What is a Global Seminar?

Global Seminars have the following features:

• Short-term (either during Winter Break or May Session)
• Faculty-led
• Designed around a particular theme or topic
• May be discipline-specific or cross-disciplinary
• 3 credits at the 3000-level
• No pre-requisities
• Enrollment of up to 25 students

Global Seminars work well for:

• Freshman as a first experience abroad
• Students who can't be away a whole semester
• Graduating seniors who want a capstone experience

The Faculty Experience

Faculty members who lead Global Seminars work closely with a small group of students in an overseas setting and share the positive experiences that students gain from such a program. Faculty have the opportunity to build on or develop new contacts on-site and perhaps collaborate on education and research topics of mutual interest. Faculty receive a salary stipend of $4,000 plus housing and food per diem.

Course Structure Guidelines

Global Seminars are open to University of Minnesota undergraduate students from any college. Graduate students and non-U of M students are admitted on a space-available basis.

Each Global Seminar typically consists of pre-departure orientation, preparatory readings, on-site orientation, 45 hours of classroom instruction and excursions, a final (take-home essay, paper, or exam), field assignments, and free time. Round-trip group flights are usually arranged and students have the option to delay their return in order to travel independently.

Working with the Learning Abroad Center

The Learning Abroad Center facilitates all on-campus and on-site arrangements, including academic and cultural advising for students; financial aid advising; marketing and recruitment; design and production of all printed materials; application and registration processing; pre-departure orientations; travel, room, and board; classrooms and other necessary instructional support; and other related activities.

Faculty are actively involved in the planning and recruitment for their program. Once on site, faculty attend all course related activities in addition to teaching their course.

Contact

Faculty interested in teaching a Global Seminar can contact Christine Anderson, Global Seminars Program Director, at 612.625.2311 for more information.

Application Process

To apply to lead a Global Seminar, complete and submit the following:

• Global Seminar Leadership Application
• A general course description that includes the following information:
• Academic content of the course and how it relates to the chosen country
• Preliminary list of all possible program excursions and site visits
• Preliminary syllabus for the first week that reflects a combination of academic content and excursions
• Your academic qualifications related to this course topic, international experience, language skills relevant to the chosen site, and group leadership experience
• Assessment of student performance in the class (e.g. journaling, readings, group projects, presentations, papers)
• A letter of support from your department chair

View a sample proposal.

Review Process

We welcome applications for all sites and disciplines. Applicants are typically notified of a decision 4 weeks after the deadline. A faculty committee reviews the proposals and is asked to give primary consideration to the proposal's academic strength, its fit with the location, and the faculty leader's subject knowledge.

They will also consider past Global Seminar student evaluations (for those who have led the proposed program before), the faculty leader's ability to recruit students, and ability to resonate broadly with student interest.

Preference will be given to Global Seminar proposals that support the Global Spotlight initiative by taking place in Africa or focusing on the issue of water in the world. Additional scholarships will be available for students on these Global Seminars.