Tag Archives: Opportunities

Brandon Chapman to Attend Ralph Bunche Summer Institute at Duke University

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Originally Posted by: wichmannkm | April 24, 2015

Brandon Chapman Photo

Political Science and African American Studies Double-Major Brandon Chapman will attend the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) at Duke University. This intensive five-week program is named in honor of the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize winner and former American Political Science Association (APSA) President, Ralph J. Bunche. The competitive program introduces doctoral study to undergraduate students from under-represented racial and ethnic groups.

Dr. Hollis France encouraged Brandon to apply during his junior year. “Brandon struck me as a ‘go getter’ and I thought this kid is going to go places,” Professor France noted. She added, “Brandon’s acceptance places him in a very elite group of minority political science students from around the country. He will be in classes with a diverse student body. Students are drawn from small liberal arts schools, master’s level institutions like CofC, and doctoral granting universities.  RBSI also brings in students from historically black colleges and universities and Ivy League institutions. This program works to increase the number of minority students attending Ph.D. programs and ultimately joining the ranks of academia.” Professor France speaks from experience as she also attended RBSI as an undergraduate student and credits the program for giving her the confidence to pursue a Ph.D.

Brandon is looking forward to making the most of this opportunity to develop the writing skills necessary for graduate school and meet top political science students around the country. Brandon said RBSI will encourage him “to do better, study harder, and buckle down.” He also hopes the institute will help him narrow his focus as he is also considering law school and community organizing. Brandon is especially interested in race implications on political institutions.

While he attributed his double major and spring internship with the Office for Institutional Diversity as factors in helping him stand out among other applicants, Brandon mainly emphasized the help he received from Professors John Creed and Hollis France on his personal statement. He noted that they were “very instrumental in securing this great opportunity” because they assisted him with revisions and met with him frequently throughout the application process.

For more information on the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute, please visit http://www.apsanet.org/rbsi.

Help the English Language Institute to Bring Students from Japan!

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The College of Charleston English Language Institute (ELI) hosted a professor, Kayoko Takegoshi, from Japan’s Toyama University during the fall of 2014. She met our students and faculty, attended our ESL classes, toured the campus and city, and returned to her home university to arrange a “CofC ELI short term program” for her sophomore students. She anticipates that 4-5 students will be interested in attending the English Language Institute from August 24 – September 25, 2015. This is a summer break for Toyama University students, so it is the only opportunity for them to study abroad. As student housing is at a premium, especially at the beginning of the academic year, it’s not possible to lodge these students in the CofC dorm.

 

Therefore, the CofC ELI program has launched a homestay program and is in the early stages of recruiting individuals, couples and families who would be interested in hosting a Japanese student for 5 weeks. For families with young children, this can be a life altering experience as children of all ages benefit from interacting with people from other cultures, and through this process, learn tolerance and other essential qualities of becoming global citizens.

 

These students are university sophomores and are independent adults. Ideally, the homes would be within walking or biking distance from the CofC campus so they could come and go on their own. Students attend ELI classes M-F from 8am-3pm, depending on the day, so they would purchase a meal plan to cover breakfasts and lunches. Dinner would be prepared at home. Host families would be adequately compensated for hosting a student, and would be expected to include the student on any appropriate family excursions during the weekends. As English language acquisition is a primary goal of the students, involving them in English conversation in the family setting would be strongly encouraged.

 

If you are interested in learning more about the CofC homestay program, please contact Alice Hamilton at hamiltonam1@cofc.edu by April 20, 2015.

CofC Theatre: Home on the Mornin’ Train

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MorninTrain

This week, the Department of Theatre and Dance in the College of Charleston School of the Arts will open Kim Hines’ moving drama, Home on the Mornin’ Train.

The kindness of strangers amidst great danger has kept the Underground Railroad alive to this day. In this play, the audience sees the freedom train in action as two stories unfold a hundred years apart. In 1939 as World War II begins, young Jews escaping Germany find inspiration in a book about the journey of young slaves escaping the South, in 1839. Intertwined in their stories are beautiful African American and Jewish songs that speak to a legacy of hope through the ages. Their stories stand as a testament to the unimaginable courage to reach out and help no matter one’s color, one’s beliefs or one’s station in life.

Director and Music Director of the production, Laura Turner, describes the drama, stating, “Unlike most scripts dealing with Slavery or the Holocaust, this play chooses to focus on the brave work done by those willing to risk their lives for freedom. Instead of dwelling on the horrible circumstances of the characters’ situations, this play’s uplifting music and surprising moments of humor, takes the audience on a journey of hope.”

DETAILS: The production will take place Thursday, March 12 through Sunday, March 15 with a second run from Wednesday, March 18 through Sunday, March 22. The performances will take place at the Chapel Theatre, 172 Calhoun St. Performances will begin at 7:30 p.m, except the Sunday shows, which will take place at 3:00 p.m. only. The performances on Saturday, March 14 and Saturday, March 21 will take place at both 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for College of Charleston students, faculty/staff, and senior citizens and $15 for the general public. Tickets can be purchased online at theatre.cofc.edu, or by email or phone (843) 953-6306.

Summer 2015 courses now posted.

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Summer Courses have now been posted.  Please visit the Courses tab within this blog.

Please note that March 15 is the deadline to Study Abroad in Barbados this summer with Dr. Anthony Greene and Jon Hale! Check out the Tumblr page from last year to see what the experience is like.