Enhancing the Study Abroad Experience through Independent Research in Germany

Abstract

The last decade has seen the number of US un dergraduates who study abroad more than double (Bhandari and Chin). While Europe is stifll over whelmingly their main destination, with Germany still among the ten most popular countries, Ameri can students are increasingly being drawn to other locations, particularly in less developed parts of the world where discipline-specific academic pro grams and unique travel opportunities challenge traditional notions of the study-abroad experience. While all indications point to the number of Ameri cans who study abroad continuing to rise each year-especially with the strong support of large scale federal initiatives that are aimed at expanding the global sensibilities of American college stu dents, such as the Lincoln Commission Report call ing for one million Americans studying abroad by 2017-this increase may have a much smaller im pact in the more traditional European locations. This possibility begs the question of what can be done to continue making study in Germany specifi cally of interest for American undergraduates. One answer to this issue lies in continuing to make it not only possible but enticing for American study abroad students to undertake independent re search in Germany, both supported by pre-depar ture training as well as on-sight guidance. The Institute of International Education's an nual Open Doors report currently has Germany ranked seventh among its twenty most popular study abroad destinations for American under graduates (Bhandari and Chin). And, going back two decades, that ranking hardly changes. In 1985-86, Germany ranked fifth on the list and a decade later, in 1995-96, it ranked sixth. Since 2001, Germany has held steady at seventh place after perennial favorites like the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and France, and newer attractions like China and Argentina (Chow). While the fluctua tion in Germany's rankings is hardly alarming and these numbers should be looked at in the context of the significant overall rise in the number of Ameri can students studying abroad generally, it sfill points to a possible slight decline in interest in Ger many as an attractive study abroad destination. Within the study abroad experience, students have the opportunity to explore new intellectual and personal territory and discover others and themselves in a way that can differ dramatically from what they can do in their own culture. Discov ery of the Other can occur within the immersion ex perience itself or as a byproduct of simply being in another environment, but it can take on a more ac ademic focus through a structured research oppor tunity. Any quick review of the promotional efforts for study abroad in Germany make its attractions for students obvious: a highly modern and politically powerful player in the heart of Europe whose his tory, infrastructure, and university culture offer myriad opportunities for research. However, to help students take advantage of the opportunity to conduct independent research in Germany, faculty at the home campus, in the German department and elsewhere, as well as committed personnel in the study abroad office, need to provide the train ing and guidance that help students undertake meaningful and eventually rewarding projects abroad. Ever since the end of the Second World War, the German federal government has been admira bly proactive in attracting scholars back to the country through the cultural efforts of the Goethe Institute and the large range of scholarships that are awarded each year by the German Academic Ex change Service/DAAD, to name only the most high