2011 cgis annual report

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6 Center for Global & International Studies Annual Report 2011 Working with CGIS to produce exciting public programming and curricular offerings, 2011 marked a deepening of interest and action in the development of a South Asian Studies Program at KU. In the Spring semester Hindi language was still housed in the Department of Religious Studies, but I’d begun to work with the staff of CGIS to develop some wonderful public events such several performance-lecture demonstrations with the student organization SPIC-MACAY (Society for the promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth.) Master of the Sitar and Tabla, Sri Nayan Ghosh and Odissi Dancer Rahul Acharya delighted KU audiences with their artistry. We were able to collaborate with several student organizations to host fun cultural events like the Jayhawk Jalak Cultural show and a fun celebration of Holi, a holiday observed through out India and many parts of South Asia, where brightly colored powders are tossed. Other South Asia events in Spring included an infomative talk by photojournalist DK Bhaskar on the the unique relationship of Elephants and humans, and I was pleased to perform with my musical gourp “Ras Mandala” along with KU Professor of Dance, Patrick Suzeau to a packed house at the Spencer Museum of Art in April (pictured below.) I am delighted that the Hindi Language Program continues to grow. Enrollments in beginner Hindi are excellent and this Fall we offered Advanced Hindi for the first time. This 3rd year Hindi is being taught by Smita Singh, Fullbright Teaching Assistant from India who is also helping with practice sessions for 2nd year Hindi students. We are delighted to be the first unit ever at KU to have a Fulbright Teaching Assistant. Joining CGIS as the South Asia Coordinator this Fall with hte help of Smita Singh’s presence I’ve been able to focus on further developing the South Asian Studies Program. I offered a brand new GIST 501/ANTH 501 Topics in South and Southeast Asia course this Fall which has been a lot of fun. This course covers diverse topics including social issues, environment, religion, literary epics, architecture, arts and food. We’ve had 24 students in this first offering and the students have been very enthusiastic . In addition to this course, this semester has been filled with numerous South Asia events on campus and in the commuinity. We were fortunate to host a visit by Dr. Kamal Bawa (a distinguished Professor from Boston) who gave a thought-prrovoking talk on Biodiveristy in the Himalayas. Photojournalist DK Bhaskar gave a presentation on his work with children in rural India, Art Professor from Washburn University Azyz Sharafy spoke about contemporary art and artists from South Asia. There were celebrations of various Indian festivals in the community where students participated such as Ganesh Chaturthy, Diwali; a talk by environmental conservationist Subrabha Seshan at the Lawrence Public Library. In attempting to promote Indian Classical arts, SPIC-MACAY at KU hosted a lecture-demonstration-recital by Indian Classical Violinist Purnapraja Bangere in September. Developing collaborative ties with South Asian institutions in Kansas and in India has been very conducive to generating interest and support among KU students, fauclty and the community in developing further programming in this area of study. I am also synthesizing the fruit of my travel to India in the Summer of 2011 to develop the 6-week Hindi Language Immersion Study Abroad for Summer 2012 in Central India. This has been an exciting and productive first semester for me as KU’s first South Asia Coordinator. In the near future I hope to be able to create new South Asia focused courses offerings. South Asia now has a new home at KU on the third floor of Blake Hall. We encourage students, staff and anyone else interested in South Asian news and events to come visit us and check out our new South Asia bulletin board in the hall beside 318 Blake or join us on facebook at South Asian Studies at KU. Center for Global & International Studies Annual Report 2011 7 EUROPEAN STUDIES By Geetanjali Tiwari, South Asian Studies Coordinator Lorie Vanchena joined CGIS as Coordinator for the European Studies Program in Fall 2011. Lorie A. Vanchena, Associate Professor of Germanic Languages & Literatures, was appointed Coordinator of European Studies in September 2011. She joined the KU faculty in 2008, having previously taught at Creighton University. She holds a Ph.D. in Germanic Languages and Literatures from Washington University in St. Louis. Her research interests include the reception and transformation in nineteenth-century America of German cultural material, immigrant identity formation, German nationalism and national identity, and nineteenth-century German political drama and poetry. The European Studies Program held its first event of the Fall semester, a roundtable discussion on the European debt crisis, on November 17, 2011. Nearly 60 students, faculty, administrators, and area educators attended. Panelists included John Keating, Associate Professor of Economics; Stephanie Kelton, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and political scientist Robert Rohrschneider, Sir Robert Worcester Distinguished Professor in Public Opinion and Survey Research. Victor Bailey, Director of the Hall Center for the Humanities, moderated the event. After making brief presentations, the panelists responded to questions from the audience. The lively discussion addressed economic as well as political and historical dimensions of the current crisis. Co- sponsors for the roundtable discussion included European Studies; Center for Global & International Studies; Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies; Hall Center for the Humanities; and the Departments of Classics, French & Italian, Germanic Languages & Literatures, and Spanish & Portuguese. In conjunction with this event, the Center for Economic Education, directed by Dr. Barbara Phipps, sponsored a follow-up session for local social studies teachers. Participants discussed the debt crisis further with Professor Kelton and learned about curriculum applications and teaching materials on the topic. European Studies plans to build on this year’s initial event with future programs that bring together Europeanists from different disciplines and provide students and K-12 educators with opportunities to enhance their study and teaching of European history, politics, economics, culture, and languages. PROGRAM The European Studies Program hosted a Roundtable Discussion on the European Debt Crisis in November of 2011. KU Professors John Keating, Victor Bailey, Robert Rohrschneider along with Professor Stephanie Kelton of UMKC engaged the audience in a lively discussion at the Alderson Auditorium . CGIS Prof. Manfred Stinnes The European Studies Program has had an interesting and exciting year. It found a new home in the Center for Global & International Studies in Fall 2010, and CGIS incorporated the program into its curricular and outreach activities fully in Spring 2011. This semester CGIS and the European Studies Program hosted Visiting Professor Manfred Stinnes from Germany. Professor Stinnes served as a Cultural Affairs Specialist at the American Embassy in Berlin 1977-2010 and has lectured on international relations at Berlin’s Humboldt University since 2003. Professor Stinnes taught two courses at KU including EURS 511 Transatlantic Relations Since 1989 and he gave a brownbag lecture entitled “Social Equality in Germany since 1989: East vs. West.” South Asia GIST/ ANTH 501 students with Kris Ercums, Curator for Global Contemporary and Asian Art at the Spencer Museum, set up a teaching Gallery for this course to display a variety of items from South and Southeast Asia.

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2011 Annual Report for the Center for Global & International Studies at the University of Kansas.

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Page 1: 2011 CGIS Annual Report

6 Center for Global & International Studies Annual Report 2011

Working with CGIS to produce exciting public programming and curricular offerings, 2011 marked a deepening of interest and action in the development of a South Asian Studies Program at KU.

In the Spring semester Hindi language was still housed in the Department of Religious Studies, but I’d begun to work with the staff of CGIS to develop some wonderful public events such several performance-lecture demonstrations with the student organization SPIC-MACAY (Society for the promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth.) Master of the Sitar and Tabla, Sri Nayan Ghosh and Odissi Dancer Rahul Acharya delighted KU audiences with their artistry. We were able to collaborate with several student organizations to host fun cultural events like the Jayhawk Jalak Cultural show and a fun celebration of Holi, a holiday observed through out India and many parts of South Asia, where brightly colored powders are tossed.

Other South Asia events in Spring included an infomative talk by photojournalist DK Bhaskar on the the unique relationship of Elephants and humans, and I was pleased to perform with my musical gourp “Ras Mandala” along with KU Professor of Dance, Patrick Suzeau to a packed house at the Spencer Museum of Art in April (pictured below.)

I am delighted that the Hindi Language Program continues to grow. Enrollments in beginner Hindi are excellent and this Fall we offered Advanced Hindi for the first time. This 3rd year Hindi is being taught by Smita Singh, Fullbright Teaching Assistant from India who is also helping with practice sessions for 2nd year Hindi students. We are delighted to be the first unit ever at KU to have a Fulbright Teaching Assistant.

Joining CGIS as the South Asia Coordinator this Fall with hte help of Smita Singh’s presence I’ve been able to focus on further developing the South Asian Studies Program. I offered a brand new GIST 501/ANTH 501 Topics in South and Southeast Asia course this Fall which has been a lot of fun. This course

covers diverse topics including social issues, environment, religion, literary epics, architecture, arts and food. We’ve had 24 students in this first offering and the students have been very enthusiastic .

In addition to this course, this semester has been filled with numerous South Asia events on campus and in the commuinity. We were fortunate to host a visit by Dr. Kamal Bawa (a distinguished Professor from Boston) who gave a thought-prrovoking talk on Biodiveristy in the Himalayas. Photojournalist DK Bhaskar gave a presentation on his work with children in rural India, Art Professor from Washburn University Azyz Sharafy spoke about contemporary art and artists from South Asia. There were celebrations of various Indian festivals in the community where students participated such as Ganesh Chaturthy, Diwali; a talk by environmental conservationist Subrabha Seshan at the Lawrence Public Library. In attempting to promote Indian Classical arts, SPIC-MACAY at KU hosted a lecture-demonstration-recital by Indian Classical Violinist Purnapraja Bangere in September. Developing collaborative ties with South Asian institutions in Kansas and in India has been very conducive to generating interest and support among KU students, fauclty and the community in developing further programming in this area of study.

I am also synthesizing the fruit of my travel to India in the Summer of 2011 to develop the 6-week Hindi Language Immersion Study Abroad for Summer 2012 in Central India. This has been an exciting and productive first semester for me as KU’s first South Asia Coordinator. In the near future I hope to be able to create new South Asia focused courses offerings.

South Asia now has a new home at KU on the third floor of Blake Hall. We encourage students, staff and anyone else interested in South Asian news and events to come visit us and check out our new South Asia bulletin board in the hall beside 318 Blake or join us on facebook at South Asian Studies at KU.

Center for Global & International Studies Annual Report 2011 7

EURO

PEAN

ST

UDIE

S

By Geetanjali Tiwari, South Asian Studies Coordinator

Lorie Vanchena joined CGIS as Coordinator for the European Studies Program in Fall 2011.

Lorie A. Vanchena, Associate Professor of Germanic Languages & Literatures, was appointed Coordinator of European Studies in September 2011. She joined the KU faculty in 2008, having previously taught at Creighton University. She holds a Ph.D. in Germanic Languages and Literatures from Washington University in St. Louis. Her research interests include the reception and transformation in nineteenth-century America of German cultural material, immigrant identity formation, German nationalism and national identity, and nineteenth-century German political drama and poetry.

The European Studies Program held its first event of the Fall semester, a roundtable discussion on the European debt crisis, on November 17, 2011. Nearly 60 students, faculty, administrators, and area educators attended. Panelists included John Keating, Associate Professor of Economics; Stephanie Kelton, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and political scientist Robert Rohrschneider, Sir Robert Worcester Distinguished Professor in Public Opinion and Survey Research. Victor Bailey, Director of the Hall Center for the Humanities, moderated the event. After making brief presentations, the panelists responded to questions from the audience. The lively discussion addressed economic as well as political and historical dimensions of the current crisis. Co-sponsors for the roundtable discussion included European Studies; Center for Global & International Studies; Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies; Hall Center for the Humanities; and the Departments of Classics, French & Italian, Germanic Languages & Literatures, and Spanish & Portuguese.

In conjunction with this event, the Center for Economic Education, directed by Dr. Barbara Phipps, sponsored a follow-up session for local social studies teachers. Participants discussed the debt crisis further with Professor Kelton and learned about curriculum applications and teaching materials on the topic.

European Studies plans to build on this year’s initial event with future programs that bring together Europeanists from different disciplines and provide students and K-12 educators with opportunities to enhance their study and teaching of European history, politics, economics, culture, and languages.

PROGRAMThe European Studies Program hosted a Roundtable Discussion on the European Debt Crisis in November of 2011. KU Professors John Keating, Victor Bailey, Robert Rohrschneider along with Professor Stephanie Kelton of UMKC engaged the audience in a lively discussion at the Alderson Auditorium .

CGIS Prof. Manfred Stinnes

The European Studies Program has had an interesting and exciting year. It found a new home in the Center for Global & International Studies in Fall 2010, and CGIS incorporated the program into its curricular and outreach activities fully in Spring 2011. This semester CGIS and the European Studies Program hosted Visiting Professor Manfred Stinnes from Germany. Professor Stinnes served as a Cultural Affairs Specialist at the American Embassy in Berlin 1977-2010 and has lectured on international relations at Berlin’s Humboldt University since 2003. Professor Stinnes taught two courses at KU including EURS 511 Transatlantic Relations Since 1989 and he gave a brownbag lecture entitled “Social Equality in Germany since 1989: East vs. West.”

South Asia

GIST/ ANTH 501 students with Kris Ercums, Curator for Global Contemporary and Asian Art at the Spencer Museum, set up a teaching Gallery for this course to display a variety of items from South and Southeast Asia.

Page 2: 2011 CGIS Annual Report

Global and International Studies (GIST) reported Fall 2011 20th Day numbers. Students with the GIST full major interest code include 43 seniors, 33 juniors, 27 sophomores, and 26 freshman. Of these students, 46 are officially declared. There are currently 22 GIST co-majors in their senior year, although the co-major is no longer an option for students. There are presently 10 declared GIST minors. The co-major and minor students are all officially declared. Since the report of 20th day numbers in September 2011, GIST has held 3 orientations, as well as individual advising appointments, for students interested in the major. The department also has 27 students who will complete the required admission courses and be officially declared GIST full majors at the end of the Fall 2011 semester. The GIST 698 Senior Capstone Research Seminar boasts an enrollment of 24 seniors in the Fall 2011 semester. The students are diligently working on 25-page research papers concerning the topic of Globalization. The GIST department now finds is a necessity to offer the Capstone course each fall and spring semester to be able to accommodate the rising number of students in the major.

CGIS Congratulates the class of 2011!

Full GIST Major Graduates:Kelsey Rae AdkinsAmanda AllisonNina BergBrandy GroffColin HayesAleese KopfRachel Moler

GLOBAL & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

Students at the Edwards and Lawrence campuses celebrated another great year in the Global & International Studies MA program. The program requirements changed in Fall 2011, falling from 37 credit hours to 33 credit hours for continuing and incoming students, reducing the time it takes our Masters students to complete their degrees and further their career goals.

We welcomed 17 new students to the program in 2011, each one with a unique background and point of view. We admitted students from as far away as Germany, Nigeria, and Washington state and as close to home as Overland Park.

Photo: Student Shamroz Khan with CGIS Associate Director Eric Hanley, adjunct faculty member Professor Hal Wert, and CGIS Director Thomas Heilke at the MISO graduation reception in May.

4 Center for Global & International Studies Annual Report 2011

AcademicREPORT

MASTER’S PROGRAM INGLOBAL & INTERNATIONALSTUDIES

Kimberly MooreJessica NelsonKevin NeslageSherrie PaiCaitlin RoachLogan Sack

GIST Co-Major Graduates:

Taylor AllisonRichard BarrettBrianna BerkleyMarie BiggsBriana CowellMindy CruzLaura DavisAdam EngelSara ExonJared GilbertKimberley GraffMichelle Graham

Navreet Grewal Rachel HareJustine HuntYvonne KamauRiley KingAngelina LydonChristopher ParadiesSaphire StockmanYekaterina TovemenkoAandrea ValdiviaErin WilliamsCarolyn Yang

Center for Global & International Studies Annual Report 2011 9

The Spring 2011 Semester CGIS brought many diverse public and educational programs to the KU and Lawrence Community. With funding from a grant from the Kansas Humanities Council CGIS kicked off 2011 with a film and discussion series at Liberty Hall entiteld “Contemporary Middle Eastern Culture and Society.” Two films were presented, “Women Without Men,” a thought provoking and artfully striking work by controversial Iranian artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat (pictured right.) The screening was follwed by a discussion with KU faculty Maria Velasco (Visual Art/Expanded Media) Hannah Britton (Political Science/Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies) and Jessica Beeson (lecturer in Religious Studies.) Israeli Film “The Hebrew Lesson,” offered an insightful look into Israel’s divers immigrant population. This documentary follwed the lives of several students immigrating from locations in Europe, Asia and South America at a Hebrew Ulpan (language school) as they try to make new lives in Israel. The film was followed by a discussion lead by Assistant Professor Renee Perelmutter (Slavic Languages & Literatures/Jewish Studies) and CGIS Center Director Thomas Heilke. CGIS continues to collaborate with numerous campus entities including Area Studies Centers CEAS, CREES, KASC and LAS. Some jointly co-sponsored events in the Spring Semester inlcuded a “World Migration” film Series at Liberty Hall during February and March, and in April the Annual KU-Ft.Leavenworth Security Conference: “Migration, Shadow Economies, and Security Problems on the World’s Borders,” a conference for K-16 Educators at the Lawrence Arts Center on “Music, the Arts & Migration,” and the International Healthcare Forum (in collaboration with the KU Medical Center.)

During the Spring Semester CGIS organized a number of events related to culture and issues in South Asia and the Middle East. South Asian events are highlighted in South Asian Studies Coordinator Geeta Tiwari’s article on page 7. Events related to Middle East Studies in the Spring 2011 Semester in (addition to the above mentioned Contemporary Middle East Culture and Society Film Festival) inlcuded a Panel Dicussion “Revolutions in the Middle East” (pictured left) moderated by CGIS Center Director Thomas Heilke

with panelists Afshin Marashi (History, a specialist on modern Iranian History) Raj Bhala (School of Law, a specialist on Islamic Law,) and Erik Herron (Political Science, an expert on revolutionary movements and elections.) In April, in conjunction with National Poetry month CGIS presented “Beyond Borders: the Life and Legacy of Rumi” to an audience of about 150 people in the Spencer Museum’s Central Court. CGIS’s resident Persian language and culture expert, Razi Ahmad (instructor of Farsi/Tajik and GIST culture courses) was on hand to give a presentation on the life of the celebrated Persian poet and Sufi mystic. Following was an enthralling performance by a group of musicians playing traditional persian melodies and readings from the works of Rumi accompanied by three whirling dervishes.

The Fall 2011 semester saw the addition of Leslie von Holten (pictured right) to the CGIS staff in August, replacing Tatyana Wilds who left to pursue graduate work in the KU Department of Theatre. Leslie shares a joint appointment with the Center for East Asian Studies, where she has worked since 2006. In her new role in CGIS, she will expand campus and community outreach events and build on existing programs for professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers.

Activities included participation in an international conference, Identity & Community after the Cold War, which was organized by the KU Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies (CREES) and co-sponsored by all of KU’s area studies centers in August.

Outreach for the South Asian Studies program was lively as ever, again, please see South Asian Studies Coordinator Geeta Tiwari’s page 7 article for highlights.

CGIS CampuS, EduCatIonal & CommunIty outrEaCh

Page 3: 2011 CGIS Annual Report

2011 haS bEEn anothEr buSy, EvEntful yEar for CGIS.

In the Spring, we were honored to have Dr. Manfred Stinnes in the Center as guest Professor for CGIS, Political Science, and European Studies. Dr. Stinnes, a retired German diplomat with a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Minnesota, taught two upper-level undergraduate courses on European security and trans-Atlantic relations since 1989. He also gave several public talks, and he and his wife, Annelie Runge, a documentary film-maker, were both active participants in a variety of university events. We were privileged to have them among us, and Dr. Stinnes continues to support the activities of the Center from his home in Berlin, Germany.

During that same semester, Ms. Lesley Owens joined the CGIS staff as Graduate Advisor at the Edwards campus. We are pleased to enjoy her expertise and her care for the graduate students in MAGIST program at Edwards. CGIS hosted a Middle East film series at Liberty Hall, which was funded by the Kansas Humanities Council grant we obtained the previous year, and we also sponsored a panel discussion on the “Arab Spring,” entitled, “Revolutions in the Middle East, what’s Next?” Professors Raj Bhala (Law School), Afshin Marashi (History), and Erik Herron (Political Science) gave brief presentations to a standing-room-only crowd and engaged in a lively, informed question-and-answer session afterward.

In the Fall Semester, Hindi language instruction was given a new home in CGIS, and Dr. Geeta Tiwari joined us as the Coordinator for South Asia Studies. We have been grateful to the Dept. of Religious Studies for its several years of caring for Hindi, and for its gracious willingness to let all matters South Asia be brought over to the Center in the South Asia Studies program. CGIS was also pleased to have Ms. Smita Singh come to us from India on the first ever Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA ) award obtained at KU. Ms. Singh is serving as a teaching assistant to Dr. Tiwari in the Hindi courses, which has made it possible to expand Hindi to the third-year level. Farsi/Tajik, meanwhile, was expanded to the second year level, enjoying solid enrollments for both levels under the teaching efforts of Dr. Razi Ahmad. Tatyana Wilds, who had served as the half-time outreach coordinator in CGIS since early in its existence, found a not-to-be-missed opportunity to work as a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Theater, where she is pursuing an MA. Her departure led to the addition of Leslie Vonholten as the new CGIS outreach coordinator: welcome, Leslie! Dr. Lorie Vanchena, Associate Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures joined CGIS near the beginning of the Fall semester as coordinator of European Studies. She helped to assemble a new executive committee for the program, and, in November, she organized a timely and successful faculty panel on the European debt crisis. We are all excited to see CGIS programs beginning to mature and leadership develop with them.

Finally, amidst all these arrivals, departures, and general growth, there is one more change to announce, namely my departure. Beginning on January 8th, 2012, I will be moving into a new role as Dean of Graduate Studies at KU. It has been a remarkable two years for me in CGIS, working with the dedicated, energetic, and enduringly competent CGIS staff to put together the events and curricular offerings that have become part of the everyday in the Center. I will miss the daily excitement of new ideas, big projects, and happy collaborations, of which you have but a small sampling in this note: for more, see the pages that follow. I wish all of our supporters at KU and beyond the best of success in the new year.

-Thomas Heilke, CGIS Center Director 2009-2011

2 Center for Global & International Studies Annual Report 2011

MESSAGE FROM THE

DIRE

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Thom

as H

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Center for Global & International Studies Annual Report 2011 11LA

NGUA

GENEWS

CGIS continued to provide FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) Fellowships in summer 2011 and academic year 2012. This year marked the first Hindi and Hebrew FLAS ever at KU.

Summer Fellowships provide up to $5,000 for tuition, $2,500 for living expenses, and this year, included funds to help with transportation costs. The undergraduate academic year FLAS provide up to $10,000 for tuition and a $5,000 stipend. Graduate FLAS provide up to $18,000 for tuition and a $15,000 stipend. Students in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Hebrew, Hindi, Mongolian, Turkish and Uyghur are eligible for FLAS Fellowships from CGIS.

Summer Fellowship awardees were:Alison Burke (G) Social Welfare, studied Arabic in KU’s Morocco ProgramTashia Dare (G) Religious Studies, studied Arabic at the SCALI program, University of Florida Isaac Gwin (U) Journalism, studied Arabic at KU’s Morocco ProgramAndrew Kauffman (G) EALC, studied Chinese at CET BeijingAnnie Kroshus (G) Art History, studied Chinese at the University of MinnesotaLindsey Leiker (U) Social Welfare, studied Arabic at Yarmouk University in JordanRose Naughtin (U) Linguistics, studied Hindi at the University of WisconsinJennifer Welch (U) Political Science, Religious Studies, and GIST, studied Arabic at CIEE Jordan

Academic Year 2011-12 undergraduate FLAS recipients are:Jordan Gripe, Communication Studies, studying third year HebrewRobert Halloran, AAAS and GIST, studying fourth year ArabicPaige Henderson, Journalism, studying second year HindiHaley Miller, Womens Studies and English, studying third year HebrewRose Naughtin, Linguistics, studying third year HindiJacob Peterson, studying second year FarsiMiles Simpson, EALC and Economics, studying second year ChineseJennifer Welch, Political Science, Religious Studies, and GIST, studying third year Arabic

Academic Year 2011-12 graduate recipients are:Tashia Dare, M.A. student in Religious Studies, second year ArabicAndrew Kauffman, M.A. student in EALC, fourth year ChinesePooya Naderi, Ph.D. student in Sociology, second year Farsi

p E r S I a n l a n G u a G E p r o G r a m E x p a n d SBecause of the success of its inaugural year, the Farsi/Tajik Language program housed in CGIS was expanded to include Intermediate level courses beginning the Fall 2011 Semester. Students in the class are a mix of undergraduate and graduate students. The course instructor, Dr. Razi Ahmad, says while there a few heritage students, others range from one who intends who to work for the U.S. Department of State to another who wishes to carry out research in linguistics. In addition to practicing language in class, the students also discuss course material and Iranian culture and politics at the Persian Language Table. The KU Persian Club, formed in 2010, continues to flourish, having hosted a celebration of Noruz (Persian New Year) in March 2011 and has been active co-sponsoship and promotion of Persian culture events such as “Beyond Borders: The Life and Legacy of Rumi” in April 2011. This event celebrated the life and work of the poet and mystic who composed his inspiring works in the Persian Language in the 13th Century.