Purpose:
The aim of the Country Study program is, over the course
of a full academic year, to take a wide-ranging look at
a specific country or region under study from its
earliest history right up to current events. It is our
belief that in order to understand and appreciate other
countries and cultures, one needs to employ a broad lens
and engage the "other" on a myriad of levels. The
program allows faculty and student participants, and
community guests to break down stereotypes and connect
across cultures. The Year of Country Study program uses
a multidisciplinary approach in order to provide our
audiences with a richer, more complex sense of place and
community.
Academic Programs:
Each academic year the program focuses a series of
lectures, performances, exhibits and films on a specific
country or world region. These public programs are
linked to credit-earning special topics courses. In
addition, working with the General Education Council,
the program offers a grants program to encourage general
education faculty to produce discipline-based modules on
the country under study, use them in their own classes,
and disseminate them among colleagues. In this way, new
instructional units are infused throughout our general
education curriculum.
Community
Involvement:
All events are free and open to the public. Attendance
at the Year of Country Study program averages over 1,500
per year. The program provides valuable networking
opportunities between KSU and the international
communities of North Georgia. Each year the advisory
committee for the program establishes a valuable working
relationship with consular officials, business leaders,
and expatriates from the country under study. We also
work with local school districts to provide professional
development opportunities and staff development units to
area teachers.
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