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International Relations Online: Classes Start in May
ALUMNI NEWS
Alumni, we need
your help! We are in
the planning stages
of creating the most
exciting reunion weekend ever, and
there is something missing - you! Read
more.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU - EASTEN
LAW
Title: Instructor
Job Duties: I teach
several sections of
Cross-Cultural
Communication. I
honestly believe it is one of the most
important courses an undergraduate
SIS will hold the first classes of its new, innovative, online Master of Arts in International Relations (IRO) in
May 2013. Professors are developing the inaugural classes, "International Studies: History, Theory, Practice"
and "Intercultural Communication." Through state-of-the-art technology, IRO classes are delivered live on an
engaging online learning platform. Students will meet weekly with classmates and professors at designated
times in the virtual classroom for live coursework discussions. Applications for May admission are accepted
until March 11. To learn more about the IRO program and the inaugural classes, visit ironline.american.edu/.
student could take. It builds
self-awareness and lays foundations for
more intentional and nuanced
engagement with the world. Read
more.
GETTING INK
MORE HEADLINES - 2/26/2013
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Eligible for New Grad Scholarships
Pre-College Program Attracts Future SIS Students
Griffith Scholarship Honors Former Dean and Assists Students
Undergraduate Curriculum Changes Implemented
Professor Lauded by Honors Program
Students Earn Public Policy Fellowships
Alumnus Receives Award and Delivers Lecture
Professor Tazreena Sajjad:
Interviewed in "Bangladesh's Rising
Voices," Al-Jazeera, Feb. 19.
Read more.
Photos of the Week
INTELLECTUAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Eligible for New Grad Scholarships
Professor Jeff
Colgan released his
A new initiative that builds on American University's
newest book, PetroAggression: When
strong ties with the Peace Corps will provide graduate
school scholarships to returned Peace Corps volunteers,
Oil Causes War
(Cambridge
University Press
enabling a new generation of peacemakers to combine
academic and professional endeavors with their
continued desire to give back.
2013). Read more.
Now, the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program, a
partnership between the Peace Corps and American
University, will support students pursuing graduate
AU Peace Corps fellow Bob Schlehuber, SIS/MA '13, with
students during his service in Pryvillia, Ukraine.
degrees in eight designated areas of study within AU's
School of International Service. Qualifying fellows will be
EVENTS
SIS will host the DC
offered six credit hours of remitted tuition to apply toward their master's degree programs. For the 2012-2013
Environmental Film
Festival Monday,
school year, this totals $8,394.
March 18 at 7 p.m. in
the SIS Abramson
"The Peace Corps is delighted to have AU as a partner in the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program," said
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acting Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. "This new partnership enables returned Peace Corps
volunteers to continue their work in public service through meaningful internships in underserved American
communities. Experience overseas and graduate studies position Peace Corps Fellows to launch a career
by combining coursework with service."
Family Founders
Room. The event will
be introduced by SIS Professor Ken
Conca, and the film, "Shark Loves the
Amazon," will be followed by a Q&A
Peace Corps volunteers can apply their scholarship funds in the following master's programs in the School
of International Service: Comparative and Regional Studies; International Economic Relations; International
with Mark London (writer, producer),
Cidney Hue (co-director, co-editor) and
Politics; International Peace and Conflict Resolution; International Development; International
Adrian Vasquez de Velasco
(co-director, co-editor). The event is
Communication; Global Environmental Policy and U.S. Foreign Policy.
"For generations, our students have pursued public service - a distinct hallmark of our university. With this
program we reconfirm our commitment to educate the next generation of thoughtful citizens as they seek to
create meaningful change both here and abroad," said American University Provost Scott Bass.
All fellows will complete a degree-related internship in an underserved community, allowing them to expand
the skills they learned as Peace Corps volunteers.
Fellows selected to American University's program may elect to complete their internships at the Woodrow
Wilson High School, the One-on-One mentoring program, Columbia Heights Educational Campus and other
D.C.-area organizations.
Graduate student Bob Schlehuber, SIS/MA '13, is one of several fellows who started their graduate
program at American University this past fall. When not in class working on his graduate degree, Schlehuber
goes to another class twice a week with students at Cesar Chavez Public Charter School teaching lessons
on global citizenry.
"These were my favorite lessons to teach while in the Peace Corps, and I was so lucky to continue my
Peace Corps work at home," Schlehuber said.
This new effort builds on an existing program that American University and the Peace Corps offer that
consists of three Master's International graduate programs in TESOL and public anthropology, as well as an
integrated School of International Service offering. MI students combine Peace Corps service with graduate
studies at AU.
Earlier this month, American University ranked second on Peace Corps' top volunteer producing college list
in the medium category. Nearly 900 American University alumni have served as volunteers overseas since
the Peace Corps was established in 1961.
The Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program started in 1985 at Teachers College, Columbia University and now
includes more than 80 university partners in 31 states and the District of Columbia. The program is
specifically reserved for students who have already completed their tenure abroad with the Peace Corps.
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Pre-College Program Attracts Future SIS Students
2012 Community of Scholars students visited the U.S. Institute of Peace.
When Caroline Brazill, SIS/BA '15, was in eighth grade, she attended a mock career fair dressed in a
pantsuit, and carried an American flag and a U.S. passport, indicating her desire to become a Foreign
free and open to the public. Read more.
CONNECT WITH SIS
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Service officer someday.
Kiera Russell, SIS/BA '15, knew from her college search that "AU was definitely my number-one choice. I
knew that for a fact. I visited campus for the first time and said, 'I belong here.' "
Both students - one who was destined to study international relations and another who couldn't wait to get to
AU - enrolled as high school students in SIS's pre-college Community of Scholars program in 2010.
The Community of Scholars program allows high school students to take a three-week summer course in
international relations for college credit. The hybrid course - one week participating online from home and
two weeks in residence at SIS - attracts students from the United States, and around the world, from
Belgium to Bulgaria; Puerto Rico to the Philippines.
"I wanted to know what SIS was like, and Community of Scholars was a chance to find out," said Russell. "I
knew it would give me a chance to meet great professors and other students to work with."
Students spend mornings in class and participate in afternoon workshops led by members of the AU
community; they learn about studying abroad, library research and career prospects as AU Career Center
representatives discuss internships. Evenings are filled with films, discussions or field trips - such as a
Washington Nationals baseball game or monument tour.
"The Community of Scholars program is an excellent opportunity to get a leg up on the college experience,"
said SIS's Director of Pre-College Programs Page Hogan. "Finding e-reserves at the library, writing a
résumé or participating in model United Nations sessions are tools to prepare students for college."
As in Russell's experience, many Community of Scholars students begin with an interest in SIS, or, like
Brazill, learn more about the university from the program and later decide to apply. Many participants
eventually become full-time students. About three-quarters of students who participated in the 2011
Community of Scholars program applied to AU that fall, and 72 percent of those who applied were accepted.
"I was attracted to the brand new SIS building and the school's reputation of establishing excellence in the
field," Brazill said.
Russell and Brazill are both members of SIS's Delta Phi Epsilon foreign service sorority and their
experiences in the Community of Scholars have far-reaching effects. Brazill interned with the nonprofit
Search for Common Ground last fall, after meeting the group's representatives during a Community of
Scholars field trip. Russell's enthusiasm for the program attracted her younger sister, Hailey, to last
summer's session, and she hopes to attend SIS.
"The Community of Scholars program appeals to a wide range of students interested in international
relations," said Russell. "This is a great program if you're coming to learn, because the classes and the
material are so rewarding."
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Griffith Scholarship Honors Former Dean and Assists Students
Many university scholarships are begun by alumni donors. One special
SIS scholarship, however, The Ernest S. and Margaret D. Griffith
Scholarship, was started by the very people it was meant to benefit. The
SIS student council established the scholarship to honor Dean Griffith,
the founding dean of SIS, on his 100th birthday.
"It was decided that SIS would give a celebration and invite the SIS
alumni to participate and make contributions in my father's honor," said
Lawrence Griffith, M.D., Dean Griffith's son. "SIS students and alumni
raised over $125,000 in that one event. That was the start, and the initial
funding that came from that big reception."
However, the family asked if SIS could make one small change.
Griffith Scholar Sara Kokkelenberg,
SIS/CAS/BA '13.
"My family and I were interested in honoring both of our parents," said
Griffith. "Around that same time, I was back in touch with Dean Emeritus
Louis Goodman, and asked if they would be willing to expand the name to include my mother. In those days,
my mother really was a very large part of how things got started at SIS, and the dinners and things that she
hosted for faculty wives. She was into it up to her eyeballs, in terms of wanting to do things."
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Griffith was always interested in the lives of students. "He loved students. He came to Washington in 1932
from Syracuse University to be dean of graduate studies, and he and my mother started attending
Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, right across the street. He had a Sunday School class of
high school students for 16 years. He had a basketball league organized for them. For SIS orientation, he
thought that a hike up Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park was a good way to have new
students come together."
Sara Kokkelenberg, SIS/CAS/BA '13, is in her third year of Griffith funding, a renewable prize awarded
annually to support freshmen who best exemplify the School of International Service's commitment to public
service and exhibit academic excellence.
"I was able to stay here in many ways because of the Griffith Scholarship," she said. "I was happy about
that, since I've had a great experience."
Kokkelenberg demonstrates the commitment to community service described by the wording of the fund. As
a high-school student, she visited the Dominican Republic twice to work with Orphanage Outreach, co-led
her high school chapter of Amnesty International and visited a Native American reservation in South Dakota
to build bunk beds. As an AU freshman, Kokkelenberg participated in the Freshman Service Experience,
spending two days cleaning Rock Creek Park.
Brandy Pech, SIS/BA '15, a junior studying abroad in London and pursuing her BA/MA dual degree in
International Peace and Conflict Resolution, has received the Griffith Scholarship for four semesters. Pech
has been self-sufficient since age 16, and has accumulated extensive student loans to pay for her AU tuition.
"The Griffith will be one of several grants which will reduce that large overall sum," Pech said.
Griffith felt strongly about creating scholarships, said his son, and Pech hopes to make a similar impact on
SIS students.
"AU and SIS are very dear to me," Pech said. "They have shaped who I am. There is no doubt in my mind
that one day I will also set up a scholarship fund that will enable students with special circumstances, who
normally fall through the cracks, to receive funds that will allow them to live their dreams, just like me."
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Undergraduate Curriculum Changes Implemented
Professor Elizabeth Cohn instructs her first-year seminar students in her course "Reflections: U.S. in a Mirror."
The SIS administration has implemented changes in the undergraduate curriculum as part of an evolving
process to focus on challenges and issues in international affairs in an interdisciplinary way, said Associate
Dean for Undergraduate Education Patrick Thaddeus Jackson.
"The degree as a whole is grounded in a liberal arts philosophy," said Jackson. "This is a 'how to think
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critically and creatively about pressing global challenges' kind of degree. It will prepare students to live in the
world rather than training them how to do particular things in the world."
One of the highlights of the revised curriculum was the introduction of first-year seminars in fall 2012. The
classes, which will be capped at 19 students in fall 2013, are designed by professors teaching a topic "near
and dear to their hearts," said Jackson.
Professor Elizabeth Cohn hopes to emphasize the importance of critical thinking in her course, "Reflections:
U.S. in a Mirror."
"Students must begin with a text and fully understand what that author is saying," said Cohn. "Then they
compare different authors' views on a subject, and then, only thirdly, do they bring in their own views. I think
critical thinking is a hugely important skill, given the blog-filled world we live in."
Academic skills aren't the only ones Cohn wants her students to pick up throughout the course.
"I'm using the seminar as an opportunity for them to either develop or hone the skills necessary to be a
successful student," she said. "In addition, they need to have a safe space to ask questions of faculty
members."
Other changes to the undergraduate curriculum include developing a second-level research methodology
course to allow the material presently covered in SIS-206 to be addressed over the course of a full year and
thematic areas based on eight broad themes: Peace, Global Security and Conflict Resolution; The Global
Economy; Foreign Policy and National Security; Global Inequality and Development; Environmental
Sustainability and Global Health; Identity, Race, Gender, Culture; Justice, Ethics, and Human Rights; and
Global and Comparative Governance. Another notable offering is the proposal of a public diplomacy
certificate, which will be the first offered in an American university, according to Jackson.
Committees, groups and task forces worked for over two years to design and recommend the changes. The
SIS Undergraduate Council discussed the alterations and eventually presented their recommendation to the
SIS faculty.
"We liked that the curriculum had a set pathway for students," said Miso Juhnn, SIS/BA '15, the
Undergraduate Council president. "A lot of SIS students come in knowing what they want to study, so the
themes seem like an easier road to get them there."
"The way I like to think about it is developing critical thinkers rather than training people in particular
technical skills." said Jackson. "We want to pursue this goal of growing that kind of intellectual disposition in
our students. That's what we'd like to have happen."
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Professor Lauded by Honors Program
Professor Pek Koon Heng received the Outstanding Faculty Award from University Honors Program Director Michael Manson.
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SIS Professor Pek Koon Heng recently received the 2012 - 2013 Outstanding Faculty award from the
University Honors Program.
Program Director Michael Manson said that Heng was the "obvious choice" for the honor.
"Students frequently discuss how brilliant and engaged her teaching is, and they also praise her work as a
mentor in the Honors 101 Program," said Manson. "I have seen firsthand how she raises the rigor of student
work and drives students to think critically about what they read and hear."
Heng also serves as the director of American University's ASEAN Studies Center, which focuses on the
politics and policy of Southeast Asian states. The center is the first of its kind in the U.S.
"Professor Heng has served as both a teacher in the Honors program and as an Honors 101 faculty mentor,
which demonstrates not only her interest in and enthusiasm for teaching, but her dedication to the individual
student experience," said Dean James Goldgeier. "I am delighted to see that she has been recognized for
her tremendous efforts on behalf of the Honors students."
In the award citation, Manson also credited Heng's connection with the students.
"She has served as a faculty mentor for Honors 101 three times, gaining a reputation for being witty,
approachable and caring," he said, adding that students requested her return as a mentor each year.
Heng's influence and enthusiasm extend beyond SIS. From Feb. 23 - March 2, with other faculty and
administration from AU, she will join a delegation of ten U.S. universities traveling to Myanmar. This
delegation will learn about the current state of higher education in Myanmar, explore potential partnership
opportunities and represent U.S. higher education's interest in building connections with the host
universities.
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Students Earn Public Policy Fellowships
Undergraduates Antonio Rivera-Martinez, SIS/CAS/BA
'14, and José Ramirez-Rivera, SIS/BA '14, have
received Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA)
Fellowships for 2013.
The PPIA Fellowship Program, sponsored by the
Association of Professional Schools of International
Affairs and the Association for Public Policy Analysis and
Management, helps students achieve a master's degree
or joint degree, typically in public policy, public
administration, international affairs or a related field.
Accepted students attend an intensive Junior Summer
Institute, where they are equipped with the knowledge
and skills they will need to succeed in graduate school
and, ultimately, in influential roles serving the public
good. The PPIA's partnerships with universities and
alumni networks connect these students with nearly
4,000 individuals who share the same interest in public
José Ramirez-Rivera, SIS/BA '14, in hockey gear in Canada.
service. SIS's winners, both natives of Puerto Rico, will
attend the summer institute in 2013. Rivera-Martinez will
study at Princeton University, and Ramirez-Rivera will go
to Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.).
"The PPIA fellowship represents our precise goals for undergraduate education in international affairs: the
movement of committed students into public service, in which they take what they have learned in the
classroom and use it in addressing critical global issues," said Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
Patrick Thaddeus Jackson. "We are very proud of these awardees."
Rivera-Martinez studies economic development policy and law and has held multiple internships with
non-profit groups in Puerto Rico, a Virginia state-senate campaign, the Puerto Rican Popular Democratic
Party and with the Organization of American States . At AU, he is active in Model United Nations. Antonio is
currently studying abroad at King's College, London.
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At SIS, Ramirez-Rivera focuses on the international relations of the Americas. In fall 2012, he held a full-time
internship with the State Department in the Office of Caribbean Affairs. He participated in the first Latino
Leadership Summit, organized by Teach for America. Ramirez-Rivera received the Killam Fellowship for
study abroad in Canada and is spending the spring 2013 semester at Mount Allison University in New
Brunswick.
"I think the PPIA is an incredible opportunity that will prepare me for graduate school and help me with a
possible career in public service," said Ramirez-Rivera. "It is surreal that I will be attending Carnegie Mellon
University this summer, and I am very excited about it. The PPIA opens the door for a graduate education for
me."
Jane Lai, SIS/KSB/BA '14, has been accepted as an alternate for the summer institute at Princeton
University. To learn more about the PPIA Fellowship, click here.
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Alumnus Receives Award and Delivers Lecture
Associate Professor of Linguistics at Swarthmore
College K. David Harrison, SIS/BA '88, spoke at the
Kay Spiritual Life Center Feb. 21 on "Saving Dying
Languages: Why it Matters." The talk was co-sponsored
by the University Honors Program and SIS.
The night before, Harrison was named AU's 2013
Outstanding Honors Alumnus for "his deep commitment
Dean James Goldgeier (l) and K. David Harrison, SIS/BA '88
(r), before Harrison's lecture "Saving Dying Languages: Why it
Matters".
to spread the word about the need to preserve
endangered languages that serve as repositories for the
accumulated knowledge of their cultures," said University
Honors Program Director Michael Manson in the award's
citation.
SIS faculty also praised his efforts.
"The AU Africa Council organized a hugely successful event with him a few years ago, and I found his book,
When Languages Die: The Extinction of the World's Languages and the Erosion of Human Knowledge,
inspiring enough to teach a few classes on threatened African languages in the Civilizations course," said
Professor Carl LeVan. "He goes into dangerous rebel-held territories to find the elders who know the
grammar and songs."
Harrison described these experiences during his lecture, in which he discussed his travels to "language
hotspots" - the 24 National Geographic-designated areas across the globe of high language endangerment
and low scientific documentation.
The planet is home to over 7,000 languages, Harrison said, yet 83 languages are spoken by almost 80
percent of the population. Alternatively, 3,586 languages are spoken by less than one percent of the
population.
"These numbers are a snapshot of an accelerating trend and why linguists see the problem of saving the
languages as urgent," Harrison said.
During his visits to Siberia, Papua New Guinea, Oregon and India, Harrison discovered that languages can
be saved through technology. The one remaining speaker of Siletz in Oregon contributed over 1,000 words
and phrases to an online talking dictionary. Panau speakers in Papua New Guinea had heard about the
internet and wanted their language to have a similar presence there.
"Small languages want to cross the digital divide," said Harrison. "These communities view technology not
as a threat, but as a huge opportunity. An internet presence provides vitality and prestige to the language."
But the best argument made for saving languages came from an indigenous speaker of a threatened Indian
language, who said, "Loss of culture is loss of diversity."
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Photos of the Week
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In fall 2012, Professor Maina Singh taught an informal class on the Hindi and Urdu languages on Wednesdays in the Atrium. "I ran into
so many students who were enthusiastic just to practice or learn phrases, so I thought it would be fun," said Singh. Although Singh is
on leave this semester, she plans to resume the class in fall 2013.
Professor Clarence Lusane (far right) and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Patrick Thaddeus Jackson
(second from right) are congratulated on being given full tenure by Professor Carl LeVan (l) and Professor Philip
Brenner(second from left).
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SIS recently debuted "The SIS Minute" on the SIS website's landing page. The videos feature faculty briefly discussing major global
issues. Subscribe to the YouTube channel for new installments.
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Alumni News
Alumni, we need your help! We are in the planning stages of creating the most exciting reunion weekend
ever, and there is something missing - you!
Building excitement among fellow alumni, inviting friends back to campus and encouraging attendance for
class events are just a few of the important duties of class committee members.
This year, we are celebrating the anniversaries of the classes of 2003 and 2008.
As a member of the reunion planning committee, you can play an important role in shaping your class
reunion experience. Volunteering to help with your reunion is also a great way to reconnect with AU and the
friendships that began here on campus.
To find out more about becoming a reunion committee volunteer or to sign up, please click here.
Calling all alumni: Have you moved or changed jobs? Be sure to update your information to ensure you
continue to receive AU and SIS news, information and volunteer opportunities.
The annual SIS Student-Alumni Networking Reception on Feb. 7 was a success. More than 75 alumni (as
both employers and job seekers), along with 169 students, faculty and staff attended. The "How to Network"
workshop was especially popular, where more than 70 students and alumni received advice from Career
Center Advisor John Charles and Mark Lyubovitsky, SIS/BA/MA '10, '11. As AU alumni, you are invited to
take advantage of AU's Career Center services. For more information on resources and upcoming
networking events, please visit: http://bit.ly/YDL86F.
Class Notes
We invite readers to send comments to SISComm@american.edu. Please include your graduation year and
degree.
Kathleen Suneja, SIS/MA '84, recently released her latest book, I Am the Change I Seek (XLibris, 2013).
Samir Karnik, SIS/BA '96, a Bollywood producer, was profiled by Online PR Media.
Michael Kugelman, SIS/BA '00, published an opinion piece, "The Global Farmland Rush," in The New York
Times Feb. 5. Kugelman is a member of the SIS Young Alumni and Friends Committee.
Margo Seibert, SIS/BA '05, has been named a Rising Star Award finalist in Howard County, Md., for her
work in musical theater.
The U.S. Department of State profiled Simone Johnson, SIS/MA '07, as part of the group's observance of
Black History Month.
Kelly Witkowski, SIS/MA '09, is now at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.
Ryan Carroll, SIS/BA '12, works in the Office of Policy at the Department of Homeland Security. Perry
Landesberg, SIS/BA '12, is now working full time for Hanover Research. Ana Rasmussen, SIS/BA '12,
teaches for Auxiliares de Conversación (Cultural Ambassadors: North American Language and Culture
Assistants) in Spain. Kayla Dias, SIS/BA '12, is at the Biotechnology Industry Organization. Max Harden,
SIS/BA '12, works for Kelly Goodman, NP, and Associates. Annika Park, SIS/BA '12, is now a legislative
correspondent on Capitol Hill.
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Getting to Know You - Easten Law
Title: Instructor
Job Duties: I teach several sections of Cross-Cultural
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Communication. I honestly believe it is one of the most
important courses an undergraduate student could take. It
builds self-awareness and lays foundations for more
intentional and nuanced engagement with the world.
Tenure at SIS: This is my first year teaching at SIS, and
only my second semester. I also taught at AU's School of
Professional & Extended Studies for two years before
joining SIS.
My colleagues would be surprised to learn: I have a
background in Christian theology and spiritual formation.
The best part of working at SIS: The students. I am energized and inspired by the drive I see in many of
these young people to do something meaningful and positive in the world.
First job: I worked at stocking shelves and checking people out at the register. Everyone should have some
experience working retail or in the service industry. There are important lessons to be gained. My first
full-time job was teaching English in China.
Where I grew up: I grew up right here in the Maryland suburb of Silver Spring.
Family: My beautiful wife, Christine, works at the American Red Cross doing international monitoring and
evaluation. We have a happy little three-year-old boy named Joshua, who loves all varieties of animals and
modes of transportation.
Hobbies: I enjoy reading and writing, following the news, taking leisurely bike rides and playing with my son.
What I enjoy doing on the weekend: Almost anything associated with the arts and the people I love. Get
me into a gallery, theatre or concert of some sort followed by conversations over tea or coffee about its
implications for cultural identity and connections in the world. I should also mention I include baseball in my
understanding of art. There's beauty in the way a pitcher throws a ball.
I'm reading: Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Idiot. In addition, I recently picked up King's Dream: The Legacy of
Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Speech by Eric Sundquist.
Favorite book and movie: Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. There is potency to the text's portrayal
of family, faith and friendship set against very real and difficult social-cultural circumstances. My favorite
movie is "Yi-Yi" by Edward Yang. It's a reflection on modern family life set in Taipei that speaks to me on
several levels I can barely begin to describe.
Favorite food: Cantonese style fried noodles and Taiwanese street market food.
Last vacation: My family and I did a road trip through the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico to celebrate the New
Year, including visits to several Mayan ruins. Of course, the world did not end (traditional Mayan conceptions
of time are cyclical, not linear), but if it had, we would have had a great front-row seat.
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Getting Ink
Professor Tazreena Sajjad: Interviewed in "Bangladesh's Rising Voices," Al-Jazeera, Feb. 19.
Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies Ambassador Akbar Ahmed: Interviewed on his new book, The
Thistle and the Drone: How America's War on Terror Became a Global War on Tribal Islam, C-SPAN 2
Book-TV, Feb. 17.
Professor Benjamin Jensen: Opinion piece, "Seeds Sown in Middle East for the Next Revolution," The
Washington Times, Feb. 17.
Professor Paul Wapner: Interviewed in "The End of the World," Iowa Public Radio, Feb. 14.
Professor Molly O'Neal: Interviewed in "Poedinok" ("Crossfire"), Voice of America Russia, Feb. 14.
Professor Gordon Adams: Interviewed in "Doom Scenarios for U.S. Budget Cuts May Be Overplayed,"
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Reuters, Feb. 14.
Professor David Mislan: Interviewed in "State of the Union: 4 Takes on Afghanistan, Syria, President's
Style," PBS, Feb. 13.
Professor Robin Broad: Opinion piece, "Let's Stop Calling Countries 'Markets,' " TripleCrisis, Feb. 13.
Professor Clarence Lusane: Opinion piece, "The Rise and Hard Fall of Jesse Jackson Jr.," McClatchy
News Service, Feb. 13.
Professor Judith Shapiro: Interviewed on the revival of plans to dam the Nu River in China's southwest,
Voice of America, Feb. 12.
To see more SIS media appearances, please visit our SIS in the Media page.
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Intellectual Contributions
Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies Ambassador Akbar Ahmed's book, The Thistle and the Drone:
How America's War on Terror Became a Global War on Tribal Islam, was reviewed in The International News
(Pakistan) by Maleeha Lodi Feb. 19. Lodi wrote, "Professor Ahmed's insights into tribal history, customs,
code of conduct and the predicament of tribes beleaguered from all sides make for compelling reading."
Professor Randolph Persaud was appointed to the steering committee for Science and Technology
Support, a $10-million project at the University of Guyana funded by The World Bank. A substantial part of
the project is dedicated to deepening research on low carbon development strategy. Persaud is the
International University representative on the five-year project, which was launched on Jan. 23.
University Professor James Mittelman submitted an article, "Global Bricolage: Emerging Market Powers
and Polycentric Governance," to Third World Quarterly's February 2013 issue.
Professor Ji-Young Lee spoke as a panelist on the Korea-Japan Study Group at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies event, partnered with the Mansfield Foundation and the Korea Economic Institute
on Jan. 22. The title was "Will U.S.-Japan-Korea Relations 'Reset' in 2013?"
Professor Jeff Colgan released his newest book, Petro-Aggression:
When Oil Causes War (Cambridge University Press 2013).
Professor Anthony Wanis-St. John contributed a book chapter,
"Indigenous Peacebuilding," to Routledge Handbook of Peacebuilding(R.
MacGinty, ed. Routledge, 2013). He also contributed "Impediments to
Trade Across the Green Line in Cyprus: The Role of Classic Barriers and
Trust" (with O. Gokcekus, J. Henson and D. Nottebaum) to Journal of
Peace Research, vol. 49, no. 6, November 2012.
Dean James Goldgeier received a grant from the 100,000 Strong
Foundation to support work at SIS that will further the Foundation's
mission to increase the number and diversity of U.S. students who study
abroad in China. Among its proposed activities, the 100,000 Strong
Project will host events and devise programming to encourage students
across the country to consider studying abroad in China. It also will liaise
between corporations, foundations and organizations that sponsor educational exchange programs in order
to grow research scholarships for students from the U.S. to study in China, and enhance the role of diverse
educational institutions in placing U.S. students in China.
Professor Susan Shepler's article "The Rites of the Child: Global Discourses of Youth and Reintegrating
Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone" was reprinted in the book Childhoods at the Intersection of the Local and the
Global (Afua Twum-Danso Imoh and Robert Ame, eds., Palgrave Macmillan 2012).
Professor Gary Weaver spoke at the University of Delaware's Office of Residence Life mid-year training
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Jan. 26.
Professor Ken Conca delivered the keynote address, "Beyond the Rio Era: Peace and Human Rights as
Foundations of Sustainability" at the annual conference of the Norwegian Association for Development
Research in Oslo, Norway in November. He also gave a plenary presentation on "Climate Injustice: Water
Dimensions" for the conference Anticipating Climate Disruption: Sustaining Justice, Greening Peace, at Tufts
University in October.
Professor Loubna Skalli-Hanna participated in a panel discussing youth politics and employment in
Morocco at the Youth, Gender and Employability in the Arab World Conference Feb. 13 in Rabat, Morocco.
Professor Matthew Taylor presented his research on corruption in Brazil at a joint Oxford University and
Kings College London workshop on "Democratic Brazil Ascendant," Feb. 21 and 22.
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Events
George Washington University Professor Stephen B. Kaplan, author of Globalization and Austerity Politics
in Latin America, will discuss his book Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. in the SIS Abramson Family
Founders Room. The event is free and open to the public.
The School of Communications' Film and Media Arts division will show Professor Brigid Maher's movie
"Filming Women in Islamic Cultures" Wednesday, Feb. 27 from 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the Batelle-Tompkins
Atrium of the Batelle Building. The event is open to the public; learn more about the event and registration
fees here.
Chief Counsel of the Environmental and International Law Unit of the World Bank Charles E. Di Leva
will speak on Friday, March 1 from 10:20 a.m. - 11:35 a.m. in the McDowell Formal Lounge. Di Leva's talk,
titled "Multilateral Environmental Agreements & the Role of International Financial Institutions," is free and
open to the public.
New Zealand Ambassador Rt Hon Mike Moore will speak on Tuesday, March 5, at 10:15 a.m. in the Letts
Formal Lounge. In this talk, "A Life in Politics", the Ambassador will share reflections on globalization, trade,
and the NZ-US Relationship.
SIS Visiting Professor Sachio Nakato of Ritsumeikan University will discuss Japan-Korea relations on
Tuesday, March 5, at 2:30 p.m. in the SIS Abramson Family Founders Room. The event, which is free and
open to the public, is sponsored by the American University Center for Asian Studies.
Doug Brooks of the Asian Development Bank (in conjunction with ADB's North American Representative
Office) will focus on the role that ASEAN connectivity plays in supporting infrastructure and development in
Asia on Wednesday, March 6 from noon - 2:30 p.m. in the Mary Graydon Center Gianni Lounge (Room
200). While the event, sponsored by SIS's ASEAN Center, is free and open to the public, please RSVP.
Author, journalist and lecturer Nicholas Kralev will discuss his book, America's Other Army: The U.S.
Foreign Service and 21st Century Diplomacy on Thursday, March 7 in SIS Room 300 from 3:30 p.m. - 5
p.m. The event is sponsored by SIS's International Communication and U.S. Foreign Policy programs and is
free and open to the public.
SIS will host the DC Environmental Film Festival
Monday, March 18 at 7 p.m. in the SIS Abramson Family
Founders Room. The event will be introduced by SIS
Professor Ken Conca, and the film, "Shark Loves the
Amazon," will be followed by a Q&A with Mark London
(writer, producer), Cidney Hue (co-director, co-editor) and
Adrian Vasquez de Velasco (co-director, co-editor). The
event is free and open to the public.
Join SIS for the 16th Annual SIS Undergraduate
Research Symposium Wednesday, March 20 in the SIS
Abramson Family Founders Room from 3 p.m. - 9 p.m.
The symposium is free and open to the public.
Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies Ambassador
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Akbar Ahmed will launch his newest book, The Thistle &
the Drone: How America's War on Terror Became a
Global War on Tribal Islam Tuesday, April 9, from 1 p.m.
- 3 p.m. in the SIS Abramson Family Founders Room.
Beginning with Waziristan and expanding to tribal
societies in Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa
and elsewhere, Ahmed presents an unprecedented
paradigm for understanding and winning the war on terror.
The event is free and open to the public.
American University will honor the late SIS Dean William Olson at a memorial service at the Kay Spiritual
Life Center from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 10. A reception will follow in the SIS Abramson Family
Founders Room. Learn more about the service, which is free and open to the public, on the Alumni
Association website.
Skills institutes will be occurring on select dates this spring led by practitioners from the Intercultural
Management Institute. These weekend-long courses provide both practical intercultural communication
skills and theoretical knowledge to professionals working in the international and intercultural spheres,
aspiring intercultural trainers, as well as those with interest in training for overseas living. For more
information on courses, fees and locations, or to register, visit: http://www.american.edu/sis/imi/institutes
/institutes.cfm.
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Located in Washington, DC, American University's School of International Service is ranked consistently among the top ten schools of international relations. More than 3,000
students, from undergraduates to PhD candidates, representing 150 countries, are taught by over 100 full-time faculty. SIS's policy-practitioner relationships and global university
partnerships help to place 80 percent of its students in internships, and enable 40 percent of graduate students, and 80 percent of undergraduates, to study abroad. The School's
faculty, practicing adjuncts and interdisciplinary curriculum prepare graduates for global service in government, non-profits and business.
For information regarding the accreditation and state licensing of American University, please visit www.american.edu/academics
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