HR: 0800h
AN: ED31C-0750    [Abstracts]
TI: The Marine Language Exchange Program: an International Approach to Ocean Sciences
AU: Nowell, A
EM: nowell@ocean.washington.edu
AF: College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355350, Seattle, WA 98195-5350 United States
AU: * Robigou, V
EM: vero@ocean.washington.edu
AF: School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Box 357940, Seattle, WA 98195-7940 United States
AB: The ability of scientists to communicate across cultural and linguistic barriers is crucial for the global economic sustainability and protection of the world's oceans. Yet students with majors in the sciences and engineering constitute less than 2% of those who study abroad each year. And even fewer are students who study in countries where English is not the first language. The Marine Language Exchange program is a case study of an international and interdisciplinary collaboration between faculties in the languages and the sciences that address this gap. A consortium of U.S. and European institutions including University of Washington (Washington), Eckerd College (Florida), University of Hilo (Hawaii), Universit\'{e} de la Rochelle (France), Universit\'{e} de Li\`{e}ge (Belgium), and Universidad de Las Palmas (Spain) is developing a multilingual, marine sciences exchange program in an effort to internationalize their ocean sciences departments. The program includes a three-week, intensive "bridge" course designed to reinforce second language skills in the context of marine sciences, and prepare undergraduate students for the cultural and educational differences of their host country. Following this preparatory immersion experience students from each institution enroll in courses abroad for 6 to 12 months to study marine sciences for full academic credit. Different disciplinary approaches -Second Language Acquisition, English as a Second Language and Marine Science- prepare science students to contribute to the study and the management of the world\'{}s oceans with an awareness of the cultural issues reflected by national marine policies.
UR: http://www.marine-language-exch.org/
DE: 4200 OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL
DE: 4500 OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL
DE: 4599 General or miscellaneous
DE: 0825 Teaching methods
DE: 0850 Geoscience education research
SC: Education and Human Resourcese [ED]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting