- University News Archive - 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock /news-archive/tag/instituto-de-filosofia/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Tue, 27 Aug 2019 13:36:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Gilman Scholar studies Latin American politics in once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cuba /news-archive/2019/08/27/ryan-bourgoin-cuba/ Tue, 27 Aug 2019 13:36:39 +0000 /news/?p=74946 ... Gilman Scholar studies Latin American politics in once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cuba]]> When Ryan Bourgoin chose a location to study abroad, popular study abroad options for American college students like Italy, France, and Great Britain were the farthest thing from his mind.听 Instead, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock junior political science major was interested in studying Latin American politics and wanted to travel to a country where he would be immersed in a very different culture. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad that I went to Cuba of all places and not a western European country,鈥 said Bourgoin, of Sherwood. 鈥I wanted a study abroad experience that would be very different from what I was used to at home. There was a lot more to be learned in a country like Cuba that has only recently opened up relations with the U.S. and transitioned out of the Castro era.鈥 Bourgoin, one of three 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock recipients of the U.S. Department of State鈥檚 , spent seven weeks this summer living with a host family in Vedado, a neighborhood in Havana鈥檚 business district, through USAC鈥檚 La Habana (Havana) study abroad program. He took courses at The Instituto de Filosofia and studied government and politics in Latin American and Latin American social revolutions. 鈥淭hese classes really helped me get some needed credits to help complete my major,鈥 Bourgoin said. 鈥Latin American politics is an area where I was not very knowledgeable. I learned how interrelated the politics of the U.S. and Latin America are. You can鈥檛 talk about anything that happened in Latin America since the 19th century without talking about America.鈥听 Bourgoin said it was an interesting experience to be an American living in Cuba. Even though the U.S. and Cuba have different political ideologies, the people he met with friendly and caring, yet frank. 鈥There is still a mentality that this a political problem between governments and not people, so Cubans can treat Americans well. They are a very generous people,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very strange paradox. Cuba tries to show that they are standing up to America, but they also are interested in American products and tourism for the economic boon.鈥 Studying abroad in a non-English speaking country not only gave Bourgoin the opportunity to improve his Spanish skills, but he also gained a new perspective on life.听
Ryan Bourgoin (right) and his classmates travel around Cuba during a study abroad trip.

Ryan Bourgoin (right) and his classmates travel around Cuba during a study abroad trip.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very interesting to be the minority in a country that conflicts with America in a lot of its core values,鈥 he said. 鈥淎lthough I鈥檒l never truly understand the struggles that people of color face in America, I think it helps me to see the perspective of what immigrants go through in this country and get a perspective on what it is like to not be in the majority.鈥 As part of the program, he also took a one-week tour of southern Cuba to visit historic sites such as Playa Gir贸n (one of two landing sites for seaborne forces of about 1,500 armed Cuban exiles during the Bay of Pigs Invasion), the colonial city of Trinidad, and the Ernesto 鈥淐he鈥 Guevara Mausoleum, who was a major figure of the Cuban Revolution. 鈥淐he Guevara鈥檚 mausoleum is like visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in America,鈥 Bourgain said. 鈥淭hey take it very seriously. A lot of the older people in Cuba are still big fans of Castro, but many of the younger people thought the Castro brothers were cowards.鈥 His trip to Cuba has inspired some potential research projects. As a Donaghey Scholar, Bourgoin will complete a year-long final project next year before he graduates. He鈥檚 interested in studying the changes Cuba underwent after the Castros鈥 departure from power or the effects of the U.S. embargo against Cuba. After Bourgoin graduates in May 2021, he plans to continue to travel internationally, perhaps by working as an international teacher or joining the Peace Corps, and to continue to develop his career as a writer. In the end, Bourgoin said the opportunity to learn more about the residents of Cuba was the most rewarding part of his study abroad experience. 鈥淚 also enjoyed meeting the Cubans and getting to know what they thought of their country, other countries, and life in general,鈥 he said. 鈥淪everal of the Cubans told me that the only good things about Cuba was the free healthcare and education, but even though they don鈥檛 have a lot, that they find enjoyment in being able to听 walk around without worrying much about violent crime. The streets are very safe. There was also another perspective: We don鈥檛 have a whole lot here, but we have enough to share, so how could you want more?鈥澨]]> Record number of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students receive study abroad Gilman Scholarships /news-archive/2019/05/06/gilman/ Mon, 06 May 2019 21:59:58 +0000 /news/?p=74228 ... Record number of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students receive study abroad Gilman Scholarships]]> The U.S. Department of State鈥檚 has been awarded to three University of Arkansas at Little Rock students who will study or work abroad this summer. This is a record number of scholarship recipients for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in a single application cycle. The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, was the only other Arkansas college or university with Gilman Scholarship recipients. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock student winners include:
  • Madeline (Maddie) Burke of Little Rock will work in Spain. She is an international studies major with a minor in legal studies and will graduate in December.
  • Ryan Bourgoin of Sherwood, a sophomore political science major, will study in Cuba. He serves as editor of The Forum and will graduate in 2021.
  • Solomon Ra’phael Davis will study abroad in the Netherlands. He is a junior double majoring in philosophy and international studies. He will graduate in May 2020.
All three of this year鈥檚 recipients are Donaghey Scholars. 鈥淭his is the first time that 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock has had three Gilman winners in one term, which is amazing, considering the competitive nature of the scholarship,鈥 said Emily Bell, Director of Study Abroad. 鈥淭his summer cycle, there were 5,000 students who applied and only 1,000 were given scholarships, so that speaks to the quality of the scholarship essays these three students produced.鈥 Including this summer鈥檚 recipients, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock has had 17 winners in the past five years who have received $61,000 in scholarship funding for study abroad programs. Burke leaves for Spain on May 19 and will intern at Attittud, a business consultant firm, where she will assist in the management and organization of consulting projects. She will return July 27. 鈥淭his will be my first internship, so I want to use this opportunity to gain a better sense of what sort of career I want after graduation,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 also want to use this opportunity to network with other people around the world and further develop my professional skills.鈥 Burke also has intermediate Spanish-speaking skills and hopes to improve her skills while she is in Spain. 鈥淚 chose to intern abroad in Spain to learn more about the history and culture. Several people I know have studied abroad in Spain and told me about their experiences, so my decision was also slightly influenced by their stories,鈥 she said. Bourgoin leaves for Cuba on June 2 and returns July 20. He will take two courses – one in Latin American politics and another in Latin American social revolutions – at the Instituto de Filosofia in Havana. 鈥淚 wanted a study abroad experience that would be radically different from what I was used to at home, and given Cuba’s political situation and the nation’s prevailing values, I thought that this would be the best place to go,鈥 Bourgoin said. 鈥淎lso, as a student of political science, I figured that such an insular and idiosyncratic state would be the most interesting destination, especially since Cuba has only recently opened up relations with the U.S. and transitioned out of the Castro era. Also, I wanted to immerse myself in the Spanish language and decided that Cuba’s alienation from the English-speaking world would make it a good place to do this.鈥 Bourgoin will stay in Vedado, a student neighborhood in Havana’s business district. While he鈥檚 there, he plans to tour southern Cuba to visit historic sites such as Playa Gir贸n (a major landing site for the Bay of Pigs Invasion) and the Terrazas, a nature reserve reserve and reclamation of nature. 鈥淢y main career interest is writing novels, essays, and short stories about philosophy and politics, so I think experience abroad is invaluable,鈥 he said. 鈥淩eceiving the Gilman award will open up new opportunities for experience abroad by connecting me to an extensive alumni network and making me more competitive for programs hosted by Fulbright and the Peace Corps, a factor that also might play into getting my work noticed.鈥 鈥淎dditionally, the Gilman award has helped make it possible for me to explore the unique political climate of an insular socialist nation and allow me to study at one of its institutions of learning,鈥 he said. 鈥淏oth of these are great opportunities to step outside the assumptions of the given place and time in which I happened to be born and broaden my perspective of the world. It’s not every day you get to go to Cuba, so I think the Gilman award will help me develop a unique voice and worldview.鈥 Davis leaves June 20 for a seven-week stay in the Netherlands where he will take classes in law and politics at Maastricht University. 鈥淚 wanted to spend time in the Netherlands to learn the language and learn about law and politics at the hub of international law,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his opportunity plays into my career path by making me a more competitive applicant for law school and Ph.D. in political science programs. It also helps prepare me to work in the internationally connected world that we live in. It will also connect me with diplomats that may do the kind of work I am interested in professionally.鈥 In addition to being a Donaghey Scholar, Davis is president of the the International听Honor Society of Philosophy; president of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 International Studies Association for Undergrads; and president of the Ethics Bowl Debate Team. The Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship is a congressionally funded program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. State Department. The award was named after the late congressman Benjamin A. Gilman, who served 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. The scholarship鈥檚 mission is to broaden and diversify the student population that studies and interns abroad. 鈥淚 am very excited that the time and effort Maddie, Ra’phael, and Ryan dedicated to applying for the scholarship paid off,鈥 Bell added. 鈥淭hey spent extensive time planning for their unique study abroad experiences, and I know with the help of the Gilman scholarship, their time abroad will be even more meaningful. I’m proud that these three will be representing our campus internationally, and we look forward to hearing about their experiences upon their return to campus in the fall.鈥 Photo top right: Maddie Burke,听Ra’phael Davis, and Ryan Bourgoin received Gilman Scholarships to study or work abroad this summer. Photo by Benjamin Krain    ]]>