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The College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences at Central Michigan University might call Mount Pleasant home, but our students and faculty members continue to extend their scholarship and research to regions throughout the world. This international outreach provides critical learning experiences to prepare our students to live and work in an increasingly global society. It also enables our faculty members to expand their research on global issues and provide valuable information to their fields of study, as well as assisting countless individuals and communities in need. This newsletter highlights some of the many exciting international projects taking place within CHSBS. Quick Links: Promoting peace in Northern Ireland Studying reform in Rwandan schools CHSBS faculty lead international projects International Partnerships CMU collaborates with Egyptian university History department expands international exchange programs English Language Institute welcomes international students
Promoting peace in Northern Ireland
Graffiti on buildings serves as a reminder of the civil unrest that has plagued Northern Ireland during the past century. (Photo courtesy of Tom Winstone, Northern Ireland Alternatives.) “A declaration of peace does not mean the war is over,” says CMU sociology professor Harry Mika. For the past 10 years, Mika has been helping former combatants in Northern Ireland work together to build and sustain peace in their communities. “In the immediate aftermath of conflict, there are often significant policing problems in local areas,” said Mika. “Many political prisoners return home, youth crime increases, as does the intolerance for youth, and the peace process is usually limited to a political and media event, with few serious efforts to build peace or regenerate communities.” Mika’s projects focus on developing community-based responses to local violence rather than relying on state-centered approaches. His contributions have ranged from crisis intervention, advocacy, organizational development, and monitoring and evaluating justice programs to teach individuals and groups about peace-building and community responsibility. “Without intervention and reform, local youth might be beaten or shot or their families forcibly removed from their homes by local paramilitary groups retaliating for crime or antisocial behavior,” said Mika. “Through efforts in Northern Ireland, several hundred young people have been spared because local communities have found productive and nonviolent responses to trouble.”
Mika also assists philanthropies, foundations and trusts manage their investments in high-risk areas. “These organizations often want to provide aid to areas immediately following a major conflict, but this can sometimes cause more harm than good if their efforts are not managed properly,” said Mika. “We see much better outcomes when these organizations make strategic investments in areas of unmet needs, are responsive and sensitive to the local definitions of need, and work with indigenous community leadership.” In addition to his work in Northern Ireland, Mika is conducting research on ex-combatant communities in Colombia, Sierra Leone and Rwanda and will begin intensive work in South Africa on the reintegration of former combatants there. “My work in South Africa will involve monitoring and evaluating a very significant private investment in the reintegration of many thousands of former combatants across all of the political fault lines,” said Mika. “It is an area of critical need, and it will be very challenging. I expect my involvement there will last for years.” Mika has received numerous grants and fellowships to fund his work over the years, including a CMU Research Professor Award (1997-98), a grant from the American Sociological Association (2000), a New Century Scholar Award from the William J. Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (2003-04), and two grants from The Atlantic Philanthropies (2002-03; 2005-06). The College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences has also provided financial support.
Harry Mika (above) has taught in the Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work Department at CMU since 1985. During his tenure in Northern Ireland, he has held numerous appointments at Queens University of Belfast, including an honorary professorship in the School of Law awarded last year.
Studying reform in Rwandan schools In the years following the devastating genocide that killed hundreds of thousands of Rwandans in 1994, the country’s schools have become the cornerstone of efforts to build a free and open society. CMU’s Beth Samuelson, an assistant professor of English, will spend the next two years analyzing Rwanda’s educational reforms in secondary schools to determine whether those efforts are contributing to or interfering with the country’s progress towards peaceful coexistence.
“Secondary schools today are widely considered high-stakes social institutions,” said Samuelson. “School reforms are invested in preparing youth with vastly different experiences of the 1994 genocide to be leaders in nation-building for the future.” The three major reforms in secondary schools include developing a curriculum for Rwandan history that does not perpetuate intolerance or prejudice, introducing English as a language of instruction, and implementing transparent and non-discriminatory tests for secondary school and university admission. “I will investigate the roles that these reforms play in contributing to a shared sense of fairness and tolerance in Rwandan schools,” said Samuelson. “Schools are widely recognized as crucial to society-building, but tensions surrounding schooling intensifies when social order crumbles.” Samuelson will study narratives that she helped collect five years ago from secondary students, parents and teachers in Rwanda. She also will spend three to six weeks in Rwanda this summer to collect new narratives.
Rwanda is located in central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the most densely populated country in Africa with more than 8.6 million citizens. Her fondness for this region began when she spent three years in neighboring Congo during high school. “Those years had a permanent impact on my outlook and choice of profession,” she said. “I enjoy spending time in Rwanda because I can again experience how it feels to be a participant in a very different culture and learn to see the world through the eyes of Africans.” In addition, she will work with a team from Facing History and Ourselves, a non-profit organization that helps teachers develop social studies curriculum. She also will be a Research Fellow with the Human Rights Center at the University of California at Berkeley. Beth Samuelson has taught in the Department of English Language and Literature at CMU since 2004.
CHSBS faculty lead international projects The following is a list of some of the international activities that CHSBS faculty members are involved with this summer. Mensah Adinkrah (SASW) is conducting research on homicide and witchcraft in Ghana. Renee Babcock (Psychology) is visiting several places in Europe to discuss international issues in aging and to lay the groundwork for possible faculty and/or student exchanges. Sergio Chavez (SASW) is leading an archaeological excavation project in Bolivia. Randall Doyle (History) is conducting research in Australia for his next book on Australian politics. Doina Harsanyi (History) is conducting research in Paris about French exiles during the French Revolution. Tim Hartshorne (Psychology) is studying adolescent development in children with CHARGE syndrome in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Great Britain and the United States. Sterling Johnson (Political Science) is writing a bio-political analysis of the experiences and issues of African impoverishment, with assistance from the United States International University in Nairobi, NGO workers in Sudan and Kenya, and two physicians. Susan Knight (Foreign Language) is conducting a study abroad site visit in Costa Rica. Kris Kulawik (Foreign Language) is leading a three-week study abroad course in the Dominican Republic. Gil Musolf (SASW) is conducting research about suicide during the early industrial period in England. John Wright (Philosophy) is a visiting professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Stephenie Young (English) is conducting research in Santiago, Chile for a book about women’s writing, testimonial literature and questions of justice in post-dictatorship nation-states.
CMU collaborates with Egyptian university
Dignitaries from Central Michigan University and October 6 University sign a memorandum of understanding to develop collaborative programs between the universities. Seated, left to right: Osama M. Zaki, O6U Board of Trustees vice chairman for economic and managerial affairs, Mohammas Ismail Hamed, president of O6U, Thomas Storch, CMU’s executive vice president and provost, and E. Gary Shapiro, dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Standing, left to right: Talaat Rihan, O6U vice president of post-graduate studies and research, and Terry Rawls, interim vice president and executive director of CMU’s Off-Campus Programs. Representatives from Central Michigan University and Egypt’s October 6 University have signed a memorandum of understanding that expands CMU’s global outreach and solidifies a commitment to develop collaborative programs between the universities. The signing ceremony took place March 29. The agreement lays the groundwork for CMU and O6U to develop programs and exchange students and faculty. The relationship between the universities began when CMU delegates Terry Rawls, interim vice president and executive director of Off-Campus Programs, E. Gary Shapiro, dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Del Ringquist, political science professor, visited O6U in 2005. A group from O6U returned the gesture, visiting CMU during a trip to North America. “It is a pleasure and honor for me to visit CMU and meet such respectable colleagues and professors,” said Mohammad Ismail Hamed, president of O6U. “I have signed a memorandum of understanding between O6U and CMU, and we will work with sincerity and good intent for the benefits of our students, faculty and our countries.” Rawls, Shapiro, and CMU Executive Vice President and Provost Thomas Storch welcomed the O6U delegation to CMU’s campus. “We hope this will lead to a long-lasting and deep relationship between our universities,” Shapiro said.
History department expands international exchange programs Delegates from several history departments at foreign universities met in Michigan in June with members of CMU’s history department to discuss forming a consortium centered on the study of transnational and comparative history. The consortium would expand the department’s joint M.A./Ph.D. program with Strathclyde University in Scotland by adding opportunities for graduate student exchange with Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany, and Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. The program also would include an ongoing faculty exchange and a series of scholarly conferences and workshops sponsored by the consortium. The partner universities would share responsibility for hosting the conferences. “When fully operational, the consortium will greatly expand opportunities for graduate study in history and related fields, effectively quadrupling the size of the graduate faculty available to students accepted into the joint M.A./Ph.D. program,” said Tim Hall, CMU history department chairman. “Students will study with leading faculty in a wide variety of fields in a program unlike any other; one which incorporates international study into the warp and woof of the curriculum by requiring a year of graduate study abroad for every student pursuing a Ph.D. in history through CMU.”
Faculty members from CMU’s history department enjoy the sights at Sleeping Bear Dunes in June during a conference with delegates from several foreign universities. The group discussed plans to form the Consortium for Transnational and Comparative History. Back row, left to right: Roberto Vélez Pliego (University of Puebla), David Rutherford (CMU), Patricia Barton (Strathclyde University), Jürgen Hendrich (Friedrich Schiller University), Jörg Nagler (Friedrich Schiller University), Robert von Friedeburg (Erasmus University), David Macleod (CMU), Tim O’Neil (CMU), and David La France (University of Puebla). Front row, left to right: Paula van der Houwen (Erasmus University), Jim Schmiechen (CMU), Maria Grever (Erasmus University), Steve Scherer (CMU), Kathy Donohue (CMU), and Annegien Prins, (Erasmus University).
English Language Institute welcomes international students
The English Language Institute provides English instruction and cultural training for non-degree, undergraduate and graduate international students. This summer more than 50 students from eight countries are taking courses in grammar, writing, reading, vocabulary, and listening and speaking. Most ELI students are recruited through CMU’s partnerships or cooperative agreements with universities, including Kyungwon University in Korea, Sakae Institute of Study Abroad in Japan, Kyonggi University in Korea, Gyeongju University in Korea, and Iwate, Nagoya, and Gifu Consumer’s Cooperative in Japan. In addition to hosting students from Japan and Korea, students from Thailand, Saudi Arabia, China, China (Taiwan), Chile and Russia are taking classes at the ELI this summer. During time off from classroom study, ELI students participate in cultural and recreational activities such as canoeing, skiing, and visiting Michigan cities. The ELI program will host more than 80 international students during the upcoming academic year. Photo caption: Dongkan Huang (foreground), a freshman from Beijing, China, and Eun Young Lee (background), an exchange student from Kyonggi University in South Korea, take notes during a summer language class offered by CMU’s English Language Institute. |
Samuelson
was awarded a 2006 National Academy of Education/Spencer
Postdoctoral Fellowship, which provides a $55,000 grant for
release time from teaching and other expenses related to her
research.
One
of CMU’s most successful global outreach programs takes place
right here in Mount Pleasant.