by Bill Shaner, News Staff
Students will have 11 new options for the Dialogue of Civilizations program this summer, including programs in Indonesia, Israel and South Africa, said Director of the Dialogue of Civilizations Program Denis Sullivan.
The Dialogue of Civilizations program, which has been in place since 2001, affords students the chance to complete a summer semester in a foreign country, under the direction of a professor familiar with the area. Students take two classes for eight university credits, and get to explore the area, according to the Dialogue of Civilizations website.
Other new offerings include a classical music focused program in Austria, with a five-day trip to Vienna and classes focusing on Mozart-era and early 20th century classical music.
“This is not a trip for music majors, really,” music professor Brian Robison said, “but students who want to learn more about it without much experience. The courses go over the meat and potatoes of classical music.”
Yesterday, the university held a Dialogue of Civilizations fair, where professors and assistants running Dialogues this summer set up booths in the Curry Student Center to discuss their programs and field questions.
Sophomore international affairs major John Hubbard said he thought the fair was a good way to explore options.
“I talked to the professor running the new Russian dialogue and it sounds great,” he said. “And I really like that all the dialogues are all right here for me, especially the new ones I didn’t know about before.”
College of Professional Studies Professor Maria Olmstead will run the new Russian-based Dialogue, that will focus on the country’s language and culture.
Other new Dialogues include an English culture program in London, a visual arts, music and culture program in Italy and Egypt, a program in Portugal on its 21st century history and culture and a comparative culture Dialogue in France.
“Northeastern students are pursuing global experiential learning programs in greater numbers than ever before,” Communications Director Renata Nyul wrote in an e-mail to The News. “The Dialogue of Civilizations program is very popular and available in dozens of locations around the world.”
Along with the increase of programs, the base price of Dialogues has risen with the increase in tuition. The base price of Dialogues is the same as any two-class summer session, but additional charges are included in areas with higher living expenses. Students are responsible for their own food and other living expenses, as well as a portion of housing costs in more expensive areas, Sullivan said.
This year the base price is $9,095. Last year, it was $8,738, according to students who had participated in last year’s dialogues.
Director of Communications Renata Nyul said the exact costs for 2010 dialogues are still up in the air.
“Since plans for the upcoming trips have not been finalized, there is nothing to suggest that students would be incurring additional costs,” she said.
In total, the amount of Dialogues offered is 48 in 40 countries. Despite the new programs, the amount of Dialogues offered has stayed relatively the same from this year to last. Sullivan said this is due to professors and their willingness to run their programs this summer. He said some take breaks and some space out the years they offer them.
