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Augsburg University's Center for Global Education and Experience

Why choose Augsburg University's Center for Global Education and Experience?

Their Roots: The Center for Global Education and Experience (CGEE) is affiliated with Augsburg University, a private liberal arts and sciences college located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition to its office in Minneapolis, CGEE runs programs in Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Augsburg CGEE has developed community partnerships in these locations with a wide range of individuals and organizations to serve as community leaders.

Their Quest: Augsburg's Center for Global Education and Experience provides cross-cultural educational opportunities to foster critical analysis of local and global conditions. The goal is for personal and systemic changes to take place leading to a more just and sustainable world.

Founded
1982

Reviews

Default avatar
Claire
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My time in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua changed my life path

I was honored to participate in this program when it was "Social Change in Central America" in 2016. My experience in the program dramatically improved by Spanish, deepened my understanding of Central American history, and gave me concrete lenses and tools through which I still analyze social movements. While I was on the trip I learned about the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA), which became my movement home. I now live in Guatemala. I would highly recommend this program for young organizers who want to deepen their internationalist practice.

What would you improve about this program?
I deeply hope that the country conditions one day make it possible for this program to return to El Salvador and Nicaragua, where it used to take place.
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Alexandra
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Incredible Valuable Experience

I had an incredible experience during my time in the CGE Cuernavaca program. The content from my classes addressed issues that are still relevant 7 years later (such as migration, gender politics, globalization, and pre-Columbian art and more). I had a very unique opportunity to intern with a local plastics printmaker who creates beautiful social justice pieces.

This work has inspired me and continued to carry on as inspiration personally as an artist, art historian, and for someone who works in the non-profit section in Minnesota working for Indigenous artists and community development. It was an incredible interactive learning environment to be able to study and then be able to visit sites and meet many individuals from different communities.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would have attended the program earlier in my academic career to be able to spend another semester there.
Ari
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A Different (And Amazing) Abroad Experience

The semester in Central America in an amazing experience that will bring you off the beaten path to explore places most folks from the US don't go. In the program, you learn directly from communities (and your tuition supports those communities directly). Students are encouraged to ask questions and develop their own opinions, while at the same time centering justice. The semester group is small, and you will grow close. The classes are amazing, but intense - they take a lot of time, but also most folks end up with good grades. Acceptable to all levels of Spanish speakers - and everyone will go home knowing a LOT more Spanish. All in all, an amazing experience - I made great friends, grew to know the world more deeply, and came home with a passion to do justice work in the US.

What would you improve about this program?
There is a lot of traveling, so you may not make deep connections in every place you go. Also, at times the safety precautions can feel stifling - but also, the program is very safe.
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Brian
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Exploring My Backyard

This program was one of three that I had applied and been accepted to. The fact that we travel through three different countries - Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua in that specific order - led me to decide on accepting this program through the Center for Global Education at now-Augsburg University. Additionally, I chose this program because I wanted to learn more about the sociopolitical history, traditions and customs, and the culinary richness that exists in Central America. I am Mexican American, but had never traveled south of the Mexico border and wanted to learn more about the countries that exist in our backyard. Guatemala was beautiful and challenging because it had recently freed itself from a 36-year-old civil war in 1996, and the remnants of such conflict were still evident in the places we visited. However, the people I met there were amazing. Costa Rica is also an interesting place to explore. Very touristy, but full of humbled people, especially those you will meet at the LaCarpio community in San Jose. I must admit, Nicaragua was my favorite place to visit and explore. The country experienced a startling social revolution in the 1970s that overthrew the Somoza dictatorship, and Nicaraguenses were ambivalent showing pride or reservation about the Sandinista takeover in the country. Batahola del Norte, the community you will stay in, is also a working-class neighborhood that reminded me of my home in some aspects, so it was nice to be in a space where I felt comfortable despite being a foreigner.

If you are thinking about applying to this program, do it! But before you do, just know that you will be traveling a lot, which is hectic at times, but you become accustomed to it and learn how to pack lightly (very important skill!). You will be spending most, if not all, of your time with your cohort of travelers for the entirety of the program, which can get awkward, but is also a beautiful thing when you bond over the activities you do or the places that you visit together. Lastly, you will be spending most of your time in an urban setting, but a handful of days are set apart and spent in rural areas. The change of scenery can be a tough and quick transition for some, but the people you meet and the stories you hear are worth any bit of discomfort you might feel in the beginning.

If you are still on the fence about going on this program even after reading this and glancing over my pictures, feel free to reach out. I'd love to have a conversation with anyone about this program.

What would you improve about this program?
Finding a way to explore Managua, Nicaragua a bit more would have been appreciated. The infrastructure of the city makes it so that you need to travel via a motor vehicle if you wish to explore the city, but having access to more historic sites or restaurants would have supplemented the content we were learning inside of the classroom tremendously. All in all, though, I would do this program all over again if I had the chance to. It was a life-changing experience that put social issues rampant in Central America and in the US into a clearer perspective.
Read my full story
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Megan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Social Change in Central America

From the moment I first heard about this program, I knew it was the study abroad experience for me. Learning about social oppression, political revolution, regional hegemony, and societal transformation has been the focus of my studies in the U.S., so this program fit perfectly for the real-world experience I was seeking. As a Politics and Latin American Studies double-major, I found the lessons compelling and the community experiential components integral to my learning in the program. From one-on-one interactions to large group activities, I learned more about the realities of systematic oppression in three months than I had in the three years I had been studying at school. This program is challenging in many ways and it inspires you to think about your own position in this world and the ways in which you can use your voice to advocate for those less privileged than yourself. This is not a typical study abroad semester -- it is much more than that. It was the only program I applied to and I have recommended it to many younger friends looking for a meaningful and transformative study abroad experience.

What would you improve about this program?
There were some kinks and bumps in program management along the way, but it did not hinder the overall experience of the semester for me.

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

The program took me to three different countries: Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Because I did not travel much growing up, a program that traveled to various locations attracted me more than other programs that only took place in one country.

The program also focused on the discourse of peace, community engagement, and social justice, which are values that I align myself with. Given my low exposure to the culture and history of Central America, I wanted to learn more about our neighbors living in our backyard.

What did your program provider and your university assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

My home institution, Oberlin College, prepped me for being exempted from coursework for a semester so that I could participate in the study abroad program.

Then, Augsburg College, the program provider, accepted me into the program (woo!) but helped me fill out the paperwork needed to confirm my participation in their program. Additionally, they sent me a manual that provided insightful information about what I needed to take with me during my travels in Central America, what to expect while I am there, and provided me with a preliminary itinerary.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

You will be traveling often, so you need not overpack because it is easier to carry your stuff with you if you pack lightly. But if you find yourself overpacking, know that you will learn how to pack lightly during this trip. That is one of the unintended gems of the program- learning to live a simplistic life and not overpacking with stuff you do not need while traveling to different areas in three countries.

Clothes are one thing people tend to overpack, but know that opportunities to thrift while abroad are available and donating some of the clothes after the program is over in Nicaragua is also a possibility.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

The average day varies because you are learning about a variety of topics such as history, women’s studies, liberation theology, to name a few, in different countries.

You will spend time in the classroom, travel to historical sites, and venture off to meet with speakers that live in those countries. Typically, your evenings are free for you to spend time with your host family, travel elsewhere within the city like the mall or the movies, or to get some work done before class the next day.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

I feared feeling homesick. I am Mexican-American and had not gone anywhere south of Mexico. I overcame it by finding parallels between my experiences at home in Chicago, in Mexico, and those I was having in Central America.

I spoke Spanish fluently, so that helped me communicate with people easily and was able to feel comfortable in a foreign space while I visited and learned about their culture, history, and quotidian lifestyles.

Write and answer your own question.

Would you do the same program over again if the opportunity presented itself?

Without a doubt. Guatemala was beautiful and challenging because it had recently freed itself from a 36-year-old civil war in 1996, and the remnants of such conflict were still evident in the places we visited. However, the people I met there were amazing. Costa Rica is also an interesting place to explore. Very touristy, but full of humbled people, especially those you will meet at the LaCarpio community in San Jose.

The plan is to soon return to these Central American countries. They hold a special place in my heart after going abroad through this program.

I must admit, Nicaragua was my favorite place to visit and explore. The country experienced a startling social revolution in the 1970s that overthrew the Somoza dictatorship, and Nicaraguenses were ambivalent showing pride or reservation about the Sandinista takeover in the country.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Nigel Glenny

Job Title
Northern Ireland Program Director

A group of people posing for a picture.

How and when did you begin working for HECUA?

Nigel: I began teaching at Ulster University (HECUA’s partner in Northern Ireland) at the start of 2007. Explaining how I came to work with HECUA is tricky because I have not developed, and successfully implemented, a master plan for my working life!

I know that my experiences of working in education, training and peace building caused me to be excited at the possibility of facilitating the deep learning experience that is the HECUA Northern Ireland Program (why I applied for the job), but it is easier for me to say why I am still directing the HECUA Northern Ireland program after 8 years – our students still challenge me to think critically (and to care more deeply) about the place I call home.

Why do you think HECUA’s model of internships + classroom time is so effective?

Nigel: The focus of HECUA’s Northern Ireland Program is how a society can transition from violent conflict to sustainable peace. This is a big challenge perhaps especially when you consider how much hurt is experienced through violence. In attempting to ‘study’ and understand the work of building peace our students are invited to ‘practice’ peace building.

Through internships (and many other components of the program) students experience what it means to ‘be’ peace builders. Through our process of facilitating reflective engagement with these practical experiences our students put all sorts of things to the test: ideas, theories and, ultimately, themselves.

A group of people gathered together.

Why is this model so effective – through these experiences our students are in a position to take much more confidence in what they know and what they consider important.

Describe a time when you felt especially proud to be part of the HECUA teaching staff.

Nigel: 9 May 2014. I helped organize an event to celebrate 12 years of successful partnership between HECUA and Ulster University and to acknowledge the transition of the program from the university’s UNESCO Centre to its current home with the university’s International Conflict Research Institute.

In the midst of a busy HECUA program students volunteered to share some reflections on their semester with the invited audience of senior academics, political representatives and community activists (no pressure!). The students ‘stole the show’ with thoughtful and inspirational contributions including a song written and performed by a number of students!

While this was a specific event, the pride and humility caused by ‘my’ students, and the impact they make, is a regular occurrence!

Do you have a hidden skill or talent? What is it?

A group of people posing for a picture.

Nigel: To my astonishment people appear to be quite impressed when they learn that I played an accordion when I was young. I take more pride in my abilities with a jigsaw (the power tool!) and I reckon it sounds better too.

Who is your favorite author?

Nigel: Franz Kafka – helps me when dealing (struggling) with bureaucracy.

Professional Associations

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