Study Abroad/Missions Forum

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

2:30 - 5:00 PM

Alexander 115 Classroom

As outlined in the Program Handbook, a student can earn one additional Honors Unit by giving a report on a study abroad or Baylor missions experience. To facilitate this opportunity, the Honors Program will host a Study Abroad/Missions Forum at the end of fall classes. Typically, this forum is held on the first dead day before final exams, from 2:30-4:30 or 5:00 pm in Alexander Classroom.

If you have recently returned from either a study abroad experience or a Baylor-affiliated mission trip and want to provide a report, please contact Al Beck and provide the information requested at the bottom of this page. A report from a student who participated in the Baylor in Washington Program is also acceptable for this opportunity.

For those students considering a study abroad experience, this forum will give you a chance to hear from other students about the benefits, pitfalls, and opportunities provided by specific study abroad or missions experiences. All Honors Program students are encouraged to attend.

Procedure:

There are two ways an Honors student can receive Honors credit for his or her study abroad or Baylor missions experience. The first option is preferred.

1. Paper and presentation:

Write a 4-5 page paper (double spaced, standard formatting) and make a brief presentation at the scheduled Forum. A copy of the paper is due in the Honors Program office (Morrison 203) prior to the start of the forum.

2. Paper Only:

Write a 12-14 page paper (double spaced, standard formatting) due in the Honors Program office before the start of the forum.

With either option, the paper and/or presentation should address one or more of the following themes:

The transformation of the self through foreign study and interaction with other peoples;
How your experience abroad affected your perception of your foreign host country, your native country, or both;
How your experience influenced your academic or vocational aspirations and plans;
How the value(s) of honor was expressed or transformed by your cross-cultural experience
The particular difficulties you encountered in your study abroad experience, and how you were able to meet or overcome them
How differences in language, culture, and tradition fundamentally changed the nature, method, or outcome of the study of your academic discipline
Any other theme, topic, or presentation approved by the Honors Program Director, Assistant Directors, Faculty, or Staff.

Other relevant information

Depending on the number of students presenting, the forum may be divided into two sessions. Students making a presentation for Honors credit need to remain present for the entire session.
Failure to turn in the paper before the forum may result in a loss of Honors credit, even if a presentation is made.
The presentation does not have to be a recitation of the paper and may include other features and elements. The presentation can be a talk, slide show, PowerPoint, poster display, etc. Presentations should run about 5-7 minutes, maximum. If time permits, there will be a brief Q&A session, perhaps at the conclusion of the forum. Students who participated in a common Study Abroad or Mission experience may work together on their presentation, but each will have to write a separate paper.
Papers and presentations, when feasible, will be made available in the Honors College for the remainder of the semester and into the spring term.
The Honors Program Study Abroad/Missions Forum is only in regard to Baylor-affiliated experiences. Other cross-cultural experiences (including church-sponsored mission trips), while immensely valuable, are not properly the subject of this Forum.

Email Al Beck to present at the next Study Abroad/Missions Forum with the following information:

Name
ID No.
Major
Expected date of graduation
Study abroad/Missions location
Study abroad/Missions date
Format preference (paper only or paper and presentation)
Other comments