INFO SESSION FOR KOSOVO 2012
5 PM today in WILLIAMS 227
Our Kosovo 2012 Program is a great opportunity in online storytelling and to
see a new, vibrant, youthful country being created. Please come check it
out at 5 p.m today in Williams 227.
We'll have faculty and a couple of Kosovo Program alums there to answer your
questions and give details about the program. They'll be enthusiastic about
their experiences, I'm sure. They always are. Our Kosovo Program is in ts
fifth year and we continue to add great things to an already-worthwhile,
media-focused experience for students.
One of the additions this year is the expansion of the internship portion of
the program (JRN/COM 340). Students work 4 afternoons a week as reporters
and editors in the KosovaLive newsroom. However, this year, for students
who are particular interested in advocacy and non-profit organizations, they
may spend the first 4 weeks of their internship time at non-governmental
agencies that concentrate on human rights and social justice. The final 4
weeks will be at KosovaLive, the highly respected, independent online news
agency.
Overall, undergraduate students earn 8 credits in the Kosova 2012 program in
Journalism, Mass Communication and Geography. Graduate students are welcome
and earn 8 -12 credits in a curriculum tailored to their interests and
research. Students from a wide range of majors have excelled in the program.
We take about 12 students so that allows for faculty to spend time, daily,
on coaching and editing with each student.
We also are continuing to develop our collaboration with American University
in Kosovo, where our classes are held. AUK's summer programs attract about
60 students from some 30 countries. We'll have some joint sessions,
including with guest speakers, and will have at least one joint daytrip with
AUK students and faculty.
I've attached the latest version of the poster and 2-page flyer, that gives
most of the key details. Please pass it along to all students and faculty
who might be interested, including on mailing lists you have developed.
Below, I've also listed some of the points about the program that Kosovo
alums say are especially appealing to students.
Unsolicited, all of our alums have described it as a life-changing
experience.
* Students have the rare opportunity to see a new democracy in its infancy
and get to know people from every walk of life who are working hard to
create a free, open society.
* Kosovars genuinely like Americans, because of our crucial help in gaining
their independence, and our continuing strong support. You won¹t find that
in many places in the world. Hospitality is also a deeply ingrained part of
the culture in Kosovo. People there are warm and welcoming to visitors.
* Half the population of Kosovo is 25 and younger.
* Kosovo is the most Œwired¹ country, per capita, in Europe. This is partly
due to the age of the population and partly because Kosovars began relying
on the Internet and satellite television more than 15 years ago, when they
were under the rule of the oppressive Serbian regime.
* Our Kosovo 2012 program is interdisciplinary in intent and by design. It
is open to undergraduate and graduate students from ALL fields of study.
* While the program has a media focus, students from a wide range of majors
have excelled, mainly due to the time that profs spend daily with individual
students, guiding their development as storytellers, researchers and
observers of society. The mix of media studies and political geography does
make the program ideal for students in journalism, mass communication,
international studies, diplomacy and related disciplines.
* Students earn 8 transferrable credits from Miami University. Graduate
students earn 8 12 credits, with the curriculum tailored to their research
interests.
* The JRN 421 course is a capstone and GEO 410 satisfies CAS requirements
for many students.
* We¹ll take about a dozen students. The relatively small number ensures
that students will have great opportunities to do substantial work in the
classroom and in the newsroom.
* Four days a week, students attend classes in the morning, and work at
their internship in the afternoon. While most students will spend all 8
weeks reporting for KosovaLive (a respected, independent online news
agency), some students who are especially interested in advocacy and
non-profit organizations will spend 4 weeks of the internship at
non-governmental agencies working on social justice issues.
* Students have 3-day weekends to explore Southeastern Europe on their own,
and travel throughout the region is relatively inexpensive and easy.
* Students stay in a dormitory at the University of Pristina campus, where
they meet summer students from all over world, as they do at AUK where
classes are held.
* Because of the large number young professionals in Kosovo with United
Nations and European Union assistance programs, our students get to know and
befriend many of them.
* Cost: Students pay the regular Miami tuition for 8 summer credits. Other
fees compare very favorably to most study abroad programs.
* About one-third of our Kosovo summer students have come from universities
other than Miami.
* When interviewing for jobs, prospective employers often spend the majority
of the time asking about the student¹s Kosovo experiences.
I'll be happy to answer students' questions at any time...
Ed Arnone
Kosovo Program Coordinator
225 Williams Hall
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
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