27岁的夏洛特·宾厄姆直到去年秋天才离开美国, when she enrolled at Syracuse Strasbourg in France, one of Syracuse University’s five study abroad 中心. The first-year student wasted no time exploring the historic, diverse city, 它建在伊尔河的一个岛上，横跨法德边境.
“斯特拉斯堡是大学生的理想选择，因为与大多数大都市不同, it’s safe, welcoming 和 easy to explore,” says Bingham, a Long Isl和 native majoring in international relations. “I made it my European hometown.”
She also discovered Strasbourg’s importance as a geopolitical hub. 象征着法国和德国之间的和平与战后和解, the city houses major global institutions, including the European Parliament; the European Court of Human Rights; 和 the Council of Europe, a human rights organization that sponsors the World Forum for Democracy.
“It’s a gem of an opportunity,斯特拉斯堡雪城大学校长约翰·古德曼在谈到该大学与欧洲委员会的新协议时说, which sponsors events like the World Forum for Democracy (above).
In November, Bingham was one of 10 Syracuse students who, 作为“欧盟政治”(PSC 405)和“欧洲人权”(PSC 429)课程的一部分。, 是否有机会在世界民主论坛担任正式报告员. As notetakers, they reported on key discussion points at the three-day event, 来自80多个国家的代表出席了会议，重点是捍卫民主和人权.
“I saw the world in a new, three-dimensional way,” recalls Bingham, 谁的诉讼报告被列入论坛的最后摘要. “像锡拉丘兹斯特拉斯堡这样的课程帮助我理解世界, 把它看作是一个人的社区，而不是一张没有人情味的线和边界地图.”
Center Director John Goodman agrees, noting a new agreement between the University, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Strasbourg, 和 the Council of Europe. “新的合作伙伴关系对学生和教师来说都是一个宝贵的机会，这是美中两国之间的首次此类合作.S. institution 和 the Council of Europe.”
I saw the world in a new, three-dimensional way. Programs like Syracuse Strasbourg help me make sense of the world, 把它看作是一个人的社区，而不是一张没有人情味的线和边界地图.
Charlotte Bingham ’27
We recently caught up with Goodman as well as Bingham, Nathaniel Hasanaj ’25 (international relations), William Johnson ’25 (历史 和 social studies education) 和 Grace Reed ’25 (broadcast 和 digital journalism) to discuss Syracuse Strasbourg.
Tell us about the World Forum for Democracy
An aspiring social studies teacher, 25岁的威廉·约翰逊(左二)说，世界民主论坛让他接触到了影响政府和社会的重要问题. Grace Reed ’25 is to his left.
约翰逊: 会议汇集了商界领袖和政府代表, 青年代表团和非政府组织审查世界民主状况. 许多与会者提出了旨在改善民主和他人生活质量的倡议.
宾汉: 一位给我留下深刻印象的演讲者是一位来自肯尼亚的公共政策分析师. She talked about the People Dialogue Festival, 各行各业的肯尼亚人聚在一起讨论政府问题, social 和 economic issues. 这是在不同文化经历的背景下完成的, like food, music 和 dance, is fascinating.
Hasanaj: 该论坛使政治决策者和活动人士能够就关键民主挑战的解决方案进行辩论. 它基于欧洲委员会的三个价值观:民主、人权和法治.
What was it like serving as a rapporteur?
瑞德: Each of us attended a lab group or a forum talk, 我们在哪里做正式的笔记，并对提出的各种倡议形成意见. 里德的实验室，题目是“对话的艺术:同理心能带来和平吗??,” featured presentations of four such initiatives.] After discussing our findings with other rapporteurs, we decided which projects should proceed to the final round.
Hasanaj: My lab was titled “Women Building Peace,” 和 it explored ways to make peace negotiations more inclusive. 其中一位演讲者是南苏丹妇女知识分子论坛的创始人, which uses social 和 broadcasting media to promote a free, just 和 equitable society. 她的演讲不仅内容丰富，结构合理，而且充满激情. 听她说话让我意识到，为什么在南苏丹等饱受战争蹂躏的国家，妇女和女孩往往被边缘化.
约翰逊: As rapporteurs, 我们帮助确定哪项倡议最受欢迎，并将获得欧洲委员会享有盛誉的民主创新奖. I learned about pressing issues, 比如加纳采矿对环境和健康的影响以及塞尔维亚的清洁水危机. As a future social studies teacher, 我对这些问题如何影响政府和社会很感兴趣.
斯特拉斯堡雪城大学的学生有难得的机会担任世界民主论坛的报告员. 他们参加了论坛会谈和实验室小组，报告了各种正在提出的倡议.
该大学与欧洲委员会的新伙伴关系为本科生和研究生创造了体验机会. What are your thoughts on it?
古德曼: The agreement is an outgrowth of the University’s Academic Strategic Plan，强调出国留学和学生参与实时公共问题. 它为在斯特拉斯堡学习的学生提供了十几个实习机会. 它还为学生和教师提供了独特的研究机会.
It's extremely rare 和 valuable for students, especially undergraduates, to work inside an organization like the Council of Europe, which represents more than 700 million people. Thanks to our 50-year presence in Strasbourg, 大学可以直接接触到主要国际机构的从业人员.
Hasanaj: As the so-called “Capital of Europe,“斯特拉斯堡提供了许多职业前学习的机会和经验. 我在世界民主论坛上遇到的一些想法开阔了我的视野, something that probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise. 我感到更加独立，对欧洲特别是法国和德国的历史和文化有了更深入的了解.
瑞德: Studying abroad in Strasbourg, 在通过世界民主论坛等机会推进我未来的职业生涯时，我培养了更强的自主性和适应力. I now see the world—和 the people in it—in a new way.
