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In the Classroom and Beyond:  
Expanding international experience past regular mobility 

 
Chris Dolan 

 
Lebanon Valley College, USA 

 
Abstract 

 
This essay uses a case study approach in detailing programmatic changes 
recently made to the Lebanon Valley College (LVC) International Studies 
program. We believe our newly revised program (renamed Global Studies) 
is innovative given its integration with efforts to internationalize the campus 
and focus on high impact learning experiences, namely study abroad, 
collaborative undergraduate research, internship opportunities, community-
engaged learning, and a global independent research experience. The 
program might serve as a model for other colleges and universities that 
value graduating world-ready students and internationalizing their 
campuses. The overall goal of this study is to highlight the inclusion of 
deeper learning experiences and stronger alignment with college-wide 
international goals. 

 
Introduction 

 
Colleges and universities struggle to keep up with trends in international education and 
new ways of approaching internationalization. Lebanon Valley College (LVC) recently 
approved the conversion of its international studies program into global studies as part of 
an effort to modernize the major and minor and expand high impact learning opportunities 
for students. The international studies program required students to complete a study 
abroad experience, participate in collaborative undergraduate research or an internship, 
take advanced-level language, and choose a general thematic concentration in either 
international economics/politics or global society/culture. However, assessments 
indicated there were better ways of connecting the classroom with a wider array of 
learning experiences that take place well beyond it and to more effectively link the 
program to new college-wide strategic goals of internationalizing the campus and 
graduating world-ready students. 
 
Assessment reports of the original program revealed that improvements could be made 
to benefit student learning experiences. First, given that the college was advancing a new 
vision statement and strategic plan emphasizing the development of skills necessary to 
compete and contribute in the world with more globalized curricular and co-curricular 
experiences, recruitment of international students, more high impacting programs, and 
stronger global career development options, we sought to realign the program with 
broader campus internationalization goals. Second, given the presence of two distinct 
concentrations (politics/economic and culture), majors and minors were not being 
exposed to all content areas in the program. For example, students in international 

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economics/politics were not being adequately exposed to global socio-cultural issues, 
concepts, and theories and students in global society/culture were not being exposed to 
economics, trade and finance, or global politics and international relations theory. In other 
words, the two concentrations were resulting in a degree of specialization that was 
counterproductive to the interdisciplinary nature of the major. Third, beyond the study 
abroad requirement, assessments demonstrated there were not enough high impact 
experiences available for majors. The previous program only provided one of two options 
for students: collaborative undergraduate research and internships. Fourth, students 
were also not developing adequate information literacy skills since the previous program 
did not require the students to complete a course in research methods, since the research 
methods course in the previous program was optional for majors. As a result, students 
were not being exposed to the full range of methods appropriate for conducting research 
in the discipline. 
 
We responded to the call for a more international campus by aligning the program with 
new strategic global priorities of the college and the need to address curricular 
weaknesses by eliminating the two general concentrations, changing the program name 
from “International Studies” to “Global Studies,” including more high impact experiences, 
and integrating classroom with more beyond the classroom experiences. Every major 
must now take courses in global politics, economics, and intercultural cultural diversity, 
inquiry-based research methods, select three beyond the classroom experiences, and 
complete a community-engaged learning project in addition to pursuing study abroad and 
foreign language and are expected to play an integral part in furthering campus 
internationalization initiatives. The overall intention is for students to engage in a more 
unified intellectual experience with the potential to learn together as a cohesive global 
learning community from convocation to commencement and beyond. 
 

Campus Internationalization 
 
Developing strong global programming is central to the identity of any institution that 
values inclusion, intercultural awareness, and preparing world-ready students (Crichton 
& Scarino, 2007; Deardorff, 2006; Stier, 2006). Most colleges will enhance study abroad 
opportunities, foreign language study, and design globally-themed courses in major and 
general education programs (Dolan, 2011). However, revisions made to the LVC Global 
Studies program sought to do much more by serving as a vehicle for internationalizing 
the campus and expanding student learning beyond the classroom. 
 
Internationalization of the LVC campus was recently made a top priority in the LVC 2014-
2015 strategic planning process. The college envisions our graduates acquiring 
competencies, experiences, and skills to compete and thrive on a global scale premised 
on commitments to diversity-initiatives, enrollment of international students, study abroad, 
and other high impact opportunities. Global Studies is central to these goals given that 
students in the program help recruit and retain international students, cultivate broader 
student interest in study abroad, engage in both curricular and co-curricular experiences, 
seek out internships which emphasize global-local connections, and participate in 
community-engaged learning experiences. 

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Global Studies students are very active in internationalizing all aspects of the LVC 
campus, especially helping to attract and retain international students. Following the 
transformation of International Studies into Global Studies, an informal "global 
ambassadors" initiative was formed that allows majors to work with the enrollment office 
to host international students visiting the campus. Students interact with potential 
international students by explaining and answering questions about college academic 
programs, student activities, residential life, and career opportunities (Hanover Research, 
2010). The Global Studies program also partnered with the Center for Global Education, 
an administrative office at the nexus of academic affairs and student life that coordinates 
study abroad programs and LVC's international students, for outreach to students from 
both the U.S. and abroad. 
 
As "global ambassadors," majors work closely with the offices of Global Education, 
multicultural affairs, enrollment, and residential life to coordinate student life programming 
for both U.S. and international students. Students participate in mentorship initiatives to 
address culture shock and other challenges in adapting to campuses and establishing 
friendships. The most significant challenges include mentoring new students adjusting to 
different classroom behaviors, new educational technology, study skills, the general 
education program, and understanding relationships with professors. Global Studies 
students, along with students from other majors, understand that students from abroad 
who interact and form friendships will better adjust to LVC and their new environment. 
However, students often encounter ignorance, cultural intolerance, negative attitudes, 
and a relative lack of sensitivity on campus. On the whole, Global Studies students help 
retain international and U.S. students building and maintaining a friendly and open 
campus by living and dining together, providing English language support, and writing 
and tutoring services. 
 
To further advance campus internationalization, Global Studies students created a global 
education club led by student officers. The club works to facilitate collaboration and 
support for both U.S. and international students with academic counseling, peer 
mentoring, cross-cultural workshops, intercultural celebrations, global food and coffee 
series, student research and study abroad presentations, and international films. The 
Global Studies majors, the Center for Global Education, and the Global Education Club 
work in a collaborative fashion to acclimate students, advance cross-cultural 
communication, develop and sustain friendships and a general sense of belonging, 
engage in community service activities and events, and promote global learning. 
 

Global Studies Within and Beyond the Classroom 
 
The Global Studies program is organized with the Department of History, Politics, and 
Global Studies and is coordinated by one faculty director who is responsible for advising 
28 majors and 4 minors (as of Spring 2015). Faculty from sociology, foreign languages, 
economics, and politics teach related courses in the program. The Global Studies 
curriculum exposes students to core learning principles and ideas while challenging them 
to meet and fulfill interdisciplinary goals. Research demonstrates the effectiveness of 

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international and global studies programs in promoting global awareness and intercultural 
knowledge among students (Abdullahi, Kajberg, & Virkus, 2007; Braskamp & Engberg, 
2011; Breuning & Ishiyama, 2004; Brown, Pegg, & Shively, 2006; Gacel-Ávila, 2007, 
2009; Hovland, 2005; Johnston & Edelstein, 1993; Qiang, 2003). In particular, Sperandio, 
Grudzinski-Hall, & Stewart-Gambina (2010) emphasize that true global learning takes 
place well beyond the conventional classroom. In essence, students learn best when 
linking new experiences with course-based concepts. Globalized education, especially 
study abroad, challenges students to contend with perspectives outside of their own 
personal experiences and hopefully engage in ethical transformation (Hovland, 2010). 
 
The conversion of International Studies into Global Studies was premised on the broader 
intention of transforming the major into one now emphasizing global interactions, global-
local connections, and high impact learning opportunities in addition to the completion of 
coursework in political science, sociology, economics and foreign language. In doing so, 
it seeks to ground students’ development of core learning competencies on political, 
socio-cultural, and economic content while retaining a revised area of skills-based 
courses emphasizing communications, research, service, diversity, and integration. 
Although assessment data revealed weaknesses in writing competencies, these were 
addressed by requiring all majors to enroll in experiential and collaborative learning 
opportunities and research methods as well as by converting the capstone seminar into 
an integrated research experience requiring majors to complete a career portfolio. While 
teaching and assessment instruments exist that can promote and measure change in 
one’s understanding of and tolerance for different cultures, Global Studies students would 
now be exposed to cultural diversity in the form of community-engaged learning, study 
abroad, and internships to develop essential learning outcomes in the areas of ethical 
reasoning and intercultural knowledge. Student success in the program depends on 
embracing the interdisciplinary nature of the courses in sociology, politics, and 
economics, completion of six credits of foreign language at the 300-level, study abroad, 
and completion of three high impact experiences (9 credits) and the senior seminar in 
global studies.  
 
The revised foundational course for majors and minors is “Magnitudes and Dimensions 
of Globalization,” which introduces students to the broad topic of globalization and its 
consequences as well as to the connections and interactions among individuals, 
organizations, and governments throughout the world. In the course, students are 
challenged to identify who has precisely what at stake in a globalizing world, the particular 
definitions or projects of globalization, and who loses. Put simply, since globalization 
implies inequality, students must be challenged to consider viewpoints from a multitude 
of positions and discern the impact of globalization on people, governments, and 
economic systems. Students analyze globalization with short writing assignments on the 
operations of global corporations, the impact of non-U.S. made products and services in 
their daily lives, intercultural diversity on campus, and news articles from global news 
sources.  
 

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In addition to these short writing assignments, Global Studies majors and minors must 
complete a community-engaged learning project.1 The project challenges students to 
make connections among global concepts learned in the course with issues, challenges, 
and problems impacting the local community and immediate region. The community-
engaged project requires that majors develop working relationships with social advocacy 
and civil society groups in the community. These include non-profit agencies working to 
address sexual assault and gender discrimination, poverty, education, health protections 
for women and children, energy and the environment, and immigration and refugees. As 
the students participate with a local agency, they must document their experiences and 
complete a reflective paper explaining the roles and responsibilities of the agency or 
organization they worked with, social, economic, and political conditions in the 
community, and personal experiences in working with the population served by the 
organization. Students are required to make connections and establish linkages between 
their experience and global concepts highlighted in the globalization course.  
 
The overall goal is for students to develop and sharpen their communications skills, 
understand the importance of global learning, and engage in service in the local 
community. The incorporation of community-engaged learning into the foundational 
course expands the importance of connecting global concepts and events with local 
action and enhances the practice of service in the curriculum. The community-engaged 
learning project challenges students to assess their own ethical values and the social 
context of problems, recognize ethical issues in a variety of settings, think about how 
different ethical perspectives might be applied to social dilemmas and consider the 
ramifications of alternative actions. 
 
Following the conclusion of the foundational course on globalization, all majors are 
required to complete introductory and advanced level courses in economics, sociology, 
and politics. Students must complete nine credits in economics, including 
microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international finance or trade. In sociology, 
students complete the introductory-level course and a course in diversity and intercultural 
communication. Then, majors must complete six credits of politics, which includes 
conceptions of global power (international relations theory) and one course from the 
following: Europe in the 20th Century; Comparative Politics; Human Rights and 
International Law; American Foreign Policy; Contemporary Global Security; Global 
Politics of Wealth and Poverty; or special topics in global politics. Majors must also 
complete six credits of foreign language at the conversational level (300-level) or above.  
 
Furthermore, to enhance their information literacy skills, majors must complete a research 
methods course, in which they collect primary and secondary source material, 
differentiate peer-reviewed academic journals and texts from non-peer reviewed works, 
and understand the importance of inferential and descriptive statistical analysis and case 
study, archival, historical, ethnographic, and survey research. The course devotes several 
weeks to crafting rigorous literature reviews, collecting empirical data, and identifying 
legitimate and appropriate information. Students are expected to produce research 

                                                 
1 Students who declare the Global Studies major or minor after completing the foundational course are required to 

complete a community-based project in another required course for the major. 

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manuscripts that could be presented at an academic conference/professional meeting in 
the discipline or submitted for consideration of publication to undergraduate academic 
journals. 
 
Every Global Studies major must also complete at least one study abroad experience 
offered by the campus study abroad office or in a program offered by another 
institution. This must be a full semester of study abroad or an approved alternative 
program, such as full semester-exchange programs, mini-terms (4 to 8 weeks), short-
term (4 weeks), or summer programs that may or may not be led by a member of the 
faculty. Courses taken in off-campus programs can be accepted for credit to the Global 
Studies major, although approval for such credit is contingent on transfer equivalencies. 
 
In addition to study abroad, Global Studies majors must complete nine credits of so-called 
“global experiences.” These include a global independent research experience, 
collaborative undergraduate research, internships, European Union Simulation, and an 
honors thesis. The first is global independent research experience, in which Global 
Studies majors receive academic credit for initiating and completing an independent 
research project while studying abroad for at least one full semester. The student must 
draft a research proposal that includes the topic, outline, and tentative bibliography. The 
topic can be aligned with the study abroad experience, inspired by previous research, or 
consistent with the research interests of an LVC faculty member. Successful completion 
of the project depends on communication between the student studying abroad and the 
faculty-supervisor. The idea for this option was inspired by Brown University’s Global 
Independent Study Project, a unique program that provides undergraduate students the 
opportunity to conduct independent research under the supervision of a faculty mentor.2 
 
The global independent research experience should facilitate the continuation of the 
student’s research after returning to LVC. However, this is a unique and different 
experience that demands a considerable degree of self-discipline and scholarly 
commitment on the part of the student. The experience combines study abroad with 
autonomous research by challenging students to conduct research and promote 
interactions with scholars through immersion in research opportunities in the actual 
environment. The overall goal for students is to learn concepts, theories, methods, data, 
and academic writing appropriate to the research goals of the major. The experience will 
also give students the opportunity to strengthen their information literacy and 
communication skills, improve global learning abilities, and develop a sense of awareness 
and competence of another culture. This will provide students a unique opportunity to 
advance their career prospects, develop an interest in graduate school, and build their 
cross-cultural skills beyond the classroom (see Kuh, 2008). 
 
Students can complete three credits of collaborative undergraduate research with the 
prerequisites of sophomore standing or above or permission of the instructor. Students 
collaborate with faculty on actual research projects, learning the particular topic in the 

                                                 
2 Brown University’s Global Independent Study Project can be found at: 

http://www.brown.edu/academics/college/special-programs/international-study/programs/global-independent-study-

glisp 

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Global Studies discipline, understanding the social science research process, and making 
an original contribution toward the scholarly understanding of the subject. Collaborative 
undergraduate research requires that Global Studies majors work closely with at least 
one member of the faculty. Majors register for one credit each semester until they meet 
the three credit requirement and meet as a group with the professor over the course of 
the entire semester based on a regular, mutually-agreed upon schedule. The one credit 
of collaborative undergraduate research is separate and not attached to another course. 
In other words, it functions and operates as its own unique course. Research projects 
provide an intensive experience for the student that complements, enhances, and even 
surpasses the traditional classroom since the experience normally involves presentation 
of research at an academic conference in the discipline. Students are considered the 
primary collaborator-learners with faculty member as collaborator-advisors. 
 
The collaborative undergraduate research experience challenges students to conduct 
original research on the cutting edge of knowledge and promote interactions with scholars 
through an immersion in a collaborative research environment. As participants, students 
learn critical reasoning, research methods, theoretical principles related to the research 
area, and scholarly communication. The faculty and student collaborators are expected 
to produce a manuscript that could be presented at an academic conference/professional 
meeting or submitted for consideration of publication to an academic journal. 
 
Students seeking less research intensive experiences can take three internship credits 
and be placed in a government agency, non-governmental organization, non-profit, or 
corporation. Most students who pursue the internship experience do so at regional 
organizations, such as the World Affairs Council where they work in various capacities in 
organizing global education, corporate, foreign direct investment, community outreach, or 
public service programs. Other regional internship opportunities exist at community 
resource centers, women’s and children’s health facilities, poverty relief, domestic 
violence intervention, and refugee and immigrant organizations. Furthermore, students 
have the opportunity to seek out global internship opportunities while in a full semester 
study abroad experience. For example, the college’s study abroad programs in Shanghai 
and Valladolid, Spain include internship placements for students. Successful completion 
of any internship is contingent upon the student writing a reflective paper detailing the 
experience and linking it to major global concepts and ideas emphasized in the global 
studies program. 
 
Another option allows students to participate in the popular European Union Simulation 
course, which offers students an enriching, hands-on, interdisciplinary exploration of the 
dynamic processes of policy formation in the core institutions of the European Union. 
Taught by faculty members from the politics department, the course prepares students 
for participation in the simulation held every November in Washington D.C., organized by 
the Mid-Atlantic European Union Simulation Consortium (MEUSC). This experiential 
learning program connects students, majoring mainly in Politics and Global Studies, to 
EU policy makers and policy making in a unique way, utilizing the simulation experience 
to bridge the gap between the academic study of the E.U. and the actual political 
processes of E.U. decision-making bodies. As active simulation participants playing the 

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roles of ministers in a select E.U. member-state, students are engaged in relevant and 
topical discussions and debates in E.U. decision-making circles with a different and 
distinct theme every year. 
 
The Global Studies program culminates in an interdisciplinary capstone experience 
(Synthesizing the Global Experience) based on the broader and more comprehensive 
learning goal of integration. The focus of the entire course is on the preparation and oral 
presentation of a professional portfolio project integrating student course work with study 
abroad and learning experiences beyond the classroom. The portfolio is designed to help 
students searching for career opportunities, graduate school applications, applications for 
scholarships or awards, and interviews for positions on committees and boards. In their 
portfolio projects, students must include items relevant to their specific career and 
vocational interests, namely a resume or curriculum vitae (for students interested in 
graduate school), professional statement of interests, and letters of recommendation. The 
portfolio provides students with the opportunity to represent and highlight their work on 
campus internationalization, internships, research and communications skills, foreign 
language abilities, intercultural knowledge, course assignments, presentations at 
professional conferences, study abroad, and community service. At the end of the 
semester, students present their completed portfolios targeted at potential employers or 
graduate schools. 
 

Programmatic Transformation 
 
There are significant downsides to creating and sustaining global programs focusing 
exclusively on the classroom. First, it tends to reinforce descriptive and passive learning, 
undervalues the importance of skills-based learning, and discourages students from 
making global-local connections and conceptual-practical linkages (Khondker 2004; 
Roudometof 2005). Second, an exclusive focus on classroom-based experiences could 
lead students to learning in terms of box checking a sequence of courses. Third, a mostly 
classroom-based program diminishes the value of requiring students to engage in local 
and regional communities in the form of community-engaged experiences (Guarasci 
1997).  
 
The mission of the Lebanon Valley College Global Studies program challenges students 
to synthesize research in contemporary global politics, economics, and society with study 
abroad, language, and collaborative undergraduate research, internships, community-
engaged learning, and global independent research experience. Learning outcomes now 
include: 

 Integration: Synthesizing concepts from courses with experiences and skills 
developed beyond the classroom. 

 Objective: In the capstone research experience, students will integrate material from 
courses with experiences in study abroad and beyond the classroom in a major 
research paper. 

 

 Global learning: Engaging with global institutions, processes, and systems by 
culturally engaging with others to become aware of difference and inclusion. 

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 Objective: In study abroad, beyond the classroom experiences, and in courses, 
students will be exposed to political, social, and economic ideas and issues, which 
shape our world today. 

 

 Communication: Developing and expressing ideas in writing and delivering purposeful 
oral presentation to increase global knowledge and foster an understanding of the 
world. 

 Objective: In introductory and writing-intensive courses, students will develop writing 
skills in global research papers and articulate ideas in oral presentations and lead 
discussions. 

 

 Critical thinking: Analyzing academic texts, reading unfamiliar information, and 
critically linking concepts with global issues and controversies. 

 Objective: Students will analyze and critically evaluate global ideas and points of view 
and recognize the difference between logical argumentation and non-sense. 

 

 Information literacy: Knowing when there is a need for appropriate information and 
identifying, evaluating, and responsibly sharing that information to address global 
problems. 

 Objective: In writing intensive courses affiliated with the program, research methods, 
the senior capstone, and in collaborative undergraduate research, students will 
develop inquiry skills to address research questions, review literature, build theory, 
explain data, and suggest new courses of action.3 

 
Under this configuration, students are challenged to recognize global-local connections 
and to develop skills for careers in global education, non-governmental organizations, 
inter-governmental organizations, global corporations, governments, academia and law, 
journalism, and social advocacy, and graduate and law school programs. 
 
Our intention is to deliver on these desired learning outcomes. In the classroom, students 
have successfully completed research projects on human rights, female genital 
mutilation, digital technology, poverty, and international and comparative education 
issues. Beyond the classroom, students have engaged in internships while on study 
abroad and at the World Affairs Council, domestic violence and women’s health 
organizations, state government, and international trade and financial investment 
institutions. They have also completed community-engagement and service learning 
experiences through churches, environmental groups, poverty relief organizations, and 
sexual assault agencies. Our recent graduates are now employed at non-profit 
organizations dedicated to social advocacy as well as colleges and universities in the 
areas of international student recruitment and admissions as well as international student 
coordination. Students have also enrolled in graduate school programs with funded 
assistantships in international and comparative higher education, global studies, and 
international affairs and international law school programs. One recent graduate was 

                                                 
3 Revised learning and objectives were adapted from value rubrics developed by the Association of American 

Colleges and Universities (AAC&U): http://www.aacu.org/VALUE/rubrics/ 

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employed with a non-governmental organization and worked in Kosovo on conflict 
resolution programs and analysis. We hope the revised program will continue to capture 
the student’s imagination that globalization is a process slowly unfolding over time with 
no singular way to understand the political, economic, and social evolution of the 21st 
Century. 
 

Concluding Thoughts 
 
In order to build and develop experiential skills required for pursuing productive 
international careers and preparing them for global citizenship, programmatic revisions 
place greater emphasis on deeper learning experiences by requiring students to enroll in 
one less traditional classroom course and engage in additional learning opportunities 
beyond the classroom. Consistent with desired learning outcomes, our revisions are 
designed to enhance particular core competences in synthesis and integration, critical 
thinking, information literacy, communication, and global learning while maintaining 
disciplinary rigor and requiring all majors and minors to be exposed to academic ideas 
and principles in international economics, politics, and sociology. 
 
While incomplete, the revisions made to the LVC global studies can hopefully serve as a 
model for colleges and universities, both large and small. Our program endeavors to 
challenge students to place their global education within a broader context, one that 
includes curricular and co-curricular experiences. A strong international program should 
incorporate political, economic and cultural aspects of the global scene and, in the 
process, connect learning in the classroom to opportunities and experiences beyond it. 
Students must be challenged to perceive Global Studies in terms of problems that can be 
understood and addressed with knowledge, skills, and practical solutions that enable 
students to address the global problems and challenges of the 21st Century. 
 

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Global Partners in Education Journal                                                                                                                    June 2015, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 15-26  

http://www.gpejournal.org/                                                                                                                                                                  ISSN 2163-758X 

 

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About the Author 
 
Chris J. Dolan is Professor of Politics and Director of Global Studies at Lebanon Valley 
College in Annville, Pennsylvania. He is the author or co-author of Striking First, In War 
We Trust, and the Presidency and Economic Policy, as well as numerous articles in 
political science and international studies journals and chapters in edited books. 
 
 

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