All International Studies students are required to participate in at least two Connecting Experiences as part of their BDP work. Students are strongly encouraged to pursue at least one Connecting Experience abroad. Take a look at what some International Studies students have done recently for their BDP Connecting Experiences, then read on for additional information and resources.
Spotlights
Advising
Resources
Past Connecting Experiences
Major: Religious Studies & History
Type of Experience: Internship
Mentor: Virginia Burnett, History
For her fall 2009 Connecting Experience, Hillary will hold an internship with CARE USA, an organization established to secure human rights, and ease the suffering of conflicted areas of the world by providing provisions and other assistance. Specifically, her work will be focused on the United States Congress, conducting research and learning more about congressional politics and how states support foreign assistance policies. Hillary anticipates that this experience will allow her to better understand the problems of the developing world and to work to promote lasting solutions.
Major: Plan II Honors
Type of Experience: Research
Mentor: Study Abroad Program Faculty
Alexa Sendukas studied female participation in Omani politics for her Spring 2009 Connecting Experience. While abroad in Oman for the Political Culture in Development program, she conducted both field research and a literature review. Specifically, Alexa examined how three women were able to gain positions of power in the Omani government and how different members of the population feel about women in political roles.
See also Past Connecting Experiences Spotlights for International Studies.
Patty Micks, the Connecting Experiences advisor for the International Studies BDP, can help you find research and internship experiences that connect to your major and your career plans. Call 232-7564 to make an appointment with Patty. Remember to plan ahead—if you want to be in a connecting experience next semester, you should be planning for it now!
All students participating in a Connecting Experience will be required to attend two meetings during the semester, where you will have the opportunity to talk with advisors and other students about how your experience is going, and where you’ll learn about how to talk about and build on your experience in the future. Please see the Connecting Experiences Resources page under Current Students for details.
For Connecting Experiences guidelines, contract forms, scholarship applications, reflection essay guidelines, internship sponsor forms, and important deadlines, please see the Connecting Experiences Resources page under Current Students.
The EUREKA Web site provides a variety of resources, including scholarship information and a database of faculty research interests.
Important: There is no “list” of possible Connecting Experiences to choose from — because Connecting Experiences are designed to fit your own personal interests and goals, the “list” is as long as your imagination and creativity allow. With that in mind, here are some of the internship and research experiences International Studies students have had in the past. They might help you get started brainstorming what you might want to do for your Connecting Experiences.
“The support of the BDP advisors has been the greatest benefit of the program for me as an undergraduate. The whole experience has gotten me excited about applying to graduate schools because I feel that I am prepared to do research on a graduate level, thanks to the experiences I’ve had through the BDPs.”