University-Wide and Independent Programs
Experiential Education
Experiential education is learning by doing. It provides an environment in which students may put theory into practice. Many forms of experiential education are offered at Binghamton University, such as internships, volunteerism, fieldwork, projects, laboratory or clinical experience, service-learning, studio experience, simulations and student teaching.
Experience prior to graduation helps students develop skills, explore career options, develop contacts, enhance a résumé, gain experience and test interests.
A number of different areas on campus offer information about experiential education opportunities, including the Career Development Center (cdc.binghamton.edu, 607-777-2400), for credit and non-credit internships, experiential opportunities, volunteer opportunities, international experiences and summer opportunities); Off Campus College (occ.binghamton.edu, 607-777-4273, for credit-bearing internships, summer internships, and volunteer and community service opportunities); the Office of International Programs (oip.binghamton.edu, 607-777-2336, for study-abroad opportunities); and individual departments. Many schools and departments offer experiential courses and opportunities, such as for-credit internships. Contact the advising office for each school. Links are available on the Web at www.binghamton.edu/home/academic/interns/internships.html.
For more information, contact the experiential education coordinator in the Career Development Center at 607-777-2400. The University’s experiential education website is http://www.binghamton.edu/home/academic/learn.html.
International Studies Certificate Program (ISCP)
Students desiring to complete a certificate in international studies may obtain information and the application form from the coordinator in the Office of International Programs, Nelson A. Rockefeller Center, G-1.
The requirements are as follow:
· Foreign Language: Eight credits of foreign language at the intermediate level or higher. As an alternative, proven advanced oral and written proficiency in a language other than English (as determined by a proficiency examination with approval of the coordinator) and one course (four credits) in language, literature or culture, taken in residency at Binghamton University.
· International Focus Distribution Courses (non-language skills): Eight credits in multicultural disciplinary areas, selected in consultation with the coordinator. For language majors, these courses must be outside the major.
· Experiential Learning: A minimum of six weeks of either (a) university-level study abroad or (b) a work internship (in the U.S. or abroad and with the approval of the coordinator) in a setting where knowledge of a second language in addition to the student’s first language is useful and/or cross-cultural skills are essential.
· Independent Study: One credit. The candidate must submit a personal statement (five to eight pages minimum) reflecting upon the significance of the student’s certificate experience. The independent study supervisor is either the international studies certificate program coordinator, the ISCP adviser from the respective school or a faculty sponsor from the student’s major or concentration.
Languages Across the Curriculum Program
Binghamton University’s Languages Across the Curriculum (LxC) Program provides unique opportunities for students to apply and enhance their existing skills in languages other than English, in courses outside of the language departments. The primary premise of the LxC program is that foreign languages should be actively used throughout the University and that their use should be linked to students’ disciplinary interests.
Since 1991, LxC has supported undergraduate courses in all three divisions of Binghamton University’s Harpur College of Arts and Sciences — Humanities, Science and Mathematics, and Social Sciences; graduate and undergraduate courses in the international business and accounting programs of the School of Management; and undergraduate courses in the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science. Supported languages in one or more of these courses have included Cantonese, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. Students may contact the Languages Across the Curriculum office to request a list of courses offering an LxC option. The list of LxC-supported courses is also posted on the program’s website at lxc.binghamton.edu.
Faculty who choose to offer LxC options to their students design their courses so that LxC assignments may replace a certain percentage of regular coursework or serve as the basis of a group presentation or paper. Language resource specialists, who are selected for their linguistic background and disciplinary expertise, prepare LxC assignments utilizing non-English resource materials. The language resource specialists lead study groups in which they help participating students understand the foreign-language materials and relate them to the course content. The extent to which the designated language is spoken in a Languages Across the Curriculum study group is based entirely on the proficiency levels of the participating students.
LxC study groups meet one hour per week for 10 weeks, outside of regular class or discussion section meetings. Except for the weekly study group meeting, the workload for students participating in LxC is normally the same as the workload for non-participating students. Students who choose to enroll in an LxC study group receive a zero-credit transcript notation indicating the language and course of their completed study-group participation.
Study-Abroad Programs
Binghamton University encourages students to study abroad as valuable preparation for an increasingly interdependent world. Study-abroad programs provide opportunities to live and learn in societies around the globe. Semester, academic year, summer or short study tours may be selected. Many disciplines are represented, and study in the major is normally possible and encouraged. Graduate study may be possible at some sites.
Binghamton University currently sponsors the programs listed below on an
ongoing basis. For details, see oip.binghamton.edu.
Australia
Murdoch University
Austria
German Language and Culture in Graz
Belize
Service Learning Internships
China
Total Art of Chinese Theater Summer Program
Dominican Republic
Decker School of Nursing Summer Program
England
Lancaster University
The London School of Economics and Political Science
Semester in London Program
University of Bath
University of East Anglia
University of Nottingham
France
French Language and Liberal Arts at the University of Paris (Sorbonne)
Germany
University of Leipzig
Grenada
The Tides That Bind Us Summer Program
Italy
University of Trento
Jamaica
Tropical Marine Biology Study Tour
Morocco
Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane
Scotland
University of Edinburgh
Senegal
Cross-Cultural Perspectives Study Tour
Spain
Summer Language, Literature and Culture in Madrid
Summer Internships in Madrid
Turkey
Bosphorus University
Various Countries
Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies Field Research Program
Binghamton students may also study abroad on programs sponsored by other campuses of the State University of New York. Credits are normally transferable to Binghamton. Cooperative policies within SUNY allow students to maintain their residency on such programs. Students are urged to begin planning for study abroad as early as possible, ideally in the freshman year. For further information, contact the Office of International Programs (OIP), Nelson A. Rockefeller Center, G-1.
University Summer Session
The Summer Session is composed of three terms within a 10-week period (Term I, late May-June; Term II, July-August; Term III, variable dates) during which a wide variety of both traditionally taught and distance education courses is scheduled in most upper- and lower-division areas of the University curriculum. A Summer Session website (summer.binghamton.edu) and Bulletin list the courses to be offered. Students may earn up to 16 hours of academic credit (a maximum of eight credits in Term I and maximum of eight credits in Term II, excluding physical education credits). Binghamton University students should contact the financial aid office to determine eligibility for financial aid during the Summer Session. The director of Continuing Education & Outreach (located in the Public Service Programs Center) administers Summer Session. Continuing Education & Outreach is also the central advising office for all non-matriculated undergraduates (known as Continuing Education undergraduate students) enrolled at Binghamton University, including Summer Session and Winter Session non-matriculated students.
University Winter Session
The Winter Session is composed of a single three-week term that runs from the beginning of January to immediately before the start of the spring semester. Winter Session hosts a select variety of traditionally taught and distance-education courses from across the upper- and lower-division areas of the University curriculum. A Winter Session website (winter.binghamton.edu) lists the courses to be offered. A schedule of classes for Winter Session is also available on the Registrar’s website (busi.binghamton.edu). Students may earn up to 4 hours of academic credit during Winter Session; financial aid is not available during Winter Session. The director of Continuing Education & Outreach (located in the Public Service Programs Center) administers Winter Session. Continuing Education & Outreach is also the central advising office for all non-matriculated undergraduates (known as Continuing Education undergraduate students) enrolled at Binghamton University, including Summer Session and Winter Session non-matriculated students.
University-Wide Courses
University-wide courses, offered under the UNIV rubric, are credit-bearing courses whose subject matter is not accommodated in existing University departments or schools. UNIV courses are open to all undergraduate students, regardless of school. Students may count no more than eight credits of UNIV courses toward graduation.
International Studies Certificate Program (ISCP)
Students desiring to complete a certificate in international studies may obtain information and the application form from the coordinator in the Office of International Programs, Nelson A. Rockefeller Center, G-1.
The requirements are as follow:
· Foreign Language: Eight credits of foreign language at the intermediate level or higher. As an alternative, proven advanced oral and written proficiency in a language other than English (as determined by a proficiency examination with approval of the coordinator) and one course (four credits) in language, literature or culture, taken in residency at Binghamton University.
· International Focus Distribution Courses (non-language skills): Eight credits in multicultural disciplinary areas, selected in consultation with the coordinator. For language majors, these courses must be outside the major.
· Experiential Learning: A minimum of six weeks of either (a) university-level study abroad or (b) a work internship (in the U.S. or abroad and with the approval of the coordinator) in a setting where knowledge of a second language in addition to the student’s first language is useful and/or cross-cultural skills are essential.
· Independent Study: One credit. The candidate must submit a personal statement (five to eight pages minimum) reflecting upon the significance of the student’s certificate experience. The independent study supervisor is either the international studies certificate program coordinator, the ISCP adviser from the respective school or a faculty sponsor from the student’s major or concentration.
Languages Across the Curriculum Program
Binghamton University’s Languages Across the Curriculum (LxC) program provides unique opportunities for students to apply and enhance their existing skills, in courses outside of the language departments. The primary premise of the LxC program is that languages should be actively used throughout the University and that their use should be linked to students’ disciplinary interests.
Since 1991, LxC has supported undergraduate courses in all three divisions of Binghamton University’s Harpur College of Arts and Sciences — Humanities, Science and Mathematics, and Social Sciences; graduate and undergraduate courses in the international business and accounting programs of the School of Management; and undergraduate courses in the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science. Supported languages in one or more of these courses have included Cantonese, French, Gaelic, German, Global English, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. Students may contact the Languages Across the Curriculum office to request a list of courses offering an LxC option. The list of LxC-supported courses is also posted on the program’s website at lxc.binghamton.edu.
Faculty who choose to offer LxC options to their students design their courses so that LxC assignments may replace a certain percentage of regular coursework or serve as the basis of a group presentation or paper. Language Resource Specialists (LRSs), who are selected for their linguistic background and disciplinary expertise, prepare LxC assignments using resource materials in the target language. The Language Resource Specialists lead study groups in which they help participating students understand the target language materials and relate them to the course content. The extent to which the designated language is spoken in a Languages Across the Curriculum study group is based entirely on the proficiency levels of the participating students.
LxC study groups meet one hour per week for 10 weeks, outside of regular class or discussion section meetings. Except for the weekly study group meeting, the workload for students participating in LxC is normally the same as the workload for non-participating students. Students who choose to enroll in an LxC study group receive a zero-credit transcript notation indicating the language and course of their completed study-group participation.
Study-Abroad Programs
Binghamton University encourages students to study abroad as valuable preparation for an increasingly interdependent world. Study-abroad programs provide opportunities to live and learn in societies around the globe. Semester, academic year, summer or short study tours may be selected. Many disciplines are represented, and study in the major is normally possible and encouraged. Graduate study may be possible at some sites.
Binghamton University currently sponsors the programs listed below on an ongoing basis. For details, see oip.binghamton.edu.
Australia
Murdoch University
Austria
German Language and Culture in Graz
China
Total Art of Chinese Theatre Summer Program
Chinese Business Language and Culture at Fudan University
Costa Rica
Tropical Ecology Summer Internship
Czech Republic
Czech Technical University
Dominican Republic
Decker School of Nursing Summer Program
England
Lancaster University
The London School of Economics and Political Science
Semester in London Program
University of Bath
University of East Anglia
University of Nottingham
France
French Language and Liberal Arts at the University of Paris (Sorbonne)
Germany
University of Leipzig Exchange Program
Ghana
Ghana Summer Study Tour to Accra
Grenada
The Tides That Bind Us Summer Program
Italy
University of Trento Exchange Program
Jamaica
Tropical Marine Biology Study Tour
Morocco
Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane Exchange Program
Arabic Language and North African Studies Summer Program
Scotland
University of Edinburgh
Spain
Summer Language, Literature and Culture in Madrid
Summer Internships in Madrid
Turkey
Bosphorus University Exchange Program
Bosphorus University Summer Program
Binghamton students may also study abroad on programs sponsored by other campuses of the State University of New York. Credits are normally transferable to Binghamton. Cooperative policies within SUNY allow students to maintain their residency on such programs. Students are urged to begin planning for study abroad as early as possible, ideally in the freshman year. For further information, contact the Office of International Programs (OIP), Nelson A. Rockefeller Center, G-1.
University Summer Session
The Summer Session is composed of three terms within a 10-week period (Term I, late May-June; Term II, July-August; Term III, variable dates) during which a wide variety of both traditionally taught and distance education courses is scheduled in most upper- and lower-division areas of the University curriculum. A Summer Session website (summer.binghamton.edu) and Bulletin list the courses to be offered. A schedule of classes for Summer Session is also available on the Registrar’s website (busi.binghamton.edu). Students may earn up to 16 hours of academic credit (a maximum of eight credits in Term I and maximum of eight credits in Term II, excluding physical education credits). Binghamton University students should contact the financial aid office to determine eligibility for financial aid during the Summer Session. The director of Continuing Education & Outreach administers Summer Session. Continuing Education & Outreach is also the central advising office for all non-matriculated undergraduates (known as Continuing Education undergraduate students) enrolled at Binghamton University, including Summer Session and Winter Session non-matriculated students.
University Winter Session
The Winter Session is composed of a single three-week term that runs from the beginning of January to immediately before the start of the spring semester. Winter Session hosts a select variety of traditionally taught and distance-education courses from across the upper- and lower-division areas of the University curriculum. A Winter Session website (winter.binghamton.edu) lists the courses to be offered. A schedule of classes for Winter Session is also available on the Registrar’s website (busi.binghamton.edu). Students may earn up to 4 hours of academic credit during Winter Session; financial aid is not available during Winter Session. The director of Continuing Education & Outreach administers Winter Session. Continuing Education & Outreach is also the central advising office for all non-matriculated undergraduates (known as Continuing Education undergraduate students) enrolled at Binghamton University, including Summer Session and Winter Session non-matriculated students.
University-Wide Courses
University-wide courses, offered under the UNIV rubric, are credit-bearing courses whose subject matter is not accommodated in existing University departments or schools. UNIV courses are open to all undergraduate students, regardless of school. Students may count no more than eight credits of UNIV courses toward graduation.