Sean Taylor named Fulbright Scholar
History professor Sean Taylor, Fergus Falls, Minn., heads for Norway in August to study and teach for 10 months as a Fulbright scholar. The award covers all expenses and provides a stipend.
Taylor will teach American history to Norwegian college students at the University of Agder in Kristiansand. He speaks fluent Norwegian (most Fulbright scholars do not speak the language of the host country, Taylor says), and lived in Norway for three years while attending the University of Oslo.
“I want to return to Norway to experience its education system from the other side as an educator,” he says. “I also want to share my expertise in American history and learn from students and faculty in the Norwegian university system.”
Taylor intends to use teaching techniques he’s developed during his teaching career that he believes foster critical thinking. These techniques involve the use of historical simulations, films, historical novels, and other nontraditional materials. “This approach will allow Norwegian students to examine and explore the United States in new ways,” he explains.
Taylor will also use the time in Norway to research medicine, health, and healthcare among Norwegian immigrants to the United States.
The Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year. It is the U.S. government’s flagship academic exchange effort, administered by the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars on behalf of the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Founded in 1947, CIES is a private organization. It is a division of the Institute of International Education (IIE).
For more information about Taylor’s work and his Fulbright award, contact him at (218) 477-2814 or sean.taylor@mnstate.edu.