Get Information about a Program

NARRATOR:Listen to a conversation between a student and her economics professor.

MALE PROFESSOR:Excellent presentation you made at the end of class yesterday!

FEMALE STUDENT:[surprised—this is not the topic she came to discuss] Oh, thanks!

MALE PROFESSOR:I'm so glad you volunteered to present first.Starting out by [little more slowly] outlining what you were going to say, then, at the end, summarizing the key points—it was a very effective way of getting your points across.

FEMALE STUDENT:I'm glad you think so.I was afraid it might come across as...too formal.

MALE PROFESSOR:Not at all.In fact, I think it's a great approach, in general, for these presentations, so I hope the others were taking note.And the economic model you discussed—build-operate-transfer—I think everyone was quite interested.

FEMALE STUDENT:Yeah, it makes so much sense.If governments allow private companies to build public works, like a power plant, and then operate it for a decade or two before transferring ownership to the government, everyone benefits.

MALE PROFESSOR:Yes, the private companies make a profit, the public gets a needed infrastructure.

FEMALE STUDENT:And all without the government having to spend any money up front. Which is amazing.

MALE PROFESSOR:Right.

FEMALE STUDENT:Anyway... as I said in my presentation, this model's being used in Turkey right now, and you said, when you handed out that brochure in class last week—about the university's Global Enrichment Initiative, you said one of the countries involved in that is Turkey.

MALE PROFESSOR:Yes, that's right.FEMALE STUDENT:[throughout, eliciting information to help her decide whether to apply] So, I wanted to see if there's a chance...uh, the university sends fifteen students overseas to study?

MALE PROFESSOR:Fifteen students per country—fifteen for Turkey, fifteen for Brazil, fifteen for Russia...We've got a total of six countries participating next summer.

FEMALE STUDENT:[encouraged] Oh!

MALE PROFESSOR:Yeah, and you spend six weeks in whichever country you're selected for.The classroom component consists of seminars on that country's culture, politics, and economy.Most sessions are taught in English by local professors, but two of our faculty accompany each group and also give seminars.I'll be going to Brazil to teach a seminar on coffee next summer.

FEMALE STUDENT:[puzzled] But [beat] you're an economist!

MALE PROFESSOR:Coffee's played a central role in Brazil's economic development for over 200 years.About a third of the coffee consumed worldwide is produced in Brazil.

FEMALE STUDENT:Oh, I had no idea.Hmm. So, if I applied... I mean, can students pick the country they wanna go to?Cause if I could go to Turkey...

MALE PROFESSOR:Well, the primary goal of the Global Enrichment Initiative is simply cultural exchange...[explaining further] so students who've never been overseas before can broaden their perspective.This is why, on the application, you're asked to indicate your first-, second-, and third-choice countries.

FEMALE STUDENT:[thinking she might be forced to accept a country other than Turkey] I'm only interested in Turkey, though.I'm studying both Turkish and Turkish history this term.

MALE PROFESSOR:[neutral] I see.

FEMALE STUDENT:[worried] And, maybe I could learn more about how they're implementing the build-operate-transfer model there.Plus, I wouldn't wanna take a spot away from someone who really wanted to go to one of the other countries.

MALE PROFESSOR:[reluctantly] Well, I guess you could leave the second and third choices blank...