Virtual – Social Impact and Public Health
Melissa Bender
University Writing Program (UWP)
Melissa Bender is a Continuing Lecturer in the University Writing Program at the University of California, Davis, where she earned her Ph.D. in English. She is the editor of Contested Commemoration in U.S. History (Routledge, 2020), author of Who’s Your Source? (Broadview Press, 2019) and Twenty Writing Assignments in Context (McFarland, 2017) and the translator of La Caricature 1830-1835 (Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, 2017), a collection of 19th century French political cartoons. She has taught writing for over thirty years and currently teaches courses in history writing, science writing and environmental writing. She has led UC Davis Summer Abroad programs in England, France, and Italy, and a Quarter Abroad program in Sydney, Australia. In summer 2018, she led a USA study course, which studied the visual rhetoric of the iconic American landmarks of Washington, D.C. and New York City. Since 2021, she has taught courses for students participating in the Virtual Internships program.
A Message for Students and Parents
From 2003 to 2005, I lived and taught English in Bordeaux, France. It was a life changing experience for me. During that time, I developed skills in intercultural communication, and I learned much about cultural differences between the U.S. and France—including differences in the way that professional life is organized and conducted. Having a point of comparison enabled me to learn as much about my own nation as it did about another. Given the global flows of information, scholarship, and commerce today, having some international work experience is a great way to prepare for a future career. I do understand, however, that many students do not have the means, the time, or the ability to travel abroad for an internship. That’s why I’m delighted to work with students in the Virtual Internships program. This program provides an opportunity for all students to develop their intercultural communication skills and gain insights regarding the professional world in another country, while also honing their virtual workplace skills. I look forward to guiding students through what may be a life-changing internship experience."