International Co-op in Germany
- International Co-op in Germany
Basic Information
Full Name: Nathan Bodenschatz UC Email: [email protected] College: College of Engineering and Applied Science Major: Aerospace Engineering Title of Project: International Co-op in Germany Expected Project Start Date: 1/15/13 Expected Project End Date: 7/31/13 |
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Project Information
1. Provide a brief overview/abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project.
The International Co-op Program is a chance to have a once in a lifetime experience. At what other point in my life will I be able to pick up everything I own, move across the world, and work as an engineer for 8 months of my life? Never. I was initially drawn to the ICP because of the opportunity to add a unique experience to my resume and travel the world. I now want to add that I will gain knowledge of a new culture. I want to learn about their work and free-time environment, how their leadership is developed within companies, and experience a new culture.
While in Germany, I hope to connect with my coworkers and meet new people at a University. I want to see what their lives are like in the workplace and as students. I want to be able to identify the differences in culture and lifestyles. Ultimately, I want to bring back practices from Germany that will make me a better world citizen wherever I end up. It is the same idea as learning information from two different texts. If I learn one leadership technique from two books and combine them, I am a better leader for it.
I also want to look into leadership development in Germany. I have become quite fond of studying this topic, and I want to learn how it is done in another country. Leadership development is an incredibly wide and complex field, and I want to know if Germany is doing something better than us or if they have similar tactics. The language barrier will be difficult to overcome, but I know that I will learn to speak and understand the language fully in order to communicate and learn about leadership development while working as an engineer.
This “new” culture is actually quite an old culture. In fact, it is the culture of my ancestors. I want to see how much of the German mentality has stayed with our family over the years. My grandparents know the area that our distant relatives originated from, and I want to see what that area is like now. Where were they headed and why did they leave? I want to see how their decisions shaped me and the connection it has to my German ancestry.
When I return, I will be a new person. My experiences will be unmatched by any other, and I will have learned an entirely different approach and perspective to life’s challenges. I plan to continuously use these skills to develop the people I mentor within my fraternity and in my future. I plan to get involved with a non-profit organization after graduation, and my experiences from Germany, the struggles, language barrier, learning, traveling, will be used on a daily basis to help me succeed and connect with others. Going to Germany will provide me with a skillset that cannot be gained anywhere else. This experience will prepare me in ways I won’t even see. I look forward to the experience, all the things I don’t foresee experiencing, and all the things I won’t notice experiencing.
Overview:
The spring intensive class begins the overseas component of the ICP. Students in the German Program stay at a youth hostel in Köln, Germany. We have classroom sessions in the morning, and participate in a variety of professional and cultural activities in the afternoon. We become familiar with transportation systems, postal services, banking, shopping, and other activities and services that we will utilize while living and working abroad for seven months.
Following the spring intensive classes, I will go to my individual work sites, which will be with company or research facilities in a city in Germany, where I will complete a seven-month co-op assignment.
2. Clearly state how each of the following elements will be exhibited in your work (refer to the first two pages of this document with the full description of what is expected in each of these areas).
a) Substantial Content and Quality within Global Studies Theme
While in Germany, I will work for seven months as an engineering co-op. My goal is to become fluent in German during my time abroad and develop a greater knowledge of the German culture. I also hope to spend as much time as possible traveling, learning, and experiencing all of Germany and some of Europe. I hope to see and experience as much as possible during my time abroad. I want to document my experiences in a blog to spread the wealth of knowledge I plan to obtain.
On a daily basis, I will be communicating and working with native German people. My constant interactions with these people will help me to learn about their culture and working environment. With the exception of the two week course in Köln, I will be on my own and will have little, if any, English communication. It is safe to say that I plan to be immersed in Germany and everything it has to offer. Struggling through the language barrier will prepare me for everything I experience in the future. I know for a fact I will face communication struggles in my career. Nothing will prepare me better to deal with a breakdown in communication that fighting against a language that I don’t fully know and understand.
Developing an understanding of German culture will help me develop as person, leader, and educator. Hearing about others’ experiences in Germany, they have discussed the German emphasis on recycling and preservation of the environment. I plan to get a bike and become a professional at utilizing public transportation during my stay. I want to learn about their development processes. I want to know what they do to build their leaders and how they get there. Here, I have witnessed some companies’ strategies to leadership development, and I want to see what it is like in the schools and workplaces in Germany. All of these skills will help me to develop techniques necessary to educate others. I will, more than likely, teach my friends and coworkers in Germany a little bit about American culture and techniques of similar nature to the aforementioned. It will be incredible to share my love and passion for leadership development with someone who is from halfway around the world. I will be spreading my reach further than I ever imagined.
My goal is to talk with managers at my company to identify the track they took in reaching their positions. I want to learn about the leadership development track and how it works in Germany as opposed to the United States. I also want to meet people my age at universities in Germany to learn about their personal development. My development comes from school, my fraternity, and other organizations. Where does theirs come from? Do they seek it out or are leaders chosen in their culture? These ideas and values that I will learn will help me in my own development toward being an effective leader in society.
I do not have a detailed itinerary for my travels because I do not have a job offer yet. For the first two weeks, I will be taking the class in Köln to assimilate better into my surroundings. Following the course, I will be moving to wherever my office is located in Germany. I plan to work in the morning, hike and bike at night, and travel on the weekends. I also plan to find a college campus near my work to get an idea of what German college students do for enjoyment. I’m very excited about the length of my trip, in that I will have a lot of time to have many incredible experiences.
b) Connection to Academic Goals and Theories
By participating in the International Co-op Program, I will be able to practice engineering, a difficult field in your native language, in another country. I will encounter challenges and problems unparalleled to working in the United States. This experience will develop me as an engineer, a leader, and as a person. Thus far, I have taken the 6-week intensive German course and have been practicing on my own as much as possible to build the language and vocabulary skills necessary to succeed during my employment in Germany.
Working in Germany will provide me with another country's unique approach to engineering problems that I hope to bring back to the remainder of my engineering career at UC and beyond. When I get back to UC, I would like to share my experiences with my fellow engineers. I want to show them how the mentalities and approaches differ in Germany from the United States. I hope to share my knowledge to help our Engineering program grow as much as possible.
Once I get hired to a specific company in Germany, I will research the type of work I will be completing during my co-op. I will spend time looking into companies in the United States who do similar work and see if I know anyone who has worked at that company or can get me in contact with that company. My efforts will be spent looking at their processes of developing products and people: what methods are used and how is it realized within the company. I will then use my learning experiences and interviews of the development process in Germany to write a logical and effective comparison of the two.
While in Germany, I hope to learn as much of the language, engineering, and culture as possible. I would also like to travel and see all of the amazing sites that I can. One of my side hobbies is photography, and I would like to take incredible pictures while I am in Germany that will sell the ICP program and study abroad. I want people to look at the amazing things I saw in Germany and know that going abroad is something they have to do while at UC.
c) Initiative, Independence and Creativity
Participation in ICP is entirely voluntary. Nobody is required to participate in an international program. Co-oping is a requirement that is unique to Cincinnati. Many other schools do not have co-op requirements, but we do. I wanted an experience that was a step above my peers. I wanted to travel and spend time abroad, but was worried about the expense. I am actively seeking funding opportunities to make this dream a reality. I took courses on German culture and language to prepare myself for the experience. Some of these courses required me to make some creative alterations to my typical Aerospace curriculum. I also incurred extra costs while taking some of these courses on top of my engineering work.
I also plan to take time to talk with leading individuals in Germany to learn their processes of leadership development and management tracks in Germany. I want to meet students from universities who can provide me insight into the types of development experiences they have access to and the process and techniques used. I plan to use this trip to identify and learn about another country’s techniques of developing their next generation leaders. Hopefully, I will have opportunities through my employer to attend some of their leadership development seminars and activities.
Learning all of this information will help me write the paper required of students attempting to attain a German Studies Minor from the ICP experience. The paper will require an analysis of differences in working environments, and I would like to explore the leadership aspect. Obviously, the paper will discuss my work as a co-op versus my experiences as a co-op in the United States, but I would also like to look into the management and leadership aspect of companies for my comparisons. Getting a German Studies Minor is not required of ICP students. I am incurring extra costs to register for the credit hours I will receive for reviewing and comparing my experiences in Germany against my work in the United States.
Obviously, I also plan on traveling while I am in Germany. I have never been to Europe and may never get to go again. I want to see and experience as much of the beauty, landscapes, and culture as I can during my stay. I will be taking my DSLR camera to document every trip I take and every experience I have. I’m especially excited to take pictures of landscapes and architecture in Germany and other parts of Europe. During my stay, I plan to have little free time, never sleep (except while I’m riding a train or plane), and soaking in as many memories as any person can fit into eight months. I don’t want to waste a single minute of the experience.
d) Reflection & Dissemination
When I return to UC, I will present to Intro to Co-op classes, freshmen Engineering seminars, Ms. Elliott’s Intro to International Co-op Class, and Dr. Rademann’s Intensive Language Course. I want everyone at UC to know about the great experiences (and struggles I overcame) while participating in the International Co-op Program. I plan to discuss the differences between German and American mentalities in Engineering and social life. I also plan to show off my (what I imagine to be) vast collection of photographs taken in Germany at work, in my apartment, and while traveling.
I want people I talk to about the program to know how much the experience has affected my abilities as an engineer and how much I gained from the experience personally. I want them to recognize that this trip can be utilized as a unique opportunity to gain engineering experience and is a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend eight months in Europe traveling and sight-seeing. I want to appeal to the inner passion that many people have for exploration and new experiences in order to sell them on their participation in the program. I don’t think that the program was sold to me very well, but I was able to recognize the potential good that would come out of it on my own. I want there to be no doubt in people’s minds that ICP is a worthwhile experience.
I plan to keep a blog while I am in Germany that will include my work experiences, travel experiences, and several photographs. The blog will be public and targeted mostly toward those interested in what I am doing abroad (my family and friends), but I will also be detailing my learning experiences, frustrations, and successes throughout the process. Documenting this will, hopefully, provide encouragement for others excited about the program and provide solace to my friends in the program (or anyone else really) going through similar frustrations and difficulties. This blog will also be shared with the Honors Department and posted on my e-Portfolio for others to see my experiences and be motivated to seek out such an experience.
My blog about my experiences abroad can be found here: http://bodenschatzabroad.blogspot.com/
e) Advisor (list the person’s name, title, and contact information)
Professor Gayle Elliott
Associate Professor
Division of Professional Practice
University of Cincinnati
PO Box 210115
Cincinnati, OH
45221-0115
Phone: 513-556-5433
Fax:513-556-5061
Email: [email protected]
f) Budget (if applicable)
Costs per student are listed below. Because students work in a variety of cities, there is a wide variance of costs. For example, the cost of living in Munich is significantly higher than the cost of living in smaller cities. The amounts listed below are averages for costs across Germany.
1. Provide a brief overview/abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project.
The International Co-op Program is a chance to have a once in a lifetime experience. At what other point in my life will I be able to pick up everything I own, move across the world, and work as an engineer for 8 months of my life? Never. I was initially drawn to the ICP because of the opportunity to add a unique experience to my resume and travel the world. I now want to add that I will gain knowledge of a new culture. I want to learn about their work and free-time environment, how their leadership is developed within companies, and experience a new culture.
While in Germany, I hope to connect with my coworkers and meet new people at a University. I want to see what their lives are like in the workplace and as students. I want to be able to identify the differences in culture and lifestyles. Ultimately, I want to bring back practices from Germany that will make me a better world citizen wherever I end up. It is the same idea as learning information from two different texts. If I learn one leadership technique from two books and combine them, I am a better leader for it.
I also want to look into leadership development in Germany. I have become quite fond of studying this topic, and I want to learn how it is done in another country. Leadership development is an incredibly wide and complex field, and I want to know if Germany is doing something better than us or if they have similar tactics. The language barrier will be difficult to overcome, but I know that I will learn to speak and understand the language fully in order to communicate and learn about leadership development while working as an engineer.
This “new” culture is actually quite an old culture. In fact, it is the culture of my ancestors. I want to see how much of the German mentality has stayed with our family over the years. My grandparents know the area that our distant relatives originated from, and I want to see what that area is like now. Where were they headed and why did they leave? I want to see how their decisions shaped me and the connection it has to my German ancestry.
When I return, I will be a new person. My experiences will be unmatched by any other, and I will have learned an entirely different approach and perspective to life’s challenges. I plan to continuously use these skills to develop the people I mentor within my fraternity and in my future. I plan to get involved with a non-profit organization after graduation, and my experiences from Germany, the struggles, language barrier, learning, traveling, will be used on a daily basis to help me succeed and connect with others. Going to Germany will provide me with a skillset that cannot be gained anywhere else. This experience will prepare me in ways I won’t even see. I look forward to the experience, all the things I don’t foresee experiencing, and all the things I won’t notice experiencing.
Overview:
The spring intensive class begins the overseas component of the ICP. Students in the German Program stay at a youth hostel in Köln, Germany. We have classroom sessions in the morning, and participate in a variety of professional and cultural activities in the afternoon. We become familiar with transportation systems, postal services, banking, shopping, and other activities and services that we will utilize while living and working abroad for seven months.
Following the spring intensive classes, I will go to my individual work sites, which will be with company or research facilities in a city in Germany, where I will complete a seven-month co-op assignment.
2. Clearly state how each of the following elements will be exhibited in your work (refer to the first two pages of this document with the full description of what is expected in each of these areas).
a) Substantial Content and Quality within Global Studies Theme
While in Germany, I will work for seven months as an engineering co-op. My goal is to become fluent in German during my time abroad and develop a greater knowledge of the German culture. I also hope to spend as much time as possible traveling, learning, and experiencing all of Germany and some of Europe. I hope to see and experience as much as possible during my time abroad. I want to document my experiences in a blog to spread the wealth of knowledge I plan to obtain.
On a daily basis, I will be communicating and working with native German people. My constant interactions with these people will help me to learn about their culture and working environment. With the exception of the two week course in Köln, I will be on my own and will have little, if any, English communication. It is safe to say that I plan to be immersed in Germany and everything it has to offer. Struggling through the language barrier will prepare me for everything I experience in the future. I know for a fact I will face communication struggles in my career. Nothing will prepare me better to deal with a breakdown in communication that fighting against a language that I don’t fully know and understand.
Developing an understanding of German culture will help me develop as person, leader, and educator. Hearing about others’ experiences in Germany, they have discussed the German emphasis on recycling and preservation of the environment. I plan to get a bike and become a professional at utilizing public transportation during my stay. I want to learn about their development processes. I want to know what they do to build their leaders and how they get there. Here, I have witnessed some companies’ strategies to leadership development, and I want to see what it is like in the schools and workplaces in Germany. All of these skills will help me to develop techniques necessary to educate others. I will, more than likely, teach my friends and coworkers in Germany a little bit about American culture and techniques of similar nature to the aforementioned. It will be incredible to share my love and passion for leadership development with someone who is from halfway around the world. I will be spreading my reach further than I ever imagined.
My goal is to talk with managers at my company to identify the track they took in reaching their positions. I want to learn about the leadership development track and how it works in Germany as opposed to the United States. I also want to meet people my age at universities in Germany to learn about their personal development. My development comes from school, my fraternity, and other organizations. Where does theirs come from? Do they seek it out or are leaders chosen in their culture? These ideas and values that I will learn will help me in my own development toward being an effective leader in society.
I do not have a detailed itinerary for my travels because I do not have a job offer yet. For the first two weeks, I will be taking the class in Köln to assimilate better into my surroundings. Following the course, I will be moving to wherever my office is located in Germany. I plan to work in the morning, hike and bike at night, and travel on the weekends. I also plan to find a college campus near my work to get an idea of what German college students do for enjoyment. I’m very excited about the length of my trip, in that I will have a lot of time to have many incredible experiences.
b) Connection to Academic Goals and Theories
By participating in the International Co-op Program, I will be able to practice engineering, a difficult field in your native language, in another country. I will encounter challenges and problems unparalleled to working in the United States. This experience will develop me as an engineer, a leader, and as a person. Thus far, I have taken the 6-week intensive German course and have been practicing on my own as much as possible to build the language and vocabulary skills necessary to succeed during my employment in Germany.
Working in Germany will provide me with another country's unique approach to engineering problems that I hope to bring back to the remainder of my engineering career at UC and beyond. When I get back to UC, I would like to share my experiences with my fellow engineers. I want to show them how the mentalities and approaches differ in Germany from the United States. I hope to share my knowledge to help our Engineering program grow as much as possible.
Once I get hired to a specific company in Germany, I will research the type of work I will be completing during my co-op. I will spend time looking into companies in the United States who do similar work and see if I know anyone who has worked at that company or can get me in contact with that company. My efforts will be spent looking at their processes of developing products and people: what methods are used and how is it realized within the company. I will then use my learning experiences and interviews of the development process in Germany to write a logical and effective comparison of the two.
While in Germany, I hope to learn as much of the language, engineering, and culture as possible. I would also like to travel and see all of the amazing sites that I can. One of my side hobbies is photography, and I would like to take incredible pictures while I am in Germany that will sell the ICP program and study abroad. I want people to look at the amazing things I saw in Germany and know that going abroad is something they have to do while at UC.
c) Initiative, Independence and Creativity
Participation in ICP is entirely voluntary. Nobody is required to participate in an international program. Co-oping is a requirement that is unique to Cincinnati. Many other schools do not have co-op requirements, but we do. I wanted an experience that was a step above my peers. I wanted to travel and spend time abroad, but was worried about the expense. I am actively seeking funding opportunities to make this dream a reality. I took courses on German culture and language to prepare myself for the experience. Some of these courses required me to make some creative alterations to my typical Aerospace curriculum. I also incurred extra costs while taking some of these courses on top of my engineering work.
I also plan to take time to talk with leading individuals in Germany to learn their processes of leadership development and management tracks in Germany. I want to meet students from universities who can provide me insight into the types of development experiences they have access to and the process and techniques used. I plan to use this trip to identify and learn about another country’s techniques of developing their next generation leaders. Hopefully, I will have opportunities through my employer to attend some of their leadership development seminars and activities.
Learning all of this information will help me write the paper required of students attempting to attain a German Studies Minor from the ICP experience. The paper will require an analysis of differences in working environments, and I would like to explore the leadership aspect. Obviously, the paper will discuss my work as a co-op versus my experiences as a co-op in the United States, but I would also like to look into the management and leadership aspect of companies for my comparisons. Getting a German Studies Minor is not required of ICP students. I am incurring extra costs to register for the credit hours I will receive for reviewing and comparing my experiences in Germany against my work in the United States.
Obviously, I also plan on traveling while I am in Germany. I have never been to Europe and may never get to go again. I want to see and experience as much of the beauty, landscapes, and culture as I can during my stay. I will be taking my DSLR camera to document every trip I take and every experience I have. I’m especially excited to take pictures of landscapes and architecture in Germany and other parts of Europe. During my stay, I plan to have little free time, never sleep (except while I’m riding a train or plane), and soaking in as many memories as any person can fit into eight months. I don’t want to waste a single minute of the experience.
d) Reflection & Dissemination
When I return to UC, I will present to Intro to Co-op classes, freshmen Engineering seminars, Ms. Elliott’s Intro to International Co-op Class, and Dr. Rademann’s Intensive Language Course. I want everyone at UC to know about the great experiences (and struggles I overcame) while participating in the International Co-op Program. I plan to discuss the differences between German and American mentalities in Engineering and social life. I also plan to show off my (what I imagine to be) vast collection of photographs taken in Germany at work, in my apartment, and while traveling.
I want people I talk to about the program to know how much the experience has affected my abilities as an engineer and how much I gained from the experience personally. I want them to recognize that this trip can be utilized as a unique opportunity to gain engineering experience and is a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend eight months in Europe traveling and sight-seeing. I want to appeal to the inner passion that many people have for exploration and new experiences in order to sell them on their participation in the program. I don’t think that the program was sold to me very well, but I was able to recognize the potential good that would come out of it on my own. I want there to be no doubt in people’s minds that ICP is a worthwhile experience.
I plan to keep a blog while I am in Germany that will include my work experiences, travel experiences, and several photographs. The blog will be public and targeted mostly toward those interested in what I am doing abroad (my family and friends), but I will also be detailing my learning experiences, frustrations, and successes throughout the process. Documenting this will, hopefully, provide encouragement for others excited about the program and provide solace to my friends in the program (or anyone else really) going through similar frustrations and difficulties. This blog will also be shared with the Honors Department and posted on my e-Portfolio for others to see my experiences and be motivated to seek out such an experience.
My blog about my experiences abroad can be found here: http://bodenschatzabroad.blogspot.com/
e) Advisor (list the person’s name, title, and contact information)
Professor Gayle Elliott
Associate Professor
Division of Professional Practice
University of Cincinnati
PO Box 210115
Cincinnati, OH
45221-0115
Phone: 513-556-5433
Fax:513-556-5061
Email: [email protected]
f) Budget (if applicable)
Costs per student are listed below. Because students work in a variety of cities, there is a wide variance of costs. For example, the cost of living in Munich is significantly higher than the cost of living in smaller cities. The amounts listed below are averages for costs across Germany.
*Tuition quoted in quarter system as semester tuition fees are not yet posted on the UC website.
Students do receive compensation from co-op employers, but the amount varies by company. In Germany the compensation received is usually adequate to cover food and housing as well as transportation to work. All additional expenses are the responsibility of the student. An additional opportunity cost of participation in the ICP is that students give up approximately ten weeks of co-op earning to complete the intensive language program.
Students do receive compensation from co-op employers, but the amount varies by company. In Germany the compensation received is usually adequate to cover food and housing as well as transportation to work. All additional expenses are the responsibility of the student. An additional opportunity cost of participation in the ICP is that students give up approximately ten weeks of co-op earning to complete the intensive language program.
My Blog: |
My Reflection: |