Field Notes APSS - 2018-19

F ive applied social science students from Hoch- schule Darmstadt University of Applied Scienc- es in Darmstadt, Germany, spent the fall semes- ter at the University of Wisconsin-Stout taking classes in their major and improving their English skills. While at UW-Stout they took psychology, quantitative research methods, qualitative research methods, and ei- ther social theory or cultural anthropology. “I think I was really surprised I liked the dorms,” Ucar said, noting they stayed in Jeter-Tainter-Callahan Hall. “You get to meet a lot of new people. We had thought about renting a house.” In JTC they met other interna- tional students as well as American students. “If anyone was homesick, we could talk to each other,” Klemm said. Darmstadt professor Jan Barkmann visited UW-Stout last February. The applied social science program there is similar to ours and includes a semester during which students have flexible schedules and are encouraged to go abroad. We were able to offer the classes they need on the correct schedule, so the first students arrived this fall. The plan is to continue the exchange with Darmstadt. Dr. Lee and Dr. Zagorski visited there in October and would like to see UW-Stout applied social science stu- dents visit there next spring. The classes can be offered in English, and the institution is prepared to allow them to come a few weeks before the semester starts to get in- tensive German language training. Darmstadt is a nice city and very easy to navigate, and they get to use public transportation for free with a student identification.

Darmstadt, known in Germany as the City of Science, has about 155,000 people and is south of Frankfurt in the central region of the country. In Germany, students have two semesters a year and go to college for three years. Usually, they only have a final exam, which is dif- ferent from American universities where students have homework, quizzes and class discussions, Klemm said. “You get the content from the whole semester and then you have the test,” Martell said. Education at Stout is much more personal than in many German universities, where the classes are large, Klemm said. They definitely saw their English language skills improve over the semester but regret not learning more American slang to share with students back home. When they arrived in Menomonie, they found the city smaller than they expected. “I really learned to love that,” Martell said. “You see people you know. Everyone is re- ally friendly. I really like the community.” She loved the music played over loudspeakers in downtown Menom- onie. “It gives you a feeling of home,” Martell added. They also learned to love the nature in the area. “We reg- ularly did a walk on Sundays along the Red Cedar River,” Celik said. “It was so beautiful.” After the semester, the group travelled to see a bit more of America before returning to Germany. Several of the women visited San Francisco, Los Angeles, and spent New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas. Others headed to the east coast to visit Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Darmstadt Connections

STOUT VOTES D r. Chris Freeman , along with APSS student leaders Maddie McConville , Shane Miller , Frank Janovec , Deon Canon , Erin Briggs , and Zipporah Turnbull created and led a voter turnout initiative on campus, Stout Votes. They worked to encourage voting, help students access information about voting, and help them register to vote. The team created a series of videos, had registration tables at the MSC, made buttons, and personally encouraged everyone on campus to vote. Chancellor Bob Meyer got involved in the campaign as well, appearing in several videos

Buhara Celik, Hannah Klemm, Laura Martell, Samantha Werens and Helin Ucar second-year students at Hochschule Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences in Germany.

with Dr. Freeman and helping to man the registration booth. Their efforts were very successful, with voter turnout in the wards where most students live increasing by 22% over the previous election.

09 - FIELD NOTES

Applied Social Science Program - 10