MOVING BEYOND THE SINGLE-DISCIPLINE FACULTY-LED MODEL:
HOW CAN MUSIC BUSINESS AND SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS GET ALONG?
Drs. Mimi Barnard, Susan Finch, and Nathan Webb, Belmont University
Ms. Jenna Garchar, CIEE

Overview
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 About CIEE Faculty-led and Custom Programs & Belmont University’s partnership
 Benefits of cross-disciplinary faculty-led programs
 Case Study: Belmont University
 Best practices for interdisciplinary Study Abroad programs
 Belmont in Sweden program
 Group activity
 Questions

Introduction
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 CIEE Faculty-led and Custom Programs
 Average program is in May, between 2-4 weeks long, 15 students + 1 faculty
 Only 6% of CIEE’s faculty-led programs are interdisciplinary!
 Belmont University

CIEE FAC and Belmont University
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 Health and Education in London and Dublin
 Music and Chemistry in London and Paris
 History, Psychology, and Writing in Legon
 Nursing and Religion (Poverty, Injustice, and Global Health) in the Dominican Republic
 Japanese & East Asian Ethics and Writing in Tokyo

Benefits of cross-disciplinary faculty-led program
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 Increased significant learning through higher critical thinking
 Recognizing bias and embracing ambiguity (Bransford, 2000)
 Stronger problem-solving skills (Repko 2009)
 Student enrollment
 More personalities
 Larger audience and marketing events
 Less expensive
 Funding

The Office of Study Abroad at Belmont University
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 Dr. Mimi Barnard, Associate Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies & Global Education
 Collaborations across campus
 The Teaching Center
 Global Education Advisory Committee
 Director of General Education partnership

General Education at Belmont
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Belmont University’s General Education Goals
 The importance of life-long intellectual growth and development;
 The importance of moral values and personal commitments;
 The importance of the application of classroom learning to the "real world";
 The importance of extending the boundaries of learning beyond the classroom.

Study Abroad Goals
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 Study Abroad Learning Goals:
 To inspire curiosity about the world and an understanding of the global community
 To assist students in cultivating intercultural knowledge and competencies
 To engage with a new culture and reflect on our own place in the world
 To challenge students to critically examine their choices in a global context
 To encourage social responsibility and the role of the traveler, visitor, and pilgrims

Third Year Writing & Junior Cornerstone Goals
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 Third Year Writing
 Refine your ability to move efficiently and effectively through the writing process.
 Develop your ability to choose among different methods of scholarly inquiry.
 Develop your understanding of concepts addressed in the First-Year Seminar.
 Cultivate your research skills beyond the fundamental level addressed in First Year Writing.
 Junior Cornerstone
 Understand the relevance of a discipline by addressing a current issue/problem.
 Gain experience working as a team and gain appreciation for collaboration.
 Sharpen research and writing skills through an encounter with a discipline.
 Be more effective communicators through the presentation of findings.

BELMONT IN SWEDEN

Collaboration & Structure: Before, During, and After Sweden
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 Pre-trip learning activities
 Learning activities during the trip
 Learning activities after our return

Successes
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 As a faculty, we recognized what went well on our trip:
 Drama-free trip
 Introduced students to experiences outside their comfort zones
 Curriculum fit well

Lessons Learned
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 As a faculty, we recognized some areas for improvement:
 Organized classroom reflection
 Balancing free time with planned activities
 Evaluating how activities fit with curriculum and trip goals
 Prepping students more thoroughly for each individual activity

GROUP ACTIVITY

Examples of Other Interdisciplinary Programs
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 Culture, Media, and Social Movements in Dakar
 Public Health and Economics in Havana
 Tourism, Music, Anthropology, and History in Barcelona
 Philosophy, English, and History as it relates to Sustainability in Berlin
 Video Production, Public Relations, and Communications in Prague

QUESTIONS?

THANK
YOU