Study Abroad General Education Program Proposals



SAGE: Study Abroad General Education Grant

Co-sponsored by General Education: The Human Community and the Office of International Programs (OIP), the Study Abroad General Education (SAGE) Grant Program is intended to expand general education offerings in international settings.  SAGE grants support the redesigning of an existing general education course for offering during the summer as part of a new short-term study abroad program.  Each grant funds a planning trip (airfare, lodging, modest meal stipend) to the destination country, possibly during spring break or in the summer preceding that of the program’s initial implementation.  Other costs associated with the project are negotiable.   Grant recipients must abide by OIP polices governing travel arrangements, training, and recruitment of students for the programs.

Examples of successful grant proposals include: GHUM 252: Cross Cultural Perspectives – Japan (Cluster Two); GSCI 101: Physics, Chemistry, and the Human Experience – London (Cluster Three); GHUM 200: Great Works of Irish Literature and Film (Cluster Two); and GGEOG 200: Geography the Global Dimension – Philippines (Cluster Four).

Timeline

  • Application deadline:  November 30, 2012
  • Award announced the week of December 15, 2012
  • Planning trip – Spring Break or Summer 2013 (or other convenient times)
  • Revised General Education Course Proposal due August 2013
  • Course offered abroad in Summer 2014

Application Process

Download the proposal form, available here. Proposals must include the following:

  • Full title and description of course
  • Preliminary syllabus (tentative reading, site visits, assignments)
  • A narrative statement explaining the pedagogical benefits of teaching the course in the proposed location
  • A narrative statement explaining how the course will meet the learning objective of the proposed cluster
  • Summary of the proposer’s experience with and possible contacts in the destination country

Proposals will be reviewed by both the appropriate General Education Cluster Committee and by the OIP. Completed proposals should be submitted in hard copy to the OIP at the following address: 

Office of International Programs
James Madison University
MSC 5731
JMAC 6, Suite 22
Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Be sure to keep a completed copy of the proposal for your records.

For more information, please contact the OIP Director of Study Abroad, Felix Wang, at 568-6273 or wangch@jmu.edu.