The College of Global Studies was delighted to have sent a sizable delegation, lead by Executive Director Lorna Stern, to attend and participate in the second Forum on Education Abroad Conference in Barcelona on October 23-25.
The conference’s main topics revolved around programming and best practices, including what it means to be a traditional destination as well as the challenges of sending American students to popular European destinations.
On the final day of the conference, a group of Arcadia representatives presented a talk titled “Secession and Study Abroad: Does it Matter?” These presenters included Peter Leuner (Regional Director for UK Programs), Hamish Thompson (Director of Scotland Programs), Laura Cervi (Assistant Professor in Communications at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Eberhard ´Paddy´ Bort (Director of the Scottish Parliamentary Internships) and Jaume Gelabert (Academic Director for Spain and Cuba Programs).
The discussion sought to demonstrate that issues of political, national identity matter to American students studying abroad, and the session was well received by those in attendance. The session was moderated by Peter Leuner, while each of the others offered their unique perspectives on subjects like study abroad students’ engagement with and perspective on local politics, the different conceptualizations of “nation” and “state” in Europe and America, and what makes the situations in Scotland and Catalonia unique.
Also in attendance was Associate Director of the Barcelona Center, Silvia Serra, who was able to engage with colleagues, network and learn more about the field.