Studying abroad helped me to recognize that there is a world outside of my own. Past Review
By Tremain-Ajena Jones (Berea College) - abroad from 05/14/2017 to 06/07/2017 with
AIFS Travel Program – Centuries of Genocide: A History
My experience abroad helped me to strengthen who I am as a person and my understanding of the world around me. This experience helped me along my journey for self discovery and potentially better understanding that there are other people in the world who suffer and have suffered just as my people do. This study abroad program has helped to further my journey of understanding that no one particular group's suffering is superior to another.
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Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I thought that the knowledge that I gained from this study abroad course far exceeded my expectations. Being able to visit most, if not all, of the places that were key elements in the process of the Holocaust. The work load of the course and the material that was assigned to be read throughout the duration of the course really helped to elevate and further my understanding of how genocides, both pre and post Holocaust, are able to be carried out in such a "modernized" society. The course load itself was rigorous in regards to the amount of information that I was able to gain that I previously was not aware of; the physical assignments, on the other hand, were extremely well-balanced and accompanied each of our excursions and learning objectives well. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
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* Health Care:
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I would choose the same program because it allowed me to explore a subject that has always been a key factor in helping me to understand who I am as a person as well as how to help prevent such events from happening again in the future. The program did a very good job of utilizing important field sites within our given locations and the faculty and staff were very knowledgeable of all of the material and were very helpful in navigating each situation that occurred. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
I did not have that much of a problem managing my expenses while abroad due to the fact that I come from a family with limited means and know how to work with what I have available to me. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Approximately $100- $150 a week due to lunch and dinner not being included in the course tuition. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Future Students should probably set budgets for how much they are willing to spend in each of the places that they travel to. For short stays in multiple countries, I advise traveling with the U.S. currency you are willing to spend and converting to the currency of choice upon arrival in the country. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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A Look Back
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew that it was possible to experience different forms of culture shock. In my case, I experienced culture shock within the group that I navigated the program with that were also from America and had no clue that could be a possibility. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
A History of Genocide |
| Course Department: | AIFS |
| Instructor: | Paul Stocker |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course was extremely challenging in subject matter. The subject we covered made me challenge the way that I think about other ethnic group's ability to suffer just as my own ethnic group has suffered. The course made great use of the locations that we traveled to as well as planned additional excursions. My participation in class discussions and assignments was a mirror image of how I participate in the classes at my home institution that I am extremely passionate about. As far as assessment within the course goes, were required to keep a reflective journal for three out of the four weeks we traveled, write a book review on a book outside of the required text that was still relative to the course material, and create a group presentation on how gender, modernism, and class helped to further the effects of genocides. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Transferring the credit from the course back to my home institution was pretty straightforward due to the fact that I transferred it back as an elective. |
