Mobility, Society, and Governance in North America

Vancouver, Canada

Application Deadline: March 15, 2010

The UBC campus is surrounded by old-growth forest, with miles of hike/bike trails that lead down to the Pacific Ocean. From the shore, you can see the Coastal Mountain Range and Mt. Whistler. You are surrounded by the Pacific… eagles soar overhead.

—Adrienne Hearne ’10 (Adrienne was a 2009 program participant. See more of her reflections below.)

The University of British Colombia

A world-class university, the University of British Colombia (UBC) has an international reputation for academic excellence, scholarship, and groundbreaking research. Home to 45,000 students on the Vancouver campus, its student population hails from across the continent and around the world.

Both the city and UBC are rich in international culture. Some of my best friends were from Spain, Austria, Peru, the Netherlands, and Mexico. This was an invaluable experience—I was constantly surrounded by international perspectives.

Environmental responsibility and awareness of sustainability issues permeate all aspects of campus life. Nature itself is integral to the UBC experience: Pacific Spirit Park, an 800-hectare forest and green space, borders the campus, and the student Outdoor Club is one of the university’s largest.

In addition, top-notch scholarship is the norm. Students will find an engaging and dedicated faculty committed to values of professional excellence, student and community-centered learning, and advanced, innovative research. UBC offers a wide variety of courses in fields ranging from oceanography, forestry, and environmental design to international relations and first nation studies.

I took courses from some of the leading scholars on international environmental politics and the Arctic. The courses were incredibly compelling and provided me with an international perspective on the current social issues of our time.

Almost a city unto itself, UBC’s 1000-acre campus boasts state-of-the-art learning facilities, a bustling campus community, and innumerable cultural and culinary opportunities.

Location

The University of British Colombia is just 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver, Canada’s third largest city. With a diverse population of over 2 million people, the metropolitan area has put a high priority on maintaining its stunning natural setting. The city has a mild, temperate climate and is surrounded by an array of natural wonders—dense forests, soaring mountains, and the inlets and open expanse of the Pacific.

A special thing about Vancouver is that the city’s development has allowed for the preservation of the environment, making room for an abundance of parks, trails, and beautiful trees.

Vancouver prides itself on being a cosmopolitan and international city with residents from all over the world. With a large Asian population and European and South American influences among many others, the city has a unique and dynamic culture. Its wonderful food, vibrant arts and entertainment, and animated music scene all draw from the global reality of the city.

The city and the campus are very environmentally conscious, with eco-friendly mass public transit, cyclists everywhere, an active civil society, locally grown foods and “Mom and Pop” markets on every corner.

Just as there is always something new and delicious to eat in Vancouver, there is always something to do. Small shops and local markets abound, and the area’s geography lends itself to hiking, swimming, sailing, and world-class skiing. A truly one-of-a-kind city, Vancouver offers a tremendous social, cultural, and educational experience.

Program of Study

The main objective of the Mobility, Society, and Governance in North America (MSG-NA) program is to create a group of young professionals and researchers endowed with a comparative and transnational vision of the processes that characterize the NAFTA region, in the hope that this vision will allow them to find innovative solutions to the challenges facing the three countries of North America.

Notre Dame students participating in the MSG-NA program in Vacouver can apply for the fall or spring semester. The fall semester begins in early September and runs through December; the spring semester runs from early January to the end of April (although some studies continue well into the month of May). The program is open to students from all colleges at Notre Dame.

Students in the Vancouver MSG-NA program benefit from UBC’s strengths in courses such as Threats to Democracy, International Relations, Amerindian Cultures, and Economic History and Regional Trade Integration.

The MSG-NA program focuses on four sub-topics: Border and Environmental Management, Democratic Process and Institutional Reform, Immigration, Cultural Identities, North America after NAFTA (with particular attention to socioeconomic welfare).
MSG-NA program participants take courses related to project themes. Students must choose 3 of their 5 courses from the approved course bank or must have alternative courses approved by the project director.
Students in the MSG-NA program also become a part of a virtual community with the other students participating at each of the partner institutions.
Finally, students in the program will have the opportunity to participate in an all-expenses-paid summer workshop in Mexico in the summer of 2010 to interact with students participants from other partner institutions.

Participants are chosen by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and the Office of International Studies. Acceptance into the MSG-NA program is highly selective.

Eligibility for the Program

Students from any discipline may apply. Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA.

MSG-NA Costs and Fees

Students accepted into the MSG-NA programs will pay Notre Dame tuition only. (Credit and grades for courses taken abroad will be transferred to Notre Dame and will appear on the student’s Notre Dame transcript.)

In contrast to participants in other University study abroad programs, students in the MSG-NA program do NOT pay Notre Dame room and board fees or the $750 international studies fee (used in other programs to cover airfare, field trips, and room and board at the study-abroad site).

In the MSG-NA program, each student is responsible for paying for his/her own round-trip airfare and room and board at UBC. Each MSG-NA student will receive a $3,000 stipend to put towards these and any other necessary expenses (e.g., insurance).

Students may incur other expenses, such as passport and visa fees, along with other incidental costs specific to the program of study. For financial aid purposes, the cost of attendance will be calculated based on estimated program costs as determined by the Office of Financial Aid.

Additional Information

There is much more we can tell you — about this location, vibrant religious, cultural and recreational life of this community...about the student housing, transportation, health care and much, much more. It is, after all, the details that make this program so appealing. Interested? Just click here for additional information.