Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Entrance Exam Info and a list of FAQs about the American Studies Program at the University of Bucharest.
In view of the upcoming registration period for the entrance exam (July 14-20; 7-13, Pitar Mos St., see www.limbi-straine.ro for more administrative details), below is a list of FAQs related to our undergraduate program. Just keep in mind that the ENTRANCE EXAM is NO DIFFERENT from the English Major exam, and that you can have either a foreign language or Romanian as a minor!
Please feel free to ask questions, especially if you're not quite sure what "American Studies" is really all about.
1. Is American Studies a new discipline?
1. Well, in Romania, it is relatively new. Shortly after 1989, this academic discipline (which is about 100 years old in the States) finally took root in Romania within the pioneering program at the University of Bucharest. We started with an MA program, and then our undergraduate program took off, and we're still going strong.
2. Is American Studies all about mindlessly praising the United States?
2. Nope. We're interested in the US, we're passionate about the US, but nobody is mindlessly praising anything. We're here to learn, probe, question and argue about the US. And most of the times it's very intense.
3. What kind of subjects are we going to study?
3. Since this is an interdisciplinary program, it follows that you will be studying a lot of exciting interrelated disciplines, such as (to name but a few 1st year subjects) American film studies, American literature, American civilization, media studies, visual culture, constitutionalism, Native-American studies and a lot of other very cool things!
4. How will I be improving my English language skills in an American Studies program?
4. Easily. You will have four hours of English practice a week, just like all the other English major students. During these classes you will be doing a lot of translations, and a lot of practicing all the main language skills. Also, our program benefits from the same linguistics classes as Applied Modern Languages students, taught by our colleagues from the English Department.
5. Is American Studies a separate department in the Faculty of Foreign Languages?
5. No, American Studies is a Program which belongs to the English Department. Our professors teach both in the American Studies Program and in the English Department.
6. Why are there only 25 American Studies undergraduate students a year?
6. Because in this way we can give you a lot of attention. And we DO. We pester you and breathe down your neck and pull lots of strings to get you up-to-date academic resources as well as the best internships on the market. Because we like to believe that you can actually use what we teach you to get a job in the field afterwards. And we get a lot of help from the American Cultural Center and the Fulbright Commission, who love being involved in our academic life and do everything they can to support us.
7. So what jobs CAN we get after we graduate from the American Studies Program?
7. You can be editors, translators, writers, cultural experts working for various cultural institutes, you can work in the media, in public relations, you can become a curator, a film programmer, a political analyst or a teacher. It also depends what you decide to do your MA on. And the beautiful thing about our program is that we offer enough expertise for you to do an MA in any of the subjects you study during your undergraduate education. So you can go ahead and do arts, film, cultural management, sociology, anthropology, HR, advertising and a lot more!
8. What's with those internships you mentioned?
8. Basically, what we do for you while you're our student isn't just teach and examine you. We make sure you have a great CV when you've graduated. We find you jobs. Well, internships are more like unpaid jobs, but the main idea is that we find you part-time employment in institutions and companies which are related to what you may want to become when you graduate. That is, you can work at the American Cultural Center, the Fulbright Commission, newspapers and magazines, radio stations, TV stations, cultural institutes, publishing houses, English language teaching centers. We have done it in the past, and our students left these temporary work places with solid recommendations and important relationships which later got them great jobs. This is common practice everywhere abroad. If you don't believe us, Google it!:)
9. Do we actually get to go to the US while we're your students?
9. Yes. We have exchange programs with Arizona State University, Phoenix, and Emporia State University, Kansas. Also, since all of our professors have been on scholarships and exchange programs abroad, to great places such as Harvard, Yale, UCLA, Brandeis, Duke etc., we can give you recommendations and advice as to where to apply for scholarships during your undergrad years or after you've graduated. You can qualify for a Fulbright scholarship as well - and we can tell you more about how to build a solid application form! (see www.fulbright.ro)
10. Do you also have American professors?
10. Yes. Every year the Fulbright Commission sends us 2-3 professors who teach the latest subjects in the field. Most of them are wonderfully supportive of our undergraduate students who try to go and study abroad. They provide written recommendations and invaluable support.
If we haven't covered everything, do feel free to ask us more questions!
In view of the upcoming registration period for the entrance exam (July 14-20; 7-13, Pitar Mos St., see www.limbi-straine.ro for more administrative details), below is a list of FAQs related to our undergraduate program. Just keep in mind that the ENTRANCE EXAM is NO DIFFERENT from the English Major exam, and that you can have either a foreign language or Romanian as a minor!
Please feel free to ask questions, especially if you're not quite sure what "American Studies" is really all about.
1. Is American Studies a new discipline?
1. Well, in Romania, it is relatively new. Shortly after 1989, this academic discipline (which is about 100 years old in the States) finally took root in Romania within the pioneering program at the University of Bucharest. We started with an MA program, and then our undergraduate program took off, and we're still going strong.
2. Is American Studies all about mindlessly praising the United States?
2. Nope. We're interested in the US, we're passionate about the US, but nobody is mindlessly praising anything. We're here to learn, probe, question and argue about the US. And most of the times it's very intense.
3. What kind of subjects are we going to study?
3. Since this is an interdisciplinary program, it follows that you will be studying a lot of exciting interrelated disciplines, such as (to name but a few 1st year subjects) American film studies, American literature, American civilization, media studies, visual culture, constitutionalism, Native-American studies and a lot of other very cool things!
4. How will I be improving my English language skills in an American Studies program?
4. Easily. You will have four hours of English practice a week, just like all the other English major students. During these classes you will be doing a lot of translations, and a lot of practicing all the main language skills. Also, our program benefits from the same linguistics classes as Applied Modern Languages students, taught by our colleagues from the English Department.
5. Is American Studies a separate department in the Faculty of Foreign Languages?
5. No, American Studies is a Program which belongs to the English Department. Our professors teach both in the American Studies Program and in the English Department.
6. Why are there only 25 American Studies undergraduate students a year?
6. Because in this way we can give you a lot of attention. And we DO. We pester you and breathe down your neck and pull lots of strings to get you up-to-date academic resources as well as the best internships on the market. Because we like to believe that you can actually use what we teach you to get a job in the field afterwards. And we get a lot of help from the American Cultural Center and the Fulbright Commission, who love being involved in our academic life and do everything they can to support us.
7. So what jobs CAN we get after we graduate from the American Studies Program?
7. You can be editors, translators, writers, cultural experts working for various cultural institutes, you can work in the media, in public relations, you can become a curator, a film programmer, a political analyst or a teacher. It also depends what you decide to do your MA on. And the beautiful thing about our program is that we offer enough expertise for you to do an MA in any of the subjects you study during your undergraduate education. So you can go ahead and do arts, film, cultural management, sociology, anthropology, HR, advertising and a lot more!
8. What's with those internships you mentioned?
8. Basically, what we do for you while you're our student isn't just teach and examine you. We make sure you have a great CV when you've graduated. We find you jobs. Well, internships are more like unpaid jobs, but the main idea is that we find you part-time employment in institutions and companies which are related to what you may want to become when you graduate. That is, you can work at the American Cultural Center, the Fulbright Commission, newspapers and magazines, radio stations, TV stations, cultural institutes, publishing houses, English language teaching centers. We have done it in the past, and our students left these temporary work places with solid recommendations and important relationships which later got them great jobs. This is common practice everywhere abroad. If you don't believe us, Google it!:)
9. Do we actually get to go to the US while we're your students?
9. Yes. We have exchange programs with Arizona State University, Phoenix, and Emporia State University, Kansas. Also, since all of our professors have been on scholarships and exchange programs abroad, to great places such as Harvard, Yale, UCLA, Brandeis, Duke etc., we can give you recommendations and advice as to where to apply for scholarships during your undergrad years or after you've graduated. You can qualify for a Fulbright scholarship as well - and we can tell you more about how to build a solid application form! (see www.fulbright.ro)
10. Do you also have American professors?
10. Yes. Every year the Fulbright Commission sends us 2-3 professors who teach the latest subjects in the field. Most of them are wonderfully supportive of our undergraduate students who try to go and study abroad. They provide written recommendations and invaluable support.
If we haven't covered everything, do feel free to ask us more questions!
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