Independent Study and Multicultural Education

Independent Study and Multicultural Education

The following is an interview that Verge Magazine , out of Canada, did with Vagabond Journey on the importance of independent study and international/ multicultural education.
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Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Brooklyn, New York City- October 22, 2008
Travelogue -- Travel Photos
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1. What kinds of travel experiences have you had as part of independent studies or projects (“independent” meaning a project that was not already a prescribed part of a standard curriculum set out by your school; a project that was self-directed or that you designed yourself)?

I did my undergraduate studies at Global College, Long Island University, which is a four year, accredited, international studies program, with centers in Costa Rica, South Africa, India, China, and Japan. A large part of the curriculum of this school is based upon independent study projects that students carry out with the assistance of an academic advisor. As for myself, I focused the majority portion of my studies on independent projects that I carried out in Japan, India, China, Morocco, and Portugal.

For one semester in Japan, I took 9 credits of independent study, and did two major projects. One was a very in-depth investigation into traditional Japanese tattooing and the other was a study of haiku poetry and its symbiotic relationship with Zen Buddhism.

I studied in China for one year, and focused my independent projects on Tang Dynasty poetry, contemporary Tibetan nomads, and martial arts. For the Tibetan nomad independent study, I went out to Qinghai province in the west of China to conduct my investigation. The Tang Dynasty poetry project cumulated in a journey into the TianTai mountains in search of the 11th century poet, Han Shan's, hermitage.

I then studied for a semester at Global College's South Asian Center in Bangalore, India. Here I began my study of journalism by formulating, with the assistance of my academic advisor, a course called Ethnographic Journalism (which would eventually become my formal area of concentration within Global College). In this independent study, I went into the Chinatowns of India, a Tibetan refugee camp at Bylakuppe, and wrote articles about many aspects of Indian society. The Tibetan refugee article was published by Abroad View magazine, and I am currently re-working an article on traditional Indian woodcarvers for publication.

From India I went to Morocco and Portugal for a complete semester of independent study. My main focus was on journalism, and I wrote pieces on Moroccan culture and society - focusing on the Ramadan celebration - as well as an article on graffiti artists in Portugal that was published in Cafe Abroad InPrint.

3. What did planning for these independent projects involve? For example, did you work with a faculty advisor? When did the planning process start? Did you have to prepare proposals, hand in progress reports? What steps did you have to take before you began your project/study?

The independent study projects that students do in Global College, Long Island University must be well researched in advance and proposals need to be submitted and approved by the student's academic advisor before they can begin. Throughout the semesters that I studied independently, I worked very closely with my advisers to optimize the results of my work.

4. What work did you complete?

If you go to this page, Travel Articles, you can browse the bulk of the work that I accomplished while studying independently.

5. What did you learn?

The most important things that I learned while studying independently were the more subtle, person skills that derive from designing and carrying out large research projects on my own volition. Skills such as self confidence, determination, and inter-personal communication are cultivated through independent study. Though I think the most important skill that I gained while studying independently abroad was that I was able to learn how gain access to people, places, and experiences that I need to carry out my research. Independent study teaches students the HOWS of life, and not just the whats, wheres, and whens.


6. Did studying independently allow you to do things you wouldn’t have been able to do through study in traditional courses/programs?

Yes, definitely. I came to Global College (previously called the Friends World Program) because I was worn out and jaded with the structure and limitations that are inherent to the conventional education model; I wanted to get out in the world and take control of my own education and to shape my own knowledge and opportunities. I found sitting in a classroom, far removed from the source of what I was studying, unbearable. I needed to go directly to the spring of knowledge, and quench my curiosities for myself.

8. How did studying independently allow you to have meaningful experience in a way that traditional courses/programs may not have allowed?

Through studying independently I was able to escape the cage of the classroom and experience my education for myself. Global College provided me with a way to study independently in virtually any country in the world that I wished to travel to, investigate what I was passionate about, and produce work that I am still proud of. I could not have done this through doing the redundant dittos and busy-work assignments that are the hallmark of a conventional university education.

I was also able to make many friends and contacts through studying internationally and doing independent projects that I would not have been able to make if I sat sedentary in a US university for four years. I know that I will always utilize the contacts that I made and the experiences that I had while studying independently with Global College. In point, independent study enabled me to grasp my research topics in both hands and to really make something of my university education.

9. What are the disadvantages of studying independently? What is difficult about it?

The main disadvantage of studying independently is that it is the student needs to be responsible for their own education. Simply put, the student must be their own teacher and come up with strategies to seize the information and knowledge that they desire. During the course of an independent study semester, a teacher or an adviser can only guide the student toward their goals, it is up to the student to take that guidance and make something of it. It is my impression that if a student is not passionate about their studies and they are not driven enough to make contacts on their own, then their independent studies may not come to fruition. When you study independently, you essentially throw yourself out into a middle of a sea of possibility, and you have to make it back to land by way of your own guts, determination, and ingenuity. Studying in this manner is a great way to cultivate essential life skills and experience that you can take with you for the rest of your life, but, if you sink, nobody will be there to pull you back afloat. Independent study is a good litmus test for a student to check if they are able to face the world beyond the university gates. From my experience, independent study is a slight risk, though I feel that it is one that is worth taking.


10. Anything else you would like to add?

Yeah, for examples of the projects that I did while studying independently with Global College, Long Island University, please visit, http://www.vagabondjourney.com/ or http://www.vagabondjourney.com/travel-articles.shtml

And go directly to Global College's homepage, http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/globalcollege/

Related Pages:
International Study and Travel
Global College Long Island University
How to Finance Travels and Study Abroad
Scholarship for Travel
Global College China Center
Global College Costa Rica Center
Global College Japan Center
Global College South Africa Center
Global College South Asian Center

Links to previous travelogue entries:
Drunks Drop Money- Travel Tip #15
Travels New York City
David Lida Interview

Independent Study and Multicultural Education
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Scholarship to Travel the World

Scholarship to Travel the World

A reader by the name of Taylor emailed me asking advice on where in the world he should propose to travel for a $20,000 scholarship. It seems as if a very wealthy man who "who clearly has too much money" gives this huge travel scholarship to one student at Taylor's university every year.

Read Scholarship for Travel
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Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Brooklyn, New York, USA- September 14, 2008
Travelogue -- Travel Photos
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But the stipulations that are placed on the winner of the scholarship are interesting and indicates to me that the man who gives this grant was once (or still is) a traveler himself. For example the student who wins this award must travel continuously for at least nine months, must not go to Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand etc. . . , must not take part in any organized activities - no working, studying, or even going on tours - and they must do all of this alone. This is a traveler's criteria if I have ever known one. I would love to meet the man who gives this award.

I can imagine Andy the Hobotraveler giving out travel awards like this as soon as he makes his millions off of Hideout.


Map of Middle East and North Africa

(Regular readers of this travelogue will probably take note that this is also my own proposed route of travel after I dig myself out of this New York City hole in January.)

The Paths of the world are open for those who wish to travel them. There are plenty of options to travel the world through studying abroad and winning scholarships. During the course of my own travels I have very often relied on the good graces of scholarships and financial aid to boot my expenses.

The world is full of opportunity, to seize it you just need to poke around, fumbled about a little, and find your path. Studying and winning scholarships is a great way to obtain the means to travel. Good on ya Taylor for seeking out this scholarship and going for it. If I can be of any further assistance just let me know.

Scholarship for Travel

Links to previous travelogue entries:

• Worlds Most Traveled Motorcycle
• Couchsurfing in New York City
• Philadelphia to New York City

Scholarship to Travel the World
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Fortunate Travel Blogger

Fortunate Travel Blogger

I think that I am a very fortunate blogger, well, as far as fortune and blogging can be strewn together in the same sentence.

I say this because it is evident that the people who read and comment on this travelogue are in the top rank of humanity in terms of intelligence. I seriously get some good comments. Sometimes I read them and their quality, insight, and depth makes my jaw drop.

Sometimes the comments are better than the posts themselves, I say with a laugh.
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Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Philadelphia, PA, USA- September 1, 2008
Travelogue -- Travel Photos
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I recently wrote about a decision that I was pondering between ditching my university studies and keeping on the long road to the Middle East or going to go to NYC to finish my degree. I wrote of the benefits and disadvantages of both roads, and left myself tied in a knot and momentarily confused. Yes, the ebbs and flows of base intuition were not biting me, and I was left to wallow in a sea of indecision.

But many of you readers left comments and wrote me letters that were full of strong advice and deep wisdom. After reading them the mist evaporated and the Road became clear to me again. Unanimously, the verdict was that you, my dear readers, think that I should just finish up my university degree and be done with it forever and ever. I must say that this is probably the best choice. So I took your chunky morsels of wisdom, gobbled them down, and have returned to the good old USA.

I am in Philadelphia now excited about the prospect of having 15 weeks to wander around the boroughs of New York City. I know that I probably would not be here if it were not for your poignant offers of hard earned wisdom

I thank you.

I feel deeply appreciative that I have such readers who have ventured beyond the faceless walls of the internet world to have become my friends. If you ever need anything, there is a man who blows with the wind and writes words all day long who owes you a favor.

I thank you.

Walk Slow,

Wade

Links to previous travelogue entries:

• Hungary Travel Photos
• Debit Cards for Travel
• Traveling New York City

Fortunate Travel Blogger
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International Study Travel

International Study Travel

My friend Andy the Hobotraveler has been on me for some time to share the specifics of how I have been traveling the past 9 years; namely, the ways in which studying internationally has enabled me to continuously move about the globe. For a long time I did not think that there was anything significant about how I have acquired the means to travel: I work a little, take financial aid a little, have won a few big scholarships, work a little more, write words, and work a little more. This all seemed very straight forward to me and I found no real reason to write about this in detail. But a few days ago I began thinking of the logistics of how I have been making up my bean money, and it became apparent that it is not as sluiced down and obvious as I have previously thought.
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Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Budapest, Hungary- August 12, 2008
Travelogue -- Travel Photos
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It struck me that there is a flip side to the reasons that I have been sporadically studying for so long (my first time in college was after I got kicked out of high school in January of 1999) and this is that I have found that I can fund my travels when I go broke by taking semesters of international study. Putting aside for a moment all of the other benefits of international study - such as learning language, cultural studies, and having experiences that are not really available to the lone traveler - I have found that through enrolling in study abroad programs I can acquire the means to live for extended periods of time in foreign lands comfortably. Up to here I have been awarded over $60,000 in scholarship, grants, and financial aid (though the high costs of Global College greatly offsets this rather large seeming amount), have been able to find somewhat comfortable living arrangements, and have had the time and space to work and earn money in the countries that I've studied in. In part, because of intermittent bouts of international study, I have been able to keep moving about the world so continuously without always needing to get my hands dirty.

With international study comes living stipends. It is as simple as this. I found that I could use scholarships, grants, and student loans to not only pay for my education but also my living expense. I have also realized that I can live far cheaper than the average student and tend to be able to use this money to travel vastly farther. So, with a certain amount of diligence and restraint, the living stipend for one semester of international study can easily get a traveler six months of wandering.

The time, space, and personal contacts that are inherent to studying and having a "base" in a country also means that the possibilities for working - particularly teaching English - are far greater. Each dollar that a traveler can make in their travels is a dollar more that they can put between themselves and going home. I take work wherever I can get it.

Another side advantage to studying is that tax breaks are available to students based upon the cost of their educational expense. I do not make enough money each year to have any tax liability - I do not even bother to have taxes taken out of my paychecks when working around the USA - though if I study for at lease one semester a year I find that I can get a "refund" of around a thousand dollars. This extra money is a fifth of my yearly expenses.

Therefore, it was my goal and intention to stretch my undergraduate education out as long as I possibly could. So I studied for a semester in Japan and then traveled for a year and a half, then studied for a semester in China and then spent the summer in Central America, just to return to Asia and study for a semester in India to return to China, and so on - ever splicing periods of straight travel with financial aid, student loan, and grant sponsored international study. I have found this to be a good formula for world travel.

Though I really do enjoy these bouts of study, especially as much of it was done independently and I was able to travel where I wanted and study what ever struck my fancy. Studying also allows me to break up the routine of continuous travel, learn more, and have access within a culture that I could not otherwise have. Being a student also provides a traveler with an identity, which is important if you really want to talk with people, do interviews, and find out about a place and the folks who live there. The guise of the international student is one that almost every culture can accept as permittable. If you tell someone that you are a student and study culture then they are far more apt to tell you about themselves, what they do, and bear with all of your stupid questions. The international student is also a very benign and accepted identity when trying to penetrate the outer walls of a culture: you are not a stupid tourist, you are not a suspicious journalist, you are not a fear evoking government official, you are safe, open, and eager-to-learn student. An easily understandable and obvious identity is often needed to look behind the mask of culture. Everyone needs to be someone, and being a student is a good way to open up the floodgates to being taught.

The writer is the perpetual idiot, and, likewise, the implications behind being a student are very similar: it is the job of the student to learn because they do not know anything. I have found it easy to prove to people that my vessel is empty by telling them that I am a student. Gratefully for me, many people around the world seem to like filling up empty vessels. I can only learn if I can prove that I know nothing. Tell someone that you are a student and you find yourself with a wild card that sanctions stupid questions and the learning that inherently comes from such.

I want to keep up my one semester a year pattern of travel. Luckily for me, if I finish up my B.A. these next few months in Brooklyn I have an entire world of grad school to travel on. I essentially get to begin my studies all over again. I have another four year degree that I can stretch out to eight, a myriad of possibilities for international study, and something that I could not get as an undergrad: funding for research. Yes, grad students get paid to study.

I look at what I have haphazardly accomplished during the shaky ebb and flow of my undergrad education: I have studied in over seven countries on five continents, wrote a decent thesis on Traditional Japanese Tattooing, and have assembled a modest, yet solid body of published work. Because I unintentionally gave myself the time and space to develop while working on my B.A. I have accomplished far more than the average 22 year old graduate.

I think that with the proper amount of diligence I can repeat what I did in undergrad in graduate school, and do so with a large amount of funding. I think that I may be able to continue making a good portion of my travel funds - and continue collecting tax refunds - by regularly taking one semester of school a year.

(Yet I do not understand why anthropologists need funding to conduct their studies. As with only a couple big bags of rice, a few nice machetes, and a truckload of Marlboro cigarettes an ethnographer can become welcomed in almost any primitive society on earth.)

But the flip-side to this travel strategy is that I am buried in student debt. But as my mother, as well as my grandmother before her, would always say: "You can't get blood from a stone." If I remain a poor man then I have no worries, if I someday happen to make money I should conceivably have enough money to pay off these loans.

I am not concerned by mere fetters.

Links to previous travelogue entries:

• Photo Copy Travel Guides
• How to Drink Absinthe
• Round Trip Plane Ticket from Budapest to New York

International Study Travel
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