Annual Study Center Review CIEE Study Center at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa Lisbon, Portugal 2008

Transcription

1 Annual Study Center Review CIEE Study Center at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa Lisbon, Portugal 2008 CIEE Program Director: Catharine Scruggs, Program Director, Western Europe CIEE Resident Director: Nuno Senos CIEE Academic Consortium Board Program Evaluation: N/A CIEE Academic Consortium Board Monitor: Kathleen McDermott, Columbia University Each summer, program directors write a Study Center Review for each CIEE Study Center program commenting on the previous academic year. The program director writes the review based on input from the CIEE Academic Consortium Board members, resident directors, sending institutions, and student evaluations. Each report is made public on the CIEE website at Program Goals The CIEE Study Center at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa is designed for students of all levels of Portuguese, beginner to advanced. Beginning and intermediate students can start their Portuguese training or strengthen their existing skills while taking content courses in English. Advanced Portuguese students are able to directly enroll in university courses in Portuguese alongside local and other international students. The range of courses available appeals to students with a strong interest in the social sciences and humanities and include anthropology, literature, music, politics, and sociology.. The program met its goals during the academic year. New and Noteworthy Academic The CIEE Study Center in Lisbon began in fall 2007, so all elements of this program are new. As a new program, solutions were tested and adjustments were made over the course of the year. Portuguese Language Students took a mandatory Portuguese language course each semester. During the fall semester, students were enrolled in the university s regular language courses, which met twice a week (2-hour classes). This did not work very well. The students felt they needed more intensive language training and that they could be learning more efficiently. Also, one of the professors was not engaged enough and the Resident Director felt that the program would benefit if CIEE staff were personally responsible for the recruitment of language professors thus having direct control over their quality. Therefore, in the spring semester, two professors were recruited, and given basic guidance on the learning expectations and academic culture of North-American students. Language courses were offered at two levels (Beginning I and II) and classes met four days per week. One student with more advanced knowledge of Portuguese was integrated into a university course taught by one of the program s professors. This new model worked much better. Students felt they were learning a great deal and were more comfortable interacting in Portuguese. The Resident Page 1 of 6

2 Director witnessed the development of their language skills as well as their commitment to using the skills they were in the process of acquiring. The more frequent meetings for language classes will continue in the future. Out of classroom activities In spring, the CIEE language professors took the students on a day trip to Óbidos, Batalha and Alcobaça, a walled, medieval city and to two medieval monasteries. The students evaluated this trip highly. This excursion included non-ciee students. CIEE Courses Six courses were originally announced for each semester. In the fall semester, due to a low enrollment, four CIEE courses were offered in English: Music through Iberian looking-glasses Colonialism and Post-Colonialism The Portuguese Colonial Experience in the Early-Modern Period Urbanization and Globalization: Portugal, a European Case Because two other courses had been announced (Portuguese and Brazilian Literature and The European Union: History, Institutions, Practices of Governance), CIEE decided that students who expressed an interest in taking them should be offered the option to take them as directed studies. The CIEE Program Director and Resident Director held three orientation sessions for the faculty: a preliminary meeting, a midterm follow up and a final de-briefing. Despite these efforts and private meetings held with the professor for Urbanization and Globalization, the course did not work well. Unfortunately, the professor to whom the course had originally been assigned had an assistant take over many of the classes. Neither the professor nor the assistant committed themselves to the course and this was reflected in the student evaluations. The course was not offered in the spring semester. All other courses in the fall, including the independent studies, worked well. In the spring, enrollment increased and six courses were offered and the music course, which had been announced in the catalog as well, was offered as an independent study option. Colonialism and Post-Colonialism The Arts and the Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Colonial Experience in the Early-Modern Period Portuguese and Brazilian Literature The European Union: Portugal Migrations and Globalization Music through Iberian looking-glasses All courses ran fairly smoothly. The course on Portuguese and Brazilian Literature proved to be a favorite. The European Union: Portugal was a particular challenge since half the class (CIEE students) was predictably new to the topic while the other half (EU member students) were not. However, the professor managed to turn this potential problem into the course s strength by promoting student debate and using European students knowledge as a source for CIEE students learning. In a faculty meeting held halfway through the semester the professor said Page 2 of 6

3 this had turned out to be one of the most challenging and rewarding pedagogical experiences of her career. Several students started out a little cautious but ended up expressing great enthusiasm. Migrations and Globalization replaced Urbanization and Globalization with great success. Taught by a young scholar specializing in Muslim presence in contemporary Europe, the topics discussed proved to be timely and interesting for the students. Students commented that there was too much work in the Colonialism and Pos-Colonialism course so the Resident Director will review the syllabus with the professor. Finally, the Resident Director taught The Arts and Portuguese Empire which was well-received by students. Out of classroom activities In the fall, course outings included museum visits (Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Museu do Fado) and landmarks including the Teatro Nacional de S. Carlos, and the Assembleia da República, as well as a city tour. In the spring, visits included museum visits (Casa-Museu Medeiros e Almeida, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Museu de Etnologia, Museu da Música) and city tours, sometimes combining students and professors from more than one course. Direct Enrollment courses One student took a direct enrolment course ( European Early Modern History ) from the History Department. The student gave the course and the professor an enthusiastic evaluation. Non-Academic CIEE Orientation Orientation was organized with the goal of easing the students into their new environment while providing them with important practical information: how is the city organized, what are its main areas, how does transportation work, where are the shops, how do you place an order in a restaurant? Emergency and general safety information was also covered. Students were also given a campus tour and an explanation of the academic features of the program. In fall the orientation program took place in a common room in the University dorm. Additionally students had outdoor activities in the old town and castle and a number of orientation activities in the area of the university. Students became familiar with the area where they were to live before they visited the more touristic parts of the city. It was apparent at the orientation that they would have preferred the reverse to happen. This was corrected in the spring orientation, which took place in a small hotel downtown, permitting students to enjoy the picturesque old town as they learned more about the academic program. Cultural Activities/Field Trips Day or Evening Activities The social and cultural activities during the academic year included a guided visit to the old town, a Thanksgiving dinner, two visits to Centro Cultural de Belém (modern art collection) and to the Belém area, various birthday parties for program participants in both semesters, a reception at the US Embassy, a pre-spring break goodbye dinner, two dinners with CIEE students from Seville (one in each semester), a party at the Resident Assistant s home involving other Portuguese students, and good-bye dinners in both semesters. All of the outings associated with courses included all CIEE students regardless of enrollment. Both the Student Association in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities (FCSH) and the Erasmus Student Association were also very active in organizing cultural and social events. The students received regular updates from these organizations. In general, students were very adept at creating their own social networks. They made friends with other students, organized Page 3 of 6

4 their own activities including dinners, movies and beach excursions, and participated in campaigning for student elections at the residence (fall semester). One student in the fall took a dance class and another student, in the spring, enrolled in a surfing class. In the fall an attempt was made to pair CIEE participants with Portuguese students. Since this a new idea at the University, it was not very successful on the Portuguese side. This was tried again in the spring, but retaining the interest of Portuguese students throughout the semester continued to be a challenge. The Resident Director will work to organize additional activities in the coming year and will also include Portuguese students in all regular program events. Day outings included a trip to Sintra, a very scenic village near Lisbon, and another one to Cascais. They were both very successful. Overnight Fieldtrips Two excursions were organized each semester, one to Évora (two days) and one to Oporto (three days). Évora s points of interest range from a Roman temple to gothic churches, to renaissance palaces and a modern university. The students enjoyed this fieldtrip both semesters but scheduling it right after the orientation (in fall) was not the best option. The trip to Porto, taken later in the semester, was an overall success. The weather was beautiful both times, which helped provide for a spectacular entrance into the city, through a scenic bridge with the city spreading down the hill across the river. This excursion included a boat trip, which the students enjoyed immensely. In the first semester, both excursions included pre-historical sites but the students did not find these interesting. These were eliminated in the spring. Housing In the fall, all students stayed at one of the University residence halls. The residence provides students with a good outlet to meet local students. There were some complaints about the communal refrigerators during the fall, put the residence s staff had this under control during the spring semester. Spring students were spread between the residence hall and homestays. The latter were picked with extreme care. The hosts were mostly young professionals who had previous experiences in studying abroad. Homestays provided students with a more complete understanding of Portuguese family life. Overall, there were few complaints about housing. Having both a residence hall and homestay option allowed students to choose and option that best fits their personal goals. Community Engagement and Integration Community Service and volunteer options have not yet been developed in Lisbon. Challenges and Future Directions Academic Portuguese Language Many Portuguese, especially young people, speak English and use it in their interaction with CIEE students. While this makes our students lives easier, it does not help them develop language skills. Outside of the classroom it is difficult to work against this almost natural Page 4 of 6

5 tendency. Resident staff advise (and will continue advising) our students that the solution to this problem lies with them and with their ability to insist with those they interact with that they want to learn the language and should use it in their everyday life. Students seem to be willing to do this, even though they are not always successful. Subject Area Courses In order to allow the possibility of interaction with Portuguese and international students in the classroom, CIEE courses are open to UNOVA students. However, thus far, Portuguese students have shown little interest in taking courses in English. All of the students who have chosen to enroll are European exchange students, not Portuguese. This makes for a varied and cosmopolitan atmosphere in the classroom but it does not allow for the classroom to be used as the prime outlet for CIEE students to make Portuguese acquaintances. As far as the academic program is concerned, recruiting faculty has been and will remain something of a challenge. Although most can speak enough English to get by, not that many feel comfortable enough to secure a full semester course, especially more senior professors. That said, two senior professors have been recruited to the program who are among the students favorites. They will continue next year. Younger faculty come in with fresh ideas and sometimes great enthusiasm but they have less teaching experience. Most of the professors, senior or junior, came to the resident staff at one point or another to discuss their methodology and approach. The Resident Director will continue to work with them both in group and in individual meetings. Non-Academic Most of the CIEE students on the program this year had little previous Portuguese language study. This makes it more difficult to make Portuguese friends and to interact with them in Portuguese. Consequently, students tend to form a group of their own, and naturally feel more affinities to those students who are non-native to the culture. Thus, CIEE students tend to make friends with other international students (mostly from Europe, Brazil and Africa). Future Directions Beginning in the spring of 2009, the program will include a two-week mandatory, intensive language course at the beginning of each semester. This change will be beneficial in two ways: first, students will begin the program by concentrating on improving language skills, acquiring upfront skills for their semester-long residence in Lisbon, and secondly, their academic schedule (now a laborious 20h/week for a full load of courses) will be reduced to a more manageable (and familiar) 16 hours. Also, next year staff will be more insistent and systematic in the organization of extra-curricular initiatives that involve both Portuguese and CIEE students. Besides organizing language meals, another option will be to create a buddy system in which each CIEE student will be assigned a Portuguese buddy who will help the student integrate in his/her new life in Lisbon. Portuguese buddies will be recruited within the University s undergraduate population. Next year six courses per semester will be offered, with a different package for each semester. This will provide students with a sufficiently wide choice each semester and will also allow those who stay for the whole year to a sufficient selection in the spring. Staff have also developed several strategies to attract Portuguese students to the CIEE courses. On the one hand, publicity concerning the courses offered by the program will be increased. Since this is the first year of the program, information has sufficiently spread around the University. On the other Page 5 of 6

6 hand, next year s CIEE courses and professors will be substantially different from those offered by the University. All in all, the program started on a good note. The changes that need to be introduced next year are more about fine-tuning than taking on dramatically new directions. In summer 2009, a summer program will begin at the program site. Page 6 of 6