Geneva Summer Schools - Student Testimonials

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Jeffrey Matthews, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (2013)

The opportunity to participate in the Geneva Summer Schools was an immense privilege and joy. With a diverse student body pulling from over 20 countries, my class was the seat of lively discussion on a daily basis. Our lectures were engaging, reading materials insightful, and site visits exciting. As a global health professional, Geneva holds a great deal of relevance to my industry. The Summer Schools gave me invaluable exposure to the city and its many institutions. It was an ideal platform to learn about international diplomacy while building a global network with classmates. I thought the administration did a great job of pulling in experts from diverse fields, facilitating career panels, and organizing our site visits. Without question, I would recommend this Summer program to anyone interested in global work. It was worth the investment on every level.

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Lally Marino, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University (2013)

Geneva Summer School program was one of the best programs I have participated in. I've had the privledge to study abroad three times during my undergraduate studies, but the Geneva Summer School program was hands down the best. As an international affairs major studying in Washington, D.C. I felt that I had a very good understanding of what 'global governance' is - but GSS helped open my eyes to many opportunities and points of view that I had not learned in my undergrad classes. Being able to learn about global governance in one of the most important cities in the world was an experience I will forever be grateful for. The program also afforded us with ample time to explore Geneva and surrounding cities, which are all breathtaking. The way the program is set up creates such a great environment for students to get to know each other and each other's culture and become fast international friends.

I am currently in my senior year of undergraduate studies at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs majoring in international affairs with a focus in international development. I hope to pursue a masters in international development after spending some time teaching english in Europe.

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Rachel Wilkins, University of New South Wales & Registered Nurse (2013)

The summer school really was one of the best academic experiences that I have had, from so many different perspectives. To give you a very brief example, only four weeks into my new semester back in Australia I have already been able to uniquely contribute to all three of my classes with information and tools that I learnt about during the summer school. For example just this past Tuesday I was able to open a discussion about International Health Regulation in the context of some specific infectious diseases we were looking at in one of my classes. This turned out to be highly pertinent to the class and something I wouldn't have been able to contribute had I not spent a week learning about the IHR, culminating in the breaking news we presented in Geneva's "Nightly News" on our final day of class.

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Jessica Delgado Agredo, National University of Colombia (2013)

How can I describe my experience in GSS? The answer is simple: it was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had in my life. As a Political Science student and junior research in International Relations, the dynamic of power within the international system deeply interests me. During the summer school I got to understand how new actors, such as transnational organizations financial institutions advocacy and civil society networks have an important and remarkable influence in the current global governance. Thanks to the excellent professors from all over the world who made well-structured and entertained lectures for us. We even developed a �climate security simulation�.

Spending the summer in Geneva has been of great inspiration for my future professional development. After having the opportunity to received advices from diplomats and experts, I have decided that Geneva is the place where I would like to do my master.

Finally, not being the last, my time in Geneva was more than perfect because of the wonderful people I met. In any other situation I could meet such a perfect mix of nationalities. Also I would like to mention that any of this could be possible without the hard work and friendly contact with the staff of GSS. Thank you for give us such an invaluable experience.

Jelena Todic, University of Belgrade (2013)

For an International Law student deeply interested in the functioning of the international organisations and roles of different actors in the international affairs, three weeks spent in the heart of the international world was, needless to say, more than enriching experience. What I liked most is the fact that each professor had different background (ranging from geopolitics, political science or law professors to environmental experts and ambassadors) and thus all of them had a possibility to present us Global Governance topic from whole another perspective and then enable us to perceive this phenomena objectively and freely.

Twenty seven of my colleagues were almost all from completely different countries but during three sunny weeks in beautiful Geneva we managed to find same language, mutual interests and what is maybe most valuable, learn from each other. Friends I made there are the ones I�ll cherish for the rest of my life and the knowledge I gained is the one I�ll be proud to share with my peers at my faculty in Belgrade, Serbia.

Geneva Summer Schools is certainly something I wouldn�t recommend to everybody � but only to those I care about most, for valuable things has to be kept in small circles of privileged!

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Jiun-Ruey Hu, Princeton University & Vanderbilt School of Medicine (2013)

I am so grateful to the University of Geneva for providing me with this scholarship to study Global Health and Human Rights at Geneva Summer School. This program has inspired me with invaluable perspectives in international health policy and social, behavioral, economic, and legal determinants of health that I aim to integrate into my studies and volunteer work as a medical student in the US. Under the guidance of Professors Chastonay, Stuckelberger, Kabengele, and Schulthess, themselves veterans in the field, we studied interdisciplinary issues centered on the core themes of the UN millennium development goals, health systems, and international health regulation, through seminars, discussions, and interactive working groups. I found our course work stimulating and engaging, culminating in case studies re-evaluating outbreak incidents under the 2005 International Health Regulations. We had invaluable opportunities to meet with and hear from policy makers at the WHO, ILO, and ICRC, which is partially a reflection of Geneva's role as an international city and a hub for international health-related organizations. In the same vein, I had the pleasure of volunteering at the inaugural conference on Challenges Facing Humanitarian Action at UNIGE. I would like to add that Dr. Brown and the GSS staff were very warm and immensely helpful from start to end � it was such a pleasure to be at UNIGE. It has been a wonderful learning experience for all of us as our classmates and professors bring such diverse perspectives on global issues, not only from different countries, but from a variety of fields and experiences. I am very passionate about global health, and I sincerely hope that we as a class, rather than complacently accepting such a formative experience as an end result, treat it as a window of insight and a catalyst to work toward contributing to solutions to some of these issues in whatever little way we can.

Amira Nassim, The Open University (2013)

The International Law Summer School program provided by the University of Geneva is an excellent opportunity to study an intensive 3 week long course in International Law. The course is combined of three principle topics and other shorter �snap shot courses� which allowed us students to study the principles of many interesting fields of law while given the opportunity to focus more in depth on other areas of international law (economic law, international law and international law and politics).
The versatile background and high level of expertise of the professors and visiting lecturers provided valuable perspectives to the field that they represent. Debate and discussion were always encouraged and further recommendations and advice given to those who were especially interested in a certain subject. One of the best parts of course is the fellow students from all over the world that one meets while studying this course, making the experience even more interesting and fun.
Being a course assistant was a very valuable experience. My tasks varied a lot and often I focused on keeping the student group and professors informed of day-to-day issues. I also took care of distributing reading materials, managing our internal Facebook group and providing general information about Geneva and the University itself.
I am currently finishing my undergraduate in International Studies focusing on Political Science and applying for Masters in International Law. I have also recently joined as an intern a Geneva based NGO that specializes in international law.
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Mary-Beth Allen, University of Virginia (2013)

The Geneva Summer School New Trends is intense! The program includes lectures, classes, and museum visits. Over the course of the summer school we examined multiple approaches to literature with international experts, and students had the chance to meet accomplished scholars and fellow students who share their interests. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to study in Geneva.

I will begin PhD studies in French this fall at the University of Virginia, and plan to focus on 18th century works. I have an MA in French from the University of Oklahoma. I completed my master's thesis, Les Relations du genre et du pouvoir dans la trilogie th��trale de Beaumarchais in 2012.

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Isabelle Bourgeois, Universit� de Montr�al (2013)

The 2013 Summer School called �Cultural Heritage Law: Past, Present, Future� of University of Geneva was a unique opportunity to deepen my knowledge regarding the protection of cultural expressions and intangible cultural heritage. This specific course was a necessary asset to my master�s degree research in International Law since the cultural heritage is studied and analyzed in its interactions with women�s rights law. The goal of my thesis is to provide a better understanding of international women�s rights instruments, and in this way to ensure their adaptability and application within local justice conditions. I am working within an innovative framework of legal anthropology of public international law. The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression, the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women are central in my research to understand the intersections and the tensions between those two conventions.

Through my research on women and cultural rights, this course has helped me develop my knowledge through teachings by well-known UNESCO and universities experts. The key speakers were not only giving lectures: They were sharing with enthusiasm their expertise and they were encouraging students to actively participate to the class through questions and comments. There were also some interesting debates that opened the doors to future research subjects. The Summer School on Cultural Heritage Law was also a great opportunity to develop a network of contacts with students and young researchers in the field. In brief, my master's research has been greatly improved by the in-depth study of the conventions on cultural heritage and its related issues and by the exchanges with professors, experts, and students.

Piathida Poonprasit, University of Melbourne & World Bank Bangkok (2013)

The Summer Programme on International law was an enriching experience for me, both at the professional and personal level. The 3 weeks intensive class was a combination of interactive classroom sessions of International law in an atmosphere of a rich cultural and social events in charming Geneva. The program allows me to gain a broader perspective on various topics on international law and make new friends from many places around the world. The experienced professors and their dedication to the program, small-size classes that encouraged participation, and the opportunity to attend the Inaugural lecture really enhanced the course.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the Geneva Summer Programme to others in the future. It is a great opportunity to have fun and spend your summer exploring and learning international law while living in the capital of multilateral diplomacy!

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Mert Ertunga, University of Pittsburg (2013)

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I can�t describe how productive the Summer School, led by the efforts of Dr. Martin Rueff, has been in my research and studies.� I have specifically used several passages in my dissertation that were inspired by my knowledge acquired through the courses taught by experts such as Philippe Roger, Joanna Stalnaker, Fran�ois Jacob, Natasha Lee, to name only a few.� The course also gave me a chance to meet other students involved in 18th-century studies, with whom I am still in contact and have developed a useful line of communication.� Thank you UNIGE.

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Andrea Hemming, Stockholm University (2013)

Regardless your background; doctor, researcher, student in political science, psychology or law- this course suits everyone with an interest in the correlation between health and human rights. Lead by passionate professors and together with talented fellow students from a broad range of disciplines-you get a fantastic insight in these two areas. With a schedule filled with visits at UN agencies and external speakers from the field- the possibilities for you are endless to ask questions, debate interesting topics and create a solid platform to build your future career on. The fact that the course is located in the metropolis of the UN is just the icing on the cake.

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Pau Petit, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (2012)

The summer school of Understanding Global Governance was an excellent opportunity to learn about all the different non-state actors that interrelate with each other transnationally. I felt we had the best professors from all around the world on a broad amount of topics that enabled me to better understand how global governance works today. The location of Geneva is the best for this programme because of the great amount of relevant international stakeholders that are based in the city; it feels like a micro-cosmos where many different international actors meet. The visits to the different International Organizations, NGOs, meetings with top academics and politicians gave me a great insight that I'm sure will help me for my future. After participating to this programme I'm sure I would like to spend the following years in the international arena helping to make a better world and eventually achieve world peace. Moreover, being surrounded by such a talented and dynamic group of young people, from all over the world, created a very friendly atmosphere that enabled spontaneous study groups and engaged such interesting discussions that made me feel very comfortable. Finally, the final presentation enabled me to further explore the impact of new technologies in global governance and the United Nations Parliamentary Campaign. I'm sure some of the leaders of tomorrow have been in this summer school.

Jonathan Hughes, Exeter University (2012)

If I had to describe my Geneva Summer School experience in one word, i'd say it was 'exceptional'. Not only was the academic side of the course rewarding and relevant, to both my future career and future university topics, but the non-academic side of the course was also very good fun. During contact hours, we received lectures from academics at the nexus of research in their fields and visited the world's most eminent international organisations. In the evenings and on the weekends we sampled Genevan culture and life. Most importantly, every aspect of the course was great fun and absolutely rewarding; especially for me. For example, you may worry about the marking of the course; you needn't. The presentation was an excellent way to explore a topic that had particularly interested us in the course. I found this especially helpful and fortunately came away with the award for the 'best presentation', something which I will take away with me for future.

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Sandra Valminord, Smith College (2012)

The Global Governance Program was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot of valuable information about how the world interacts and the roles we can play in making changes that we want to see happen in our world and in our communities. Even as a sociology major who has not had any classes on this topic, I was always stimulated by the diverse perspectives of the professors and NGO professionals that we were able to meet. Most importantly, I now have a network of other students from around the world. This was a summer well spent.��

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Liang Jian Wu, University of Connecticut (2012)

The Summer Global Governance Course was extremely eye opening as it gave students� an opportunity to explore so many different interdisciplinary concepts in three weeks. The professors came from many different backgrounds and gave us all valuable insights into the world we live in today. The visits to the organizations based in Geneva allowed us to understand the practical side of how things worked. But the best part of the program is that the students are all so different and yet open minded, and the casual conversations you have with everyone else is what truly makes this a one in a lifetime opportunity.

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Testimonials