Events & Announcements

The new International Studies Newsletter is here!

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Spring Quarter Courses are here:

Course List for Old Core Program

Course List for New Thematic Cluster Program

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The Winter 08 International Studies Newsletter is now available and can be found here.

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The Honors Program now accepting Applications

The Honors Program in International Studies is for outstanding and engaged majors who wish to take on the challenge of actively researching and writing about a topic in international studies. Participants in the Honors Program are required to have a deeper level of language competence than the IS adjunct major itself. Students accepted into the honors program enroll in a 3-quarter-long seminar (spring junior year and fall and winter senior year) during which they plan, research, and write their theses. Honors students who want to take on the unique challenge of primary research are strongly encouraged to apply for University research support and conduct research either during study abroad or in the summer after junior year, though this is not required for honors.

Applying for the Honors Program

Admission to the honors program is competitive. Outstanding International Studies majors must apply their junior year, but may apply in their sophomore year if they plan on spending their junior year abroad. The deadline for applying to the Honors Program this year is February 15, 2008. Acceptance into the program is based on strength of the proposed research and the student’s demonstrated ability as an independent and critical thinker. Students are also required to maintain a cumulative GPA above 3.5 in the major and overall throughout the program. Students apply by submitting a thesis topic proposal that includes a research question and describes how the student’s background prepares them for this particular research (not to exceed 3 pages). Applicants must also submit a transcript including a calculation of their major and overall GPA.

Prof. Galya Ruffer, the associate director of International Studies and the director of honors, is available to meet with students as they work to develop their proposals. Students should also seek advice from other faculty at Northwestern. All applicants must schedule an interview with the Honors Director in February.

Language requirement

Students in the honors program must demonstrate the ability to work in a foreign language. One way for a student to fulfill this requirement is to study abroad in a relevant country for at least one term. The honors program director may certify that a student has completed the language requirement in other ways. Examples of alternative ways to fulfill this requirement include taking 300-level courses on campus at NU in a foreign language, showing that the student has advanced competency in a language or inclusion of significant foreign-language source work in the thesis project.

Deadline for applying to the Honors Program: Friday, February 15, 2008

Apply by submitting 3-page research proposal and official transcript.

Please submit applications to the International Studies Office

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Lee F. Anderson Memorial Global Education & Engagement Grant

The Lee F. Anderson Memorial Global Education & Engagement Grant will provide funding for a Northwestern University junior or senior who demonstrates initiative and commitment in making a difference in the world. The grant will support student engagement, volunteerism or service projects either locally or abroad.

Global education and commitment to the condition of the world and its peoples were the core themes of Professor Lee Anderson's intellectual and ideological agendas. At the time of his death in 2000 his family and friends created the Lee F. Anderson Memorial Global Education Fund to help insure his legacy and to honor Professor Anderson's unwavering commitment to promoting pre-collegiate and collegiate education that prepares students to be responsible, humane citizens of an increasingly globalized world.

Guidelines: This award is open to any Northwestern junior or senior and will support international/global-focused student engagement, volunteerism or service projects located either in the U.S. or abroad. Student projects may focus on, but are not limited to the following:

Work with a community, nonprofit or set of organizations on a meaningful project that supplements a student's academic studies with applied engagement, volunteerism or service.

A summer project for a member of an international or local-global focused student group to increase the capacity of that organization to provide meaningful programming and connections with the Northwestern community

Creation of a project or product through which an individual student shares the story or experience of some international or global-issues focused organization or community with the broader Northwestern community

Deadlines: Applications are due March 1, 2008. Awards are announced April 1, 2008

Application Materials: To be considered for the grant applicants must submit: a cover sheet; a resume; a project proposal (2-5 pages) including a description of the project, the student's preparation for the project, the project's time frame and a budget; and three references including one from an NU faculty member who is familiar with the student and the project.

For more information on this grant opportunity, please contact the International Studies Department at:

international-studies@northwestern.edu

Update 2-11-08:

We have received a variety of questions regarding the Lee F. Anderson Memorial Global Education and Engagement Grant. Here are some further clarifications regarding the guidelines for the Grant:

1. The maximum award of the Grant is $1,500 per project. We will award up to three Grants.

2. Applicants may submit individual or joint applications. Those working on a project jointly may split the grant as they work on their projects.

3. The Grant is limited to Northwestern Juniors or Seniors. Depending on the circumstances, graduating seniors might be awarded a Grant.

4. There is no specific time frame for the duration of the project. In other words, you may propose a summer project or one that will take place during the year.

5. For more information about Lee F. Grant and his work see our IS Winter Quarter Newsletter or access the following link: http://www.globaled.org/issues/AF%20164/Page%201.pdf. For the full issue go to: http://www.globaled.org/issues/AF%20164/index.html.

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Winter Quarter Courses are here:

Course List for Old Core Program

Course List for New Thematic Cluster Program

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The Fall 07 International Studies Newsletter is now available and can be found here.

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