Education Commons^™

Dialogue Between Israelis And Palestinians: Obsolete Approach Or Still Viable Technique In The Middle East Conflict Transformation Toolkit?, Laurie Millman

Capstone Collection

During the last thirty years of the 20^th century, there was a proliferation of dialogues between Palestinians and Israelis. Participants in early unofficial dialogues sometimes became negotiators for official dialogues, or articulated positions which were later presented in public Track II negotiations such as the Geneva Accords. Nevertheless, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has not been transformed, and seems more intractable now than in many years. Given the optimism, effort, and analysis which have been invested in dialogue, this paper considers the question of whether dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians represents an obsolete approach or a still valuable technique in the …

Thinking Beyond Borders: Critical Pedagogy In A Neoliberal Economy, Sarah E. White

Capstone Collection

The aim of the capstone is to explore the role of critical pedagogy as a transformative philosophy for critical consciousness by examining the Freireian methodologies of the organization Thinking Beyond Borders. TBB is a ‘gap-year’ program designed for youth to study international development in 8 countries over 8 months with the goal of questioning assumptions. With the ideological hegemony of classical neoliberal economics increasing inequality through globalization, alternative educational paradigms that promote critical and creative thinking are needed. What can be done within education to cultivate citizens capable of mitigating and transcending the homogenizing tendencies of globalization, nurturing a ‘global …

American Ways: A Course In Contemporary U.S. Culture For International Students, Christopher D. Fitch

Capstone Collection

International student populations are increasing in large proportions at universities across the United States. The onset of culture shock and difficulty communicating and relating with their new peers compounds an already difficult situation. Universities and colleges need a method to accommodate these students and help facilitate their transitions into a completely new academic and social environment.

“American Ways: A course on Contemporary American Culture for International Students” is a semester-long university level course designed to give knowledge and understanding of “American” culture to international students attending U.S. higher education institutions. It will cover topics surrounding U.S. culture that …

The Journey Home From Ecuador: A Reentry Guide For Tandana Foundation Volunteers, Heidi Bohn

Capstone Collection

The Tandana Foundation is a small, non-profit organization that works with communities nestled in the Andes of northern Ecuador, providing service-learning opportunities for students and professionals in the Otavalo region. The Journey Home from Ecuador: A Reentry Guide for Tandana Foundation Volunteers (The Journey Home) is a self-directed guide that serves to prepare interns and volunteers with the Tandana Foundation (Tandana) in Ecuador for reentry after their work abroad with the organization. In addition, it introduces the concept of reverse culture shock and provides tools and resources for a successful transition home. Living in rural Ecuador generally between …

Enhancing Road Scholar Cuba Programs Through Group Leader Training, Desiree N. Shrode

Capstone Collection

In response to the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the United States imposed several embargos and restrictions against Cuba. The stipulations of these embargos have included prohibitions on not only the importation and trade of cigars, rum, and coffee, but also travel between the U.S. and Cuba. However, in 2011, President Barack Obama decided to ease these travel restrictions for educational travel that is not related in pursuant to an academic degree, also known as a People-to-People license. Due to Obama’s change in policy, many organizations have been sponsoring travel to Cuba on these People-to-People licenses, granted by the Office of …

Exploring Sydney: An Onsite Orientation Program For Students Studying In Australia, Meaghan Murphy

Capstone Collection

Exploring Sydney: An Onsite Orientation Program for Students Studying in Australia is a four-day onsite orientation program designed for students spending the semester in Australia. In this program design, the students explore Sydney and learn about the country’s history and local culture. The onsite orientation is run by CISabroad, a third party provider based in Northampton, Massachusetts which offers college students affordable study abroad programs.

The orientation takes place prior to the start of the five Australia semester programs. The Australian site director leads the onsite orientation and is with the students for the entire program. The program takes place …

Motivating Factors For Young Adults In The Brattleboro Area To Start In Organic Agriculture For Their Career, Tomokazu Utsugi

Capstone Collection

Despite a worldwide push for the conversion of conventional agriculture to organic agriculture, organic farming itself is not a very popular vocational choice for young people. Brattleboro, one of the towns in Vermont, is no exception. Although several local organizations are promoting local agriculture and food security, in reality, not many young people in Brattleboro want to choose organic agriculture as their career.

With a total of 17 in-depth qualitative interviews with young adults in the Brattleboro area, this inquiry sought to identify a range of factors that would motivate them to choose organic agriculture as their career. The results …

Stable, Practical, And High-Paying: How Second Generation Indian/Pakistani Adults Are Affected By Parental Pressure In Their Career Choices, Sabrina Eveland

Capstone Collection

This study explores the pressure to succeed that some Indian and Pakistani first generation parents put on their second generation children living in the United States. The study was conducted through guided interviews with fourteen interviewees; six first generation parents who immigrated to the United States between 1966 and 1978 and eight second generation adult children between the ages of 20 and 35. The study captures the intergenerational stress that occurs when parents want their adult children to study traditional and stable careers that the second generation adults are not necessarily interested in. It also explores the pressures and limitations …

Social Entrepreneurship In Egypt: Turning Revolutionary Ambition Into Tangible Results, Chris C. Blackwood

Capstone Collection

Social Entrepreneurship in Egypt: Turning Revolutionary Ambition into Tangible Results is a research paper that seeks to provide a model for sustainable social entrepreneurship (SE) development in Egypt and the surrounding Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The research consists of two primary areas: 1) the field of SE as a whole, along with traits shared by successful social enterprises, and 2) the modern Egyptian context, and the integration of best SE practices in the country and surrounding region during the modern revolutionary era. This is a paper that focuses on social change, and thus several social change theories …

"The Need For Nature: Exploring Youth Leadership Development Through Outdoor Activities", Margaret A. Dudley

Capstone Collection

Youth are increasingly spending more time indoors. A young person spends hours in front of different screens, tuned out to their natural surroundings. When numerous studies have linked spending time outdoors to physical, mental, and emotional health, this increase in indoor time is disturbing. Youth living in apartment complexes in the Western Suburbs of Minneapolis do not have a lot of natural outdoor space close to their homes or transportation to parks, to enrich creativity and promote independence. This paper explores what has been called, the nature-deficit disorder, among youth today, and how one organization, the CONECT (Community Organizations Networking …

Analysis Of National Association Of Bilingual Education, Sam J. Baumer

Capstone Collection

This research illustrates the benefits in coalitions as mechanisms for bolstering advocacy by bringing together diverse perspectives to help fuel more creativity in the process of furthering bilingual education and social change. This case study examines the role of the National Alliance for Bilingual Education (NABE) and its policy advocacy approach in the midst of the debate surrounding how best to educate our nations school children. An examination of the historical context of the issue and the current political paradigm that NABE navigates illustrate their approach to tackling the contested issue.

Spain & Morocco: Issues In Hospitality & Tourism, Shanathan Crayton

Capstone Collection

Miami Dade College (MDC) is the largest undergraduate serving institution of higher education in the United States, holding a student population of nearly 175,000. With eight campuses and numerous outreach centers in South Florida, the college is committed to enhancing the academic presence of its local communities. MDC takes great pride in being one of the major contributors to the growth and progress of South Florida, especially in the area of hospitality and tourism. The college hosts various festivals and international events at several of its campuses. Furthermore, Miami Dade County’s economy relies strongly on its hospitality and tourism industry, …

The Meeting School: An Alternative Mode Of Education, Hallel Parsons

Capstone Collection

What role do spirituality, community, and farming play in contemporary US education? As a farm and faculty intern at a small, private, Quaker boarding high school in rural NH I gained an interesting perspective on this subject. Using Robert G. Hanvey’s working thesis: An Attainable Global Perspective: Education for a Global Perspective as a standard by which to measure my experience at The Meeting School, I explore the implications of an education founded upon the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, and equality (SPICE), within the context of an intentional community committed to organic farming as a means to …

Creating Effective Programming For Iraqi Adult Mentors In World Learning’S Youth Peacebuilding And Leadership Programs, Kira L. Brady

Capstone Collection

This paper will examine how the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) can continue to grow and improve aspects of their programming. Specifically, the paper will address the role of the Iraqi adult leader. In order to increase the Iraqi adult’s learning and mentorship capacity the paper will explore Youth Programs, IYLEP, and apply leadership theory through the creation of a handbook that will assist staff in addressing the needs of the adult mentor. This handbook will set clear and understandable guidelines concerning the role of the Iraqi adult as well as including a set of worksheets. The focus and …

Road Scholar Service-Learning Corps: Reflection And Reciprocity In Rajasthan, India, Lezlie R. Weber

Capstone Collection

Road Scholar (RS) is the name for the programs developed and offered by Elderhostel, Inc., the not-for-profit leader in lifelong learning since 1975. RS inspires adults to learn, discover and travel (Road Scholar, 2012). Currently, RS is in the process of launching five new service-learning programs over the next two years. Road Scholar runs five different programs yearly to India; of the current programs offered there is no service-learning component throughout any of the programs. The specific location in India was chosen due to the need for an additional English teacher at the public school. There are a growing number …

Mountain Movement: The Design, Implementation, & Evaluation Of A Youth Yoga Program, Abigail A. Long

Capstone Collection

Abigail Ann Long – PIM 70

Mountain Movement: The Design, Implementation, & Evaluation

of a Youth Yoga Program

May 2012

Mountain Movement is a youth yoga program designed to introduce children to the sustainable practice of yoga as well as convey the ability to recognize stress and utilize relaxation techniques. Children face a number of challenges throughout their daily lives. These challenges, ranging from academic pressures to bullying, can create stresses with negative impacts. Yoga is an activity that can provide children with tools and methods to better deal with and cope with these challenges. Mountain Movement has demonstrated that …

Internationalization Of K-12 Schools Through The Eyes Of Public School Principals, Megan M. Landwehr

Capstone Collection

Today’s teacher education students have more opportunities than ever to incorporate study abroad into their degree and licensure requirements. This Capstone examines the value that public school principals place on internationalization, especially when it comes to hiring teachers. I approached this qualitative study utilizing action research through case studies. Data was gathered by conducting six in-depth interviews. Of these, three are current principals and three have been principals their entire careers and are now retired. The main research question is; what value do principals in Wake County, North Carolina place on global competence of teacher job applicants? The findings answer …

Assessing The Unassessed: Incorporating Evaluation Into The North Carolina State University Curriculum Integration Program, Jamie B. Snow

Capstone Collection

Curriculum Integration (CI) is the incorporation of study abroad into existing academic curricula through faculty and staff collaboration. The North Carolina State University (NCSU) CI program was initiated in 2008. Currently the NCSU Study Abroad Office (SAO) is working to update, define, and enhance the direction of this program. NCSU recently updated its strategic plans to include goals regarding campus internationalization and global engagement. The NCSU CI program is viewed as a means to accomplish these goals. However, four years after its inception, there is still no evaluation of any of the CI program initiatives. Assessment and evaluation are important …

Visions Service Adventures: China; A Comprehensive Program Design, Whitney Morgan

Capstone Collection

The proposed international education program design offers an innovative way for American high school students to participate in a community life and community service in the Chinese province of Guizhou. The proposed design entitled, Visions Service Adventures: China will not only provide a new location and expansion for this third party provider company, but will also give participants the experience of staying with a local family for a portion of the program. The homestay experience will allow Visions participants the chance to interact and experience Chinese culture and language. Susan M. Knight (2008) found in her study the effects a …

Community Perspectives- How Study Abroad With Service Learning Impacts The Locals, Sarah J. Delcambre

Capstone Collection

This case study focuses on the community perspectives of homestay families, partner organizations, and local program staff that collaborated with Xplore USA Summer Language Adventure Camps in the Summer of 2011, in Asheville, North Carolina. The researcher focused on the service work aspect of the Xplore programming, and its impact on the local community via the local community’s perspective, to inform the reader of an underexplored subject. Interviews and survey results showed that the volunteer service projects performed by Xplore students and their local brothers and sisters were perceived as beneficial by an overwhelming majority of all local parties concerned: …

Addiction In Alaska: How Alcohol Abuse Is Impacting Community Members In Native Villages Throughout Rural Alaska, Cristina Casillo

Capstone Collection

Across rural Alaska are over 200 Alaska Native villages so isolated, they are only accessible by airplane, boat, and snowmachine. These villages strive to keep their Native culture alive and rich, but continue to struggle against Western influences. Introduced to Alaska Natives by European and Russian explorers in the 1700s, this paper examines how alcohol addiction is affecting community members throughout villages in rural Alaska. The research was conducted in two Iñupiaq Eskimo villages, Point Hope and Selawik, both located above the Arctic Circle in rural Alaska. Drawing from three years of personal observations and a series of interviews, this …

“Around The World Project” At The Maryland Institute College Of Art: Making International Education Week A Year-Long Program, Rebecca L. La Creta

Capstone Collection

The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore is an art college dedicated to the advancement and improvement of artists as well-rounded individuals. As an internationally recognized institute, the MICA mission statement advocates facilitating a “global perspective” for its community members. This program proposal is designed to uphold this mission statement and make MICA the national leader in internationalization at art schools.

This capstone proposes the Around the World Project at MICA, which is a year-round international activity structure that promotes campus-wide internationalization at MICA. This project is designed to streamline all internationally focused activities into one cohesive program, …

An Introduction To Life At A U.S. University: A Pre-Departure Orientation For Thai Students Going To The U.S. To Study, Alexandra B. Ashley

Capstone Collection

An Orientation to Life at a US University is a six-week pre-departure orientation designed for Thai students at The Human Development Foundation (HDF). The youth are preparing to study abroad in the United States at a four-year accredited institution. HDF is an international non-profit, founded in 1973, with its headquarters based in Bangkok, Thailand. The organization’s headquarters, settled in Bangkok’s largest slum area of Klong Toey, is known as The Mercy Centre, often affectionately shortened to Mercy. The organization grew from a one-baht-per-day preschool for children of all religions in the slums, to a Foundation with over 25 slum preschools, …

Challenges In The Land Of Hope: Phoenix Area Refugees And The Recession, Valerie E. Nightingale

Capstone Collection

Refugees in the United States today have greater access than ever to training programs and specialized service providers who assist with cultural adjustment to the U.S. as well as pre-employment training, job placement and retention services. Service providers develop job opportunities in the local community through partnerships with dedicated employers who see value in hiring new Americans and purpose in collaborating with voluntary agencies to overcome barriers for employees. During the recession there has been greater challenges for employment specialists to find employment for refugee clients and employers have noted some reluctance in hiring employees with low or non-existent English …

Exploring Locally To Grow Globally: A Community Excursion-Based Elective For Intensive English Programs, Andrea L. Bernasconi

Capstone Collection

The community excursion-based elective course (CE) has been designed for the Intensive English Program (IEP) at the International Language Institute (ILI) in Northampton, Massachusetts. The class provides access and information to international adult learners who are interested in learning more about the local community and culture for academic, professional and personal purposes. CE students will be exposed to various businesses, organizations, institutions and services in the community while being fully supported by a qualified teacher.

The types of excursions identified in this Capstone project differ in several ways from the extra-curricular activities and cultural exchanges that are commonly offered by …

Freedom In Creation: Global Village Education Program, Daniel C. Maxwell

Capstone Collection

This capstone paper introduces the Freedom in Creation: Global Village Education Program, an international education program with a focus in service-learning for undergraduate students designed for the organization, Freedom in Creation (FIC). Global Village Education (GVE) will pilot the five-week intensive program in various locations throughout Uganda. As a short-term, service-learning program focusing on experiential education, social identity development, critical thinking, and reciprocity; the goal is to instill conceptual clarity and intellectual growth by introducing participants to new knowledge, concepts and experiences through cross-cultural interaction. The main purpose of the program seeks to build intercultural communication skills as well as …

Project Gaya: A Study Abroad Program Design For Fundación Operación Gaya Internacional, Lauren E. Johanson

Capstone Collection

Since 2008 Fundación Operación GAYA Internacional, a Costa Rican NGO has provided youth training and development programs to local youth in Costa Rica, empowering young people to be “architects” in the development of their own communities and to take the lead in creating a world that is more peaceful and just. Through the implementation of Project GAYA, the foundation will expand its programming to international youth for the first time.

The proposed program offers a comprehensive program design for a short-term study abroad experience for U.S. high school students to Costa Rica. Students will engage in experiential learning and critical …

Consulting Cultural Informants: A Look At The Extent To Which Students Use Informants And Other Strategies To Learn From Their International Experiences, William Scott Leroy

Capstone Collection

This study explores the extent to which students from the United States consult with cultural informants while abroad when experiencing what Taylor (1994a, 1994b) refers to as “cultural disequilibrium”. The study also explores how this strategy compares to other learning strategies and which informants students most frequently consult.

Two research methods were used: a survey of 85 students who recently returned from an international program and interviews with nine students from the same sample. The survey sought to explore strategies students employ when facing cultural disequilibrium while the interviews aimed at uncovering why students preferred some learning strategies over others. …

A Diversity Initiative In Global Education For First-Generation Students, Jessica Greenbaum

Capstone Collection

The Diversity Initiative in Global Education for First-Generation Students is an institution-wide program designed to increase awareness and ultimately participation by first-generation college students in education abroad at the University of Colorado Denver. Current research has shown that the benefits of studying abroad include student retention, heightened confidence, an increase in GPA, and a sense of worldliness. Addtionally, such international experiences are necessary in order to become a fully engaged player in our globalized economy. Those who have travelled or studied internationally will become more marketable and exceedingly competitive for future employment. As colleges and universities are expected to prepare …

Moroccan Encounter: A Cross-Cultural, Peacebuilding, And Interfaith Program For U.S. And Moroccan Youth, Kristin A. Eberman

Capstone Collection

Moroccan Encounter: A Cross-Cultural, Peacebuilding, and Interfaith Program for U.S. and Moroccan Youth has been created in response to experiences living in a Muslim society and finding a need to more compassionately connect Western and Islamic cultures. Moroccan Encounter is a four-week summer study experience designed for high school aged learners. In this program design, a group of U.S. youth travel to Morocco to engage in language learning, cross-cultural understanding, peacebuilding initiatives, and interfaith dialogue with their Moroccan peers through homestays, daily classes, activities, and excursions. The program is led by a bilingual U.S. and Moroccan staff and operated by …