“I found your workshop to be very good. You've got a great personality and I really enjoyed coming. I feel that the workshop is a good way to introduce students who have never lived abroad to the differences that inevitably come with it. Thank you very much.”
Todd Wojtanowicz, Cultural Adaptation Training for UM Study Abroad Students, Spring Semester 2005
“I thought the workshops were great. Although they did not specify entirely specific information for the country I am going to be attending next year, I felt like I was able to get a lot of what I needed in a more global sense. Particularly in having a variety of different places represented by different “sojourners” (a phrase I wasn't entirely familiar with before). I think it helped relax any anxiety, I had before the workshop in asking myself the basic instinctive questions of whether I will be able to adapt effectively. I feel like I am more prepared not to have expectations, and just allow myself to go with the flow. I thought that the workshops were good in this respect because rather than giving you a step by step procedure upon arrival, it keeps you open and aware, and gave me the confidence to adjust accordingly. Everyone is not the same and so my adaptation into culture will be far different than another.”
Dave Marucheau, Cultural Adaptation Training for UM Study Abroad Students, Spring Semester 2005
“I like using Blackboard and the online discussion forums. It helps promote classmate/peer discussion on class material. A lot better approach than answering homework questions on our own. The activity that promoted the most understanding was the multicultural interview, because it was a one–on–one learning experience. I also thought the feature films were the best teaching technique because they offered either first hand experience, or paralleled experiences in different cultures.”
Lindsey Nelson, School of Business Administration Student, Spring Semester 2005
“I liked the lectures and videos. It made class fun. It made me want to come instead of reading it. I also enjoyed writing the major multicultural paper. My interviewee mentioned many of the things we had learned about in the class, so it was nice to know we were learning accurate information. If I had to do it over again, I would. I have already been recommending the class to my friends.”
Elizabeth Fogle, School of Business Administration Student, Spring Semester 2005
“I found this seminar extremely important in preparing myself for my study abroad next year. The whole concept of culture shock and adaptation to the new environment is very helpful in adjusting in a new country. I particularly enjoyed the video on the last session of the Cultural Adaptation Seminar about people sharing their experiences while they were abroad, it helped me a lot to picture myself in their situations and imagine the way I would react to certain things. Overall, this cultural adaptation seminar was a success, and I am sure my fellow students who are going abroad too next semester found it extremely useful as well.”
Malika Kamilova, Cultural Adaptation Training for UM Study Abroad Students, Spring Semester 2005
“The topics and material covered in Cultural Adaptation for International TA's and RA's were really interesting. It helped me to get more confident in my teaching. I like to learn more about teaching (in the US) and being able to talk about it with other people is really nice.”
Claire Carpentier, Teaching Assistant from France, Fall 2005
