S.A.S. meets AU needs
You can imagine my surprise this week when I received word that American University, under the auspices of the new Office of International Affairs, plans to take away the right of AU students to choose their study abroad program. Nine AU students, enrolled for the Spring 2004 Semester at Sea voyage, have been informed that as part of the reorganization of international education and study abroad at AU, Semester at Sea academic credits may be denied. My initial reaction was one of disbelief. Semester at Sea is a fantastic program that I had the opportunity to complete during the Fall 2001 semester. I circumnavigated the world, taking classes on board a ship, and visited 10 countries while gaining a comparative world understanding of the subjects I was studying on board. For example, students in the Women's Health class would visit hospitals in nearly every country to see the differences in women's health issues around the world. In my International Trade class, I had to pick out two items and compare their prices around the world (Kodak film and The Economist) to determine Purchasing Price Parity. Not only do you take classes on Semester at Sea, but you have the ability (and requirement) to apply that knowledge in 10 different countries. Fidel Castro addressed Semester at Sea students for nearly seven hours and students have heard him speak nearly every voyage, as well as Desmond Tutu in South Africa and Nelson Mandela on previous occasions, specifically for Semester at Sea.