Feature
One world, many voices
The U's Culture Corps brings us together
by Pauline Oo
From M, winter 2004
University of Minnesota senior Brijdeep Bhasin has lost count of
the number of times he's been asked if there are cars in his
country, whether everyone there bathes in cappuccino-colored
rivers, and if dilapidated housing is commonplace. Bhasin, who is
from India, used the Culture Corps program at the University's
International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS) to chip away at
the view some people have about life in his country.
"People only hear about India when there is a natural disaster,
bomb blast, or an epidemic," says Bhasin, "and the same can be said
about news from [other parts] of the world. While it's true that
India is a poor country and you may even find people who bathe in
rivers, what people here need to understand is that not all of
India is like that."
University of Minnesota
International student statistics (fall 2003)
Total student enrollment: 4,017
Graduate or professional school: 2,920
Undergraduate: 764
Non-degree seeking: 333
Source: Institutional Research and Reporting
Number of countries represented on the Twin Cities Campus:
120+
Students by country:
China: 698
India: 504
Republic of Korea: 404
Countries represented by only one student: 26
Source: International Student and Scholar Services
The University started Culture Corps on the Twin Cities campus in
1998 to encourage the exchange of knowledge and experience between
its international student body and its broader population. "We have
students from around the world here, and we're not learning as much
from them as they are from us," says Barbara Kappler, ISSS
assistant director. "For instance, their countries have some of the
same issues we face, such as migrant workers and sustainable
development, and we could learn about the methods these other
countries are using to try and solve those problems." International
students receive financial aid for participating in a Culture Corps
project. The semester-long projects can be nonacademic or related
to classroom content, but they must pair the international student
with a University faculty or staff member. "Usually a student will
come to me with an idea of something they want to do, and I
brainstorm with them about how they can connect [that desire] with
a need at the University," says Culture Corps coordinator Thorunn
Bjarnadottir. Bhasin worked with University Hindi professor Ravi
Prasad on a six-week discussion series called Discovery of India.
The goal, says Bhasin, was to encourage the University community
"to explore the different possibilities India has to offer."
Although students initiate most Culture Corps projects, faculty
members have been known to approach Bjarnadottir with a plan.
Patricia Mougel, director of French language instruction at the
University, has invited two international students this fall--from
Switzerland and French Guyana--to help with her class on current
events in France. "These French speakers join our class discussions
on topics such as education and politics," says Mougel, "and during
those moments, they share their insights on living in France and of
being from another francophone country." Last year, Culture Corps
celebrated one of its greatest success stories. A group of
international students, in collaboration with staff from the
University's Institute for Social, Economic, and Ecological
Sustainability, conceived and organized "Passport to Earth Summit
2002," an international conference on sustainable development that
drew speakers from as far away as South Africa. One of the results
was a case study by the nine students that analyzed sustainability
issues at the University. The study earned a spot in the summer
2003 issue of the
International Journal of Sustainability in
Higher Education. While financial aid--either in the form of a
tuition waiver or cash award--is certainly a draw to participate in
Culture Corps, Bhasin says most international students gravitate
towards the program simply because "we have something to share."
For more info about Culture Corps, call 612-626-4799 or e-mail
CultureC@umn.edu.
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