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Office of Study Abroad
and BreakAways
About Us
Dr. Almut Spalding
 Associate Professor of Modern Languages (German,
French) and Gender and Women's Studies
Director of Study Abroad and BreakAways
As a little girl in Heidelberg, Germany, I believed that every town had a
castle and a navigable river. Now living in the Midwest, I have long
learned to appreciate a different kind of beauty – wide open spaces, richly
fertile fields, big, sunny skies, and human sized, caring communities.
Looking at our planet from above amazes me every time anew, and makes me
ponder the place of humanity in this universe. Among my most memorable experiences on that
scale have been the sights of the entire Great Lakes system of north America (Superior,
Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario) and of the vast Amur River valley of Siberia.
At Illinois College, whether in the classroom, or working with students going
abroad, or with international students here, my goals are the same: equipping
students to expand their horizons; to have the courage to think and step
beyond the familiar; to recognize that, in the end, human communities are
similar everywhere; and, ultimately, to work toward justice and peace in a
sustainable world.
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