The Center for Global Citizenship

Elizabethtown’s Center for Global Citizenship creates opportunities for our students to explore their role as citizens of the world. The Center brings together under one umbrella three distinctive facets of the Elizabethtown heritage: a tradition of peacemaking, a commitment to educating for service, and a robust offering of international programs.

The College’s approach to global citizenship is distinctive – owing to our particular mission and heritage. In keeping with the Brethren faith of our founders, Elizabethtown’s mission declares that “the College affirms the values of peace, non-violence, human dignity and social justice and seeks to make those values manifest in the global community,” consistent with our motto to “Educate for Service.”

International Programs

Elizabethtown’s array of international program offerings encourages and facilitates study-abroad experiences for our U.S. students and provides a support network for international students who elect to study here. Increasing numbers of our U.S. students are participating in the semester-long, study-abroad opportunities offered at our five partner institutions, which include Brethren Colleges Abroad; Nihon University in Tokyo, Japan; Queen’s University – Herstmonceux Castle in the United Kingdom; AustraLearn; and The School for Field Studies. More information on applying to participate in study-abroad programs is found in the Academic Policies chapter of this Catalog.

Also, to make international study more accessible, several Elizabethtown faculty members regularly lead short-term educational experiences to locations around the world. These programs typically provide credits to students who successfully complete all the requirements. Currently, the following short-term experiences are offered: China, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, England, France, Ireland, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and the United Nations. More information on those programs for which our students can earn credit is contained in the Course Description section of this Catalog

Brethren Colleges Abroad (BCA)

Brethren Colleges Abroad – Elizabethtown College’s longtime partner – provides study-abroad programs at 15 locations worldwide for students, faculty and administrators. Rooted in the values of peace and justice, BCA promotes international understanding, awareness of global citizenship, and academic scholarship through educational exchange. A testimony to its strong ties to Elizabethtown, BCA relocated its headquarters to the College’s campus in July 2002.

To qualify for participation in the BCA program, students should have a 2.60 grade point average (some programs require higher). Students bound for Germany must have completed the equivalent of German 212 and have approximately a B average. Although most students bound for France or Spain also must have completed the equivalent of French 212 or Spanish 212, outstanding students who have completed French 211 or Spanish 211 will be accepted. Other qualifications include seriousness of purpose, good character, demonstrated potential for social adjustment, and a basic understanding of the United States and the host country.

Language-Intensive Programs. For students required to pursue a language-intensive program, the following locations are foreign language intensive: Philipps University of Marburg in Germany; the University of Barcelona in Spain; the University of San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador; the University of Strasbourg in France; the University of Bologna in Forli, Italy; and the University of Veracruz in Xalapa, Mexico. Students participating in these programs must receive intensive language instruction prior to their study-abroad experience.

English-Speaking Programs. Several programs are available where proficiency with a second language is not a requirement. These programs include: Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia; Vesalius College of the Free University of
Brussels in Belgium; Dalian Institute of Foreign Languages in Dalian, China; University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham, England; City University in Athens, Greece; Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo, Japan; National University of Ireland in Galway, Ireland; Magee College, University of Ulster in Derry, Northern Ireland; and University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan

Formalized with the assistance of 1967 Elizabethtown graduate and trustee Kyoko Utsumi Akanoma, the 1999 agreement between Elizabethtown College and Nihon University provides for exchange of students and faculty, as well as intensive summer programs of study. Nihon is Japan’s largest private university.

Each year, a number of qualified students are invited to participate in the Intensive Japanese Language Program (IJLP) during the fall and spring semesters. Students enrolled in the program will undergo intensive Japanese language instruction and will study Japanese culture and history.

Queen’s University, Herstmonceux Castle, United Kingdom

Elizabethtown College affiliates with the Queens University (Canada) International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England. The Castle – one of England’s most significant and beautiful brick buildings – was originally constructed during the 1440s. It is located on more than 500 acres of land in the southeast corner of England, only 80 minutes from London.

Students enrolled are exposed to the European experience for one or two semesters while studying in English and receiving credits compatible with the Elizabeth-town curriculum. Most courses taught at Herstmonceux focus on international business, arts and humanities, and European studies and cover such areas as art, commerce, geography, history, politics, law, languages and literature. The programs anchor the academic experience in direct observation and field study.

AustraLearn: Study in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific

Elizabethtown College also affiliates with AustraLearn, a U.S.-based study-abroad provider that prides itself on cultural integration and offers high-quality, unique experiences in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Now in its 15th year of service to students, AustraLearn boasts both semester and year-long opportunities that include renowned orientation, excursion and volunteer programs. Elizabethtown students may choose to study at one of the following AustraLearn locations: Queensland University of Technology or the University of Queensland, both located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia; or University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. Each of these institutions – which routinely cater to the needs of international students – provides an exceptional program that is strategically located near cultural and scenic centers. As all four universities are English- speaking, these international experiences are accessible to all Elizabethtown students. AutraLearn also provides short-term summer programs and internships.

The School for Field Studies (SFS)

Elizabethtown College’s most recent partner in international study, the School for Field Studies, provides dynamic, hands-on experiences for students at five field stations located throughout the world. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, SFS engages students in high-quality field research and academic study at research stations in Australia (Rainforest Studies), Costa Rica (Sustainable Development Studies), Kenya (Wildlife Management Studies), Mexico (Coastal Studies), and Turks and Caicos Islands (Marine Resource Management Studies). Students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply, especially those majoring in biology, environmental science, pre-medicine and pre-forestry.

Other Approved Programs

Many Elizabethtown College students choose to study abroad through approved, non-affiliated programs, such as the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES), Cultural Experiences Abroad (CEA), International Studies Abroad (ISA), the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), Semester at Sea, Temple University and many others. Students who choose this option for semester programs remain registered at Elizabethtown, but pay the program provider directly. Institutional aid does not travel with the student, but federal and sometimes state aid does. Some students choose to take part in work, volunteer,internship and service-learning opportunities overseas as well.

Academic Curricula

In addition to these study-abroad opportunities, the Center oversees interdisciplinary academic minors in International Studies and Asian Studies. Information regarding these programs can be found in the Interdisciplinary Programs section of this Catalog.

Service-Learning and Civic Engagement

Service is an important quality of an Elizabethtown education, one that we con-sider essential to a comprehensive college experience. The Center for Global Citizenship provides our students with an opportunity to more fully explore the meaning of our motto “Educate for Service” in today’s increasingly global society and to intentionally create service-learning opportunities.

Although our service begins at home, it certainly doesn’t stop there. Individually and collectively, members of our community are reaching far beyond our campus boundaries to help those in need. From our annual “Into the Streets” campus wide day of service to the frequent and focused efforts of our student clubs, service organizations and Student-Directed Learning Communities, service has become institutionalized at Elizabethtown College. Students, faculty and staff take part in annual trips to Mississippi, Florida and other areas in partnership with relief and development agencies. Service-learning also is being integrated into our classrooms through faculty-directed projects, urban service-learning experiences, and fieldwork. Service-learning is increasingly being integrated into international travel opportunities in places as far away as Ecuador and South Africa. And, under the leadership of the Center for Global Citizenship, the entire College community joins together to serve when catastrophic natural events devastate regions worldwide.

All of this is the result of our belief that we have an obligation to use our knowledge to aid those in need, whether they live right around the corner or halfway around the world. And, through these experiences, our students also benefit, because their understanding of the global community is broadened and their knowledge of their chosen discipline is enhanced.

Peacemaking

Over the century since members of the Church of the Brethren founded Elizabethtown, our understanding of the College’s peace legacy has evolved within the context of world events and the shifting views of our community. Although much has changed about the College, today’s Elizabethtown continues to affirm the values of peace, non-violence, human dignity and social justice and seeks to make those values manifest in the global community. One way the Center does so is by offering a Peace and Conflict Studies minor, which is discussed in the Interdisciplinary Programs chapter of this Catalog.

Also reflective of that mission, the Center for Global Citizenship includes peacemaking as one of its three areas of focus. As a result of efforts by our faculty leaders in this area, Elizabethtown is creating opportunities to build the community of moral discourse necessary to allow our students to learn about and discuss issues related to the College’s moral values. This discussion grows into action that creates peace, affirms human dignity, and works for social justice in Elizabethtown and the wider world.

Every year, the Center organizes a variety of trips, activities, lectures and events to enable students to more fully explore the practice of and their commitment to peace. Beginning in spring 2007, the Center began the annual Ware Lecture on Peacemaking, a program bringing world-class speakers to campus to engage students, faculty and staff on issues of global peace and justice.