Overseas Programs for Teachers

Balkan Culture in Transition: Bulgaria’s Past, Present, and Future
June 1-July 7,2007

Fulbright-Hayes Group Projects Abroad (GPA)
14 Participants (Community College Faculty)
Note: Funding for this program is pending review by U.S. Department of Education. Notification expected by April 1.

The Center for Advanced Study of International Development (CASID) at Michigan State
University, will lead a GPA, Balkan Culture in Transition: Bulgaria’s Past, Present, and
Future, during summer 2007. The program will provide an opportunity for 14 community college
educators in the social sciences/humanities fields to participate in a five-week program in
Bulgaria. The program is designed to (a) expand the participants’ knowledge and understanding
of the scope of Balkan culture and history; (b) increase their understanding of economic, social,
and political issues facing transitional countries; and (c) increase the participants’ commitment to
internationalize their own teaching and to work to increase the internationalization of their home
campuses.

These goals will be accomplished through the five week program in Bulgaria. The area has
historically been at the crossroads of a number of empires and populations. This has resulted in a
particularly rich and vibrant history which is etched on the country in the form of archaeological
and historical sites, cultural customs, artistic and musical traditions, and also in the memories and
identities of the population. It is this legacy the proposed GPA aims to explore, before moving to
contemporary issues of transitional states; democracy, civil society, free markets, and EU
integration in a multi-ethnic, post-socialist country. The program has been designed in
collaboration with faculty and staff at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG).

The majority of the program will take place in and around Blagoevgrad, a major hub of
Southwestern Bulgaria and home of AUBG. The program also includes trips to the important
cities of Varna and Plovdiv, as well as visits to the religious and cultural sites around Rila and
Melnik. The final week of the program will be spent in the capitol city of Sofia, meeting with
government officials and NGOs. The final phase of the program will also provide time for
participants to share their field experiences and work on their individual curriculum projects.

Each participant will be obligated to develop a curriculum project that he or she is committed to
incorporating into an existing course.

Interested faculty should complete the attached application form. Application deadline is April 13, 2007.

 

Pamela Galbraith
Outreach Coordinator
Center for the Advanced Study of International Development
202 International Center
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824
Ph: 517-353-8571; Fax: 517-353-8765
e-mail: galbrai3@msu.edu