BestSemester Magazine - Issue 1, Fall 2007 by Council for Christian Colleges & Universities

BESTSEMESTER The Off-Campus Study Magazine • Fall 2007 • Issue 1

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with Off-Campus Study When the

White House Calls

Finding Peace in a Land of Conﬂict MY HOLLYWOOD PREMIERE

HOW TO SAY “I LOVE YOU” IN RUSSIAN

WHAT TO WEAR THIS SEMESTER

SHOP ’TIL YOU DROP

Grand prize winner of the BestSemester 2006 photo contest: “Shopping” by Ryan Linstrom – Middle East Studies Program, Fall 2005

Get a quote from a senator. Hold an orphan in your arms. Explore the world beyond your doorstep. Search for more... And earn a semester’s credit.

DISCOVER 12 PREMIER OFF-CAMPUS STUDY PROGRAMS AT BESTSEMESTER.COM.

BESTSEMESTER The Off-Campus Study Magazine

BestSemester Magazine is published each year in the fall and spring. BestSemester programs are offered by the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), based in Washington, D.C. BestSemester Magazine is mailed to students, faculty, administrators and alumni of the CCCU, and is also available online at www.BestSemester.com. Paul R. Corts, Ph.D. President Nate Mouttet Assistant VP for Marketing & Communications Jocelyn C. Green Writer/Editor Ryan Moede Marketing & Communications Manager

YOUR ITINERARY 6 EXPANDING YOUR PALATE Taste Truth and Faith Around the World through Off-Campus Study

8 SEVEN REASONS YOU’LL LOVE THE TREK China Studies Program

10 BREAKFAST WITH OBAMA American Studies Program

12 IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GIANTS Programmes in Oxford

Tom Walker Art Director Richard Harrison Bailey/The Agency

14 FINDING PEACE IN A LAND OF CONFLICT

Contributing Designers: Elissa Chudzicki and Kerry Prugh, Richard Harrison Bailey/The Agency

Middle East Studies Program

Contributing Editors: Amber Palmer, Assistant Director of CCCU Student Programs Meg Barrett and Ryan Millbern, Richard Harrison Bailey/The Agency Photos: Cover photo provided by Ben Raber, USP, Fall 2006. With few exceptions, the photos in this edition of BestSemester came from students in the programs. To see more photos, including the winners in our annual competition, visit www. BestSemester.com.

20 MY HOLLYWOOD PREMIERE Los Angeles Film Studies Center

22 THURSDAY NIGHTS ARE ALRIGHT FOR ROCKING Contemporary Music Center

16 REFLECTIONS FROM THE LAND DOWN UNDER

REPORTING FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

Australia Studies Centre

26 UNPACKING UGANDA

18 NO TURNING BACK Latin American Studies Program

Washington Journalism Center

Uganda Studies Program

THE LANGUAGE 28 OF HOSPITALITY Russian Studies Program

PLUS 4 Good to Go | 5 What to wear this semester 31 Answers to your questions Mark Preston, CMC, Spring 2006

22 The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) is an international higher education association of intentionally Christian colleges and universities. Founded in 1976 with 38 members, the Council has grown to 105 members in North America and 77 afﬁliate institutions in 24 countries. The CCCU is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonproﬁt organization headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. CCCU Mission To advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help our institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.

Good to Go Early Admissions and Online Applications Make Applying Simple WASHINGTON, D.C. Each of the 12 semester-long BestSemester student programs now provides an early admissions deadline for applicants. Now, early birds will learn of their admissions status approximately six weeks earlier than those who meet the regular admissions deadline. While only a limited number of students can be accepted by the early admissions deadline, good candidates who are not accepted early will be held for consideration along with other applications for the regular admissions deadline. For early and regular admissions deadlines, check out www.BestSemester.com/apply. The streamlined online application system allows students to complete their application online and submit it right away. In the process, students include the e-mail addresses for their references, and the system sends references a link which will take them to an online form to fill out on the student’s behalf. Most applications require a combination of faculty, personal and student affairs references. Most students select an advisor or professor who knows them well for the faculty references. Personal references are best when they are pastors, coaches, choir directors or others who know the students in intense settings (and if travel has been involved that’s even more helpful). And, student affairs references MUST be completed by someone higher ranking than a Resident Assistant. This must be a staff member who has access to see a student’s personal file (a Resident Director, Hall Director or full-time staff member in the Student Affairs office). Applying to more than one program? No problem. Student references can be used for all 12 programs and questions that are common between applications will be automatically completed with a student’s answers. Get started today at www.BestSemester.com/apply.

We want to hear what you’re up to! Update your information at http://alumni.BestSemester.com and watch for your updates to appear in future issues of the BestSemester Magazine.

From Big Ben to Red Square: Student Travels Globe for College Credit By Carly Peck, Northwest Nazarene University Nampa, Idaho Since the BestSemester programs began in 1976, 155 students have attended more than one BestSemester program and two students have attended three. Northwest Nazarene University (ID) graduate (2007) Brittni McLam has had two “BestSemesters”— the Oxford Summer Programme (England) and the Russian Studies Program in Nizhni Novgorod. In Oxford during the summer of 2005, she participated in “the best course I’ve ever taken — hands down. The high level of academic teaching and the integration of history and travel was a highlight for me.” She and her fellow students visited nearby Roman ruins, Shakespeare’s home (Stratford-upon-Avon) and other major landmarks in Oxford. In the fall of 2006, McLam had her second BestSemester in Russia. There she studied Russian language, history, religion, literature, culture, business, politics and current events. The students also lived with local host families, participated in service projects and spent ten days in Moscow.

“Living in another culture gave me a lot of respect for different lifestyles China is alive with a palpable energy as the country prepares to host the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Schedule your 2008 BestSemester through the China Studies Program and you can experience the rapidly changing cultural landscape of one of the world’s global powers during a deﬁning historical epoch.

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and viewpoints on politics, God, people and

“Living in another culture gave me a lot of respect for different lifestyles and viewpoints on politics, God, people and day-to-day life,” said McLam.

day-to-day life…”

McLam graduated from NNU in May 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in biology/chemistry.

What to As you contemplate where to go, think about what items you might want to pack for the journey. American Studies Program Suits, suits and sweats. Your internship and many class sessions will require professional dress, but time in your apartment is geared toward comfort. Australia Studies Centre Think casual layers. Whether you are there for a fall or spring term, the weather will shift during your semester and you’ll be glad you brought both your hoodie and your swimsuit (which the Aussies call a bathing costume or “bather” for short). Contemporary Music Center If you’re an artist, bring some “going out on the town/playing a gig” attire. If you’re an executive, shoot for “urban chic.” It’s true that the music matters more than the clothes, but pack a few things to help your audience connect to your music and your personality. China Studies Program Everything you pack for China needs to be something you can easily wash and hang to dry. There are very few dryers. Also, keep in mind that Chinese students dress professionally for class and tend to wear one outﬁt for an entire week. You won’t need too many clothes, so try to pack things that will last and look nice without ironing. Latin American Studies Program The most important items to pack for Latin America are shoes that can go the distance. And a Spanish/English dictionary. LA Film Studies Center It’s Hollywood, baby. Just about anything goes. You’ll want at least one fancy ensemble for ﬁlm premieres, but most of the time you should try to look edgy, cool and comfortable.

Middle East Studies Program Men: A few pairs of khakis and a few button-down shirts are all you’ll need. Women: THINK MODEST! Bring some long skirts and long sleeve shirts with higher necklines that come down low so that none of your back shows when you bend over. Programmes in Oxford Raincoat? Check. Umbrella? Check. Good walking shoes to manage the medieval cobblestone streets? Check. Big bookbag? Check. Ready to go. Russian Studies Program Plan to buy your big, bulky coat in-country (it will be better made and less expensive). Wool sweaters and thick socks may become your favorite things. Bring shower shoes and pack one nice ensemble for wearing to parties. Uganda Studies Program Men: A few pairs of khakis and a few button-down shirts are all you’ll need. Women: Remember that modesty in Uganda is determined from the waist down. Seeing the outline of a woman’s legs through her skirt would be the equivalent of walking around topless in the U.S. Bring long skirts. Washington Journalism Center Good journalism (and good understanding of the city) requires a lot of leg work. The most important things you’ll pack for WJC are comfortable, professional shoes. Make sure you can get in and out of buses, metro trains, the U.S. Capitol and other important places with ease.

Fall 2007

Feature Story

John Kangas, LASP, Fall 2005

Expanding your Palate Taste Truth and Faith Around the World through Off-Campus Study

If you hunger for the bold taste of something new and different,

something that stimulates your senses in a way you can’t quite imagine yet, picture yourself in Cairo for a semester. Or Hollywood. Or Martha’s Vineyard. Washington, D.C. Australia. China. Costa Rica. Oxford. Russia. Uganda. The 12 programs of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, each with its own unique ﬂavor, are your gateway to adventure, without a doubt. But programs in these locations are far beyond pre-packaged, sugar-coated tourist experiences where photo ops and souvenir shopping are the order of the day. Instead, BestSemester explores truth and faith — inside the classroom and out. Learn a culture-shaping business here in the U.S. (politics, journalism, music or ﬁlm), complete with resumé-building experiences; learn to be a scholar in Oxford; or learn an entirely different culture — the people, language, history, politics, economics — while constantly testing your own paradigms. It will be true-life-gritty, bittersweet and sometimes tough to swallow, yet full of moments so tender you’ll savor them long after you’ve returned home. This is the taste of real life all over the world. While some BestSemester programs are right here in the U.S., each program promises to expose you to a new culture, whether that’s Capitol Hill, Hollywood, the contemporary music industry or faraway lands in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa or the Middle East. No matter which program you choose, you’ll see the well-done in each culture, as well as the raw.

This is the taste of real life all over the world.

Jill Werdal, MESP, Fall 2005

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The search for truth is never in vain.

Raelyn Koop, MESP, Spring 2006

When you join us for your BestSemester, you’ll see that we not only care about you,

we care about the communities in which you will study, work and live. You won’t be isolated from the locals, observing them from a distance. You’ll do your best to blend in and become one of them for the semester. Service projects and individual relationships with the people you meet will create opportunities you are sure to relish. In many of the overseas BestSemester programs, you will live in local homes with host families. You’ll see what makes these Egyptians (or Ugandans, or Russians, or Costa Ricans) tick. They’ll include you in what is important to them and ask you to share your life with them, too. You may not always agree with them, but you will almost certainly befriend them as you begin to let go of mistaken cultural perceptions and grasp responsibility for your own learning. You will begin to see with a different set of lenses than those you wore to the program. By the end of your semester, the way you digest what you see, hear and learn will have developed into critical thinking skills that will serve you in all aspects of your life. You’ll be more independent-minded: instead of automatically swallowing what others try to feed you, you’ll examine it ﬁrst and then make your own decision. And sometimes, that decision will be that you just don’t know the answer. But you’ll be okay with that, and you’ll keep on asking questions anyway. The search for truth is never in vain. BestSemester is about expanding your world. About stepping out of your comfort zone and waking up in a new culture. It’s about more than just stamps in your passport or handson experience on your resumé — it’s about connections with locals and people in power and people with nothing. It’s about giving yourself a real-life 360 degree view of a situation. It’s about changing your backdrop. Changing your mind. Changing your life.

Fall 2007

CSP

China Studies Program

Lisa Block, CSP, Spring 2007

Reasons

As a student in the China Studies Program (CSP), you’ll engage in a multitude of opportunities as you learn the language, history and culture of your host country while interacting with locals. One aspect of your experience will be an unforgettable road trip with 19 of your new closest friends — a history tour called the Trek, during which you and your peers will act as tour guides, explaining the history and signiﬁcance of each site you visit. You’ll ride buses, trains and horses to get where you’re going — and you’ll love every minute of it.

Beth Brown, CSP, Spring 2007

Audra Werntz, CSP, Spring 2007

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You’ll LOVE the Trek

The Rest of the Story Through the China Studies Program, students explore the historical, cultural, religious, geographic and economic realities of this strategic and populous nation. In addition to the study of standard Chinese language, students may assist Chinese students learning English or work in an orphanage. Students choose a broad Chinese studies concentration or a business concentration that includes a three-week, full-time internship. CSP introduces students to the diversity of China and enables students to deal with this increasingly important part of the world in an informed, Christ-centered way.

Check out the following reasons you’ll be talking about the Trek back on your college campus: The Great Wall of China There is a saying in China that until you climb the Great Wall, you’re not a great person. When you get there, you will see why they say “climb” instead of “walk.” As you’re panting up the steps for a panoramic view, try not to get knocked over by Chinese septuagenarians who pass you by.

Chinese Acrobats These guys aren’t legendary for nothing. You’ll be amazed at how they get 12 people on one bicycle or four motorcyclists circling each other full speed in a circular cage not more than 15 feet wide. You might also be surprised at their choice of soundtrack: Katie Lindsey of Abilene Christian University (TX) said one act during the spring 2007 show was set to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”

Temple of Heaven Built in 1420 A.D., this landmark is where Chinese emperors came to present offerings to the “Lord of Heaven” for an abundant harvest. This place is not only absolutely beautiful, it’s thoughtprovoking as well. In the words of Brittany Grass from Southeastern University (FL): “It made me think and wonder so much. I thought hard, I thought a lot. I’m still thinking.”

The Summer Palace A complex of imperial gardens and pagodas, the Summer Palace usually makes it on CSP students’ “Must Come Back Here” list.

Terra Cotta Warriors One of the most popular tourist attractions in the world! These thousands of life-size warrior and horse ﬁgures equipped with chariots and bronze weapons were created 2,200 years ago as an imperial guard to serve the emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221–206 B.C.) in his afterlife. You have to see this to believe it.

www.BestSemester.com/csp

The Nestorian Pagoda Hang on to your horses as you ride to this site! This pagoda is all that remains of a Christian church complex dating back to the Tang Dynasty in the seventh century. In addition to the signiﬁcance of the pagoda, just getting to it will become one of your most vivid memories. “You should have seen us bargaining with the Chinese for a ride on their horses to the pagoda and back,” says Grass. “They knew what we wanted and they bargained hard. But 20 kuai later I was the shortest girl, riding the tallest horse with the only real saddle!”

The Forbidden City The Forbidden City, now named Palace Museum, is the most magniﬁcent and splendid palace complex in China, and the largest in the world. Twenty-four emperors reigned over the country from this spot for nearly 500 years.

It has been said that everything you heard about China is true somewhere in China, but nothing you hear about China is true everywhere in China. For Lindsey, this is why the Trek was more than a site-seeing tour, but crucial to understanding the depth and complexity of the country. Grass agrees. “China is as large as the United States. Think how different the Northeast is from Texas, how different California is from the Midwest. China has the same kind of differences, only they impact 1.3 billion people. Having the opportunity to explore China on a small scale has increased my desire to explore not only China, but much of the East on a more intense scale. I know I will be back.”

Fall 2007

ASP

American Studies Program

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Before Alexandra Smith joined the American Studies Program in Washington, D.C., she had never even taken a political science class. Once in the nation’s capital, however, this Olivet Nazarene University (IL) business major found herself working for a Congressman, guiding tourists through the Capitol building and sharing donuts and coffee with presidential candidate Barack Obama over breakfast. t used to be that just reading the newspaper was as much of a struggle as kicking my nail-biting habit. When I came to the American Studies Program, our study unit on energy policy and climate change included terms like “H.R. 6” and “energy security.” As a business major, it sounded to me like a foreign language, but I soon caught on. We talked with experts on all sides of the issue. We talked with people from the Sierra Club and from the petroleum industry, and with people who have interests in ethanol production. We read and heard from economists and scientists. We were briefed in Congress and at the White House. After diving into my courses on energy policy and my internship working for Congressman Solomon Ortiz (D-TX), I learned to not only stay aﬂoat in this sea of differing opinions but to actually keep up with it all. In other words, I get it. Now, when I go to Starbucks and they put my drink in two cups, I think about the energy we could save by just using one cup, or by creating a thicker cup. I am now noticing energy-efﬁcient bulbs. My awareness of my environment continues to develop. But it’s not just energy I’m paying attention to. I’ve become not just aware, but passionate about what is going on in the world, like the genocide in Darfur, how our policy toward Iraq is being shaped, and changes being made in immigration law. It’s not that I suddenly decided to become a politician. Instead, I decided to be an active citizen — no matter my career — informed about the news and use my experience at the ASP to guide how I interact with my country. I am convinced that knowing about and being involved in civic affairs is

www.BestSemester.com/asp

a moral obligation for me as a Christian. Praying for my public ofﬁcials and examining policy through scriptural principles are now as much a part of my life as eating and sleeping. I had never applied my faith so much in my education as I did in the ASP. Through the classes here and my internship on Capitol Hill, I became “addicted” to the news. And my internship has only served to feed my addiction. I completed research in the Library of Congress, drafted responses to constituent e-mails regarding immigration and healthcare issues, and gave Capitol tours drawing attention to my favorite sites, like the golden ceiling in Statuary Hall or the grand marble staircase that leads to the House Gallery. The people I passed in the halls are the “movers and shakers” of our country.

I am convinced that knowing about and being involved in civic affairs is a moral obligation for me as a Christian. I have even attended the congressional Azerbaijan Caucus meeting and weekly breakfasts hosted by Illinois Senators Barack Obama and Dick Durbin. There were times, of course, when the hustle and bustle of, arguably, the most powerful city in the world wore me down. When the mail piled up at the ofﬁce and the fax machine and phone rang off the hook, I was daunted by the overwhelming amount of work. But when I stepped back for a moment, I realized that I truly did make a difference, even as an intern. The faxes that I distributed to the legislative assistants helped inform them on legislation and affected the guidance they gave to the Congressman before he cast his votes. In this way, I may have helped shape the policy of this country. The end of my semester at the ASP was really just the beginning. The most valuable things I brought home from Washington didn’t ﬁt in my suitcase: an intimate knowledge of the legislative process, the ability to view policy and political issues through the lens of biblical faith, a passion for what’s happening in the world and the conviction that God has called me to be part of it. Pretty soon I’ll graduate with a business degree. But regardless of which job that leads me to, I’ll always make my country my business.

Expert Roll Call ASP students heard from the following experts during the spring 2007 semester. Rev. Dr. Jim Ball President, Evangelical Environmental Network Mr. Brendon Bell Government Relations Officer, Sierra Club Brigadier General Kevin J. Bergner Special Assistant to the President; Senior Director for Iraq, National Security Council Mr. Frederick Barton Co-director, Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project, Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS); Senior Advisor, International Security Program, CSIS Mr. Josh Carter Legislative Assistant to Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) Rev. Mr. Charles Clough Interfaith Stewardship Alliance Dr. D. Craig Cooper Legislative Fellow, The Office of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) Ms. Rayola Dougher Senior Economic Analyst, American Petroleum Institute Ms. Lisa Epifani Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, The Executive Office of the President, the White House Mr. Steven Epstein Public Affairs Officer, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. State Department Mr. Lou Hayden Climate Change Analyst, American Petroleum Institute Mr. Lawrence Korb and Mr. Brian Katulis Senior Fellows, Center for American Progress Mr. James A. Phillips Research Fellow, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, The Heritage Foundation Mr. Matthew Scott Vice President for Networks, Institute for Global Engagement Dr. James Skillen President, Center for Public Justice Fall 2007

SSO/OSP The Scholars’ Semester in Oxford/Oxford Summer Programme

In the Footsteps of

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Joanna Epling knew she was smart, and ready for a challenge. She wouldn’t have been accepted to The Scholars’ Semester in Oxford if other people didn’t think so, too. But once she arrived at the world’s most renowned university, would this Gordon College (MA) junior follow or fall in the footsteps of former Oxford scholars like T.S. Eliot and Dorothy L. Sayers?

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Rebecca Henriksen, SSO, Spring 2005

As she stood in front of the massive doors to Oxford’s Bodleian Library, Joanna Epling craned her neck to see where its pinnacle poked the sky. Appearing more like a castle or a museum, this library is older than the United States by almost two centuries. As she entered the building, Epling struggled to push down rising feelings of intimidation. Rows upon rows of volumes were stacked ﬂoor to ceiling surrounding her, and this was just the beginning. The Bodleian Library comprises 6.5 million documents occupying 105 miles of shelving space in 10 buildings located throughout Oxford. Much of the collection is kept in a network of tunnels running underground.

What I learned from the writers I studied is equivalent to one lick of a popsicle. I’m hungry for more.”

What am I doing here? she thought. I feel like an imposter. Epling felt dwarfed not just by the skyline’s “dreaming spires,” but by the intellectual giants who have haunted the University of Oxford and its 30-odd colleges, through the ages: John Donne, John and Charles Wesley, T.S. Eliot and others. Daunted or not, she had no choice but to master this library system as the key to surviving her weekly tutorials, when her tutors would devote undivided attention to Epling’s work. Like the cobblestones protruding halfway out of the ground outside the Bodleian, Epling’s first semester in Oxford had its own set of bumps. Preparing for her tutorials, her own demands on her writing paralyzed her at the keyboard. If writer’s block had a sound, it would be the rhythmic clinking of her spoon stirring milk into a cup of tea as she stumbled around in her thoughts. “I’d get stuck,” she said. “I couldn’t get things on paper unless I perfected them in my mind first. I had to learn not to agonize over my failures, but to keep moving. Everything was manageable as long as I stayed in motion and didn’t freeze when I was confronted with obstacles (the amount of work, times of doubt and uncertainty, mid-term blues, the flu, etc.).” By the second term, her writing inhibitions had fallen away, and Epling had fallen in love — both with the Oxford process of learning and with the poetry she studied. Her tutor in English poetry, a 50-year-old bachelor-scholar with a neatly trimmed white beard and a gleam in his eye, got her hooked on the works of William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge, two poets of the Romantic movement.

www.BestSemester.com/oxford

Josh Sowash, SSO, Spring 2006

“It was exhilarating to have all the attention on me and my work,” Epling said. “At the end of every tutorial, I had a post-tutorial high. Even if my writing wasn’t as good as I had hoped, the conversation was still so rich and fruitful. That’s a freeing thing about the Oxford experience: it doesn’t come down to just your writing; it is a conversation between you and your tutor.” It wasn’t just her tutor that Epling had conversations with, though. “Studying these writers was very much like having a conversation with them,” she said. “I listen to what they were saying through their works, understand, then hopefully I’m able to respond and see what ideas are still relevant today or even to me as an individual. What I learned from the writers I studied is equivalent to one lick of a popsicle. I’m hungry for more.” Feeding her appetite for inspiration was as easy as walking through the city, where echoes of greatness can be heard on almost every corner. Samuel Johnson often used the libraries to work on his dictionary. The real Alice in Wonderland, immortalized by Christ Church College don Charles Dodgson (a.k.a. Lewis Carroll) was the daughter of the dean of the college. John Locke, famous British philosopher, is buried in the cathedral. Henry James and T.E. Lawrence both lived and wrote in Oxford, as well. The Eagle and Child pub was the meeting place of The Inklings, the literary discussion group that included Oxford dons C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Though academics are the reason students come to the program, life in Oxford encompasses much more than paper-writing. Parks, gardens, tea houses, museums, pubs, jazz clubs and church opportunities abound, and are most often enjoyed in the company of peers. “It’s great to be in a tight community with a cross-selection of people from all over the States who are probably more like you than anyone else from your own college experience,” Epling said. Epling’s two semesters in Oxford improved her relationship with the Lord, as well. She credits this to living in a community with other believers, the example of the staff, powerful church experiences and a

recognition of excellence. “We see echoes of God in all things of excellence and beauty, both of which are in abundant supply in Oxford,” Epling said. At the conclusion of Epling’s year in Oxford, Senior Tutor Elizabeth Baigent said, “Jo’s achievements epitomized our view that the programme is to a large extent what individual students make of it, academically, personally and socially.”

Pick a Program The BestSemester Programmes in Oxford are held in partnership with Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. The Scholars’ Semester in Oxford (SSO) allows you, as a member of Wycliffe Hall and a Visiting Student of Oxford University, to do intensive scholarship in this historic seat of learning while earning 17 credits. Work with academic tutors to hone your skills and delve into the areas that interest you most. While students can choose from a selected range of topics for their primary and secondary tutorials, all students partake in a seminar on the historical forces that shaped British landscapes. Students in the semester-long program may choose, as Epling did, to continue with a second semester to build on the work of the first. The Oxford Summer Programme (OSP) will give students a greater understanding of the development of and connection between Christianity and British life and thought. It also offers advanced reflection on the relationship between particular academic fields and the Christian tradition. OSP allows the students to do specialized work under Oxford academics in which students enroll in two seminars and participate in a lecture series on the Christian tradition in England (which includes local and regional field trips). The Oxford Summer Programme may be taken for six credits and is appropriate for rising college sophomores, juniors and seniors; graduate and seminary students; non-traditional students; teachers; and those enrolled in continuing education programs. Fall 2007

MESP

Middle East Studies Program

Searching for a different world, Seattle Paciﬁc University (WA) student Jill Werdal enrolled in the Middle East Studies Program. She expected to meet the exotic, but she didn’t imagine she would also discover an unlikely friend and a newfound self.

Andrew Schwartz, MESP, Spring 2006

Allahu Akbar, Ash-Hadu Illa-La Ilaha Illallah. God is the greatest. I testify that there is no God but God.

Finding in a land of

Alissa Walter, MESP, Fall 2006

Raelyn Koop, MESP, Spring 2006

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orning comes early in the city of Cairo, with this traditional chant — trumpeting from loud speakers attached to mosque minarets throughout the city — waking Muslims (and everyone else) just before dawn. For students in the Middle East Studies Program, it is a blaring reminder that their home for the semester is among millions of devout people of faith, even if that faith is quite different from their own. As the heat of the day descends like a damp blanket, Cairo swells and teems with life. Souk shopkeepers hawk their wares in high-pitched voices. Noisily competing for the right of way, buses, taxis, donkey-drawn carts, camels and brandnew Mercedes pack the streets. The air is thick with smells of vehicle exhaust and animal dung mingling with aromas from food stands, bakeries and incense. For sociology major and global and urban ministry minor Jill Werdal, it was just what she was hoping for: an unedited slice of Egyptian city life. “When I decided to spend a semester off-campus, I didn’t want to have the cliché, touristy experience,” she said. “I wanted to become part of real life in another culture, to have my own life be changed.” MESP’s week-long home-stay, almost halfway through the semester, gave her the perfect opportunity. Werdal’s host

“Their faith showed through their actions naturally.” Christina Glaus, MESP, Spring 2006

family was upperclass Muslim. Twenty-twoyear-old Rabab, one of four children in the home, was a vibrant and intelligent student of English literature at Cairo University. Though her dress was fashionable Egyptian Muslim (colorful skirts, long-sleeve tunics and higab, the hair-covering headscarf), her English was perfect. She quickly found a place in Werdal’s heart. “We talked about anything and everything that I would with a good girlfriend in America,” said Werdal. “It was so neat to see the world through her eyes. I wondered, ‘How does she see me? How does she see the West?’ We stayed up in the night talking — about love, about what we want in a husband. We even talked about Bollywood and Virginia Woolf. I felt like her Muslim faith was as genuine as my Christian faith.” In the spirit of such inter-faith learning and exchange, Rabab gave Werdal the Koran on CD, and Werdal watched as the family prayed in the living room several times a day, one of the brothers singing the prayers aloud.

“They wanted me to be a Muslim as much as I wanted them to see faith from my perspective,” said Werdal. “Their faith showed through their actions naturally. Maybe they wanted me to see the good in their culture through their lives, because there is so much misunderstanding between East and West, especially since 9/11.” Though Werdal’s home-stay was brief, she and Rabab visited each other often. The friendship made an indelible impression on the American student and caused her to question ideas she had previously taken for granted. During a side trip to Lebanon, Werdal and another MESP peer took a two-hour walk along the Mediterranean (destination: Starbucks), processing the things they had seen and heard during their semester so far. It had been a jarring experience — for some more than others — to have previous perceptions of the Middle East jolted loose. “All of a sudden it hit me, and I felt like

my mind just opened up. I literally saw in my mind’s eye an image of a lotus flower unfolding its petals,” Werdal said. “Before, I couldn’t think about hard things, like how Christians should view Islam. I didn’t know how to reconcile the reality of these incredibly faithful, peace-loving Muslims who had become my friends with what I had been taught to believe about Muslims in the North American Church. There was a disconnect there. But at that moment, it was like I broke through the threshold and was able to just sit with those questions and be okay with not knowing the answers. God is bigger than I am; He knows the answers, and I can wrestle with the unknown for the rest of my life. That’s one of the most important experiences that changed my life.” When Werdal left the Middle East after MESP, she took her friendship with Rabab with her. The two still e-mail, and although differences in opinion rise to the surface on issues of politics and faith, it’s a relationship that Werdal nurtures now that she has made her peace with some ambiguity and uncertainty. She plans to return to Cairo and dreams of bringing Rabab to the U.S. for a visit. In the meantime, Werdal is earning a master’s degree in cross-cultural studies with a concentration in Islamic studies at Fuller Theological Seminary’s Northwest Extension in Seattle. Jill Werdal graduated from Seattle Pacific University in March 2006 with a degree in sociology. After completing her master’s degree, she hopes to work with a non-profit in a cross-cultural context, perhaps working with refugee resettlement in America. Andrew Schwartz, MESP, Spring 2006

“I wanted to become part of real life in another culture, to have my own life be changed.” Report: BestSemester is Major U.S. Sender of Students to Egypt | According to a report from the Institute of International Education, 573 U.S. students studied in Egypt in 2003–2004, which was an 89 percent increase over the previous year. The CCCU’s BestSemester program consistently has had 50–55 students enrolled each year in the Middle East Studies Program (MESP) based in Cairo, which means MESP accounts for roughly 10 percent of all Americans studying in Egypt.

www.BestSemester.com/mesp

Fall 2007

BESTSEMESTER.COM

David Row, ASC, Fall 2006

Natalie Miller, ASC, Fall 2006

PHOTOS

Greenville College (IL) music major David Row spent one semester with the Australia Studies Centre, based just minutes outside of Sydney, where his Indigenous Cultures, History & Identity class took him for a ride heʼll never forget. Hereʼs a glimpse into his blog from his trip to the bush.

You can feel how places here are diﬀerent. The spirit on the coast is drastically diﬀerent than the spirit on a hillside or in a forest. Massacre sites, ritual grounds, cemeteries and sacred sites seem to have picked up the feelings of the people, in the same way that rocks hold the heat of the sun for hours after sunset.

This untamed country is very much connected to the aboriginal identity. At first it all seemed a little too “Greenpeace” to me, but Iʼm beginning to relate to this concept of being tied to “country.” Itʼs just like on our farm back in Nebraska: we can clearly see how the land is aﬀected by us, and we by it.

This week weʼre in the bush (aka Australian countryside), and weʼve been divided into “totem” groups that will spend most of the time together — travelling, eating, processing, etc. Our totem groupʼs name is waddigun (crow); there are five of us.

“Totem” Groups

September 26

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Reﬂections from the Land Down Under

David’s Blog:

To check out more student blogs, photos and video clips from the Australia Studies Centre, please visit www.BestSemester.com/asc.

HELPFUL LINKS

I’m a smalltown Nebraska boy who likes Coca-Cola, reading, and laughing really loud. I also really like cake. I’m a senior at Greenville College in Illinois, studying classical voice and worship arts. Last year I lived in Leichhardt, Australia and studied for a semester at Wesley Institute for Ministry and the Arts.

MY PROFILE

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ASC Australia Studies Centre

www.BestSemester.com/asc

Fall 2007

For more photos visit www.BestSemester.com

Elizabeth Person, ASC, Fall 2004

Amanda Bangor, ASC, Fall 2006

David Row, ASC, Fall 2006

The bush trip was the first of two field trips within the Indigenous Cultures course; the second was to New Zealand.

I became so much closer with the people in my totem group and that was exactly what I needed. I also connected with the aboriginal concept of country. The idea that if we take care of the country, the country will take care of us is really synonymous with creation care — being stewards of the environment God has given us. Iʼve never thought about this the way I have on this trip. This has been one of our best experiences so far.

Our last night on the bush trip was incredible. My totem prepared stir-fry for everyone that night, and that was a blast. After everyone ate we separated and prepared for the final dance/song. We painted our faces with ash. All of the totems came together to sing the song weʼd been preparing in a native language. It was such a fun and meaningful experience.

Last Night on the Bush Trip

September 28

Oomera is one of the Stolen Generation, a generation of aboriginal children taken from their families and home land (between 19001970s) and placed in the care of Australian government and Christian missions hundreds of miles away. After researching her own history and reuniting with her mother, Oomera founded a nationwide organization, Link-Up Stolen Generations, to help aboriginal adults reunite with their families. We are so lucky to have her as a professor.

Itʼs day three of our Bush Trip. Our professor, Oomera Edwards, has been teaching us about everything from practical aspects of traditional aboriginal culture (bush foods, medicine, animal tracks and tools) to totems and their relationship within the family kinship systems to spiritual connection to the land and creation (country).

Oomera

September 27

Kersti Bury, ASC, Fall 2006

The programs in theology and the visual arts — graphic design, drawing, photography — are highly-acclaimed; graphic designers especially ﬂourish here. Trevor Hotten, head of the graphic design department, has more than 10 years experience as a designer, including three years as the director of his own company. He taught graphic design for more than eight years at leading design colleges before joining Wesley Institute in June 2002. Hotten is an award-winning artist who exhibits his work with leading art galleries in Sydney, and supervises an evening Sketch Club for advanced artists for The Royal Art Society of New South Wales.

When you’re not in classes or on trips speciﬁcally to learn the history and culture of Australia, you’ll be taking courses in your chosen artistic discipline at Wesley Institute, Australia’s premier Christian college of the arts and ministry. At the end of the semester, you’ll be asked to connect and express what you’ve learned about aboriginal culture through your art.

The Arts at Wesley Institute

Latin American Studies Program

Andrew Simons, LASP, Spring 2000

LASP

NoTurning kcaB The Latin American Studies Program inspires its students to some kind of action. For some, the action might be working at a non-proﬁt full-time. For others, it could be shaping public policy or leading a discussion group about what you see and hear during LASP. The course Andrew Simons chose has taken him around the world.

Jenna Reeves, LASP, Fall 2006

BESTSEMESTER.COM

Once upon a time, a young man gazed

upon a woman and was never the same again. It was not her beauty that struck him. It was her desperation. For this woman lived in the Guatemala City dump alongside stray dogs, rats and swooping vultures. The man stood still on a balcony and watched in silence as she took the soiled shirt off her back and exchanged it for another she’d just dug up. The man’s heart broke for her.

Andrew Simons, a student in the Latin American Studies Program, resolved, at that moment to spend his life working to bridge the distance between North American wealth and this abject poverty. “Once you’ve seen it,” he said, “you have no choice but to respond.” Simons’ decision was rooted in two simple realizations: First, the woman living in the city dump, despite economic, social and geographic differences, is his neighbor. Second, loving God requires that we love our neighbor. That was seven years ago. Since that time, Simons graduated from Taylor University (IN) with a bachelor’s degree in biology and earned a master’s degree in public administration/international development from Harvard. After Harvard, he opened the first Samaritan’s Purse office in Ethiopia and grew the operation from just himself to about 40 staff and three projects with an annual budget approaching $1 million. Today, Simons and his wife Laura both work for the Samaritan’s Purse Honduras office, where Andrew is country director managing 55 staff and nine projects, and Laura is the regional HIV/AIDS program officer for Latin America. Though the emotional strain of caring for urgent needs is ever-present, so is his philosophy: “Our ‘neighborhood’ is anywhere that we see a need and feel we can help meet that need.”

Once you’ve seen it, you have no choice but to respond. And those needs are all over the country. Among the projects Simons manages are programs to feed school children; provide AIDS/HIV testing, counseling and education; train orphanages to be self-sustaining; provide families with livestock and husbandry skills; and sponsor heart surgeries for children. When he isn’t juggling logistics or bolstering donor relationships, Simons writes proposals for future projects. It’s a heavy responsibility fraught with inefficiency, government corruption and the threat of burnout. Though it hasn’t been easy, Simons has grown to shoulder the weight of it since leaving Harvard’s ivory tower and discovering that international development is infinitely more complex than the textbook formulas he studied. “When I moved to Ethiopia, the seventh poorest country in the world, I lived out of a suitcase in a hotel room the first nine months, because the government wouldn’t sign a project agreement with us,” said Simons. “I had few friends. I was lonely. It was hard. The challenge is to use yourself in this kind of work without getting so used up that you have no more to offer.” To help ward off discouragement, Simons tells himself, “‘You can never help them all, but you are able to help this one.’ Then you just do the best you can and trust that God will take care of the others.” Some of the fruit of Simons labor is igniting hope for some who have feelings of hopelessness. In one project, Simons and his staff trained a group of former commercial sex workers to make a living by milking cows and selling milk and cheese.

“I saw the new dignity and pride these women had in their eyes when they saw value in themselves as humans and not as sex objects,” said Simons. “It was very emotional to see them better care for themselves and for their children through this project. Just seeing women — who before the project walked with their heads down and dejected — fi nally be able to smile was really touching.” Another success story is found in the life of Biniyam, a bright and responsible Ethiopian Simons hired for Samaritan’s Purse. Biniyam grew in his role and eventually was able to enroll in Eastern University’s (PA) master’s program in development (with some fi nancial help from friends). “Biniyam wrote me with so much appreciation for my help with the tuition, but he also thanked me for all the times I trusted him with big job responsibilities,” Simons said. “He said he was a better person because of it. That e-mail brought me to tears as I thought about Bini and how hard the country of Ethiopia is. One of the best things I will ever accomplish in my development career is building into Bini and helping him get the chance to pursue further studies. He will make a bigger difference in Ethiopia than I ever could.” Seven years after Simons’ moment of truth at the Guatemala City dump, he still thinks of the woman who stirred his heart to action during LASP and directed the course of his life. “Any time a discussion comes up of why I do this kind of work, I think of her. I tell people how my semester in Latin America really challenged the way I think about life, church, Christianity and my ultimate life calling. I have never gone back to visit the Guatemala City dump, but I have thought about it many times, and I wonder if that woman is still alive. I really hope she somehow made it out. It is because of her that I had the courage to take the first step to do what I am doing today.”

Where in the world are LASP alumni? Dan Fuller Houghton College (NY) LASP: Fall 2005 Indianapolis, IN Spanish translator at the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic of Indianapolis.

Julia Sheeres Taylor University (IN) LASP: Fall 1987 Oakland, CA Published a memoir, Jesus Land: Her Brother’s Keeper, about her relationship with her adopted brother; the memoir appeared in the New York Times Book Review.

Mark Hamilton Taylor University (IN) LASP: Fall 1996 Washington, D.C. Completing Ph.D. in International Relations, American University’s School of International Service.

Hannah Freeman Seattle Paciﬁ c University (WA) LASP: Fall 1998 Glendora, CA Manager of the Fair Trade Fresh Produce Department of TransFair USA.

Marisa McHenry Seattle Paciﬁ c University (WA) LASP: Fall 1992 Papua New Guinea Translator/missionary with Wycliffe for the past 12 years.

www.BestSemester.com/lasp

Toby Roberts Asbury College (KY) LASP: Fall 2003 El Salvador International volunteer with the Mennonite Central Committee.

Courtney Phelps George Fox University (OR) LASP: Fall 2004 Cape Verde Peace Corps volunteer.

Fall 2007

LAFSC

Los Angeles Film Studies Center

Hollywood Premiere By Jacob Roman, Los Angeles Film Studies Center, Spring 2007

While other students across the country were hammering out final papers and cramming for end-of-term exams, Jacob Roman was stepping into a Hollywood theater where 150 audience members were waiting for a film — his film — to begin. The aspiring filmmaker from Biola University (CA) tells of his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to write and produce his own film during a semester of studying and interning in the city that is the epicenter of the moviemaking industry. J a co

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BESTSEMESTER.COM

The red carpet is pretty short tonight. And there are no paparazzi — not yet, anyway. Give me a few years. But still, there are people here. A theater full of people, in fact. People who have come to spend eight minutes of their lives with something I’ve created. That’s pretty amazing. This project actually started a year ago, as a good friend and I were road-tripping through northeastern Arizona. We ended up spending some time on the Navajo Nation, and I was so struck by that place — the lonely, gritty life. I knew there was a story there, and within a month I’d turned out three drafts of a script for the film that’s premiering tonight, Immeritus. Several months later, I moved to Hollywood to begin a semester at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC). About 45 other students and I moved into the Park La Brea apartments — blocks away from Museum Row, the heart of L.A.’s Miracle Mile district. Some were film students like me, certain that their life’s calling was to participate in capturing something of the human condition on fi lm. Others were there to “dabble,” to learn. There were communications majors, political science majors, history majors — each bringing a completely different range of interests and insights.

But back to the film. The process here at LAFSC is basically a miniature version of the process that’s occurring on a much larger scale throughout this city at any given moment. It starts with a script competition, where each student submits an original short script to the faculty, who act as executive producers throughout. They select four or five of those scripts and four or five directors to direct them. By the next morning, each writer must choose a director to work with, and by that afternoon, the writer and director choose producers. It all happens very quickly, just like the real thing. After choosing a director and producer, we began the “crewing” process, where we basically walked through the list of students and chose who we wanted for each position. I can’t say enough about my crew. With film, greatness is in the details, and so every position on a crew has to come through, or you’re sunk. If your picture looks great, has a killer score, but weak sound design and effects, the whole thing falls apart. The crew, as a machine, has to be firing on all cylinders, or you’ve got nothing. And we were blessed enough, lucky enough, whatever, to have that kind of crew.

Brian Steele, LAFSC, Spring 2007

LAFSC

is very intentional about They live it, breathe it and eat it, and you can’t giving students the opportunity to really help but catch that zeitgeist and get inspired make a mini-studio film. You have to follow by it. the rules of Hollywood here. You get a real We ended up fi nishing principal phobudget, cast professional actors, and if you tography in an unheard-of three days: a day want a location, you have to get a real permit. under schedule, and a few hundred dollars That’s a skill set that I haven’t really used under budget. The reason for that? Basically, before. Up until now, it’s been much more nothing went wrong. Usually with producalong the lines of “guerilla” student filmmaktion, Murphy and his Law take special pride ing, where it’s you and a buddy and a camera, in ruining things, but for some reason — quite and you have to hold the boom mike because possibly divine intervention — this project ran you’re the crew. into zero snags. All of Another notable the equipment worked, aspect of LAFSC no cars broke down, If you’re serious is the connections. everyone got healthy The connection to amounts of food and about doing film, working, Christian sleep, and we never filmmakers is 24/7 had to call 911. there’s really only here — not just once This has all led a semester when a up to tonight, to my one place to be: special speaker fl ies Hollywood premiere. in from faraway “LA I hope it comes LA land.” Here, through; I hope they it’s constant. get it. I hope they feel And of course, the hard reality of the there’s the fact that Navajo Nation — the you’re physically here. If you’re serious about violent crime, the poverty, the drug use. I doing film, there’s really only one place to wanted to harness that experience and mine be: Hollywood. And you’re in the middle of some goodness and redemption from the that mix here: you’re working here, taking hardness of that world. I wanted to bring classes here, going to the grocery store here, something pretty out of that dirty, gritty life. hanging out in coffee shops here. Every other And that’s how the story turned out: dirty conversation you overhear contains “shootand pretty. It’s not heartwarming. It’s not ing on film,” “my producers just got a twoschmaltzy. It won’t leave the audience picture deal with the Weinsteins,” and “I’m invigorated about living life. But if I’ve best friends with Clint Eastwood.” Everyone done my job well, it’ll hopefully leave them around you is here for one purpose: film. asking questions.

“

Hollywood.”

Roll credits… Credits of LAFSC alumni include: Associate producer Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Director/Co-Writer The Exorcism of Emily Rose Associate Producer The Matrix: Reloaded and The Matrix: Revolutions Writer Providence Co-Producer/Writer Smallville Writer One Tree Hill Casting Director Waitress Director Paradise Lost (forthcoming) Director The Day the Earth Stood Still (re-make, forthcoming) Creator/Director/Writer Higglytown Heroes

See Jacob’s fi lm (and other cool fi lms from LAFSC students) at: www.BestSemester.com/lafscﬁlms

www.BestSemester.com/lafsc

Fall 2007

CMC

Contemporary Music Center

Thursday nights are alright

for

A day in the life at the Contemporary Music Center

4:45

6:32

7:18

Setup for the night’s performance

Pre-show dinner

Pre-show prep time

Most afternoons would be spent writing and recording songs, but today is different. It is the night of my big show and I need to be there to sound check, hash out a ﬁ nalized set list, and do some furious lastminute rehearsing with my band mates. I’ve worked my way up from the two original songs I played at my inaugural show to the 30-minute set I’ll be playing tonight. Along the way, my songs have matured into tight, lyrical compositions. Tonight is the night I put it all together.

I fuel up for maximum rocking by enjoying another great meal — this time barbeque ribs — provided by the CMC’s beloved chef, Bubbles.

I’ve been scrambling all day, meeting with my band manager for an impromptu photo shoot, updating my band’s MySpace page, ﬁ nding the right outﬁt to wear onstage. In addition to my own 30-minute set, I’m playing bass for one friend’s punk band and helping out with background vocals for a folk singer. I meet with them to perfect our parts. Now I need to regroup, and do what I do to relax before the show: pray together with my band mates and manager; lose myself in a Rolling Stone article; and do some last-minute vocal warm-ups.

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Mark Preston, CMC, Spring 2006

While a day at the Contemporary Music Center (CMC) on Martha’s Vineyard is anything but routine, one thing, at least, is predictable: It’s like nothing students have ever experienced before. From working one-on-one with seasoned music industry veterans in the studio and in the classroom to performing original songs in front of a live audience to meeting with marketing teams who have worked with the likes of Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews and Switchfoot, to recording original compositions in state-of-the-art studios, the CMC affords the chance to grow in faith and musical skill while living and learning in a Christ-centered artists’ community. The following log of a “normal” Thursday at the CMC represents an inside look at just one day’s worth of real events that happen to real students every semester.

Maggie McClellan, CMC, Spring 2005

To hear more visit www.BestSemester.com/cmc

Beyond The Barn Every Thursday, CMC students participate in CMC Live, where each week a different group of artists and executives put together a live show for the entire CMC family. On other days, students spend their afternoons engaged in hands-on learning, putting into practical use what they’ve learned during the morning classes.

1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Maggie McClellan, CMC, Spring 2005

11:31 After party

8:00 CMC Live Our converted performance space, The Barn (you’ve got to see this to believe it), is buzzing with pre-show chatter and commotion. My time has fi nally come. I step out on stage and the anxiety of the past week falls away. The blue and red smart lights start up in time with the kick drum, the Hammond B-3 organ fills the silence and I lead into the first song of the night with a blistering riff that sets the tone for 30 minutes of Rock euphoria. The crowd is into it; CMC faculty, students and staff are noticeably impressed by the progress I’ve made over the last 15 weeks. I crash into the fi nal chorus, eliciting applause from the audience. This will be my best performance yet — I can feel it.

www.BestSemester.com/cmc

The performance was stellar and I’m just now starting to come down from the energy of my set. I’ve been talking to fellow artists and friends in the Executive Track, making plans for additional shows once I leave the CMC and Martha’s Vineyard. I doubt that I will sleep at all tonight, even though there is more to be learned in the morning. But for now, I’m basking in the glory of my performance and hanging out with the people I’ve come to know so well during the last four months. The friendships I’ve forged, the valuable insider information I’ve attained and the countless hours I’ve devoted to perfecting my sound, my stage presence and my press kit have set the foundation for me to launch my career in music. I know that my Contemporary Music Center experience will always be with me, shaping my songwriting and my performance, informing the decisions I make as I pursue a career in music and helping me deﬁ ne my place as a Christian in the music industry.

Students immerse themselves in the trenches of rock-star life, ironing out the details that will help them and their music stand out from the crowd. They’ll meet with their managers, rehearse with their bands, ﬂip through trade magazines looking for ideas for upcoming photo shoots, etc. In other words, they’ll be doing whatever it takes to bring their music, their stage presence and their knowledge of the industry to the next level.

3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Students can be found layering vocals in Studio C, adding an additional guitar track to punch up the chorus of a song or putting the finishing touches on a song using the latest Pro Tools technology. Students on the Executive Track could be helping facilitate the design of an artist’s press kit or figuring out the best venues for his/her genre of music. Executive Track students could also be engaged in a critical listening session where Tom Willett, CMC Creative Director, walks students through the 500 songs they need to know as an artist and/or manager. Or they could be talking shop with engineer Warren Pettit, CMC Program Director, about how to get the best tone out of an acoustic guitar, piano or voice. In any of the above scenarios, students are learning the ins and outs of the business by experiencing it first-hand. Fall 2007

“ Hello, WJC

Washington Journalism Center

this is the

White House. Is this Christopher Moody?” Reporting from the White House How a surﬁng student from Florida rode a whim to Washington and landed on the front page Between press conferences at the West Wing, Moody seized the moment to take the stand for a photo op. Photo by Jonathan Swigart, WJC, Fall 2006

t was about 11:00 at night during Moody’s first week in D.C. as a student in the Washington Journalism Center (WJC). After a double-take at the caller ID, he confirmed his identity to the caller, at which point he was told to show up at the White House in the morning to cover a story. The next morning, Moody waded through a crowd of protestors and entered the White House for an interview with the winner of the 2006 National Spelling Bee, Katharine Close of Spring Lake, N.J. “As I waited for her to come out of the West Wing, I walked around the White House gardens unescorted,” Moody said. “It was so strange. All my life I’ve been on the other side of the fence. Of course I knew there was probably a sniper or M-16 trained on me the whole time.” As Close emerged from the West Wing, 21-year-old Moody snagged the ﬁrst interview with her, beating out reporters from Fox News and CNN. She mentioned that President Bush, with whom she had just visited, couldn’t pronounce the word she had spelled to win the contest. When Moody included that

BESTSEMESTER.COM

in his story and sent it out through the Scripps Howard News Service wire, an editor picked it up, made Bush’s pronunciation n oss failure the lead, and the story became front-page news all across the country. ooks “Great,” thought Moody. “My ﬁrst national story and it looks like I’m bashing the president.” It was all in a day’s work for Moody’s WJC internship at Scripps Howard. In addition to 20-hour-per-week internships in Washington’s mainstream news rooms, the Washington Journalism Center offers core courses such as Foundations for Media Involvement, Reporting in Washington, and Washington, Newss og, and Public Discourse. The Washington Journalism Center blog, m, Ink Tank, is also fully integrated into the program curriculum, m. since blogging is a very new but legitimate form of journalism. “Class time was almost sociology,” said Moody. “It taught us to analyze our culture and country. It was an incredibly multi-faceted classroom experience.” Ironically, up until a few months before Moody came to Washington, he didn’t have any interest in journalism at all. Itt d wasn’t until he met some seasoned reporters who had marched re in the civil rights movement, witnessed the Tiananmen Square massacre, gone lion hunting in Africa and hung out with American rock legends — all in the line of duty — that Moody reconsidered what journalism could be. With a nudge from WJC Director Terry Mattingly, Moody decided to apply to the he program. “I just went on a whim,” Moody said. While he may have gone to Washington on a whim, Moody left the program with a purpose-ﬁlled resumé. Among g the other stories he covered during his internship with Scrippss Howard were the Mark Foley congressional page scandal and the 2006 mid-term elections. “My internship challenged me beyond anything else I had ever done at the time. I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with reporters from CNN, the AP and the New York Times, and was expected to compete with them on an equal level. No one treated us like children, and no one held us to a lower standard. We were expected to perform, just like anyone else.” As part of the WJC’s efforts to immerse journalism students in Washington, D.C., students live with local families in the heart of the city. Moody’s home for the semester, for example, was adjacent to the U.S. Supreme Court. “This program sharpens your whole person, in the way you speak, act, dress and write,” Moody said. “WJC really shaped a lot of things in my life. With all sincerity, my semester in Washington was the transition from youth to adulthood.”

Upon his return to West Palm Beach after his fall 2006 semester at WJC, Chris Moody began working for WPTV News Channel 5, an NBC News afﬁliate station. He graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University in May 2007 with a degree in political science.

www.BestSemester.com/wjc

A Sampling of Spring 2007 Clips Chris Moody’s experience is just one amazing example of how WJC students break into mainstream media in Washington, D.C. The following clips each represent more incredible tales of how students brought their bylines to the page during WJC’s ﬁrst year.

Making magic in Rockville By Brandon Leonard The Washington Times April 12, 2007 Residents aim to solve Rosedale Rec Center size, safety problems By Kelly Robinson Voice of the Hill April 12, 2007 Firms promote hanging up while driving By Rachel Buller The Washington Times April 12, 2007 SI International gets deal with retirement plan By Jana Cranmer Special to The Washington Post April 9, 2007 Defense kicks off opensource encryption program By Jana Cranmer GCN (Government Computer News) April 3, 2007 Group plans standards to help enhance Section 508 efforts By Jana Cranmer GCN April 2, 2007 College mental healthcare demand rising By Rebecca Pearsey United Press International March 29, 2007 Norway seeks to be stable supplier By Jessica Braunschweig United Press International March 29, 2007

Norway: Carbon capture, storage key By Jessica Braunschweig United Press International March 28, 2007 Conservapedia.com — an encyclopedic message from the right By Sarah McBroom Scripps Howard News Service March 27, 2007 ‘Forever’ stamps to ease pain of increase By Rachel Buller The Washington Times March 27, 2007 Inclement weather seen hitting blood drives By Brandon Leonard The Washington Times March 18, 2007 Pushing luck is no option for drinkers By Brandon Leonard The Washington Times March 17, 2007 Hospitals, non-proﬁts: Hold the trans fat By Rebecca Pearsey United Press International March 13, 2007 It’s the media, stupid: Analysis By Jessica Braunschweig ReligionAndSpirituality.com March 13, 2007 Medical marijuana group sues feds By Dustin McNab Baptist Press Posted on March 12, 2007

Fall 2007

USP

Uganda Studies Program

Unpacking

Uganda

Home again in the U.S., three students sort through their African semester back on their college campuses.

truggling with Africa was one life-changing experience, but struggling with the U.S. is a whole other one,â&#x20AC;?

Photography by Ben Raber, USP, Fall 2006

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says Nikki Klink, a senior at Gordon College (MA). Klink is one of many Uganda Studies Program alumni who, upon returning to America, have found that their semester in Africa has changed their perspective more than they expected. The Uganda Studies Program partners with Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Mukono. USP students learn, eat and live with students in the UCU Honours College. During the course of their semester, students deal with issues such as poverty, corruption, injustice and AIDS. For many students and alumni of USP, the search for solutions was often unfulďŹ lled. Soul-searching questions have taken USP students on a journey into their own hearts and ambitions. Here, three students tell it best in their own words.

Heidi Bredemeier

Nikki Klink

Benjamin Willenbring

Bethel University (MN)

Gordon College (MA)

Wheaton College (IL)

In Africa, my eyes have seen more

Coming back to school was hard.

Since attending USP, I am much

than I intended; my hands have touched more than I wanted; my ears have heard harder things than I can grasp. During a servicelearning project, I accompanied a doctor and nurse working with malnourished children and met three-week-old twin girls. They had frail bones, tissue-paper skin, bloated stomachs and big, empty eyes — yet so much potential. I watched their health deteriorate with every visit, and thought how this would never happen in America. Perhaps my biggest role as a Christian is to be an advocate for the voiceless. I have learned to look into myself and see the potential God has for me, and I have learned to see it in other people. It is my desire to bring that potential to fullness. There is room in Africa for God to show his mercy and justice, for Christ to be compassionate through his body of believers, and for the Holy Spirit to move in unexpected ways. We must be faithful to God’s calling to make these things possible.

Really hard. No one else seemed to realize that wearing jeans, eating cold cereal and sitting on porcelain were all privileges. For a while I became detached. But God convicted me into action; I prayed, and God worked. I started sharing stories rather than bottling them up. A friend and I developed a network of groups ranging from Homeless Ministry to Save Darfur and started a social justice newsletter. What I learned in Uganda goes beyond all this social justice networking. It involves the struggle of living simply, taking time for relationships, approaching issues in humility, taking risks, appreciating the “little things” in life, being a steward of the environment and thanking God for where I am now. Grappling with these issues has become a part of daily life.

more conscious of my actions and their consequences. Before, I wouldn’t have thought much about eating a banana at the cafeteria. Now, I think about where that banana came from, who grew that banana, who paid the person growing the banana and, most importantly, whether or not I’m supporting an unjust economic structure by eating this banana. I feel a lot more aware of structures I’m participating in that I may not have considered before. The most rewarding experience was staying with a host family near UCU for two weeks. The family was so welcoming, and they were some of my best teachers. It’s impossible to come out of that experience without your worldview being cracked open. I view the world now as a member of the Church and not as an American. Certainly, there are traces of being an American; I can’t escape that. But “American” has deﬁ nitely moved down the ladder in the way in which I deﬁ ne myself.

New this fall at

Uganda Studies Program

www.BestSemester.com/usp

This fall, the new Intercultural Ministry & Missions Emphasis will give USP students a whole new look at Uganda. If you choose this emphasis, which is designed for students interested in pursuing missions work, you’ll spend the entire semester living with host families within walking distance of campus. Weekend trips to Rwanda and many different areas of Uganda will expose you to a broad range of missions and development work. Along with a newly-developed missions course, the home-stay and travel opportunities will help you see this part of Africa through the eyes of a missionary-inthe-making. Students in the traditional emphasis live in campus dorms shared with Uganda Christian University students. They also spend two weeks living with families close to campus, plus ﬁve days with a family in a rural part of Uganda. These students volunteer weekly at service project sites such as an orphanage, a primary school, a school for blind children and a rehabilitation unit for children who have had corrective surgery on deformed legs. Students in both emphases take ﬁeld trips and hear from speakers regarding Islam, African traditional religions, politics, cultural history and more.

Fall 2007

RSP

Russian Studies Program

The Language of Hospitality:

How to Say

Sara Tanney (middle) with her Russian host mama and sister.

in Russian Bleak. Barren. Bitterly cold. These are characteristics more often associated with Russia than perhaps any other nation. Yet when Nyack College (NY) student Sara Tanney made the country her home for a semester through the Russian Studies Program, she found it to be surprisingly warm and inviting.

Sara Tanney graduated from Nyack College in December 2005 with a degree in missions and religion. She now works for the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities in Washington, D.C. as the student programs advisor & administrative assistant.

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It was the same, predictable routine every time Sara Tanney arrived at her Russian host family’s home after class. “You will eat?” ‘Papa’ would always say. But it wasn’t a question. No matter what time of day it was, when Tanney entered the home, Papa insisted on feeding her. Though he knew precious few words in English, he and ‘Mama’ were ﬂuent in Russian hospitality. Their 20-year-old daughter Jane lived a few blocks away and made a willing language practice partner. For most Russians — this humble Orthodox couple included — stufﬁ ng guests with food is a sign of affection. Tanney’s evening meals were made up of several courses: soup and bread, meat on the side, then a plate of potatoes and meat, coleslaw salad and pickled vegetables.

“And then they wanted me to eat candy,” Tanney said. “But my Mama would have half a bowl of soup and bread.” While the RSP language course gave Tanney the basics she needed to communicate, her Russian host parents found their own ways of showing her love, Russian style. It just took a little translation. Instead of saying simply, Ya looblue tibya (the sound of “I love you,” in Russian) for example, Papa said: “When you home going, mama cry, so skinny!” Translation: Eat up! We don’t want your family to think we starved you. “They just didn’t want to be seen as inhospitable,” Tanney explained. “They didn’t want me to go home and cause people to say, ‘What, they didn’t feed you in Russia?’ They didn’t care if I grew out of my pants; they wanted my parents to know they took care of me.” Mama said: “Tell us about your dad, mom. Show pictures again.” Translation: While you are a valuable part of our family while you are here, we know you have your own family in America, and you probably miss them. Let’s talk about them to help you feel closer to them. Papa said: “There is BBC station on TV in your room.” Translation: It must be hard for you to not hear your own language very much while you are here. Any time you are hungry for complete

sentences in English, and to know what’s going on in the world, you can turn on the BBC in your room. That’s why it’s there. And then other times, the most poignant moments of understanding came wrapped in a companionable silence. “It was an unspoken emotional connection that said we understood and appreciated each other,” said Tanney. “Sometimes you didn’t need to communicate with words. Russians understand body language. They are very perceptive and intuitive, more so than Americans. Their concept of soul and beauty is more developed than ours. They put stock in emotions. They’re a very sensitive, caring people.” Living with her host family was the best part of Tanney’s semester. “That was exactly the experience I was hoping to have. I wanted to sit at a table with my Mama and Papa and their Russian friends and laugh heartily with them over dinner — even though I had no idea what we were all laughing about. I wanted to really see what it was like to live in Russia, and living with Russians was the only way to do it. I enjoyed them immensely. They were so kind.” The weather during Tanney’s semester, fall 2005, was unseasonably mild, a far cry from the numbing cold she had anticipated. But it was the hospitality of her family that warmed her the most. She will never forget the semester she was adopted by Mother Russia.

It was an unspoken emotional connection that said we understood and appreciated each other,” said Tanney. “Sometimes you didn’t need to communicate with words. Russians understand body language. They are very perceptive and intuitive, more so than Americans. Their concept of soul and beauty is more developed than ours. They put stock in emotions. They’re a very sensitive, caring people.” Meagan Ephraim, RSP, Spring 2006

Ally Stevens, RSP, Spring 2006

Meagan Ephraim, RSP, Spring 2006

The Other Side of the Story:

What one Russian hostess has to say about her American students Liliya Erushkina, Deputy Director of the International Ofﬁce at University of Nizhni Novgorod, hosted RSP students in her family’s home for several years. Here, she shares what it was like to adopt Americans into her family.” Why did you decide to host American students for several years? To ﬁnd out what Americans are like, to understand our differences and similarities. And of course, to practice our English. It was just interesting and fun. In our house we love to have guests, and when these guests stay for a while it’s even better!”

www.BestSemester.com/rsp

How did you really try to make the students feel at home with you? The most important thing we did was to treat the students as a part of our big family. Conversations in the kitchen until midnight, special meals on holidays, doing Russian homework together with the students, cooking, cleaning, shopping... all these things made the students feel like they belonged in our home.”

all tried to ﬁnd things for him to do to keep him busy. He was into wood carving, and so my father brought home a thick stick and a special carving knife for him. From this stick he made a beautiful cane. “But it seems that most students were not as worried about missing home as they were about having to leave Russia and Nizhni Novgorod.”

If students became homesick, what did you do?

Did you ever struggle with your students with the language?

Not every student suffered from homesickness, but when one student broke his leg, he had to stay at home all day long, and of course that was very difﬁcult for him! We

There were times when we explained things through gestures, but we understood each other. My mom didn’t speak much English, but we always had the Russian/English dictionary

sitting in the kitchen readily available. Mom had a favorite phrase in English, ‘If you want, take this.’” What was it like when you said goodbye to the students who lived with you? Many, many tears were shed at the train station. In these short weeks we became so close to the students that it was hard to imagine we were saying goodbye to them — probably for forever. But we still keep in contact with several of our past students.”

Fall 2007

These programs are offered exclusively through the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. Learn more about these intentionally Christ-centered institutions at www.cccu.org.

Ryan Linstrom, MESP, Fall 2005

THE CCCU’S BESTSEMESTER OFF-CAMPUS STUDY PROGRAMS SERVE VE E THE FOLLOWING INSTITUTIONS: Abilene Christian University y Anderson University Asbury College Azusa Paciﬁc University Belhaven College Bethel College (IN) Bethel University Biola University Bluffton University Bryan College California Baptist University Calvin College Campbellsville University Carson-Newman College Cedarville University College of the Ozarks Colorado Christian University Corban College Cornerstone University Covenant College Crichton College Crown College Dallas Baptist University Dordt College East Texas Baptist University Eastern Mennonite University Eastern Nazarene College Eastern University Erskine College Evangel University Fresno Paciﬁc University Geneva College George Fox University Gordon College Goshen College Grace College & Seminary Greenville College Hardin-Simmons University Hope International University Houghton College Houston Baptist University

Howard Payne University Huntington University Indiana Wesleyan University John Brown University Judson College (AL) Judson College (IL) Kentucky Christian University King College The King’s University College Lee University LeTourneau University Lipscomb University Louisiana College The Master’s College & Seminary Malone College Messiah College MidAmerica Nazarene University Milligan College Mississippi College Missouri Baptist University Montreat College Mount Vernon Nazarene University North Greenville University North Park University Northwest Christian College Northwest University Northwest Nazarene University Northwestern College (IA) Northwestern College (MN) Nyack College Oklahoma Baptist University Oklahoma Christian University Oklahoma Wesleyan University Olivet Nazarene University Oral Roberts University Palm Beach Atlantic University Point Loma Nazarene University Redeemer University College Roberts Wesleyan College Seattle Paciﬁc University Simpson University

Southeastern University Southern Nazarene University Southern Wesleyan University Southwest Baptist University Spring Arbor University Sterling College Tabor College Taylor University Trevecca Nazarene University Trinity Christian College Trinity International University Trinity Western University Union University University of Sioux Falls

Vanguard University of Southern California Warner Paciﬁc College Warner Southern College Wayland Baptist University Waynesburg College Westmont College Wheaton College Whitworth University Williams Baptist College

These are all great off-campus study programs… which one should I choose? Which book changed the way you think? Which activity gives you the biggest thrill? What song would you make your theme song? Which pet peeve annoys you most? And seven more… Answer 11 short questions and we’ll give you clues to your best choice. Go to www.BestSemester.com and take the quiz to discover the program that’s best for you.

Preparing for your BestSemester... Answers to your important questions. Who can apply for a BestSemester program? BestSemester programs are “extension campuses” for any student enrolled at a college or university that is willing to grant credit for the off-campus experience. Therefore, any student may apply. However, colleges and universities that are a part of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities have agreed to grant this credit to their students and those students have priority acceptance for BestSemester programs. The CCCU is a higher education association of 182 intentionally Christ-centered institutions around the world. There are now 105 member campuses in North America and all are fully-accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 77 afﬁliate campuses from 24 countries are part of the CCCU. The Council’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.

Who on campus can help prepare me to study off-campus with BestSemester? Each college or university designates a main contact person on their campus. Every year BestSemester materials and updates are mailed to these appointed persons or to the campus’ chief academic ofﬁcer. In addition, faculty and administrators who request materials receive information on BestSemester programs from the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. To ﬁnd out who is the main campus contact at your school, e-mail info@bestsemester.com or go to www. BestSemester.com/campuscontactlist. What is the cost? Fees are not published online because each school has a different method for charging students (due to varying tuition rates and how tuition compares to CCCU program costs). As a result, many schools have requested the fees not be published. If you have questions about fees, please contact your campus contact or the CCCU. Your campus contact can be found at www.BestSemester.com/ campuscontactlist. You can contact the CCCU at 202-546-8713 or by e-mailing info@BestSemester.com.

Lisa Block, CSP, Spring 2007

Christine Underwood, ASC, Fall 2005

Jill Werdel, MESP, Fall 2005

How is credit granted? Since BestSemester programs are considered “extension campuses” of your college or university, the hours of credit for each program are not granted by the programs, but are recommended by the Council to the home institution. (Usually 16 credits are recommended for each semester program and six credits for the Oxford Summer Programme.) Your home college or university grants the credit. “Transcripts” are sent to the registrar’s ofﬁce at the end of each semester. Credit can usually be applied in a variety of ways — usually a combination of major/minor credit, general education credit, and general elective credit. Council recommendations are provided on program Web sites. Students are advised in advance of program participation to follow their home campus policies and procedures for determining applicability of program credit. (Usually this is with their academic advisors and/or the registrar.) Most syllabi are available at www.BestSemester.com/syllabi and are usually useful in determining the applicability of credit.

To learn more about a particular BestSemester program, visit www.BestSemester.com or call 202-546-8713. Andrea Dykshoorn, MESP, Fall 2005

General Application

Deadlines (visit BestSemester.com for exceptions)

Free BestSemester Screensavers! Update your desktop with new screensavers of amazing BestSemester scenes—for FREE. Go to www.BestSemester.com/screensaver and start downloading today!

Fall Semester – March 31 (Early Admissions: February 15) Summer Term – March 1 Spring Semester – October 15 (Early Admissions: September 1)

You’re gonna love this. Take one semester to study off campus for a learning experience that will challenge your thinking, broaden your horizons and strengthen your faith.

Culture Shaping

Culture Crossing

Engage with popular culture and public life through off-campus study that shapes culture.

Study abroad to better understand and engage your place in God’s world.

• American Studies Program (Washington, DC)

• Australia Studies Centre (Sydney, Australia)

• Contemporary Music Center (Martha’s Vineyard, MA)

• China Studies Program (Xiamen, PR China)

• Los Angeles Film Studies Center (Los Angeles, CA)

• Latin American Studies Program (San José, Costa Rica)

• Washington Journalism Center (Washington, DC)

• Middle East Studies Program (Cairo, Egypt) • Programmes in Oxford (Oxford, England) • Russian Studies Program (Nizhni Novgorod, Russia)

Important Dates

• Uganda Studies Program (Mukono, Uganda)

Applications for the Fall Semester due March 31. Applications for the Summer Semester due March 1. Applications for the Spring Semester due October 15. Visit your off-campus study coordinator for more information or visit us online at www.BestSemester.com

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