The Cultural Immersion Travel Program

china-1IC agencies seek applicants with foreign language skills, travel abroad experience, and knowledge of other cultures. To equip scholars with such knowledge and experience, NSSP has in the past organized a cultural immersion trip once or twice a year. During the fall intersession and summer semester, NSSP scholars were able to travel abroad while receiving graduate/undergraduate credits. Students attended a class before leaving and submitted a research paper upon their return. 

NEW! Here are the guidelines for NSSP-funded requests for national and international travel, 2018.

The NSSP encourages all students to visit Global Education Office or it's study abroad webpage to find out study abroad opportunities available through GEO. Students may do an advance search and find a geographical location, semester of instruction, available scholarships etc. of their interest.

National Security Studies European and International Institutions: Summer 2014

ctbto-viennaTen NSSP scholars participated in cultural immersion travel to Europe  from May 23 to June 6, 2014. The experience began in Brussels, Belgium with briefings from NATO and the U.S. Mission to the European Union. From there the group traveled by train to Vienna, Austria for presentations by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the United Nations Information Service (UNIS-IAEA). 

brussels-2The scholars also attended a lecture on the Iranian nuclear dossier at the University of Vienna's international think tank, the Austrian Institute of International Affairs. From Vienna the group traveled by mini-van to Zagreb, Croatia for a lecture at the University of Zagreb.  And finally the students traveled to Munich, Germany where they visited the Dachau concentration camp before departing for Albuquerque.

Previous Programs

China, Summer 2013

street-vendorSixteen NSSP scholars participated in cultural immersion travel to China from May 13-26, 2013.  The experience began in Chengdu with a series of host lectures on China's economy and the business relationship between the U.S. and China.  Visits to the U.S. Consulate, Peace Corps offices, the Panda breedig base, a two thousand year old archeological site, and the Jinsha Museum were among the highlights of the time in Szechuan's capitol.  From there the group traveled to Shanghai and Beijing for a series of lectures on contemporary global issues, and to tour traditional and modern sites of interst such as the Bund, T'iananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall.  Opportunities to interact with Chinese students and to experience various aspects of the cultures were an integral part of the scholars' journey.  

Egypt, Summer 2012

egypt2012-aucThe National Security Studies Program organized its Summer 2012 cultural immersion travel to Egypt from May 14-30, 2012.   Scholars attended lectures related to the recent events of the Arab Spring, and selected topics focusing on financial and industrial policies, as well as the study of anthropologically important historical sites.   

Classroom lectures were organized at the American University in Cairo, interspersed with travel excursions throughout this ancient country. Egyptologists lectured on Ancient Egypt, religions in Egypt, and Egyptian people and culture. The program was designed for students seeking a deeper and participatory understanding of other cultures and viewpoints on cultural, national security and international policy in order to prepare for careers in government service, international relations or international business.

egypt travel Egypt, Fall Intersession 2010-11
NSSP scholars participated in a UNM Study Abroad Program, Egypt 2010-2011, during the fall intersession.  The program lasted from December 28, 2010 to January 12, 2011. Egyptologists lectured on Ancient Egypt, religions in Egypt, and Egyptian people and culture. A visit to Al Azhar University in Cairo was arranged where a lecture was given on Islamic banking and finance. Sites that embodied the ideas presented in the lectures were visited throughout Egypt:  Jewish Synagogue, Coptic Museum and Hanging Church, Saladin’s Citadel and Mohamed Ali Mosque, pyramids and temples of Ancient Egypt including Abu Simbel, the impressive temple that was moved to higher grounds because of the rising waters of Lake Nasser after the construction of the High Dam in the 1960s.

Kazakhstan, Summer 2010
kazakh travelTen UNM NSSP scholars participated in a two week cultural immersion in Kazakhstan. The two week course was developed as a UNM graduate level political science course in conjunction with the summer school program for Central Asian students on American Issues and Policies. Kazakh, Central Asia and Russian students lived together with the UNM scholars. Students had an opportunity to regularly interact in common meals, participate in classes together, meet the invited lecturers to hear Central Asia’s top specialists analyze regional diplomacy, security, history, international relations, energy, science and technology policy, and cultural affairs.