OXFORD, Miss. – Emilie Dayan of Oxford, a junior at the University of
Mississippi, began the fall semester in an unusual way. She bought a
one-way ticket to France.
A student
in the Croft Institute for International Studies and a member of the
Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, Dayan is studying this semester
at the Université Catholique de l’Ouest in Angers, France. Of both
American and French ancestry, she also plans to connect with family
members who live in that part of the world.
Pursuing a
double major in international studies and French, Dayan is eyeing a
career in supranational politics, specifically working for an
international organization, such as the United Nations or the European
Union, in areas of economic development.
“Traveling is a form of learning that is unique from all others
because it involves all of our senses and challenges both our mental and
physical capacities,” Dayan said.
Focusing
this study experience on becoming more fluent in the French language, she
is participating in French language classes, as well as some French
literature and history classes.
“One
goal by the end of the semester is to be able to successfully tell jokes
in French,” she said. “One thing that I have learned from
traveling is that humor does not transcend language and culture. It’s
difficult to express my American sense of humor in French.”
While
Dayan’s main goals of travel are associated with education, she has
another more personal reason for choosing to study in France.
“I am
both a French and American citizen, so I hope that living in France for
an extended period of time will help me grow closer to that side of my
heritage and also help me to further understand my identity as a dual
citizen,” she said. On weekends, she plans to visit family members
located throughout France.
She also
expects to spend time in the Italian cities of Florence, Siena and Rome,
as well as the Cinque Terre region. During her two semester breaks, she
plans to visit friends in Germany, as well as venture to southern Spain
and Ireland.
Dayan left
Oxford in August with a one-way ticket to France, but she says she
definitely plans to return to Ole Miss in time for the spring semester.
After completing her undergraduate program in May 2011, she wants to
attend law school.
Dayan will
receive UM credit for the courses as part of an exchange program directed
by the UM Study Abroad Office. These exchanges provide the opportunity
for UM students to study abroad for the cost of their tuition and also
allow them to use their local scholarships, as well as state and federal
loans and grants, to help defray the cost of studying abroad.
A 2007
graduate of Oxford High School, Dayan is the daughter of Franck and Renee
Dayan of Oxford.
For more
information, visit
http://www.croft.olemiss.edu/
http://www.outreach.olemiss.
http://www.honors.olemiss.edu/ and
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/