One(1) faculty development grant of $2500 will be available to support faculty interested in developing a Spring, 2010 Break Away course.

What’s a Break Away course?
A Break Away course meets on-campus during the Spring semester AND includes a faculty- led study tour during the spring break. The course embeds international material into the academic fabric of a course. Since the study tour is integral to the academic course, all students enrolling in the course must commit to participating in and paying for the spring break study tour component (i.e. the Spring break travel is mandatory).

Study Tour Component – Concept:

• It is important that the all inclusive cost of the study tour is kept to an affordable level (recommendation: max. $2500; $2000-$2,250 preferable)
• Two(2) adults/faculty members must accompany the students.
• The recommended enrollment in the course is 18-20 students.
• Study tour feasibility and suitability:

Your proposed study tour must be logistically, economically, and safety/security feasible. For instance, if your cost/student is $2000-$2500, a study tour to Asia isn’t economically feasible: you’d need most of the budget just for the airfare! Given the money and time constraints, the logistics should be relatively simple, e.g., one or two destinations only, etc. We ask that no cruises or study trips be proposed that mix your students in with groups on other, non-academic agendas.

Your chances of successfully enrolling the course would be much greater if you consider choosing a destination/s appealing to the novice international traveler. The iconic locations like Paris, Rome and Florence have enrolled easily. Spring 2010 already has Rome (Sociology course) and Paris (Art History- satisfies Core Theme Area: Creative Arts). So consider your proposal in this context of these two already on the books.

What kind of courses work well in this format?
Many kinds of courses, but not all, can work well in this format. You will want the course to appeal to a large number of students so that your recruitment is successful. Some suggested kinds of courses:

• General electives with wide appeal
• Required courses with multiple sections available (so students who can’t afford to travel can take another section). [Example: Global Economics or Core courses]
• Courses for majors that can also be open to non-majors*
• Core courses – Theme Area courses covering Theme Areas: Faith & Reason, Global Diversity or Social Justice would be especially attractive to students

*Note: Courses that wouldn’t work well? Example: a single section of a required course for all majors.

Terms of the grant:
These funds are available in the current fiscal year ending on June 30, 2009. Therefore, exploratory travel to develop the study tour component MUST BE COMPLETED BY JUNE 30, 2009.

Criteria for Selection:

• Thoroughness of integration of travel component into the academic fabric of the course. Also, how well does the class prepare students in advance to be knowledgeable about and to take full advantage of the site/s?
• How well does the course support the mission/aims of your department/school/Duquesne University?
• How does the course support your own professional development?
• Diversity of offerings in SP10. The committee will seek to support a variety of academic disciplines and study tour sites.
• Strength of student assessments that are distinctive to this format
• Evidence of ideas about course assessment (beyond the traditional TEQ)
• Priority will be given to faculty new to taking students abroad
• Preference will be given to faculty with stated plans to develop ways for their students and themselves to share the experience with the campus community

Application Procedures:

• Submit the application including the signature of your Department Chair and Dean
• Attach a 1-2 page narrative of the course concept including the integration of the study tour piece into the academic fabric of the course, the study tour concept and destination, airfare (price range), and safety of the destination. Note: Duquesne University does NOT allow for university-sponsored travel to destinations on the State Department watch list. See http://www.state.gov/travelandbusiness/

Download application

Deadline: March 9, 2009

Submit in paper or electronically to:
Dr. Roberta C. Aronson, Executive Director
Office of International Programs
601 Union
aronson@duq.edu