Global Currents Spring 2012

IN THIS ISSUE:— Undergraduate Research in Kenya

— Introducing Dean David E. J. Garman

— CIE Conference: World Cinemas, Global Networks

— Study Abroad for Deaf Studies

— 2012 International Photo Contest

A Biannual Bulletin by the Center for International Education

Global Currents Spring 2012Volume 8 Issue 2

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CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

With this issue of Global Currents, we are pleased to feature an array of articles and interviews that attest to the tremendous growth of internationally-focused research at the University of Wisconsin–

Milwaukee.

In these pages, you will learn about an exciting research project in the College of Nursing conducted by Professors Peninnah M. Kako and Patricia E. Stevens in conjunction with their undergraduate partners, Victoria Scheer and Sarah Slivon. In their study, they focus on the health needs of HIV-infected women in Kenya as well as issues of health care access, self-care management, gender-based violence, and the

engagement of women in income generating activities. In another article, UWM alumna Carly Nichols describes her research in India. A May 2010 graduate with a double major in International Studies and Economics, minor in Geography, and certificate in Urban Planning, Nichols has been interning with the Gene Campaign in New Delhi, researching and preparing policy documents that pertain to farmers’ rights, GMOs, sustainable agriculture, and food and livelihood security amongst marginalized populations. We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of our students and of the faculty who support them in such compelling research agendas.

We are also proud to feature an article on UWM’s world-class American Geographical Society Library, which recently received a grant from the Andrew Mellon Foundation to organize and process the American Geographical Society Archives, which were transferred from New York City to Milwaukee last year. If you have never visited the AGS Library, I urge you to do so to discover the remarkable treasures that comprise its collection of historical maps, atlases, and images.

There are other exciting new initiatives underway, which involve both an expansion of our on-campus international community (the CERNET agreement with the Chinese Ministry of Education) and a deepening of our commitment to providing education abroad opportunities for all UWM students (Professor Heather Ford’s Italian Sign Language program). I would like to direct your attention to the interview with UWM’s Founding Dean of Freshwater Sciences, David E. J. Garman. Here, you will learn more about his background and his plans for the new School as well as international water issues and how the School of Freshwater Sciences can contribute to addressing these.

Finally, please mark your calendars and plan to attend CIE’s annual conference, this year on the topic of “World Cinemas, Global Networks,” which will take place on April 27-28 at UWM’s Hefter Center. This conference will explore filmmaking across Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, and take stock of the transnational trends, aesthetic features, and geopolitical exchanges that have contributed to the flourishing of world cinema at a time when many point to the obsolescence of film itself. Please join us for an engaging series of lectures, roundtables, and screenings. As always, we welcome all faculty, students, and staff at UWM to participate in what promises to be engaging, cross-disciplinary dialogue.

Patrice Petro - Vice Provost for International Education

Cover image by Yuliya M. Litvina - “Park Guell”- taken in Barcelona, Spain

Letter froM the VICe ProVoSt for INterNAtIoNAL eDUCAtIoN

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Letter froM the VICe ProVoSt for INterNAtIoNAL eDUCAtIoNtABLe of CoNteNtS

Published by:

Center for International EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–MilwaukeeGarland Hall 138P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201www.international.uwm.edu

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ResearchImplementing an Undergraduate Research Experience in Kenya ...............................................2

American Geographical Society Library Awarded Major Grant to Process Archives ...................4

2012 CIE Conference: World Cinemas, Global Networks .........................................................6

Beyond Globalization: A Publication in CIE’s New Directions in International Studies ..................8

Developing World Dietary Transition: An Empirical Investigation in Delhi, India .........................9

ProfilesIntroducing Founding Dean of the School of Freshwater Sciences, David E. J. Garman .............12

An Interview with Besnik Mustafaj, Former Foreign Minister of Albania ...................................14

Special Feature2012 International Photo Contest ..........................................................................................18

CIE WorldUWM Signs Agreement to Enroll More Chinese Students .......................................................20

Charting Study Abroad Territory for Deaf Studies ..................................................................21

Study Abroad in Summer 2012 ............................................................................................24

NotesCIE Staff News ....................................................................................................................28

Events ............................................................................................................................30


Implementing an Undergraduate Research Experience in KenyaBy Peninnah M. Kako, RN, PhD, FNP,BC, APNP, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, Patricia E. Stevens, RN, PhD, FAAN, Professor, College of Nursing

The country of Kenya, located in East Africa, has a diverse population of nearly 40 million people comprised of 42 different ethnic groups. The Kenyan population is relatively young with nearly 42% of the population between 0-14 years; there are equal proportions of men and women. The majority (80%) of Kenyans live rurally. It is a low income country with a GNI of $790, at least half of its population living on less than one dollar a day, and a literacy level of approximately 85%. Men have higher literacy level at 90% compared to women’s level of 80% of those who can read and write.

Since the first case of HIV was diagnosed in 1984, Kenya has continued to experience a generalized HIV epidemic with 6.3% (1.5 million) of its citizens being HIV-infected. Women bear the greatest burden, especially younger women aged 20-24 years, who are four to five times more likely to be infected than their male counterparts. The impact of HIV/AIDS in Kenya has been devastating; for instance, approximately 1.2 million children have been orphaned by AIDS. With the increasing availability of antiretroviral treatment, there is hope that more people are living longer and healthier with HIV. Since the majority of Kenyans live in rural areas, a greater number of people infected with HIV live in rural areas; the majority of them are women. Continual evaluation of the experiences of women living with HIV in rural Kenya is important and necessary. Impact of HIV on women living in rural eastern Kenya

Our research agenda in Kenya has focused on the health needs of HIV-infected women, HIV transmission risk, health care access, and self-care management over time. Utilizing narrative inquiry informed by a post-colonial feminist perspective, my colleagues Dr. Patricia Stevens and Dr. Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu, and I hope to highlight that although women in Kenya continue to occupy marginalized spaces, they have local knowledge that is important to the efforts of mitigating HIV. By employing a post-colonial feminist stance which emphasizes the need to elicit voices that might not otherwise be heard, we have sought to elicit the voices of women in trying to understand their health needs, HIV transmission risk, and the challenges they face while accessing HIV-related care. We have invited women from urban Nairobi and rural eastern Kenya to participate in our ongoing study. From our earlier work, women spoke of their need for increased health care access, their reactions to HIV

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Student Victoria Scheer learns from a rural woman how to use sisal fiber to make robes

diagnosis, and their continued challenges in dealing with HIV transmission risk even after they are diagnosed with HIV. Because our studies in Kenya have thus far focused on individual women, we felt that engaging the larger community at this point in our research trajectory was logical to uncover socially embedded structures that are crucial in decreasing HIV risk and curbing the impact of HIV in rural eastern Kenya.

This past summer, in July 2011, Dr. Patricia Stevens and I were grateful to use funding from the UWM Center for International Education (CIE) to implement an overseas research experience for undergraduate students. This funding helped to partially support two undergraduate students, Victoria Scheer and Sarah Slivon, to assist in data collection in rural eastern Kenya as part of our larger ongoing study funded by the UWM Graduate School RGI4 “HIV Transmission Risk, Access to Treatment, and Self Management of Illness Over Time: An In-Depth Longitudinal Study of HIV-Infected Women in Kenya.”

Involvement of students in the research process

Engaging undergraduate students Victoria Scheer and Sarah Slivon in our study helped expand our capacity to reach community informants that are critical in informing HIV/AIDS policy for rural eastern Kenya. We were able to pilot an exploratory study of the impact of HIV on women’s lives in Kenya with a specific emphasis on identifying the health

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challenges that women living with HIV in Kenya face in relation to self-care and gender based violence and to determine their engagement in income generating activities. With these students’ assistance we were then able to expand on our past work by adding a focus group component that engaged the women, the community leaders, and health care providers. The women were strong and were able to articulate their important need to engage in income generation activities so that they can take care of their children. As one student observed, “The best part of interviewing the women individually was getting to listen to their personal stories and building a trusting relationship.” Women were more concerned about their family than their own health. Sarah shared her feelings about her experience interviewing the women:

Women in focus groups were able to share how they came to be involved in support groups and how these groups have helped them learn to deal with HIV and learn new income generation skills to support their families. Such skills which the women proudly showcased included basket making, rope making, soap making, and floor mat making. In the groups they encourage one another to make these items which they sell to meet basic needs. Victoria observed:

The clinical staff spoke of women’s gendered roles and how these roles impact the availability of resources for women. According to the clinical staff, the greatest issues facing women were access to adequate food, dealing with stigma and gender-based violence, and the lack of male involvement in prevention, suggesting the need to encourage men to be a part of HIV prevention. Community leaders pointed out that HIV has had its greatest impact on the women in the community who are also the caretakers of families. Community leaders emphasized the need to empower women in efforts to stem HIV. One informant (the Chief ), emphasizing the importance of empowering women, concluded that “women drive the economy of the community,” and encouraged interventions that would focus on including men in HIV prevention.

The overall objective of this international research experience was for undergraduate students to develop beginning knowledge and skills in conducting international research with respect to local cultures. The students talked of how the positive experience they had interacting with the people of rural eastern Kenya influenced their nursing practice as student nurses; as Sarah shared:

Victoria agreed:

As we enter into the fourth decade of the global HIV epidemic, it is increasingly clear that to mitigate HIV, there is a need to engage local communities in designing interventions that are culturally appropriate and gender sensitive. To realize the current UNAIDS call for zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths, engaging rural communities in designing locally meaningful interventions is necessary. In Kenya, as our research continues to show, this can only be accomplished when HIV prevention, treatment, and support recognizes women’s subaltern knowledge, and values their

Student Sarah Slivon interviews a woman living with HIV through an interpreter

I enjoyed hearing about the women’s experiences and lives firsthand. By hearing their stories I learned more about how stigma and gender roles affect these women’s lives. It was also clear how their status can affect not only their own health, but the health of their families and the entire community.

In the group it was obvious the women felt more comfortable, and were more talkative and elaborated on their stories. It was nice to see how close the women are and how much they support each other. They watch over and take care of each other. Whether it’s mentally, physically, or financially, they are aware when someone may need help, even if that person hasn’t expressed it.

This experience has influenced the way I practice in a clinical setting and participate in a classroom setting. It has helped me already in my community health course along with my professional leadership course. I also feel that it has helped me improve in my communication skills when interviewing my patients in the hospital. This trip has definitely boosted my interest in international research.

Through the experiences I have had on this trip, and the discussions I had with my professors, I have decided to apply to the PhD program at the UWM College of Nursing in hopes of continuing to do research internationally.

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gendered roles in local family and community context.

References

Anderson, J. M., and E. K. McCann. “Toward a post-colonial feminist methodology in nursing research: Exploring the convergence of post-colonial and black feminist scholarship.” Nurse Researcher 9.3 (2002): 7-27. Print.

DeGennaro, V., and P. Zeitz. “Embracing a family-centred response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic for the elimination of pediatric AIDS.” Global Public Health 4 (2009): 386-401. Web. doi: 10.1080/17441690802638725

Kako, P.M., P.E. Stevens, and A.K. Karani. “Where will this illness take me? Reactions to HIV diagnosis from women living with HIV in Kenya.” Health Care for Women International 32.4 (2011): 278-299. Print.

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and ICF Macro. Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2008-09. Calverton, MD: KNBS and ICF Macro. Web. http://www.measuredhs. com/pubs/pdf/FR229/FR229.pdf. 2010.

Kigozi, I. M., et al. “Late-disease stage at presentation to an HIV clinic in the era of free antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa.” Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome 52 (2009): 280-289. Print.

Naanyu, V., J.E. Sidle, R.M. Frankel, D. Ayuku, W.M. Nyandiko, and T.S. Inui. “Rooting inquiry in tradition: The health baraza as a tool for social research in Kenya.” Qualitative Health Research 21 (2011): 14-26. Web. doi:

10.1177/1049732310367498Njue, J. R. M., D.O. Rombo, and L.W. Ngige. “Family strengths and challenges in Kenya.” Marriage & Family Review 41 (2007): 47-70. Print.

Skovdal, M., and V.O. Ogutu. “‘I washed and fed my mother before going to school’: Understanding the psychosocial well-being of children providing chronic care for adults affected by HIV/AIDS in Western Kenya.” Globalization and Health 5(1).8 (2009). Web. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC2736916/pdf/1744-8603-5-8.pdf.

Spivak, G. C. “Can the subaltern speak?” Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture. Eds. C. Nelson and L. Grossbert. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1988. Print.

Ujiji, O. A., B. Rubenson, F. Ilako, G. Marrone, D. Wamalwa, G. Wangalwa, and A.M. Ekström. “Is ‘Opt-Out HIV Testing’ a real option among pregnant women in rural districts in Kenya?” BMC Public Health, 11.151 (2011). Web. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-151

“UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report 2011.” UNAIDS. 2011. Web. http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/ contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2011/ JC2216_WorldAIDSday_report_2011_en.pdf.

Implementing an Undergraduate Research Experience in Kenya(Continued from previous page)

Dr. Peninnah Kako (far right) and students Sarah Slivon and Victoria Scheer outside a rural church accompanied by the area Chief (to the right of Dr. Kako) after a community leaders’ focus group meeting where they discussed impact of HIV in the local community

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American Geographical Society Library Awarded Major Grant to Process Archives

The Andrew Mellon Foundation has awarded the American Geographical Society Library (AGSL), through the Council on Library and Information Resources, a $259,900 grant to organize and process the American Geographical Society (AGS) Archives, which were transferred from New York City to Milwaukee last year.

The AGS library and map collection moved to UWM in 1978 while the archival collection, dating from the founding of AGS in 1851, remained in Manhattan. Under terms of a deposit agreement, the collections were reunited February 1, 2011. The AGS Archives consists of approximately 540 cubic feet (10,000 pounds) of materials, including documents, photographs, drawings, and artifacts relating to all of the great names in American exploration and the larger field of geography from the mid 19th century through most of the 20th.

Highlights include log books of early Arctic expeditions, the papers of Robert F. Peary (who served as President of the Society), the American flag carried by Robert F. Byrd on his 1929 flight to the South Pole, and correspondence with such individuals as Field Marshal Sir Edmund Allenby, George Kennan (the earlier), Franklin D. Roosevelt (a councilor) and William H. Seward.

You can visit the AGS Library on the third floor, east wing of the UWM Golda Meir Library.

You can also visit www4.uwm.edu/libraries/AGSL/ for more information and to browse online digital photography and historical map collections.

Transcription of Lincoln Ellsworth’s diary kept during his trans-Antarctic flight in 1935.

Inuit drawing presented by Robert Flaherty to the AGS, c. 1914.

Astronaut John Glenn signs the Fliers’ and Explorers’ Globe at the White House on February 26, 1962. At left are President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, and AGS Director Charles B. Hitchcock.

AGS medals now at UWM include this one honoring American Richard Byrd as the first man to fly over both the North and South Poles

This photograph picturing Charles Lindbergh, third from left in back, appears to have been taken in Wisconsin. It was included in the AGS archives.


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This year’s interdisciplinary conference, “World Cinemas, Global Networks,” will explore filmmaking across Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. The Center for International Education has hosted national and regional film festivals for the past eleven years, and this conference will examine the development of transnational trends, aesthetic features, and geopolitical exchanges that have contributed to the flourishing of world cinema at a time when many point to the obsolescence of film itself.

By bringing together scholars and critics from different regions and backgrounds, the conference will address and explore a broad range of questions surrounding the status of world cinema in a digital age. For instance, while films from across the world have proliferated in recent years, access to them remains uneven and our knowledge is further inhibited by distribution and exhibition practices. This new cinematic work commands attention among critics, cinephiles, and scholars across the globe, and yet it is almost invisible in the United States. Digital formats seem to promise increased access, but given the sheer volume of work, even those on the international festival circuit have trouble keeping track of most developments. Is this really a question of too much (production) or too little (access, networks, flows)? Moreover, what are the conceptual frameworks that can best account for world cinema? To what extent can we speak of a global film culture, not only today, but also in the past? And if we can speak of a global film culture, how might we characterize its aesthetic shapes and sensibilities? How is contemporary world cinema, in its dialogue with cultural traditions and political transformations, reorienting our perception of both

cinema and the world? These and other related questions will serve as a common impetus for conference participants and they promise to generate a valuable public dialogue.

This year’s event follows upon eleven successive international conferences at CIE devoted to exploring new approaches to international studies and globalization. Since 2000, when our conference focused on human rights in the context of globalization, CIE conferences have frequently returned to tensions between liberty and authority as political, economic, and aesthetic structures change in light of migration, cultural conflict, developments in media and technology, and advances in the fluidity of capital and information. These issues are critical to studying globalization and demonstrate the central importance of interdisciplinary work to education in the twenty-first century. We believe that this year’s conference, “World Cinemas, Global Networks,” will make insightful contributions to understanding how the circulation of cinematic media affects these global issues.

All of these conferences, moreover, have an afterlife through their publication in CIE’s book series, “New Directions in International Studies,” under the general editorship of Professor Patrice Petro and sponsored by Rutgers University Press.

Please visit www.worldcinemasglobalnetworks.uwm.edu for more information about the conference, and CIE’s website for related events leading up to the conference, www.international.uwm.edu.

2012 CIE Conference:World Cinemas, Global NetworksApril 27-28

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www.worldcinemasglobalnetworks.uwm.edu

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Conference Participants

Luisela AlvarayAssistant Professor of Communication, DePaul University“Distribution and Access: Trajectories of Latin American Films in the Transnational Mediascape”

Dudley AndrewR. Selden Rose Professor of Film and Comparative Literature, Yale University“Off the grid and out of the Loop: Films alone in the World”

Gilberto BlasiniAssociate Professor of English and Director of Film Studies, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee“The Sounds of Queerness in Contemporary Latin American Cinema”

Laurent GuidoAssociate Professor of Film History and Aesthetics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland“One World, One Dance: Towards An Archeology of Global Rhythm”

Jason JonesAssistant Professor of Foreign Languages and Literature, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee“From Manga to Movie: The Development of Wine in Japanese Popular Culture”

Neepa MajumdarAssociate Professor of Film Studies in the English Department at the University of Pittsburgh“The Local-Global Negotiations of Disco Dancer (Babbar Subhash, India, 1982)”

Adrian MartinAssociate Professor in the School of English, Communications and Performance Studies at Monash University, Australia“Frame”

Hamid NaficyProfessor of Radio-Television-Film and the Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor in Communication, Northwestern University“Cinema—Global, World, International, Transnational Cinema?”

Peter PaikAssociate Professor of French, Italian and Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee“The Furies of Forgiveness: Miscarriages of Justice and Revenge in the New Korean Cinema”

John David RhodesSenior Lecturer in Literature and Visual Culture, University of Sussex, (UK)“The Style of Development”

Jonathan RosenbaumWriter and Film Critic“Changing Definitions of Global Film Culture”

Bhaskar SarkarAssociate Professor of Film and Media Studies, University of California Santa Barbara“Plastic Worlds: Emergent Video Cultures”

Karl SchoonoverAssistant Professor of Film Studies, Michigan State University“Cinema’s Queer Globalism”

Caroline Seymour-JornAssociate Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee“Spaces of Hope: Youth, Film and Revolution in Egypt”

James TweedieAssociate Professor of Comparative Literature and Cinema Studies, University of Washington“The City of Bits and Urban Rule”

N. Frank UkadikeAssociate Professor of Film in the Department of Communication, Tulane University “African Cinema: Digital Media and Expanding Frames of Representation”

Patricia WhiteProfessor and Chair of Film and Media Studies, Swarthmore College“Changing Circumstances: Global Flows of Lesbian Cinema”

Jian XuAssociate Professor of French, Italian, and Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee“The Gangster Film as World Cinema”

Conference Organizers

Elena GorfinkelAssistant Professor of Art History and Film Studies, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Tami WilliamsAssistant Professor of Film Studies and English, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Patrice PetroVice Provost for International Education, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

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Beyond Globalization: A Publication in CIE’s New Directions in International Studies

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In November 2011, the latest volume in CIE’s New Directions in International Studies book series was published: Beyond Globalization: Making New Worlds in Media, Art and Social Practice, edited by A. Aneesh, Lane Hall, and Patrice Petro. It is a collection that, in part, comes out of CIE’s successful 2008 conference, “World Making: Art and Politics in Global Media,” and features original essays by UWM faculty as well as contributions from a variety of scholars examining media, art, film, literature, and other cultural phenomena.

The collection moves beyond critique of the conventional analytic category of “globalization” by scholars who reject appeals to theories of cultural, political, or economic homogenization or heterogeneity. Beyond Globalization endeavors to rethink how we understand global processes and practices by exploring them through their multiple emergences in multiple worlds, under different systems of observation, always mediated by representations, artistic interventions, and social practices. Bringing together the best new work of scholars within the social sciences, humanities, and visual arts, the collection highlights the ways in which mediated practices have become integral to global culture; how social practices have emerged out of computer-related industries; how contemporary apocalyptic narratives reflect the anxieties of a US culture facing global challenges of scarcity, economic crisis, and obsolete ideologies; and how design, play, and technology help us understand the histories and ideals behind the digital architectures that mediate our everyday actions.

Edited by UWM’s Vice Provost for International Education, Patrice Petro, the New Directions in International Studies book series presents CIE’s interdisciplinary research agenda to a global audience. The series, published by Rutgers University Press, originates from CIE’s annual scholarly conferences and includes article and book-length contributions from conference participants. Focusing on transculturalism, technology, media, and representation, it features the work of scholars who explore various components and consequences of globalization, such as the increasing flow of peoples, ideas, images, information, and capital across borders.

Beyond Globalization: Making New Worlds in Media, Art and Social Practice New Jersey: Rutgers U Press, 2011.

Contents:

Introduction: The Making of Worlds A. Aneesh, Lane Hall, and Patrice Petro

Global Media and Culture • Mark Poster

Burning Man at Google: A Cultural Infrastructure for New Media Production • Fred Turner

Apocalypse by Subtraction: Late Capitalism and the Trauma of Scarcity Peter Y. Paik

These Great Urbanist Games: New Babylon and Second Life Thomas M. Malaby

Format Television and Israeli Telediplomacy Tasha Oren

Mediating “Neutrality”: Latino Diasporic Films Yeidy M. Rivero

Killing Me Softly: Brazilian Film and Bare Life Amy Villarejo

The Man, the Corpse, and the Icon in Motorcycle Diaries: Utopia, Pleasure, and a New Revolutionary Imagination Cristina Venegas

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Saudades on the Amazon: Toward a Soft Sweet Name for Involution Craig Saper

States of Distraction: Media Art Strategies Within Public Conditions Mat Rappaport

Bio Art Eduardo Kac

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Beyond Globalization: A Publication in CIE’s New Directions in International Studies

CARLY NICHOLS is a May 2010 graduate of UWM, with a double major in International Studies and Economics, minor in Geography, and certificate in Urban Planning. Since August 2010, she has been interning with the Gene Campaign in New Delhi, India, researching and preparing policy documents that pertain to farmers’ rights, GMOs, sustainable agriculture, and food and livelihood security amongst marginalized populations.

With rising incomes and increasing globalization, one of the most noticeable changes throughout the developing world

is dietary transformation. Based on empirical data from throughout Asia, Prabhu Pingali of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has theorized that this change is happening in a two-stage transitory model. The first stage is the ‘income-induced transition’ and it is typified by a shift from rice to wheat as the staple grain and an increased demand for high-value goods such as animal products, fruits, and vegetables. The second stage is ‘globalization-induced transition’ and it is characterized by the popularization of foods previously unknown to the cuisine. The implications of both stages of dietary transition are profound for public health, environmental change, and global food security.

It thus becomes important to conduct empirical investigations in developing world countries to determine the trajectory of dietary transition that is transpiring. This is certainly the case in India where a large population, GDP growth rates hovering near double digits, rapid urbanization, and a growing middle class have manifested into a web of societal and economic changes capturing the attention of policymakers, academics, and civil society organizations alike. Adding complexity to the phenomena of Indian dietary transition is the fact that many cultural aspects of the traditional Indian diet run counter to both empirical observation and theoretical predictions. To date, there have been few empirical studies in India which investigate not only consumption patterns but also general perceptions and attitudes towards food.

Taking a first step to fill this lacuna, Gene Campaign, an Indian NGO, undertook a quantitative and qualitative study in the winter months of 2010-2011 to explore the food habits and attitudes of nearly 600 urban, middle-class households in Delhi. Since 1992, Gene Campaign has been working at policy and grassroots levels to help achieve food and livelihood security for rural and tribal communities in India. Since the food consumption habits of the expanding middle-class have a significant impact on the livelihoods and overall welfare of the country’s food producing communities, Gene Campaign has taken a strong interest in developing a better understanding of dietary transition in India.

Of the main findings, Gene Campaign saw that the importance of vegetarianism remains strong in Indian society, and is apparently not easily diminished by either rising incomes or increased availability of meat products. The survey utilized two items for determining the status of meat consumption: the frequency of meat consumption among meat-eaters and the rate of young people from vegetarian households which defected to non-vegetarianism. At the baseline, 51 percent of people came from vegetarian homes (27 percent strict vegetarians and 24 percent vegetarians who eat eggs) and 49 percent came from a meat-eating household.

When asked about the frequency of meat consumption, only 12 percent of households reported daily consumption of meat products. Rather, the majority of people (33 percent) reported that meat consumption was weekly, and 14 percent said they ate meat only once per month. Thus, vegetarianism aside, meat consumption among the sample of middle-class families remained quite infrequent, barring the 12 percent daily meat-eaters. The meat products being eaten were primarily chicken, fish, and goat (mutton), which is not unsurprising given the Hindu taboo on eating beef and Muslim prohibition of pork products.

Significantly, only 1.8 percent of respondents reported being meat-eaters despite coming from a vegetarian household. This strikingly low number is a testament to the deep cultural and religious roots which vegetarianism holds in segments of Indian society. Findings on vegetarianism, while preliminary, are suggestive that Indian dietary transition may take a different trajectory from the rest of Asia due to this unique cultural feature. Whether India begins adopting western-style meat consumption practices, such as China has begun to do, will have far-reaching environmental implications given the high energy cost of producing calories from animal sources versus plant sources. There is a great need to monitor this trend closely as it will affect both climate change predictions and global food security, among other important policy sectors. The survey also found that the middle-class attitude towards food remains largely conservative and traditional. Nearly 50 percent of respondents reported eating a traditional Indian breakfast of either parantha or dosa, a surprising finding considering popularly held beliefs that cornflakes or eggs and toast had come to dominate the sub-continent’s morning meal. Furthermore, 88 and 92 percent of respondents ate traditional Indian food (rice, roti (Indian flatbread), daal (lentils), and vegetables) for lunch and dinner, respectively. Less than 10

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Developing World Dietary Transition: An Empirical Investigation in Delhi, IndiaBy Carly Nichols


Developing World Dietary Transition: An Empirical Investigation in Delhi, India(Continued from previous page)

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percent of respondents said that they preferred to eat western foods such as pasta, pizza, or sandwiches for these meals. Convenience foods such as packaged and pre-cooked meals (the equivalent of an American microwave dinner) are now widely available in urban centers, and yet, less than one third of households report eating them. Further, consumption of these foods was irregular and usually only done in last-minute circumstances such as when the household cook has prior commitments and could not prepare meals.

However, despite mealtime remaining traditional, snacks were clearly much more impacted by globalization. Between one half and three quarters of young people reported weekly consumption of chocolate, ice cream, fast food, and soft drinks, a high percentage given that many of these foods have become widely available in India only post economic liberalization in 1992. These types of findings can be seen as harbingers of the non-communicable diseases which plague the rich world, such as type II diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Further research of these trends will be instrumental in formulating public health policy which is preventative in nature and learns lessons from the experience of the global North. Lastly, one of the more documented phenomena in India’s development has been the explosion of western-style supermarkets in the last decade. Indian families in Delhi have traditionally purchased fruits and vegetables from neighbourhood vendors (thelas) and their rations from local shops, often utilizing home-delivery services. Survey results indicated that while these traditional retail points were still preferred by the majority, supermarkets are certainly growing in popularity. Thirty-four percent of households preferred to buy fruits and vegetables at supermarkets and 40 percent bought their rations at these outlets. This trend has the potential to profoundly impact the Indian farmer as supermarkets tend to utilize mechanisms such as contract farming, which have shown to be disadvantageous to smallholder farmers and leave them with a disproportionate amount of risk.

This final point takes on even more importance given Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s November 25th, 2011 decision to allow 51 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) from “multi-brand retailers” such as Wal-Mart or other global supermarket chains. Previously, these firms were barred from selling directly to consumers in India, only being allowed to act as a wholesaler. With the new economic

policy and the coming influx of western retailers and food products, the effects of globalization-induced dietary transitioning are sure to accelerate. Thus the results of Gene Campaign’s preliminary research coupled with India’s evolving economic policy suggests that the food habits surveyed will continue to need empirical investigation and analysis as they will certainly remain in flux. Overall, dietary change in dynamic countries such as India will take on greater importance in academic, policy, and activist circles due to its far-reaching implications which have been discussed in terms of public health, environmental change, and global food security.

References

Pingali, Prabhu and Yasmeen Khwaja. “Globalisation of Indian Diets and the Transformation of Food Supply Systems.” 17th Annual Conference Indian Society of Agricultural Marketing. Hyderabad, India. 5-7 February 2004. Keynote Address.

Pingali, Prabhu. “Westernization of Asian diets and the transformation of food systems: Implications for policy and research.” Food Policy 32.3 (2007): 281-298. Print.

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Recently Published: Making Peace Last

ROBERT RICIGLIANO, Director of CIE’s Institute of World Affairs, is the author of a new book on peacebuilding: Making Peace Last (Paradigm Publishers). The hard cover edition has been released, and the soft cover will be published in April 2012.

The international community invests billions annually in thousands of discrete projects designed to overcome poverty, stop violence, spread human rights, fight terrorism, and combat global warming. The hope is that these separate projects will “add up” to lasting societal change in places like Afghanistan. In reality these initiatives are not adding up to sustainable peace.

Making Peace Last (MPL) applies systems thinking to help improve the productivity of peacebuilding, broadly defined. MPL defines the theory, analysis, and practice needed to create peacebuilding approaches that are as dynamic and adaptive as the societies they are trying to affect.

The book is based a combination of field experience and research into systems thinking, peace and conflict, and conflict resolution. The primary audience is policy makers and practitioners from the many fields that make up peacebuilding. MPL can also be used as a textbook in courses on peacebuilding, security and development.

Giving to the Center for International Education The mission of the Center for International Education is to foster international education at UWM. The Center offers a wealth of international, global, and area studies programs, activities, and resources for educators, students, and the public. CIE is committed to promoting and sustaining exciting international education initiatives across the UWM campus, Wisconsin, and the nation.

If you are interested in sponsoring a particular program, activity, or event, or you wish to provide funding for a current or new scholarship or research project in international education at UWM, please feel free to contact Sara Tully, CIE’s Administrative Director, at 414-229-3767 or [email protected]. All donations are tax deductible.

Your generosity in supporting such programs will help to strengthen international education at UWM in the years to come, to underscore the quality of International Studies and Global Studies at UWM, and to recognize the best of our best in a manner that will assist them significantly in their intellectual and professional development.


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On September 1, 2011, DAVID E. J. GARMAN began his appointment as the founding dean of the School of Freshwater Sciences at UWM; it is the only graduate school in the nation dedicated solely to the study of freshwater issues. Garman comes to UWM from the Environmental Biotechnology Cooperative Research Centre (EBCRC) in Eveleigh, New South Wales, Australia, where he had been executive director since 1996. The EBCRC supports the development of new technologies for environmental and other applications by bringing together researchers, engineers, and industry participants. Garman has served as past president and chairman of the International Water Association, is chairman of an Australian company that specializes in water environmental technologies, and advises private companies, institutes and water authorities worldwide. Garman earned his PhD and Master’s of Science degrees in chemistry from the University of Sydney. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at the University of London.Last fall CIE interviewed Dean Garman to learn more about his new job and the latest developments at UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences (SFS).

Q: You have an established career working on water issues in different regions and with a variety of partners. How has your background prepared you for your current position at the SFS?

My most recent position [Director of the Environmental Biotechnology Cooperative Research Center (EBCRC)] was in a sense almost like intercollegiate dean. It was at a private company and research center with equal amounts of funding from three sources: the Australian government, industry, and universities. And I had five universities working together. So it was a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary research program, which was largely driven by industry priorities. A lot of the work was fundamental R&D, but from that we could pull out things which were useful to industry as well as take out some patents. By industry I mean everybody from water utilities to major manufacturing companies. I have done this for the last 15 years or so and during that period managed to get about 120 million dollars in funding. So the nice thing about it was that I was interacting with academics and industry; it had an international perspective as well. But the true international perspective came from my role as president

of the International Water Association (IWA). I spent 10 years in all on the IWA board, in the roles of vice president, president, and board member. And then, lastly, prior to working in the CRC, where I not only advised water utilities and water resource people, I had some years in government dealing with policy and water resource management as well as pollution control.

Q: So your position at UWM requires very similar work?

The brief I got from the Chancellor asked to internationalize the school, that includes both students and research and all the other interactions; to take R&D from really good to excellent, and then lastly, to work more closely with industry so that we can develop Milwaukee as a center of excellence in the world of water, from academic, research, and industry points of view.

Q: With those goals in mind, what are your priorities as the Dean of the SFS?

First, is to fully understand the work going on here, to interact within the university, and to get to know the industry people here. Which is what I‘ve been doing over the first two months or so. The first thing beyond that is to identify some technologies which could be used by industry and there are a number here already. Second, is to start reaching out internationally and to set up some linkages. And third, is in the policy area – to get a new appointment in that area for a new director of water policy.

Q: What about for students? What are some of the exciting opportunities at the SFS?

Two or three things: In the biggest picture, water, is going to be a major limiting resource going forward. Climate change is going to make things worse.Second, any student who will be studying here will have two major advantages. First of all, Milwaukee in my mind is becoming a city of the future in terms of sustainability. It is on a huge resource, which is the lake of course, and it has big interactions with agriculture and industry as well. That places it in a unique position. Thirdly, because of the international connections, any student who comes here will almost automatically link up and be able to move around the world to work, whether it’s in policy or research. We’ll have exchange programs with other research and industry organizations. It’s going to be a very exciting program.

Introducing Founding Dean of the School of Freshwater Sciences, David E. J. Garman

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Q: I want to change direction slightly to the water issues here. Can you clarify what the most significant challenges are for the Great Lakes system and Lake Michigan in particular?

Well, my researchers have told me that probably the biggest threat at the moment is the invasive species. And I believe we can think of biological species as being invasive and pollutants because they are changing the ecosystem completely.

A second threat which we have dealt with more locally in Milwaukee, for example, is urban storm water and nutrient run-off. And then there is a residue in the Great Lakes which is of heavy metals and some background organics. Now all of that is being overshadowed by the invasive species.

Q: How do the challenges facing the Great Lakes compare to water issues in other parts of the world?

Perhaps the biggest myth is that because there is plenty of water in the Great Lakes, the US and Canada don’t have any problems. That was part of the thinking in the past and in my opinion, has led to the situation in the present. Where we’re seeing fishing under stress, so the native fish populations were stressed because of pollution and we’re now seeing that that’s being distorted further by the Quagga mussels and by the Asian carp.

Here we’ve got a complete change in the ecosystem, which is not apparent from the surface water. We’re also seeing the impact of urbanization and agriculture on the Great Lakes. And these are a little bit like the tragedy of the commons. There seems to be so much water that everybody will use a little bit more—nobody will notice. And that type of thinking has led to major problems overseas. People are going to be looking to Milwaukee and to the Great Lakes to see how we manage it.

We have something else that is overlying this and how we respond to it, and that’s the big issue of climate change and global warming. Already there’s evidence that if we get warming winters we’re going to have more evaporation and there well could be major losses of water. That means that the water is suddenly going to become much scarcer than it is at present. When I say major losses I mean several feet of water a year.

Q: At what point do you think our awareness will change?

Let me give you a separate example. Ground water problems are not really apparent to the average person. But if you live in Waukesha, they have a major problem. They now want to take water out of the lakes. The question is should they return the water they use and how should they return it if they do take it. In Milwaukee, the water mostly goes back, but we’re also seeing greater use of water internally. In some cases, this is reducing in the use of water for agriculture; we have a changing landscape

here as well. So a challenge for the future may be that every Milwaukee resident has to get their water consumption down to 150 liters per person per day.

If we are going to attract more water-based industries, they also have to be efficient industries. We have water, a lot of water, but we do not have water to waste. The question is: how do we use it, how do we integrate, and how do we set an example for the rest of the world to practice sustainable water management?

Q: What kinds of industries is the SFS currently engaged with?

There are around 150 of them…People probably don’t appreciate that Miller, for example, is one of the more water efficient breweries in the world. Or, we can look at the sewerage district. They are doing great stuff working with us that is comparable to some of the best programs in the world. Bradford Beach is now a very attractive place to go when the weather warms up. If we think about the broader community, and the fisherman, then we are helping with restocking fish in some areas. We are also changing community health by making yellow perch available through a commercial, organic fishery, and that’s using recycled water within the urban systems. That will benefit the whole of the tri-state region. In terms of robotics, for example, our work could probably lead to a whole new industry here in Milwaukee. There is other work going on which could completely change the way we think about the ingredients for pharmaceuticals and what their impact is on both the sewerage system and the impacts on the ecosystem.

So we are interacting at all levels, from municipal to manufacturing, right through operational aspects.

Q: You began in September, and how might you describe your start?Busy…Like anything else, there is a steep learning curve; you don’t know what you don’t know when you arrive. And I have had a very good orientation.

Q: And how do you like Milwaukee? What are your first impressions?

Well, I visited two or three times prior to starting here and I have been to Chicago half a dozen times or so, but I didn’t realize there were so many bars in Milwaukee. I understand that there are more breweries in Milwaukee now than in its heyday.

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BESNIK MUSTAFAJ was born on September 23, 1958 in the city of Bajram Curri, in northern Albania. He studied French Literature at the University of Tirana and after the fall of the communist dictatorship in Albania, he was nominated as the first Ambassador of post-communist Albania to France, Portugal, and Spain. As Ambassador, he led the bilateral negotiations in opening the Albanian Embassy in Spain and contributed towards strengthening cooperation with France and Portugal. He was appointed as Albania’s Foreign Minister in the first government led by Sali Berisha in September 2005, and has served as a Member of Parliament in three legislatures. Currently, he is the President of the Albanian Forum for the Alliance of Civilizations in Tirana, Albania.

A well-respected writer as well as politician, Mr. Mustafaj has composed essays, prose and poetry, which have been published in various collections: Motive të Gëzuara (Delightful Designs), 1978; Gjinkallat e vapës (The Cicadas of Heat), 2005; Legjenda e Lindjes Sime (The Legend of My Birth), 1998. Among his volumes in prose are: Një sagë e vogël (A Little Saga), 1995; Daullja Prej Letre (The Paper Drum), 1996; Boshti (The Void), 1998. Mr. Mustafaj has also authored a volume of essays entitled: Fletoria Reservat: shënime jashtë valixhes diplomatike (The Preserved Notepad: Remarks Out of a Diplomatic Briefcase), 1995 and 2011. His works have been translated into English, Italian, French, German, Bulgarian, and Turkish.

Tase: You have served as the first Ambassador of post-Communist Albania in France. Can you describe some of the challenges that you had to face as head of a diplomatic post representing a country in its first years of democratic transition and pluralist government?

Mustafaj: It was a multidimensional challenge. First of all, it was an extraordinary challenge for me. I was not even 34 years old. Neither in school nor in practice had I learned anything about diplomacy. During the 10 years following my university graduation, I had worked as professor of Ancient Greek and Latin literature in the public university, and at the

same time I was the managing editor in the cultural section of a daily newspaper. I had never worked in government. I did not have the preparation of a diplomat nor the mentality of a government official. It is astounding and surprising to think how I accepted that great responsibility. There are perhaps two explanations that complement each other.

In particular, my young age and lack of experience did not teach me to have doubts in myself, but provided courage to the level of foolishness. I was also one of those who led the rally of protesters who were overthrowing one of the cruelest dictatorships in the world. Participation in a revolution is a unique adventure for a person. He enters a road that can lead him to victory, but there are greater chances that he will end up moving towards death. This face-to-face situation with extreme risks creates a certain euphoria that sometimes persists even after the end of the revolution. I was, apparently, under the influence of this euphoria when I made the decision to lead the Albanian mission in Paris.

This euphoria naturally vanished as soon as I wore the suit of the Ambassador. Then, I truly understood the situation I had just entered. Albania was emerging from an isolation that lasted half a century. Everything had to be built up from ground zero. Although diplomatic relations with France existed, we did not inherit a single official agreement of bilateral cooperation. It needed to be accomplished, and quick. This meant the drafting and signing between the two countries of hundreds of documents related to political, diplomatic, economical, cultural, and scientific cooperation. It was a great deal of work.

However, it did not only involve technical work. Through its long isolation, Albania, although in the heart of Europe, had remained a forgotten country. There is nothing worse for an ambassador than receiving from his counterpart questions like: Where is your country located? Hundreds of times I had to make basic geographic explanations to my counterparts: Albania is in southeast Europe, north of Greece, in front of Italy and so forth. I am referring to well-educated people who are very well-informed. But they thought of Albania as a former Soviet Republic hidden in the mountains of the Caucasus. Confidence had to be earned with such people so they would accept my country as a partner. Gaining their sympathy was crucial in order to use their power and fast track the process of signing the bilateral agreements. We had no time to waste. I must say, that besides the drafting of agreements, there was also a great deal of work to be done in “public relations.”

An Interview with Besnik Mustafaj, Former Foreign Affairs Minister of AlbaniaBy Peter Tase

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The embassy that I was heading did not cover France only. I was also non-resident Ambassador to Spain and Portugal, with whom we had just recently established diplomatic relations. The same tasks completed with France needed to be addressed with these two European countries, which were very important for us not only in establishing bilateral relations but also given their position as member countries of the European Council, NATO, and the European Union. In such international institutions we aspired to become members as soon as possible, Portugal’s and Spain’s support towards our membership in NATO and the European Union was crucial and very important. With these two countries we intensified our diplomatic relations through their respective embassies in Paris; however, communication with Spain and Portugal was much easier than that with France. Both of these countries had spent most of the twentieth century under dictatorships and it was natural for them to understand even better the challenges of a young democracy such as our country. After two years, in 1994, we opened an embassy in Madrid, Spain. However, I continued to be Albania’s non-resident Ambassador in Portugal until July, 1997, a time when I resigned from Foreign Service in order to become a Member of Parliament.

In order to fully answer your question, it must be added that all this work was managed with a limited budget. On my team there were only two diplomats, until a third foreign officer and a driver joined us later. Every day I would answer the phone to people who wanted to speak with the Ambassador’s secretary. They would not believe that I did not have a secretary. They became confused on the other side of the telephone when I told them with whom they were speaking and they could not find a word to excuse themselves for disturbing me. I wanted to laugh many times.

Communism left the country in very poor economic shape. To give an example: in August 1992, when I took up the position, my salary was 470 USD a month. You can imagine the salary of the rest of my team! This poverty not only affected the daily lives of the diplomats, it also brought many bothersome challenges to the functioning of the embassy itself. I will give you another example: the first French person that I received at the office of the Ambassador was the landlord of the building where our embassy was headquartered. The Albanian government did not pay the embassy’s rent for 13 months in a row and I had to negotiate with the landlord. What was I going to do when the embassy’s bank account was empty? A challenging start for such a beautiful mission, right!

But all these difficulties are not going to be faced by any other generation of Albanian diplomats, and these will remain as fascinating memories.

Tase: How would you describe bilateral relations between Albania and the United States through the last 20 years?

Mustafaj: The restoration of diplomatic relations between the Albanian Government and the United States in the beginning of 1991 was for the Albanian people an authentic return to their long lasting fondness for this country [the US], violently disavowed for 45 years.

After it ascended into power, one of the first actions of isolationism undertaken by Enver Hoxha’s Stalinist government was the one-sided brutal interruption of all relations with the United States.

The deep gratitute the Albanian nation has always nurtured towards the American people is fundamentally related to the defining role that president Woodrow Wilson and the United States played in the defense of Albania’s territorial integrity, and its independence proclamation at the end of the World War I. Our Stalinist regime was convinced that the great affection for the United States in the hearts of every Albanian was simultaneously tied to the sacred American values which refuse a reconciliation with tyranny at every cost. In order to defend his regime, our dictator broke these diplomatic ties with Western countries right at the beginning, blindly hoping that he was cutting apart forever all the ligaments that connected our two nations. But history proved that he failed. In Spring 1991, right after the first democratically-held elections, Albania was visited by US Secretary of State James Baker III, who was welcomed in Tirana’s main square by one million Albanians or one third of Albania’s population. It was an inconceivable crowd. In June 2007, our country was visited by US President George W. Bush, and his visit was indeed an extraordinary celebration by all Albanians across the country.

Therefore, in these two decades of bilateral diplomatic relations, the United States has mentored and carefully supported the Albanian people with great affection through a very difficult process of developing the rule of law, the promotion of free markets and enterprise, and the integration of NATO and the EU. Albania is a European country and its major future objective is to become a member of the European Union. On Albania’s long democratic transition, the United States has encouraged and assisted the Albanian government in implementing substantial legislative reforms that will assist its full integration into the European Union. By the same token, Washington has played an exceptional role in supporting the legitimate and decisive solution on the final status of Kosovo. To summarize, in these two decades, the United States has regained the privileged status of becoming a strategic ally not only for the

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An Interview with Besnik Mustafaj, Former Foreign Affairs Minister of Albania(Continued from previous page)

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Republic of Albania, but for all Albanians in the Balkans who reside in the Republic of Kosovo, and the Republics of Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro. In as little time as two decades, Albania’s strategic relations with the US have prospered tremendously.

Tase: What are some accomplishments of Albanian foreign policy during your tenure as a Foreign Affairs Minister?

Mustafaj: I was confirmed as a Foreign Minister in the first Berisha government established by the June 2005 general elections. Our great objective was to rapidly pressure ahead the integration of Albania into NATO and the EU. These two processes, vital for the future of democracy in Albania, were almost suspended by the previous administration, whose lack of reforms had further deteriorated the communication with our European and US Partners. Without getting into details, it must be emphasized that our objective was accomplished. Within a few months, in February 2006, with the presence of European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, the Association and Stabilization Agreement of Albania and the European Union was signed in Tirana. Equally important, in April 2008, at the NATO Summit of Bucharest, Albania was invited to became a full member country of NATO. In the meantime, I had resigned as a foreign minister a few months earlier and did not have the privilege of participating in the conclusion ceremony of this process, for which I worked for a long time with great passion.

Another matter of great priority was the situation in Kosovo. In Fall 2005, the UN Security Council decided to open negotiations for the final status of Kosovo and appointed former Finnish President, Maarti Ahtisari, as the leader of the negotiating team. Albania had to play a special role in this process. I was fully immersed in it, and encouraged the Albanian leaders of Kosovo to favor the negotiations; I encouraged them to be realists in their initial requests and become truly cooperative with the international community. I was convinced that independence was inevitable and the best choice for the future of Kosovo as well as for sustained peace in the Balkans. I was one of the first to articulate that the feasible solution would be “conditioned independence.” Kosovo’s majority population would accomplish their dream – their country’s independence – but, this majority would respect the rights of Serbian minorities in the future. While agreeing to the conditions, the majority of Albanians in Kosovo showed that they were ready for independence. I am delighted to know that my prediction came true in the closure of this process.

Tase: What are some of the fundamental challenges that Sali Berisha’s administration is facing with Albania’s integration into the European Union?

Mustafaj: Mr. Berisha’s government is currently facing major challenges, such as: a war against corruption; the implementation of fair competition in a free market system; transparency; developing efficient, non-political public administration personnel elected on the basis of merit; and implementing reforms to ensure an independent justice system and an effective war against organized crime. This list of recommendations is not mine, but comes from the European Commission, which is monitoring the recent developments in Albania. In its quarterly assessments, the European Commission noted a rising level of criticism of Berisha’s government for its inability to face these challenges. Indeed, I am worried by this low performance.

Tase: You spent a month in Milwaukee. What do you think of UWM’s English as a Second Language program, the city’s urban development, and its suburbs?

Mustafaj: A month in Milwaukee was a great opportunity for me to become familiar with the ESL program at UWM as well as visit the city and surrounding neighborhoods. I have repeated to many people how I enjoyed my visit and I am leaving with a desire to return again.

Mr. Mustafaj participating in a NATO meeting in Brussels

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Of course, you expect a more detailed response. As you may know, I retired from politics in order to dedicate myself to writing and other exciting projects, which I enjoy more than politics. One of these projects is my role as Senior Adviser for International Cooperation to the President of American University in Tirana. This is a new, private university with a great ambition to become, very soon, one of the top universities in southeastern Europe. Our goal is that in the near future, the official teaching language at the American University of Tirana will be English. Therefore, we need a English language preparatory program for new students. ESL programs are suitable for such a purpose. Once I return to Albania, I will inform the president of American University of Tirana about this positive experience. I believe that it will be a window of opportunity to open such a program in Albania. I am convinced that we would gain value by implementing this program in cooperation with an American university that has extensive experience and qualified human resources. Thousands of Albanians, mainly young students, pass TOEFL examinations every year. The American University of Tirana can be established as a center of preparation for such an exam. Launching an ESL program goes beyond the needs of our university; indeed, it will benefit Albanian society as a whole.

Albanian society is young and at the beginning of its road towards developing freedom. Almost one third of Albanians are students. Our capital, Tirana, has experienced rapid growth in the last 20 years. Its number of inhabitants have quadrupled as a result of the freedom of citizens to move towards the nation’s capital; under dictatorship the right to change your residence location without a government permission was prohibited by law.

We have experienced a true revolution in terms of the urban development of Tirana and its suburbs. It is hard if not impossible to guide such a dynamic evolution in a proper direction through politics alone. It is necessary to gather the efforts of all factors of civil society that are part of this development. Schools in general and universities in particular are determining factors for urban development. In this context, faculty and staff at the American University of Tirana are aware that it should immediately reposition itself away from the traditional role of an institution headed towards the future through educating young generations that will lead our country tomorrow. Instead, we aspire for our university to become an integral part of today’s urban and cultural development in the capital and its provinces. Precisely from this point of view, we are interested to know firsthand the experience of a university such as UWM, as well as other American universities with whom we hope to establish partnershipa in fields of scientific research as well as to intertwine lectures focused on the challenges currently confronted by Tirana.

This would be an immense help in accelerating the modernization of our country, but I also believe that it would be fruitful for partnering universities here in the United States. American students would have a new experience and also share their experience with a generation of young Albanians, opening a window to their interest to study in the United States. As a former diplomat, I would add that it is in the long-term strategy of the United States to support the formation of new elites in partner countries as a way of fostering and establishing strong ties of pro-American friendship in the world.

Tase: What can the Albanian Government learn from the US administration to improve its domestic policy?

Mustafaj: Your question reminds me again of the recommendations of the European Union to the Albanian govenment. The United States and European Union member countries depend on the same values. Therefore, the Albanian government, in order to improve its domestic policy, can refer to the long history of US governments that established reforms to guarantee the rule of law, and drafted vital legislative reforms for improving the lives of all citizens.

Mr. Mustafaj (center) during an official visit in Washington DC (Peter Tase to his right)


Numerous students, faculty members and alumni participated in the Center for International Education’s 5th International Travel Photo Contest last fall, sharing captivating photos from around the world. All photo contest entries are posted on

the Center for International Education Facebook Page. http://www.facebook.com/uwmcie

The Winners of the International Photo Contest are:

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fIrSt PLACeJulio Segura

“On the way to Geneva” taken in Switzerland

SeCoND PLACeand Vice Provost for International education’s Choice Photo:Jack Duncan“We were looking for hippos. They were looking for fish.” taken on the Volta river between Ghana and Burkina

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thIrD PLACeMaggie Wuesthoff

taken in Chitwan, Nepal

foUrth PLACe Yuliya M. Litvina“Montmartre” taken in Paris, France AND“Park Guell”taken in Barcelona, Spain (also seen on cover)

fIfth PLACeXiaorong (elsa) Wang

“Beauty of China” taken at Jin Shanling Great Wall


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ldUWM Signs Agreement to Enroll More Chinese Students

The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee has taken the first step toward an agreement that could eventually bring hundreds of Chinese students to UWM to study.

On December 6, 2011, Chancellor Michael Lovell signed a preliminary agreement with the CERNET Education Development Co., LTD, at its offices in Beijing to collaborate in the recruitment of Chinese students to UWM. CERNET Educational Development is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CERNET Co., LTD, a company founded by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. CERNET plans to establish a Wisconsin International Academy (WIA) in Milwaukee to provide support services for the students.

Approved by the UW System Board of Regents, the agreement will bring 30 to 50 Chinese students to Milwaukee in the fall 2012 semester to study English through UWM’s Intensive English Program (IEP). An additional 100 to 150 will arrive in fall 2013, with the numbers eventually increasing to 250 students by the fall of 2015. CERNET will eventually establish separate housing for the WIA students in the greater Milwaukee area. The initial agreement with CERNET is for five years.

The goal of the program will be to have students go on to enroll in undergraduate and graduate programs at UWM. It is expected that more than 75 percent of students who complete the intensive English program will enroll at UWM. CERNET has seen similar success at the University of Massachusetts, which has a program called MAIA (Massachusetts International Academy).

“UWM is striving to become more internationally and globally engaged,” says Chancellor Lovell, “and is committed to recruiting students from all areas of the world, particularly from vital international partners such as China.” At the same time, China is seeking more international education experiences for students, especially in the United States. CERNET will collaborate with UWM in recruiting the Chinese students and translating marketing materials into Mandarin Chinese.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who also traveled to China with the Chancellor for the signing ceremony, says, “The City of Milwaukee welcomes this new relationship between CERNET and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Chinese students will find Milwaukee is a great place to

advance their education. Students who come to Milwaukee for higher education become some of our city’s strongest advocates, so I am optimistic this new arrangement will lead to greater international commercial and cultural benefits.”

The Chinese students recruited through CERNET will become part of an increasingly international campus. Currently UWM has more than 1,000 international students from 94 different countries. The university’s International Council, which includes representatives from every school and college on campus, is working to identify strategies to make UWM more international. Among many recommendations, the Council proposed that UWM expand the number of international students within the campus community by incorporating target numbers for international students in UWM’s enrollment management plan and growth agenda. The Council also recommended organizing more study and research exchange programs abroad, and promoting UWM to an international audience.

UWM’s Intensive English Program currently serves students from more than 30 countries speaking 20 different languages. Students who demonstrate proficiency in English through this program can then move into undergraduate and graduate programs.

“UWM needs to prepare its students, both domestic and international, to face the professional, social, and civic challenges of an increasingly interdependent world,” says Johannes Britz, UWM Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “The CERNET agreement is one major step in helping us make the student-learning experience at UWM more international across the curriculum and providing high-quality on-campus and overseas courses, and co-curricular opportunities.”

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I have been the advisor/sign language interpreter for the School of Education’s Exceptional Education Department since 2007. I started my career at UWM in 2002, as a staff sign language interpreter/captionist with the Student Accessibility Center. It is important to note that I can hear and therefore can only “enter” so far into the Deaf culture/community. The same as any other cultural community, if you are not of that culture you often cannot ever be a full member. However, I am a member of the signing community and dedicated ally to Deaf communities, striving to educate for the recognition of all sign languages around the world.

Languages of minority groups commonly have a sense of shared place but there is no single location or Deaf country. This is probably because most Deaf people have families that can hear and are the only Deaf person in their families. The concept of a Deaf community, American Sign Language (ASL) as a language, and Deaf culture is new territory for most individuals to conceptualize. However, as research develops around ASL other aspects of Deaf people culturally develop too, such as American society’s fascination with learning ASL encouraging the formation of departments and programs within colleges and universities. No longer are individuals solely conducting research on deafness as a disorder and disability but rather on a group of culturally linguistic individuals. It is the cultural perspective that I believe mainstream society does not understand nor know compared to the pathological aspects of deafness.

Learning about the culture of others is challenging, since the process makes one aware of his or her own beliefs, norms, and values. Most spoken languages are not the subject of debates whether they are or are not a language. Most societies do not question if there is a spoken language (e.g. Italian) and whether the individuals using the language have a culture. A society’s language and culture are inseparable. In other words, if people share a language, they share a culture. Researcher Paddy Ladd (2003) has noted that a distinction between majority and minority cultures is that majority cultures are not under obligation to make explicit the beliefs which drive their actions or to justify their actual existence.

In summer 2011, six UWM students (three deaf and three nondeaf ) and I took our journey abroad to Italy. Our mission was to learn Italian Sign Language or as it is known to Italian Deaf people, LIS (Lingua Italiana de Segni). To be accepted into this study abroad experience the students were required to have a proficient level of ASL IV and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher. We spent a month in Italy. First, we landed in Rome where we had the opportunity to tour sites such as the Vatican and the

Colosseum. Then by train through the beautiful Italian countryside we traveled to Siena where we studied at the Siena School of Deaf Studies. The Siena School provided housing while we took three courses during the week. The three courses were Italian Sign Language (LIS), spoken Italian (written only for the deaf students), and Italian Deaf culture. Our weekends were time for us to participate in Siena School supported activities, such as the Siena holiday Palio. Palio is a famous bareback horse race in the Piazza del Campo. The Italy study abroad opportunity is an immersion experience designed for deaf or nondeaf students that are ASL users. It is truly unique to be living with individuals using ASL while going to school together to learn Italian history, culture, and languages.

As we were introduced to LIS, we started to learn the similarities and differences of ASL and LIS. Both languages have grammatical structure and rules. The main difference between the two languages is that ASL fingerspells words quite frequently whereas LIS rarely fingerspells words. Fingerspelling is using the alphabet to spell words on the hands. Spoken Italian is visual in nature and has culturally influenced the LIS language to be more visual in grammatical structure – hence less need to fingerspell. Not only does LIS rarely fingerspell but the representation of each letter in the alphabet on the hand is different from ASL. Furthermore, the Italian alphabet has fewer letters than the American alphabet. A similarity is that both ASL and LIS use one hand to fingerspell where other sign languages can use two hands, such as British Sign Language (BSL).

Charting Study Abroad Territory for Deaf StudiesBy Heather Ford, MS, RID certified

View of the Siena Piazza del Campo where the Palio holiday/bareback horse race is held


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American Sign Language was not recognized as a language until the 1960s. During the 1960s William Stokoe pioneered the linguistic research of ASL. Before Stokoe’s research, society viewed sign language as “the sign language” which gave it no connection to a community or a culture. The transition of American Deaf education to what later became the recognition of ASL started because of Stokoe’s research. American Sign Language became recognized as a language, which lead to the emergence of what was already a culture.

Thomas Gallaudet (1787-1851) was the pioneer for education of Deaf Americans. Gallaudet researched, founded, and later was principal of the first institution for education of deaf children in America. Gallaudet’s son, Edward Gallaudet, shared the same passion for equal rights for the deaf. Edward, with the support of President Abraham Lincoln, started the first college for the deaf, Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. Gallaudet University is the only undergraduate university for all Deaf students in the world.

Gallaudet University has played a symbolic role as a place belonging to Deaf individuals. In 1988, the Deaf community seized control of Gallaudet University through the Deaf President Now (DPN) movement and again in 2006 through the Unity Now Protest. The 1988 protest won Deaf students and leaders around the world acclamation of their culture and it raised the consciousness of Americans concerning Deaf individuals.

The Deaf President Now (DPN) Protest effectively used media to portray a positive image of the Deaf community and reaffirmed Deaf culture and ASL, allowing millions of Americans to become aware of the Deaf community/culture and ASL. After this protest and positive media, Deaf Studies majors emerged, with more Deaf personnel, and ASL came to be used more widely all over the country. In a sense, Gallaudet University became a surrogate place for a “Deaf country.”

Civil rights activism such as DPN helped create a more hospitable environment for the expression of Deaf culture. Dr. I. King Jordan was one Deaf leader who urged the passing of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. ADA is legislation on behalf of disabled citizens. Of importance to the Deaf community, ADA guarantees accessible effective communication access in public venues, the workplace, and schools. This includes the services of professional interpreters and captioning.

ADA for American individuals is not perfect but is a civil rights start. For the Deaf community, ADA has its pros and cons. A pro is that it entitles the Deaf community the right to accomodations and services especially in the public sector. A con is that it labels Deaf individuals as disabled. Most Deaf individuals do not consider themselves disabled but rather, members of a cultural community. ASL and other sign languages around the world are languages. If not, then everyone would understand them, right?

In Italy, we learned that the right to accessiblity is not mandated. Therefore, Italian Deaf individuals must find and pay for their own interpreting services. This task is a barrrier in most cases as well as a financial burden, exhausting, and frustrating. The government in Italy gives all “disabled” individuals a stipend to cover the cost of their own accommodations. Deaf Italians informed us that the stipend is not nearly enough to have interpreting services; for example, for a full semester worth of college education. Not only do Deaf students have to pay for their education, but also for the services to receive that education!

Siena students learning to cook pizza

Charting Study Abroad Territory for Deaf Studies(Continued from previous page)

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Heather Ford and her students signing “UWM Panthers”

The Italian Deaf community desires the same kind of respect that the American Deaf community receives with Gallaudet, the 1988 DPN, the ADA, and the growing recognition of ASL as a foreign language by some colleges and universities. If someone told you the language you use to communicate everyday was not a true language, how would you feel? This still happens with ASL but not as often as it happens to the Italian Deaf community with LIS. For years the Italian Deaf community has been striving to convince the Italian government to recognize them as a cultural community with a language, LIS. They have submitted a bill to the government but the bill was changed to state LMG instead of LIS. LMG (Linguaggio Mimico Gestuale) essentially means non-language, miming and gesture. It is an insult. The community is protesting and has a petition that anyone around the world can support. Further information and updates on the bill and petition can be found on Facebook at LIS: Si – LMG: No.

As more and more people learn a language it then becomes more popular in use and in exposure. Learning sign languages can help in bridging Deaf culture with the majority, thus causing society to respect and understand Deaf people.

I hope to continue to educate about Deaf communities and their languages and cultures. Since the start and completion of my Master’s degree in Cultural Foundations, I have started to implement diverse sign language programming for the ASL major options at UWM. In the future, I hope to continue study abroad sign language programs and to host an international Deaf instructor for one academic year at UWM.

The Italy: LIS study abroad program will be offered again in summer 2012 along with a Paris, France program to learn French Sign Language, known in France as LSF (Langue des Signes Francaise). I look forward to the growth and development of sign language diversity options with in the UWM ASL programs and Study Abroad Office.

References

Bauman, D.L., Jennifer Nelson, and Heidi Rose (Eds.). Signing the Body Poetic: Essays on American Sign Language Literature. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006. Print.

Burch, Susan. Signs of resistance: American Deaf Cultural History, 1900 to World War II. New York: University Press, 2002. Print.

De Gering, Etta. Gallaudet: Friend of the Deaf. New York: David Mc Kay Company, 1964.

Ender, Katalin. Gallaudet, Thomas Hopkins. Grand Valley State University. Web. 10 January 2012. http:// learningtogive.org/papers/paper98.html

Jordan, I.K. The Deaf Civil Rights Movement: From the Gallaudet Protest to the Present.

In King, J.F. (Ed), Introduction to the Deaf Education: A Deaf Perspective. Hillsboro, OR: Butle Publications, Inc., 2001. Print.

Ladd, Paddy. Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood. Bristol: Multilingual Matters LTD., 2003. Print.

Lane, Harlan, Robert Hoffmeister, and Ben Bahan. A Journey into the Deaf-World. San Diego: DawnSign Press, 1996. Print.

Padden, Carol, and Tom Humphries. Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1988. Print.


CAMBODIA, CHINA, HONG KONG, THAILAND, VIETNAM: Asia’s Emerging MarketsProgram Leader: MARGARET SHAFFERLubar School of BusinessMay 25-June 10, 2012

Students will engage in an exciting exploration of several of the most dynamic and rapidly growing emerging markets in Asia – Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. Corporate meetings with executives of multinational and local organizations will facilitate a better understanding of the rewards and challenges of doing business in this part of the world. Cultural excursions include visits to Hong Kong’s Big Buddha, Vietnam’s Mekong Delta and Cu Chi Tunnels, Bangkok’s Grand Palace and Wat Arun, the ‘Venice of the East.’ Also included is a special visit to Cambodia to see the temple complex of Angkor Wat, dating back to 802 A.D.

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FRANCE: Exceptional Education in FranceProgram Leader: HEATHER FORD

Exceptional EducationJune 2-June 24, 2012

This is an opportunity to learn French Sign Language (LSF) and French Deaf Culture at the University of Leonardo Da Vinci in Paris, France. A native Deaf French faculty

member at the University of Rochester will teach the 6-credit course. Students will attend classes on LSF and French Deaf History and Culture. In addition they will attend guided

tours of culturally significant sites such as museums and the IVT Deaf theatre, and visit Lyon, France and Deaf schools in the France area. All classes and tours will be conducted

in LSF. This will be a truly unique opportunity to live with individuals using ASL while going to school together to learn French Deaf history, culture, and sign language.

JAPAN: Study Abroad 2012 Program Leader: JASON JONESForeign Languages & LiteratureAugust 14-August 27, 2012

This course has two objectives. The first objective is to provide students with an opportunity to further develop their Japanese language skills in an authentic environment, while also giving students a chance to ascertain their strengths and weaknesses so that they may address them in their study of Japanese language at UWM. The second objective is to enhance students’ understanding of both traditional Japanese culture, as well as Japanese popular culture, through first-hand experience of venues connected with traditional and pop culture.

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KOREA: Korean Paper and Paper Craft SciencesProgram Leader: JESSICA MEUNINICK-GANGERPeck School of the ArtsJune 1-16, 2012

During this program in South Korea, students will travel to Seoul and Jeonju where they will visit local attractions (traditional villages, museums, art districts and artists’ studios), attend workshops, and produce bodies of work that include a variety of traditional and contemporary Korean paper, paper craft, and book arts applications. Students will begin the trip by touring Seoul’s vibrant arts and cultural communities; and then travel to Jeonju and tour a farming village, visit a tea house, participate in a paper coiling workshop with Master Kim, learn paper making at a paper mill, and attend a seal carving workshop. Students will travel to the Mihwangsa temple where they will participate in tea ceremonies, morning rituals, hiking and yoga meditation practices followed by fabric dying and stone carving workshops. Students will return to Seoul and visit more galleries and attractions. The program concludes with a book arts/ artists journal workshop (for students enrolled in UWM Print and Narrative Forms independent study credits) at UWM..

MOROCCO: Maternal and Infant Health Care in Morocco: Women’s Rights and Family in Islam

Program Leaders: ELLEN AMSTER, History & KARLA BARTHOLOMEW, Public Health May 29-July 2, 2012

This program provides an integrated linguistic, cultural and public health experience in the Islamic African country of Morocco. Students will examine maternal and infant health in the third world – the social, religious, economic, epidemiological, technological, legal and family issues that impact birth, pregnancy, motherhood and the health of newborns and children. In

urban Rabat, directors of national programs in public health and HIV prevention, Islamic and feminist NGOs, and the US Peace Corps will guide us through the factors that affect birth and lead to child abandonment and th “social death” of unwed mothers. In the remote rural area of

Zawiya Ahansal, students will live with local families and have hands-on experience in public health in a community midwife training program. Moroccan traditional healing practices (eating earth from saints’ graves, sleeping at saints’ tombs) originate in Islamic belief and practice; the course introduces students to Islam, the Arabic language, and the complex

integration of biomedicine to non-Western cultural contexts.

PANAMA: Bridge of the Americas: Panama in ContextProgram Leader: M. ESTRELLA SOTOMAYORCenter for Latin American and Caribbean Studies June 27-July 17, 2012

Bridge of the Americas: Panama in Context is an interdisciplinary program intended to provide students with the academic opportunity to explore various connections between Panama and Milwaukee within a global context. In addition to the many benefits from an immersion experience, this program will expose students to an array of topics ranging from history to politics, economics to public health, as well as environmental sciences, and indigenous studies. Furthermore, the role of women in these different areas of study will be an integral part of the discussions.

This program is of particular interest to students in Global Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Latino Studies, International Studies, Women’s Studies and any other interdisciplinary area of study. Regular visits to museums, the Panama Canal, natural reserve areas, and an indigenous comarca will complement classroom lectures.


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Find us on FB: UW–Milwaukee Study Abroad: www.facebook.com/pages/UW-Milwaukee-Study-Abroad/209412632411453

AUSTRIA: Austria Summer Study Abroad ProgramProgram Leaders: SUSAN ROSE, College of Nursing & TOM LEBEL, Helen Bader School of Social WelfareJune 17-June 30, 2012

BRAZIL: Brazilian Popular Dances and Music in the NortheastProgram Leader: SIMONE FERRO, Peck School of the Arts June 7-July 26, 2012

CHINA: China Studies InstituteMid-June – Mid-August

CHINA: The Beauty of ChinaProgram Leader: XIAORONG WANG, Foreign Languages & LiteratureMay 29-July 7, 2012

COSTA RICA: Intensive Spanish for Social Work PracticeProgram Leader: SHARON KEIGHER, Helen Bader School of Social WelfareJune 16-July 7, 2012

ENGLAND: Bristol Summer Study Abroad ProgramProgram Leaders: TOM LEBEL, Helen Bader School of Social Welfare & SUSAN ROSE, Helen Bader School of Social WelfareJune 28-July 12, 2012

ETHIOPIA: The Cradle of CivilizationProgram Leader: ABERA GELANAfricologyMay 29-June 18, 2012

FRANCE: French Language and CultureProgram Leader: KATHLEEN FARRELL WHITWORTHFrench, Italian & Comparative LiteratureJuly 2-August 1, 2012

GERMANY: Hessen-Wisconsin ExchangeDates vary by campus

GERMANY: Ernst & Young Graduate AccountingProgram Leader: GEORGIA SAEMANNLubar School of BusinessMay 20-June 1, 2012

ITALY: Sign Language and Deaf Culture ImmersionProgram Leader: HEATHER FORDExceptional EducationJuly 1-July 25, 2012

Other Study Abroad Summer Programs:

ITALY: Santa Reparata Arts ProgramProgram Leader: ALLISON B. COOKEPeck School of the ArtsJuly 5 - August 4, 2012

KOREA: Ajou University ExchangeEarly July – Early August

MEXICO: Health, Culture, and WellnessProgram Leader: ELIZABETH RICECollege of NursingAugust 5-16, 2012

PERU: Past and Present: Art and CultureProgram Leaders: CHRIS DAVIS-BNAVIDES,Peck School of the Arts & KAREN GUNDERMAN,Peck School of the ArtsMay 23-June 17, 2012

POLAND: Summer School of Polish Language and CultureProgram Leader: MICHAEL MIKOSForeign Languages & LiteratureJuly 1-August 4, 2012 or July 28-August 31, 2012

SPAIN: Cultural Themes and CivilizationProgram Leader: ISABEL MENDEZ-SANTALLASpanishMay 24-June 22, 2012

SPAIN: CIEE Study Abroad ProgramThree summer sessions available from late May – late July 2012

SWEDEN: From Vikings to Cutting EdgeProgram Leader: VERONICA LUNDBACKForeign Languages & LiteratureJune 4-June 29, 2012

TAIWAN: CYCU Summer School Engineering ExchangeProgram Leaders: DAVID YU, Engineering & TIEN-CHIEN JEN, EngineeringJuly 8-July 28, 2012

TAIWAN: FCU Summer School Engineering ExchangeProgram Leaders: DAVID YU, Engineering & TIEN-CHIEN JEN, EngineeringJuly 15-August 4, 2012

TAIWAN: Mandarin Training Center Study AbroadJune 1-August 31, 2012 or July 1-August 31, 2012

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Find us on FB: UW–Milwaukee Study Abroad: www.facebook.com/pages/UW-Milwaukee-Study-Abroad/209412632411453

2011 Fall Welcome Reception

On September 23, 2011, the Center for International Education (CIE) held its Fall Reception at the Golda Meier Library Conference Center. This annual event is an opportunity to welcome UWM’s global community to campus for the new academic year. Chancellor Michael Lovell and Provost Johannes Britz joined Vice Provost for International Education Patrice Petro in reflecting upon CIE’s first ten years and looking towards what the next ten years will bring.

CIE Annual Conference 2012: World Cinemas, Global Networks, April 27-28, 2012 In preparation for this year’s conference, CIE would like to promote several related film events at UWM’s Union Theatre and in the Milwaukee community.

At UWM’s Union Theatre:Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011) Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan March 30 at 7:00 pm and April 1 at 5:00 pm

Taste of Cherry (1997)Director: Abbas KiarostamiApril 22 at 5:00 pm

This is Not a Film (2010)Directors: Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar PanahiApril 26 at 7:00 pm

Please visit the UWM Union Theatre website for more information http://www.aux.uwm.edu/Union/theatre/

At Milwaukee’s Oriental Theater:A special screening of the silent film Sunrise featuring world-class composer Matti Bye will take place at the Landmark Oriental Theater on April 25th at 7:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public.


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CIE Staff News

KeVIN BeISSer joined CIE as a Senior Immigration Coordinator in October 2011 and works with international students and their dependents. Before beginning this new role, he served for 12 years as the Assistant Director for Student Services of UWM’s English as a Second Language Program and was the recipient of the 2006 UWM Academic Staff Outstanding Performance Award. Kevin has previously served as the chair of the Wisconsin Association of International Educators and is currently the chair of StudyWisconsin, a consortium of 33 Wisconsin Colleges and Universities promoting Wisconsin as a study destination abroad. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from UWM majoring in Intercultural Communications.

AJ CorNer joined CIE as Academic Programs Coordinator in December 2011 after moving to Milwaukee from the UK. While based in London, AJ coordinated international exchange programs at the University of Westminster, and worked in the financial services and consulting sectors. He was awarded his Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages from Durham University and MBA from the Open University (UK). AJ has previously lived in Germany, France, Argentina, and Japan and looks forward to helping UWM students to make the most of international opportunities.

MArK eCKMAN has re-joined CIE as Director of Overseas Programs after five years as St. John’s University’s Assistant Director for Global Student Services. Mark previously spent time with UWM as CIE’s Partnerships Coordinator, a position he assumed while completing his Master’s in Education/Educational Leadership in College Student Personnel at Marquette. While familiar with CIE’s programs and processes, Mark’s experience in the intervening years has equipped him with new ideas and administrative practices we hope will help us achieve our goal of high quality overseas learning experiences for more UWM students.

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GArrett GreNZ is CIE’s new Immigration Coordinator for Sponsored Students, assisting students attending UWM with scholarship support from their home countries. A native of Oshkosh, Garrett returns to Wisconsin after living in Chicago for nearly five years where he worked as an International Student Advisor at DePaul University. He is an alumus of UW-Oshkosh where he majored in English Literature. Garrett’s professional background includes student activities and arts programming at UW Oshkosh and St. Norbert College.

NAtALIe MALACrIDA began as Study Abroad Coordinator at CIE in November 2011, after working within CIE as an administrative assistant in the Overseas Programs and Partnerships and International Student and Scholar Services offices. She previously spent five years working in student services for CIEE in Paris and worked in the international offices at Mount Mary College and the University of Iowa as well as at IFE/Internships in Francophone Europe in Paris. Natalie holds a Bachelor’s degree in French and Comparative Literature from the University of Iowa and a Master’s degree in French and Comparative Literature from Middlebury College.

rAMoNA WAShINGtoN joined CIE as Study Abroad Coordinator in November 2011. She is a two-time UWM alumna, with a Master’s degree in Marketing and International Business and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations (the precursor to the International Studies Major) and French. Ramona served as a Marketing Specialist at the UWM School of Continuing Education until taking on the study abroad role, and previously served as Marketing Coordinator for Foley & Lardner and Program Coordinator for awards and fellowships at Rotary International. She has studied abroad in France and Morocco, and participated in a summer internship in London.


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As Wisconsinites prepare to go to the polls in national elections, the Fireside Forum on Foreign Policy connects four key policy issues to the lives of the citizens of our state. Speakers will provide both a national context and local impact to help audience members make informed decisions on policies going forward and the best candidates to bring them about. Look for opinion pieces by our speakers in the Crossroads section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the Sunday before each talk, then join us Tuesday evenings for a lively discussion of these important issues that will impact us all.

Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow, Migration Policy Institute and former head of the US Immigration and Naturalization Service With Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director, Voces de la Frontera

As the US Supreme Court prepares to review Arizona’s controversial immigration law, a leading expert on immigration explores the impact of immigrants on our society. Should individual states have a role in setting immigration policy?

Kate Gordon, Vice President for Energy Policy, Center for American ProgressWith Matt Howard, City of Milwaukee Director of Environmental Sustainability

Supporters of a green economic agenda say renewable energy, energy efficiency, mass transit, a new smart grid and other solutions to global warming have the potential to create millions of jobs. Should government play a role in this transformation of our economy?

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Colonel Mark Mykleby, USMC (Retired) With Deborah Fugenschuh, President and CEO, Donors Forum of Wisconsin

While a senior member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Col. Mykleby co-authored a ground-breaking report under the pseudonym “Mr. Y” arguing that by viewing the world through the lens of threat, we have failed to understand that influence, competitiveness, and innovation are now the keys to advancing American interests. How should we best allocate resources to promote true national security?

Edward Alden, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations and former Financial Times Washington Bureau ChiefWith Phil Neuenfeldt, President, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO

As the US pursues free trade agreements around the globe, supporters point to increased opportunities for American businesses, while opponents characterize the deals as job-killers. Which trade policies provide the most benefit to people in Wisconsin and across our nation?

Moderator: David Haynes, Editorial Page Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

We’ll wrap up our discussion of these four topics with a capstone session that looks at related statewide opinion polling data and a review of the positions of the major political parties and their candidates for national office.

Co-Sponsors:

Milwaukee Journal SentinelUWM Center for International Education

With Support From:

Brady CorporationMilwaukee Public Television 10/36WUWM 89. 7 Milwaukee Public RadioWisconsin Public Radio 90.7


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Taiwan Day 2011

The Institute of World Affairs hosted over 210 guests from the greater Milwaukee and UWM communities on November 11 to celebrate Taiwan Day 2011. The Taiwan Day celebrations consisted of two guest lectures: Professor David Buck, who discussed the rise of democracy in Taiwan; and Architect Arthur Huang, who introduced his innovative EcoArk pavilion, a structure made completely out of recycled waste material. The program concluded with the screening of a National Geographic documentary on the EcoArk, and a question and answer session with Arthur Huang. Additionally, throughout the Taiwan Day presentations, a photo gallery demonstrating the evolution of Taiwan over the last century was displayed. Taiwan Day 2011 was made possible with funding from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, and Government Information Office Republic of China.

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The Bab’Aziz - The Prince Who Contemplated His SoulWednesday, February 22 at 7pm

MourningThursday, March 15 at 7pm

The Human Resources ManagerWednesday, March 28 at 7pm

Valentino’s GhostThursday, April 12 at 7pm

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS FROM IRANWednesday, April 25 at 7pmSafamamehAll Restrictions End

2012 MENA Film Series

Human Rights Day 2011

In celebration of Human Rights Day 2011, on December 6 the Institute of World Affairs, in conjunction with the UWM School of Nursing, sponsored “A Conversation with Freed Iranian Doctors Kamiar and Arash Alaei.” The Alaei brothers were recently released after serving over two years as political prisoners in Iran’s notorious Evin prison. Their work developing innovative programs to fight HIV/AIDS garnered praise around the globe, but generated mistrust among Iran’s leaders. The program, which was attended by over 90 people, introduced its guests to human rights in the context of Iran, and HIV/ AIDS prevention and treatment.

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for International Education, Middle Eastern andNorth African Studies Certificate, Arabic Language Program, Center forJewish Studies, Women’s Studies and Film Studies. The film series is madepossible through a grant by the U.S. Department of Education.For more information, please contact Rachel Schrag at [email protected] visit www.international.uwm.edu.

www.international.uwm.edu

P.O. Box 413Milwaukee, WI 53201

The Center for International Education (CIE) fosters new areas of scholarly inquiry into internationalism and globalization by strengthening the connections between research, teaching and outreach programs on the UWM campus. CIE is deeply engaged in on-campus and overseas curriculum development, research conferences and scholarly publication, public programming, and professional development for teachers. CIE is home to Wisconsin’s only World Affairs Council, the Institute of World Affairs, which provides high quality public programs featuring international experts. Because the insights and perspectives offered by students and scholars from other countries greatly enhance our campus, CIE also provides advising services for international admissions and immigration.

Global Currents Spring 2012

Documents

Transcript of Global Currents Spring 2012