SSA Themes List
Contact Us
Phone:
888.272.7881 (toll-free in US)
802.258.3212
TTY:
802.258.3388
Fax:
802.258.3296
PO Box 676, 1 Kipling Road
Brattleboro, VT 05302 USA
Contact us by email.
Academics Overview
"As one of the foremost schools for cross-cultural education in the world, [SIT’s] record is one trail-blazing effort after another, a whole series of initiatives that have transformed both the world, and the way education about the world is shaped."
– US Congressman Bernard Sanders (I-VT) April 2005. Excerpted from The Congressional Record commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the founding of SIT.
SIT Study Abroad provides experiential study abroad programs that meet high academic standards and the expectations of students, home colleges and universities, and parents. The SIT model draws upon the experiential learning cycle, which integrates classroom teaching, student experiences, and analysis into an evolving understanding of local culture and themes. Students learn to separate observation from evaluation. With each experience, they are encouraged to observe objectively,analyze the experience and the context, and incorporate those ideas moving forward. Through this technique and others, students continually test their skills, developing their cultural competence and refining their field research methods.
Experiential learning is most successful when complemented by time in the classroom focusing on theory, background information and language skills, as well as time to reflect individually and debrief as a group. Students get out of the program what they put into it.
Independent Study Projects (ISP) and Outcomes
During the ISP, students apply all they have learned about local culture, program themes, field study, and language in a field study environment. Few undergraduates are able to practice primary research for a full month with such freedom and the opportunity to do groundbreaking work.
Imagine students talking about humanitarian relief with the International Red Cross in Geneva, meeting with leaders of the MST in Brazil, discussing energy policy with an economist in Oman, interviewing musicians in Dakar, and measuring cyclone damage in the Queensland rainforest.
SIT Study Abroad alumni routinely use their ISPs as the basis for senior theses, successful grant proposals, graduate-level research, and fellowships. Regularly among the recipients of prestigious awards including Fulbright and Watson fellowships, our alumni are putting their education and ideas into action around the world.
SIT Study Abroad alumni have been national recipients of the Forum Undergraduate Research Awards for 2004, 2005, and 2006. Awarded to two students annually, the honor recognizes undergraduate research that occurs as part of education abroad programs or that focuses on education abroad itself.
Program Review
Program curricula are reviewed, refined and updated to reflect constantly shifting circumstances, theoretical discussions, and new publications. Syllabi, schedules, and program offerings are subject to change as a result. Read more about program oversight in the Faculty/Staff section of this site.
