to study this controversial subject in Beijing, Xian and Shanghai.

This program will include a series of lectures by internationally renowned scholars, as well as visits to world famous locations like the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square.

Students will have opportunities to observe, first-hand, criminal justice operations through trips to local courts and police stations. When asked what motivated him to direct his first study abroad program to China, Sun cited the importance of students understanding China as a “world player.”

Sun said, “It will be beneficial for my students to observe policing and criminal justice systems in a rapidly transitioning society like China." Sun also cited the added advantage for his students in interacting with their counterparts on the other side of the globe.

“I'm interested in my students becoming global citizens,” Sun said. “They are the future of our countries and interaction between them promotes respect and tolerance.”

Senior Meghan Proehl, a participant in the China program, said she shares those sentiments. “I hope to gain a lot [in China]. For one thing, I'm looking forward to experiencing a culture very different from the one here in the U.S.,” she said. “Personally, I hope to gain a broader sense of knowledge about the world, and overall I hope to gain a better understanding of myself."

The University of Delaware is an acknowledged leader in study abroad programs and was named among the top 20 doctoral research institutions and among the top three public institutions in that category in terms of undergraduate participation in study abroad.

Open Doors 2008, a report of the Institute of International Education, ranked UD among the top four doctoral research institutions nationwide for short-term study abroad programs.

Giffiths acknowledged the vital role played by University of Delaware faculty in study abroad. “They are the driving force behind the success of our nationally recognized study abroad program,” she said. “We wish them a safe and healthy month abroad -- bon voyage.”

Article by Sue Moncure, Diane Henker, Dima Qassim, Rajeswari Chowdhury, Olufemi Adevoyin and Jeff O'Laughlin