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WHAT WE'RE ABOUT
Globalization is here to stay, but what course it takes is far from predetermined. That will depend on how it is shaped by actors competing in the global arena. The International Studies [I.S.] Program offers interdisciplinary degrees (both major and minor) intended to prepare students to work in that exciting new arena.
The degree is designed to equip I.S. graduates with critical skills, flexible thinking, creativity, and a cosmopolitan view of world issues. This will enable them to rise to the challenges of working comfortably across linguistic, cultural and disciplinary borders. To this end, the curriculum straddles traditional departmental divisions, combining insights drawn from different disciplines around a common regional or global concentration.
In particular, the program links four core disciplines (cultural anthropology, geography, history, and political science) in examining how the world works – as seen both from above and below and from local, national, regional, and planetary perspectives. Students are helped to undertake internships, encouraged to study abroad, and recommended to combine the I.S. major with a minor in a second field such as foreign languages, political science, social science, business, mass communication, or engineering. Many I.S. students opt for double majors.
International Studies Society [ISS]
If you want to join the dynamic ISS student club please contact Aaron Cafarel. They are currently making plans for the Fall 2011 semester. The ISS is also working on a website of its own which will be linked to this one.
Where we are
International Studies has a new suite of offices in 153 Howe Russell. We have a nice new seminar room, which will be used for all sorts of functions and will also be the permanent home for the ISS students' club. | |
EVENTS
The Arab Spring One Year On
International Studies has organized a series of events this semester to commemorate the first anniversary of the Arab Spring revolution of 2011. On March 5th, Professor Stephen Zunes from the University of San Francisco spoke to a gathering of 75 people about the role of non-violence in the Arab revolution. You can listen to a podcast of his appearance on the Jim Engster show. We have scheduled three more events marking the momentous uprisings that changed the landscape of the Arab world:
1. LECTURE on Thursday, March 15 at 4.00 pm in Nicholson 130. Dr. Mark Wagner, from the Foreign Languages department, will present a lecture entitled “A Satirist’s View of the Uprisings in Yemen.” The bloody uprisings in Yemen make for very dark comedy. The poems on the revolt by Yemeni satirist and poet Abd al-Karim al-Razihi (1952-), disseminated on Facebook, have led some to call him “the poet of the [new] Yemeni Revolution,” “the official voice of the people’s conscience,” or “the man who laughs and cries at the same time.” This presentation will set Razihi’s Facebook poems in the wider context of his rich body of work in poetry, short stories, and humorous newspaper columns. It will also show what we can learn from his work about the political crisis in Yemen and in the Arab world more broadly.
2. MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATION on Thursday, March 22 at 4.00 pm in Design School, Room 103. New Orleans based poet Andy Young will read from her new book “The People is Singular” (Press Street Press, 2012). The poems are a response to the eighteen days of the Egyptian Revolution which led to the departure of Hosni Mubarak. They are juxtaposed with photographs by Egyptian photographer Salwa Rashad, who took part in the demonstrations. Video projections will accompany the reading and reflect on some of the triggers for the poems. The event will be followed by a book signing.
Author Bio: Andy Young is the co-editor of Meena, a bilingual Arabic-English literary journal, and teaches at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. Her work was recently featured in The Cortland Review, The Southern Poetry Anthology, and on Public Radio’s “The Reading Life.” Her work was recently featured in Egypt’s Al Ahram Online.
3. READINGS on Thursday, April 26 at 5.00 pm in 103 Design School. In “Revolutionary Renditions,” faculty members from different departments at LSU will read from--or share in some other way--their favorite revolutionary text and talk about its aesthetic and political impact. Our presenters will showcase a range of literary work on the theme of political revolution: poems, novels, short stories, political speeches, songs and even film clips from Bollywood cinema.
International Studies would like to thank the departments of English, History, Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Political Science for their assistance in sponsoring these events.
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STRATEGIC PLAN
ADVISING
Students needing advice about the International Studies Program should contact Dr. Wonik Kim at intlstud@lsu.edu. Many advising matters can be handled by e-mail.
If you need to meet in person, you may schedule an appointment.
There are also several planning resources and FAQ available under Students >News.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
International Studies Alum Ben Priddy (Russia & Central Asia concentration) will be a Participant Recruiter for FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange Program) in Eurasia. This State Dept.-sponsored exchange program for Russian high school students is run by American Councils for Intl. Education out of DC and Moscow. Ben will be responsible for Moscow/Southern Russia and the whole country of Turkmenistan. He will serve as the American Councils program representative in the region and is responsible for all aspects of participant recruitment including: publicizing competitions; interviewing candidates, conducting prerequisite testing; and associated record keeping. The position requires extensive travel throughout the country or region assigned. The Recruiter must also interact with local governmental and educational officials at all levels. Ben will be putting his language training at LSU to good use. The work will be conducted Russian, with some English only in the final student interview stage.
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