PSIA and BAPG Staff Visit University of Iceland

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REYKJAVIK, Iceland — The American University of Armenia (AUA) Master of Political Science and International Affairs (PSIA) program’s Administrative Assistant Ani Shahoyan and Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance (BAPG) program’s Coordinator Liana Simonyan recently traveled to the University of Iceland as part of the Erasmus+ Mobility Program. 

The overall objective of the visit was to get acquainted with the International Exchange office of the University of Iceland and further advance collaboration projects between AUA and the University of Iceland, commenced in 2019. Since then, there have been several staff exchanges in teaching and training, mainly focused on research in small states studies. Last year, a PSIA student had a rewarding experience spending the Fall 2021 semester as an exchange student at the University of Iceland. Similarly, another PSIA student will be spending Spring 2023 semester there. Given the successful exchange experience of graduate students, AUA staff discussed the opportunities for undergraduate exchanges with the University of Iceland. 

The visit by Shahoyan and Simonyan involved meetings with various departments, including the Marketing and Development unit at the University of Iceland. They learned about  the marketing strategies, quality policies, and strategic development actions employed there. 

“It was a highly productive experience to spend a week at the University of Iceland. Such exchange opportunities are helpful not only to strengthen cooperation between the two universities, but also to meet in person the staff members with whom we have been working virtually for several years. We made every effort to take away as much as possible from this experience,” Shahoyan and Simonyan commented.

Currently, the PSIA program has four students studying at the University of Salzburg in Austria and Freie University in Germany. More information about the existing student exchanges of the PSIA program can be found on the study abroad page of its website.  

The Political Science and International Affairs (PSIA) program of the American University of Armenia (AUA) equips students with advanced analytical reasoning, critical thinking, and communication skills through the study of political science and international affairs, emphasizing local and global perspectives and practical applications of theory. The program provides world-class teaching and research, producing graduates who can best contribute to the development of the nation.