Die Universität: Alex Russell promotes education abroad opportunities in Germany

A dual major in German studies and political science, Alexander Russell is working toward a future career in international relations. He’s getting a head start as an ambassador twice-over.

Russell, who will be a senior this fall, is an Education Abroad ambassador with the University’s Office of International Education and Global Initiatives (IEGI). Recently, he became a Young Ambassador with Deutcher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) or, in English, the German Academic Exchange Service, which promotes exchange between German students and students from around the world.

In both of his ambassadorships, Russell draws on his experiences at Germany’s University of Leipzig to promote the value of education-abroad opportunities and the resources available to students.

Students typically go to Germany in the spring semester to accommodate differences in the academic years between the two countries. Russell, however, headed to Leipzig in fall 2019, intending to spend the entire academic year there. Unfortunately, the spread of COVID-19 cut his German experience short and sent him back home to the Buffalo area just before the travel bans took effect.

Binghamton stepped in to save his semester, allowing him to take independent study courses through the German and Russian Studies Department as well as other online classes. Because of the differences between the German and American academic year, his spring 2020 semester ended a bit later than for his peers.

“That kept me busy during the summer, so I didn’t have the same issues everyone else did with cabin fever,” he said. “Overall, I also never had a reverse culture shock going from one country to another because everything was just so out of place.”

The international experience

Studying at a university in another country can be daunting, especially when the language of instruction is different from your own. Preparation is key.

Before the school year in Leipzig began, Binghamton’s German department sponsored Russell for a summer language learning course that gave him the opportunity to develop his fluency. Students from around the world participated in the month-long intensive, which was followed by an orientation at the University of Leipzig before the semester began.

“It was many hours of language learning, but it was very helpful and I was able to meet people from all over the world,” said Russell, a global studies minor.

His courses in Leipzig, all conducted in the German language, included several in political science. The experience was both intense and eye-opening. Russell had the opportunity to read styles of writing he’s not typically exposed to in his American classes, and take a major step toward fluency in the German language.

Interestingly, Russell discovered that the discipline of political science began in English-speaking countries. Despite the language difference, the theory and course content were very similar to what he learned at Binghamton. In fact, German scholars in political science often borrow words from English because certain concepts don’t exist in German, he said.

“One of the courses I did over there was on the political systems of Germany, so I was able to learn a lot more about how their government and their political institutions work,” he said.

Upper-level German courses at Binghamton are taught entirely in the language, but they cannot compare with learning an academic subject in Germany itself, he pointed out.

“When you’re there, all the professors and students are speaking at the same pace that we speak English; it’s very quick,” he said. “I was surprised with how well I was able to understand, but the language barrier is always with you. It’s like a kind of anxiety, where you feel like you won’t be able to construct the sentence properly.”

In the DAAD position, Russell will promote study and research opportunities in Germany, and funding opportunities through the German agency. Students don’t often consider Germany as a destination for international education, which is something he would like to change.

His efforts will include volunteering at Binghamton’s annual Education Abroad Fair and offering several events during the academic year, such as speaking to students during classroom visits.

Binghamton has its own education-abroad resources, too. Russell credits German and Russian Studies Associate Professor Rosmarie Morewedge with keeping students apprised of education-abroad opportunities, as well as language courses that promote fluency.

“She just wants to see us succeed, which is appreciated,” he said. “The German Department is very helpful and they will do whatever they can to help send students abroad. It was honestly more help than I would have expected.”

The German Studies Program is eager to provide opportunities for international study, both at its partner university in Leipzig and at other universities in the country, Morewedge said. Substantial funding from the Paul Weigand Fund allows the department to support both intensive German language study and education abroad, she said.

“With the COVID pandemic behind us, we are eager to work with Alex to have many students apply for education abroad this fall, so that they will be ready for exciting learning- and living-abroad opportunities in spring 2022,” she said.

Looking ahead

As he enters his final year at Binghamton, Russell is preparing for the next stage of his globetrotting education: graduate school for international relations, either in the United States or abroad.

An in-depth knowledge of Germany would be valuable in this field, especially considering its role as Europe’s economic and political powerhouse. While English may be the dominant language in international relations, German is the most widely spoken native language in the continent, he said.

“I would like to pursue a career in the government — in the State Department or something similar. Ideally, I would be working with foreign policy and/or foreign affairs,” he said.