Preparation

The Need for Study Abroad Preparation

At North Park University we’re committed to preparing students for lives of significance and service. It is critically important to be thoroughly prepared for a study abroad program so as to make the most of a potentially significant growth experience.

Significance

In order for a student’s time abroad to be significant, she or he must be intentional about engaging with a study location, setting appropriate goals, and addressing culture shock, value conflicts, and differences in educational systems. Thus, this pre-study abroad course will lead students in doing specific research on their host countries, identifying their own learning styles and expectations for academic achievement, and exploring the potential difficulties that different cultural settings may present.

Service

In order for time abroad to be one of service, a student must get to know her or himself better, discovering previously unexamined values, biases, and cultural lenses. Once a student identifies and understands these internal characteristics, she or he is better able to encounter and understand individuals from other regions and cultures more compassionately, and interact with them more justly. Thus, this pre-study abroad course will also give students the opportunity to do personality assessments and to learn about cross-cultural communication techniques.

GBLS 1000: Pre-Study Abroad Seminar

Ultimately, this course will situate the study abroad experience within the context of a North Park education. The questions students will encounter in this course are essentially those of the Dialogue curriculum:

• Who am I as a student studying outside of my homeland?
• Why should I be ethical in dealing with cultures other than my own?
• Who is my neighbor and why is it important that I learn about my global neighbors before living among them?
• What is truth in light of different cultural values?
• Who is God and how might I experience God differently in a different part of the world?

Students will be enrolled in GBLS 1000 after acceptance into a study abroad program.