bestsemester: voices
Working with Real-World Clients Ups the Ante on Course Projects By Melissa Steffan
F
rom its location on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the American Studies Program encompasses more than studies in public policy. It also offers students experience in global development.
“In the enterprise of global development, we are increasingly seeing collaborative efforts on the parts of for-profit, nongovernmental, and governmental institutions,” Hartis says. “We’re attempting to prepare students to lead effectively in that changing environment.”
Established in 1976 as the CCCU’s first BestSemester program, ASP has long provided CCCU students with opportunities to directly engage leading institutions through internships and project-based course studies. ASP began as a public policy program and has always offered students the opportunity to wrestle with their faith in the context of politics and public responsibility.
Unlike other college-level entrepreneurship classes, the GDE track is not a lecture- or theory-based course. Instead, it is an intensive professional experience that allows students to work on real-world projects under the direction of real-world clients.
Since 2009, though, students have also been turning to ASP to provide them with hands-on, out-of-the-classroom experience in international relations and development work through the Global Development and Entrepreneurship track. According to track director, Gerry Hartis, GDE focuses on getting up close and personal with the major institutions currently shaping the conversation about sustainable development.
46
CCCU Advance | Spring 2012
According to Sarah Liuba, a senior at Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, Calif., the most important part of her GDE experience last fall was the opportunity to participate in an actual project with tangible implications. “You become an expert of that field of study, and you help drive the proposals. The work you do in GDE is not hypothetical; your research and deliverables will be utilized for years to come.” During the fall 2011 semester, Liuba interned at Conservation International and, along with several GDE peers, was contracted to do