Global Seminars – Home

Spring 2025 – China

Northeastern Normal University

EDU 277/EDU 377/INS 280: Learning Across Borders – Exploring Education in China & USA

What do we learn about our own educational system when we study others? This course is an examination of schools and schooling in two different countries: China and the United States. The course combines regular class meetings with a Virtual Global Experience, where students will talk to and work with education students at Northeast Normal University (NENU) in Changchun, China to better understand the way cultures, politics, history, and philosophies informs education at local, state, and national levels.

The course culminates with a trip to NENU where students will visit local schools, engage in language classes, and visit cultural and historical sites in both Changchun and Beijing. At the end of the course, students will be able to identify and explain similarities and differences in the education systems in the two countries. The course is open to students in any field, but priority is given to students in education programs and those enrolled in Chinese language and culture classes.

Spring 2025 – France

Le Mans University

HON 175/POS 177/IGS 277 Global Perspectives on Democracy

Each year, a conference is organized in Camden, Maine on a topic related to world affairs. This year’s topic is “Democracy under Threat: A Global Perspective.” Presentations at the Conference feature experts from the worlds of diplomacy, journalism, business, and academia. Students will read and discuss materials related to the conference theme in preparation for the conference, which they can attend in person or virtually February 21-23.

After the conference, students will participate in a virtual exchange with students from France, Senegal, and South Africa to further explore Global Perspectives on Democracy. Students in this course will be able to apply for a scholarship under UMF’s Global Classrooms program to participate in a French Language & Culture program at Le Mans University. The scholarship will cover the program fees, lodging, and tuition for 6 transferable credits for the 3-week program to be held June 16-July 4. Students are responsible for transportation to and food during the program.

Spring 2025 – China

Northeastern Normal University in Changchun, China

EDU 277/EDU 377/INS 280: Learning Across Borders – Exploring Education in Portugal & US

This course is an examination of schools and schooling in Portugal and the United States. It will include a Virtual Global Exchange with education students in Lisbon who we will meet when we travel in May. The focus of the course will be international and comparative education. Students from all majors are welcome and can take the class as EDU 277 (education elective), EDU 377 (education elective) or INS 280. 

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Summer 2024 – Senegal

More information coming soon!

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Spring 2024 – Italy

HON 277 / MUH 277 Music and the Environment

This course explores the intersection of music and the environment, examining works inspired by nature and compositions addressing environmental issues, including climate change. It surveys diverse musical styles across different historical periods. Notably, students will collaborate on a Music and the Environment project with visiting students and faculty from music conservatories in Venice and Pescara, Italy.

Italian students and professors from music conservatories in Venice and Pescara, Italy collaborated with UMF students virtually before visiting the UMF campus for a week to complete a project. In addition, UMF students attended concerts and musical performances by other UMF students and the Farmington community, such as Duo Franchini.

To read more about the Italy Global Seminar, read this post from UNICollaboration where they interviewed Professor Steven Pane, titled Music and water: An ethereal virtual exchange.

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Spring 2024 – France

EPP 260, GEO/POS 277, INS 280

This course combined a Virtual Global Experience (VGE) with UMF’s French international partner Le Mans University (LMU) with field work in France.

The course began with an exploration of global issues of interest to the students at each university, identified in collaboration with their instructors. During the first portion of the course, the UMF & LMU students investigated their topics together, meeting virtually each week to discuss their research and compare their findings for cases in Maine/U.S. and France. Each group then presented a summary of their findings in a common report to the class.

In May, the UMF students traveled to France where they met their French instructors and some of their LMU classmates while exploring themes related to their group projects in Le Mans, the Loire Valley, Mont St. Michel, and Paris. Following their field experiences in France, the UMF students wrote a final reflective essay drawing on their VGE research and observations in France.

This Global Seminar is part of UMF’s Global Classroom project funded by an Undergraduate International Studies & Foreign Language grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Group Research Topics:

• Sustainability & Agriculture Tourism: Coordinated by Matt McCourt
• Sustainability & Tourism: Coordinated by Vincent Andreu-Boussut
• Socio-Cultural Knowledge & Tourism: Coordinated by Linda Beck
• Immigration & Integration: Coordinated by Julie Tremoureux

Mobility

Week 1 – Meet LMU counterparts and discuss global issues facing France and Maine
Week 2 – Small group meeting on selected issues
Week 5 – group presentations

Itinerary in France:

Sunday, May 5 – Departure
Monday, May 6 – Arrival in Paris, Train to Le Mans
Monday, May 6 – Tuesday, May 8: Le Mans
Wed, May 8 – Fri, May 11: Loire Valley & Mt. St. Michel
Saturday, May 12 – Monday, May 14: Paris
Tuesday, May 15 – Return

Learning Objective for Advanced Research Learning Experience

This course was part of UMF’s Research Learning Experience (RLE) program under the UMS Transform initiative with funding from the Alfond Foundation. All UMF RLE and Advanced RLEs have a shared Cognitive Learning Objective in addition to other course objectives that students are encouraged to assume responsibility for the discovery process through student-led research/creative projects. In this course, this learning objective was fulfilled through the collaborative VGE with Le Mans University.

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Summer 2023 – Japan

FYS 100 Japan Through Time and Space

In 2019, UMF piloted a new First Year Fusion (FYF) program that combines First Year Seminar with a week-long pre-orientation Experiential Learning program for incoming students. During Fusion Week, students join an intellectual community that is closely mentored by faculty as they travel to various locations across Franklin County, the State of Maine, and this year even globally with a new Fusion program in Japan.

The Fusion program permits you to start college with a solid foundation, close report with a faculty mentor, and new friends, all of which are important to success in college. After Orientation, your Fusion course will resume with the rest of your Fall classes though the intensive Fusion Week permits your FYF course to finish mid-semester, giving you a chance to focus on fewer course during the crunch of the end of the term.

First Year Fusion classes are part of UMF’s Research Learning Experience (RLE) program designed to prepare students for academic success and future careers.

Almost 400 years ago, the great poet-monk-traveler Matsuo Bashô wrote that “every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” Your UMF journey begins with a pre-semester trip that travels to and through many of the unique Japanese places and spaces Bashô encountered in his journeys.

Students visited Tokyo, the global city of light, movement and futuristic fantasy where they immersed themselves in Japanese culture, history and food. Participants then travelled to the far north of Japan’s Honshu island to explore Akita with students and faculty from Japanese partner Akita International University (AIU). While there, they experienced the Kantô Matsuri harvest festival, visited an active local farm, and met the legendary local Namahage demons who try to scare the laziness out of children and adults alike. Afterwards, participating students travelled to the ancient Japanese capital of Kyôto, exploring its narrow streets and temple paths to discover the places of old that still exist within this modern city. The trip ended with a ride on Japan’s famous bullet train back to Tokyo. Upon their return to UMF, they regrouped in the fall to continue their discussion with AIU through a Virtual Global Experience (VGE). 

During the trip, they built their own individual tabi nikki, or travel diaries, drawing inspiration from historical artworks, the diaries of historical Japanese travelers and personal experiences through writing, photography, drawing, painting, and video and sound recording. The group created a group diary to synthesize their experiences and share them with UMF and the surrounding community. They continued UMF’s partnership with Akita International University through a project-based Virtual Global Exchange (VGE). As a final research project with AIU students, participating UMF students analyzed how their expectations and memories of the visited places activate and/or alter the understanding of those places, and how places build and hold meaning through space and time.

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