SIT Study Abroad

SIT Study Abroad

The headquarters of SIT Study Abroad are housed on the Brattleboro, Vermont campus of the SIT Graduate Institute
Former names
 School for International Training
Type Private, Undergraduate & Graduate
President Donald Steinberg
Location Brattleboro, VT, USA
Website studyabroad.sit.edu

About

SIT Study Abroad is a university-level study abroad program administered by World Learning, a 501(c)(3) international non-profit organization based in Brattleboro, Vermont, United States. Like its sister-program the SIT Graduate Institute, the program is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges through its Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.[1][2]

SIT Study Abroad offers semester and summer-long thematic programs in over 40 countries around the world. More than 25,000 students have studied abroad with SIT.[3] All programs are run by Academic Directors who are residents of the host country and experts in the specific academic subject area of the program. Programs incorporate classroom-based and field-based learning as well as an independent study project component. Students live in homestays, are involved in host community cultural activities and participate in excursions. All programs study a particular global issue such as health, ecology, conflict transformation, or development.[4][5]

Academics

SIT Study Abroad’s academic programs use a field-based, experimental approach. Students complete undergraduate research through an Independent Study Project, the content of which is supervised by their advisors. The students have access to SIT’s local resources and networks during their stay, including a small group of their peers that participate in each program. The foundation of SIT’s educational philosophy holds a strong commitment to reciprocity that is fostered through the students experience abroad.

Students may elect to participate in an International Honors Program (IHP). This type of program involves studying in multiple destinations while exploring social justice and sustainability which can offer a more cross-cultural educational experience. IHP and SIT Study Abroad have long shared a profound and defining commitment to intercultural communication, social justice, and experiential learning. IHP’s partnership with SIT Study Abroad and World Learning dates back to 2007, when SIT became IHP’s official school of record. The integration between the two partners deepened in the 2011-2012 academic year, when IHP was first included in SIT Study Abroad’s portfolio of programs. Building on a distinguished 50-plus-year history, IHP comparative programs continue to challenge students to ask new and better questions about their lifelong roles in a global community. Comparative programs offer students the opportunity to investigate significant global issues in at least three countries. Some topics include: Cities in the 21st Century, Climate Change, The Politics of Food, Health and Community, and Human Rights.

Programs

SIT has many programs in countries all over the world with a particular focus in developing nations. Each program is designed around a different theme that is relative to the country the student will study in. The website has a full list of current programs.[6]

Africa: South of the Sahara Cameroon: Development and Social Change Ghana: Africa in the 21st Century Kenya: Urbanization, Health, and Human Rights Madagascar: Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management Madagascar: Traditional Medicine and Healthcare Systems (Summer) Rwanda: Post-Genocide Restoration and Peacebuilding Senegal: Global Security and Religious Pluralism South Africa: Community Health and Social Policy South Africa: Education and Social Change (Summer) South Africa: Multiculturalism and Human Rights South Africa: Shelter Innovation Lab (Summer) South Africa: Social and Political Transformation Tanzania: Zanzibar—Coastal Ecology and Natural Resource Management Tanzania: Wildlife Conservation and Political Ecology Uganda and Rwanda: Peace and Conflict Studies in the Lake Victoria Basin (Summer) Uganda: Development Studies

Asia and the Pacific Australia: Rainforest, Reef, and Cultural Ecology Australia: Sustainability and Environmental Action China: Community Health and Traditional Chinese Medicine (Summer) China: Health, Environment, and Traditional Chinese Medicine India: Food Innovation Lab (Summer) India: Himalayan Buddhist Art and Architecture (Summer) Available for graduate credit India: Public Health, Policy Advocacy, and Community India: Sustainable Development and Social Change India: Traditional Medicine and Healthcare Practices (Summer) Indonesia: Arts, Religion, and Social Change Indonesia: Community Nature Conservation in Bali (Summer) Mongolia: Nomadism, Geopolitics, and the Environment Nepal: Development and Social Change Nepal: Geoscience in the Himalaya (Summer) Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples Samoa: Pacific Communities and Social Change South Korea: Digital Futures (Summer) Vietnam: Culture, Social Change, and Development

Europe Czech Republic: Arts and Social Change Iceland and Greenland: Climate Change and the Arctic Iceland: Renewable Energy, Technology, and Resource Economics (Summer) Netherlands: International Perspectives on Sexuality and Gender Serbia, Bosnia, and Kosovo: Peace and Conflict Studies in the Balkans Switzerland: Banking, Finance, and Social Responsibility Switzerland: Food Security and Nutrition (Summer) Switzerland: Global Health and Development Policy Switzerland: International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy Switzerland: International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy (Summer) Available for graduate credit

Latin America Argentina: Art, Memory, and Social Transformation (Summer) Argentina: Public Health in Urban Environments Argentina: Social Movements and Human Rights Argentina: Transnationalism and Comparative Development in South America Bolivia: Multiculturalism, Globalization, and Social Change Brazil: Public Health, Race, and Human Rights Brazil: Social Innovation and Community Development Chile: Comparative Education and Social Change Chile: Cultural Identity, Social Justice, and Community Development Chile: Public Health, Traditional Medicine, and Community Empowerment Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation Ecuador: Development, Politics, and Languages Nicaragua: Youth Culture, Literacy, and Media Panama: Tropical Ecology, Marine Ecosystems, and Biodiversity Conservation Peru: Indigenous Peoples and Globalization

North Africa and the Middle East Jordan: Geopolitics, International Relations, and the Future of the Middle East Jordan: Intensive Arabic Language Studies (Summer) Jordan: Refugees, Health, and Humanitarian Action Jordan: Water Innovation Lab (Summer) Morocco: Arabic Language and Community Service (Summer) Morocco: Field Studies in Journalism and New Media Morocco: Migration and Transnational Identity Morocco: Multiculturalism and Human Rights Tunisia and Italy: Politics and Religious Integration in the Mediterranean

International Honors Program - Comparative Programs IHP: Cities in the 21st Century: People, Planning, and Politics IHP: Climate Change: The Politics of Food, Water, and Energy IHP: Health and Community: Globalization, Culture, and Care IHP: Human Rights: Foundations, Challenges, and Advocacy IHP: New African Diasporas: Transnational Communities, Cultures, and Economies IHP: Rethinking Food Security: People, Agriculture, and Politics

History

For more than fifty years, SIT has provided carefully designed and thoughtfully facilitated study abroad programs rooted in the experiential education learning model. This model, as popularized by David Kolb, guides students through an intentional approach to structured and unstructured experiences and a facilitated and mentored process of translating experience into learning in order to prepare them for more independent inquiry. Most SIT programs have 20–25 students led by one academic director plus a number of local staff. Semester programs last 15–16 weeks and summer programs are 4–9 weeks. All programs begin with a thorough orientation that incorporates health and safety information and tools for cross-cultural adaptation. Every program is framed around a critical global issue, which provides a lens through which students explore the issue through theory and its local manifestation. Student learning happens through multiple formats — lectures, field visits, language study, homestays, and day-to-day interactions with local communities — in classroom and field-based settings.

SIT students learn to put into practice appropriate field research methods such as participant observation, cultural analysis, interviews, transects, oral histories, and quantitative data collection. They apply tools of investigation and analysis and develop greater curiosity, confidence, and self-awareness.Every program concludes with a guided reflection and discussion period that examines the impact of the experience. Through this reentry preparation, students are encouraged to consider how they can incorporate their experience in the future. During this time, students also have the opportunity to provide feedback on their program.

Returnees of SIT Programs

Even prior to the explosion of the popularity of study abroad SIT was generating effective leaders, professionals, and citizens. SIT has a worldwide network of individuals and organizations committed to responsible global citizenship. Those who have completed SIT programs have an understanding of global issues, such as globalization and development. Students are immersed in language while in country and learn new research methods.

There are also many opportunities for those who have returned. The Alice Rowan Swanson Fellowship: http://www.worldlearning.org/theexchange/alice-rowan-swanson-fellowship/ UGRAD : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0LKWUb0RYE And many more.

See also

References

  1. ↑ NEASC Roster of Accredited Institutions. Accessed: May 16, 2013.
  2. ↑ GoOverseas.com SIT Study Abroad Reviews. Accessed May 13, 2013
  3. ↑ “Students Lectured on SIT Study Abroad Experience,” The Brown & White Blog. Accessed May 13, 2013
  4. ↑ OSU Abroad Blog. Accessed: May 13, 2013
  5. ↑ “Advantages of Field-Based Study Abroad,” CollegeNews.com. Accessed May 13, 2013.
  6. ↑ "SIT Study Abroad programs" Accessed March 3, 2017
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