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“Action to the scholar is secondary but essential.”
The great American writer and social gadfly Ralph Waldo Emerson made
that challenge to intellectuals a century and a half ago. It
is all the more important today, with globalization and vast American power on
the world stage. We aim in American Studies not only to
teach the culture and train in skills, but also to instill a sense of the
relation between that work and the communities surrounding each student:
campus, region, nation, and world.
All of our classes involve some service
learning—some application of classroom materials to the community around us.
This not only encourages community awareness, but also it helps
students to understand the course material because it is now set in the
context of lived experiences. In addition, a lot of these
events and experiences are … well … a lot of fun!
Learning
in the Community/Learning from the Community
American
Studies Guest Lecturers
Students in the World: The American Studies
Department encourages students to set their education about the USA
in a global context. Credits
from Study Abroad Programs readily apply to course requirements in the College
and the Department. Many of our courses have
an international component; for example, AS370, War and Peace in American
Culture, includes a Forum of International Students on America’s Global Reach,
in which American students meet students from around the world to hear what
they think of the US and how the US has affected lives in their counties.
In addition, students from many countries who are studying
English on campus at the English Language Services (ELS) Language
Center-DeLand, regularly visit our classes, where they can learn about the
culture while they are learning the language; many American students strike up
conversations with these international visitors and deepen their understanding
of the US
and the world.
International students in our midst: English
Language Services (ELS): an organization for the teaching of English as a
second language
Center
for International Education: international education opportunities for
Stetson students
Stetson's
American Studies International Program: opportunities for international
students to study American studies in the US
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