Courses that require interaction with an external entity (such as embedded travel courses, projects that interact with industry, government, community organizations, businesses, etc.)

Studying the Curaçaoan Justice System
by David Cruz

Over Thanksgiving break I traveled to Curaçao with my Crim 451 class to study racial issues and the justice system in the country. I got to travel to the University of Curacao where I had the opportunity to talk with the students about the racial divide in the country. I went the Prosecutor’s Office to learn about the application of correctional policy towards illegal immigrants migrating to the country for asylum. I also was able to tour a prison and learned about the island’s prison system. Overall, it was a phenomenal and unforgettable experience that I am extremely lucky to have been a part of.

I was actually born in Venezuela and, given the unfortunate circumstances that my country is experiencing at the moment, many Venezuelan residents are fleeing and migrating to Curaçao. This study abroad program gave me the opportunity to travel to the country my people are fleeing to in order to study and understand the Curaçaoan government’s perceptions towards the Venezuelans migrating to the island for asylum. I made connections with the Venex Curaçao Foundation, a foundation working to help immigrants establish themselves in the country for a better life and am still in contact with one of the main contributors to this foundation.

While on the trip, I worked as a translator for the Venex Curaçao Foundation explaining the steps they are taking to help Venezuelans succeed in the country. Being able to translate and give some of my time for the betterment of the Venezuelan people was an extremely fulfilling experience for me.

I am currently in the Air Force ROTC program here at Penn State, as a future Air Force Officer who will be deployed multiple times all over the world, this experience was just the beginning of my adventure of experiencing new cultures and diverse communities. I gained a lot of knowledge about the Curaçaoan government, their judicial system and their community’s day-to-day lifestyle. It was a beautiful experience that I am extremely thankful for.

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Shifting My Views of Government
by Jiacheng Cai

For my experience, I went to Washington DC to communicate with institutions that represented the government, the lobbying industry, and the media. Throughout the week I was fortunate enough to meet with officials from the State Department, the Department of Labor, current and retired congressmen, as well as lobbyist from Toyota America, Bank of America, Local 25 (A non-profit Hotel Worker Union for DC and Maryland), and Steve Scully, the executive producer of C-SPAN television network. Within each meeting, I was able to receive insights into their job and ask about how each of these organizations relates to each other.

This experience reshaped my way of viewing the American Government. Before the trip I was quite scared and frustrated by the radical changes that were made by the current executive administration. But, during the trip, I’ve learned that every single decision that was made by the executive and legislative branch were heavily influenced by every single department and lobbyist, each with their own interests in the law. Despite the difference in interests between different organizations, everyone is working passionately towards the same goal of making the country better for citizens, which is truly the essence of democracy. I was able to witness all of this in action. This trip made me appreciate the governmental system that America has and started an interest in politics within myself.

Prior to the trip, I was able to take the lecture portion of the course. Though the course I was able to learn the history of Washington DC in an in-depth way. While learning the stories behind each building and memorial, I was able to gain a sense of how the government was developing and the struggles that the United States as a nation was going through. These bits of knowledge I gained in the classroom were extremely helpful when I visited the city since they helped me to put everyplace I visited into context.

Through this experience, I’ve learned the work each government department does and how they related to each other in terms of their work and their policies. I’ve also learned that the lobbying industry has a strong influence in the government due to the financial power that they wield. After this experience, I would use my experience to inform my fellow international students about the function of each governmental organization, and I’ll pay more focus on how the businesses affect bills and laws within the political system.

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