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HONORS SELF- DESIGNED PROPOSAL

Complete this proposal prior to your experiences start date and upload it in the UHP Database
(https://webapps.uc.edu/uchonorsstudent). Create an experience (Add a new record) in the Tracking Project
tab and upload your proposal document as an attachment. The deadline for submitting proposals is the 5th of
each month (excluding July).
Proposals are intended to be well developed plans for your experience. However, experiences are exploratory in
nature, and we are flexible with changes throughout the experience. If your experience changes after receiving
approval on your proposal, contact your honors advisor to verify the changes still satisfy the requirements of an
honors experience.

Basic Information
Full Name:

Jeanette Accorinti

Title of Project: Study at Caen

Thematic Area(s): Global Studies
Expected Start Date: June 2016
Expected End Date:

July 2016

GUIDELINES
1. Proposal submission timeline: Proposals should be submitted at least one month prior to the
expected start date of the experience. International experiences require at least two months notice.
Contact your honors advisor immediately for any exceptions.
2. Proposal length: While the quality of the proposal is most important, strong proposals are
typically 3-4 pages single-spaced.
3. Proposal format: Please maintain the proposal format (e.g. headers, layout)
4. Time commitment: Experiences should consist of at least 75-90 hours of preparation, execution,
and reflection. This is approximately equivalent to the commitment of honors seminars and preapproved experiences.

REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

All self-designed international travel experiences require two months notice and must be at least one week in
length. You will need to provide a detailed itinerary (dates, locations and activities). If participating in
independent travel (not with UC faculty, staff or student group), you must also fill out a Worldwide: Honors
Experience application via UC International.
Additionally, the Student Travel Policy restricts UC-sponsored travel to countries under a U.S. Department of
State Travel Warning. Those who wish to visit a country with a travel warning must seek an exemption through
UC International. Students traveling without a faculty or staff leader must individually request an exemption.

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We cannot allow you to count this travel as an honors experience nor can we give you a grant without an
approved exemption.

1. Abstract
Over the summer of 2016, I will be studying at the University at Caen in Normandy, France. The focus of my studies will
be on French language, culture, and heritage. My time abroad will follow a summer semester program; I plan to remain at
Caen for the full six weeks. During this time, I will be taking day trips to historical sites through Normandy to enhance
my learning experience
As a French major, this experience not only will fulfill a great deal of my major requirements, but it will also immerse me
in the French language and bring me closer to fluency and complete comprehension. My hopes are to begin to make
international connections at university, with friends and professors; experience European life in its true form; and immerse
myself in the culture, history, and art that I have fallen in love with over my five years of studying the French language.
As this program is so far into next calendar year, there is no set itinerary, but I have been given an overview of the
program:
Linguistic training - 3 hours each morning.
Thematic works - 3 1/2 - 4 hours for 4 days per week.
Cultural activities - Some free afternoons and evenings for discovery of Caen and surroundings, French
culture (movies, concerts, festivals, day trips on weekends, business in Normandy)
Use of French during these activities is mandatory!
During some breaks, refreshments will be served.
Visits and cultural activities will be supervised by the instructor and French coordinators.
Intensive language course provides students with necessary language tools.
Immediate immersion into French civilization and way of life allows students to gain autonomy in a
various range of communication situations.
Each week will contain an average of 20 hours of training by professors specializing in teaching French
as a foreign language, offering interactive and motivational training, based on a communicative approach.
Use of a textbook, which will be supplied.
Communicative activities based on authentic documents - radio, TV, ads, articles, etc.
Practice of pronunciation and tone in the language lab.
Language learning based on the discovery of Caen and Normandy, estimated 3 hours per week.
Special interests - history, French administration, politics, economics, study of local business by experts
Students will write an essay based on their experiences.
Total class time - 25 hours per week + daily cultural activities.
The studies I will be participating in are very intensive and compact, and the credits earned during my tenure at Caen will
be entirely applicable to my McMicken Arts and Sciences degrees.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:
Brief description of the experience
Personal connection to the experience
Identified goals for the experience

Required Revisions:

Effective:

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Timeline from start to finish
*Itinerary (international experiences
only)
**Explanation of differentiated
experience from what is required of other
students

2. Experience Advisor
My current French Conversation and Composition professor, Anne-Marie Jzquel, will be accompanying this study
group at Caen for the first three weeks of the study. She is leading this study abroad program as a French native and as a
member of the Department of Romance Languages at the University of Cincinnati.
My classes with her meet three times a week both this semester and next. I will be in constant correspondence with Dr.
Jzquel, and through and with her, with UC International. She is planning on holding informational meetings to clarify
our experience.
Anne-Marie Jezequel
E-mail: annemarie.jezequel@uc.edu
Associate Professor Educator Romance Languages and Literatures

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Experience advisor name and contact

information
Description of why advisor was selected
Specific plans to engage with advisor

3. Connection to Learning Outcomes

List 3 learning outcomes from any thematic area(s). Provide specific activities you plan to engage in to help you make
progress towards the chosen learning outcomes. Describe how you expect each activity to help your progress. Include an
estimated time commitment for those activities.
1. Summarize the interconnectedness of geography, history, cultural traits, and world issues.
a. My course study will focus on culture and heritage of France and francophone countries.
This encompasses a great deal of history and geography of not only Europe, but Africa and Asia as well.
b. I will not only be studying at Caen but also taking day trips throughout the region.
Among these are sites of historical significance, such as the D-Day beaches, and artistic significance,
such as Claude Monets home in Giverny. Art and history have created a long-standing bond between
western Europe and the United States.
2. Demonstrate and understanding of cultural diversity by acknowledging the impact of their own identity
and the experience of social norms, customs, or beliefs that are different from their own.

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a. Because this is an abroad study, I will be living in Caen for the duration of my stay. I will
have daily interactions with other native French students through classes, mealtimes, and recreation.
b. I anticipate a good deal of communication with the students and faculty of the university
at Caen that will facilitate a better understanding of the differences between French living and identity
and American living and identity. This will be an ongoing process throughout the entire six weeks
3. Understand and optimize the use of people, technology, physical resources, or community in a creative
process.
a. I will be overseas and will have to find means other than a phone to communicate not
only with my family and friends, but also to communicate with my fellow students while in Normandy.
b. Much of my documentation of my experience will be through photos and videos I will
take. There will be a learning process to compiling these into an artistic and presentable medium for my
portfolio. Im considering doing video journals at the end of each week to present my experience.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

3 learning outcomes explicitly identified

from any thematic area(s)
Examples of activities and explanation of
how each will assist the progress towards
the chosen learning outcome
Estimated time commitment for each
activity

4. Academic Resources Connected to the Learning Outcomes

List 1-2 academic resources you plan to use to enhance your understanding of the learning outcomes. Explain how each
resource connects to your learning outcome(s) and helps you execute your experience. Please include the title and
author/creator for each resource.
Note: Academic resources are professional works that can be used to assist your understanding of the topic. Some
examples are books, documentaries, videos, or research journals.
I will be studying at a university and will be surrounded by academic resources, including textbooks, novels, and
historical documents. Until I reach these particular resources, I will be utilising my current classroom textbook (Bravo!
8th Edition) to further my understanding of the French language and culture. This textbook focuses entirely on expanding
my comprehension of French culture, which enables me to understand the culture, heritage, and lifestyle of the French
before I set foot in the country. Im able to draw conclusions that compare and contrast life in the United States with that
of life in France, and understand that their history plays just an important role in their lives as in ours.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:
1-2 academic resources connected to the
learning outcomes
Title and author of each resource

Required Revisions:

Effective:

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Description of how resources will help
make progress towards learning outcomes
and execution of experience

5. On-going Reflection
The on-going reflection should help you process the experience and progress toward your chosen learning outcomes.
Describe your method for reflecting throughout the experience. Indicate specific reflection questions/topics you plan to
use to guide your reflective process.
Note: A variety of methods can be used for on-going reflection. Some examples are videos, drawings, blogs, songs, and
journals. Reflection topics to consider include your ideas/insights about the experience, connection to other areas of
involvement, and your progress towards the learning outcomes.
As I said before, Im considering doing a weekly video journal to summarize my experience abroad. I will discuss the
course material learned, the people Ive met, and the places Ive been on a weekly basis. I will most likely record these
videos on the weekends, when I have the most free time. I have friends who are gifted in video editing and will be able to
produce a video of quality. I will augment my reflection with photos Ive taken and journals and papers Ive written. I will
be focusing on culture and heritage for the entirety of my stay in Normandy and will be able to give a weekly update on
my progression in learning and exploring.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Method for ongoing reflection

Reflection questions/topics clearly
specified

6. Sharing Your Learning

Describe how you plan to actively share what youve taken away from this experience with a targeted audience. Explain
why you chose this specific audience.
Note: While social media can be an effective platform for sharing, only posting on your personal learning portfolio or
social media account(s) does not reach a targeted audience.
My experience will be posted onto my portfolio, of course, but I have plans to share it elsewhere. Im going to link my
portfolio on Weebly to my LinkedIn account to better share it with my professional contacts. I am friends with my former
high school teachers and am sure that they will like to see what Ive gotten up to my first year at the University of
Cincinnati, and will most likely share the link to my portfolios website through emails and by sharing my portfolio on
Facebook.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

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At least one method to actively share
take-aways/learning from the experience
A specific audience and why the audience
was selected

7. Budget (if applicable)

Provide an itemized budget and indicate your source for cost information.
*If you are engaged in an unpaid internship or research, please indicate the number of weeks and hours per week you
plan to participate.
1.
2.
3.
4.

$1600-1800: Round trip Columbus airport to Paris (American Airlines)

$4900: Study abroad cost (UC International)
$135: Passport (USA Today)
$55: Student Visa for France (Consultat gnral de France Washington)

Advisor Feedback
Notes:
Detailed budget of expenditures with
sources to justify budget estimates
*Indicates the number of hours per week
and number of weeks of participation

Required Revisions:

Effective:

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THEMATIC AREA LEARNING OUTCOMES
Learning Outcomes for the Community Engagement Thematic Area:
By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to
Identify and differentiate multiple ways to contribute towards the development or
achievement of the communitys goals.
Develop a thorough understanding of the world view, beliefs, experiences, selfconsciousness, or history of community members through collaboration.
Articulate the purpose of service on a social issue or public policy and how service
mutually enhances individual growth and the common good.
Explain how education, advocacy, mobilization, or public policy can influence social
issues and transform communities.

Learning Outcomes for the Creativity Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to
Discover new techniques to gain knowledge, consider options, make new
connections, and ask questions.
Explore a new creative competency/medium or seek new ways to engage an
existing competency/medium.
Understand and optimize the use of people, technology, physical resources or
community in a creative process.
Articulate the broader significance of a creative project and the value of its
contributions.

Learning Outcomes for the Global Studies Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to
Develop practical travel skills that promote safe, stimulating, and productive travel
throughout your life.
Summarize the interconnectedness of geography, history, cultural traits and world
issues.
Articulate the interdependence of professional fields to address current and
impending global issues such as technology, the environment, human rights, or politics.
Demonstrate an understanding of cultural diversity by acknowledging the impact
of their own identity and the experience of social norms, customs, or beliefs that are
different from their own.
Demonstrate a sense of empathy, respect, and appreciation for others to build
meaningful cross-cultural collaborations toward mutual growth and prosperity.

Learning Outcomes for the Leadership Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to
Formulate and manage a shared vision and develop goals towards its achievement.
Motivate and collaborate effectively with others towards completion of shared
projects or goals.
Develop strategies to identify and respond to challenges and obstacles.
Identify personal strengths and areas of growth and evaluate opportunities to
maximize skills and abilities.

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Synthesize the current trends related to a specific issue or field and evaluate how
thought-leaders are currently addressing them.

Learning Outcomes for the Research Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to
Demonstrate the ability to locate, interpret, and critically evaluate primary
sources appropriate to field.
Identify and apply appropriate methods to collect and organize data for
analysis.
Analyze and interpret the meaning of results.
Produce dissemination appropriate to the field in order to share the results
or impact of the research.
Articulate the broader significance of the research project and its
relationship to other fields, research and ideas.