Friends World Program
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Friends World Program is an international studies college with regional centers scattered around the globe. It was founded as Friends World College by the New York Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1965, but became non-sectarian in the mid-1970s. Following bankruptcy, the college was absorbed by Long Island University in the 1991-1992 academic year and became Friends World Program.
Currently there are only about 250 students enrolled worldwide. Students participating in the full four-year Bachelor of Arts degree program generally spend their first two semesters at the Latin America Center in Heredia City, Costa Rica (the "Foundation Year Program" or "First Year Program"), and subsequently study at a minimum of two other centers.
The school promotes an experiential approach to education, with most of the student work at the centers - which have limited teaching faculty - being in the form of independent research projects, local involvement, and internships with various organizations. The emphasis is on cultural studies, arts, language, development and sustainability issues, and international relations, but Friends World students study a wide variety of subjects under the instruction and guidance of their advisors.
At the end of every academic semester, students submit a Portfolio of Learning, a collection of their notes, essays, and other documentation, which is then reviewed by an advisor who assesses their learning experience.
Friends World is an accredited university program.
Currently operating centers
- North American Center, Southampton, New York, United States of America
- Latin American Center, Heredia City, Costa Rica
- South Asia Centre, Bangalore, India
- China Center, Hangzhou, China
- East Asia Center, Kyoto, Japan
Currently suspended centers
Regional centers are sometimes shut down indefinitely due to lack of enrollment or perceived security risks. As of Spring 2004 these include:
- West Africa Centre, Ghana
- East Africa Centre, Kenya
- European Centre, London
- Middle East Center, Jerusalem
External links
- Friends World Program (http://www.southampton.liu.edu/fw/)
- South Asia Centre (http://www.sacindia.net/) independent website
- East Asia Center (http://www.eastasiacenter.net/) independent website
- Latin American Center (http://fwplatinamerica.com/) independent website