Last Thursday, the International Studies (IS) Program hosted a social event at Maxie’s Pizza Bar & Grille for current international studies majors as well as students considering the major.
With over 300 students, the IS major is one of the most popular majors on the Homewood Campus. The Maxie’s event was just one of many that occur throughout the semester, which are meant to foster a sense of community among the students in the major.
Julia Galan, the associate director of the IS program, plays an important role in holding together the community feel of the program.
“I am responsible for managing and developing the program, managing our BA/MA and exchange programs with SAIS in DC and Sciences Po in France, advising the students on careers, study abroad options and course selection and organizing a variety of academic, networking and social events for the students,” Galan wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “I love being able to see the program grow and develop into an academic major that not only provides an excellent interdisciplinary education, but also represents a real community of students with similar academic and career interests.”
Galan, who is in her third year as the associate director of the program, has done a lot to expand and develop the program beyond just a major.
“I am also cooperating with affiliated departments and programs such as Sociology, History, Jewish Studies, GRLL and Economics to create tracks and focus areas within IS that would allow students to receive the broad interdisciplinary education provided by the major, but also have the opportunity to specialize in a field of study within International Studies and to simultaneously obtain a second major or minor with the affiliated department,” she wrote.
In recent years, the IS program has worked with a variety of other departments and college campuses to further the interdisciplinary nature of the major. For example, students majoring in IS are now able to embark on the Global Social Change and Development track, which allows students, through double majoring in International Studies and Sociology, to dive into the issues of globalization and international development.
Students are also able to take advantage of the program’s close relationship with the University’s School of Advanced International Studies, which has campuses in Bologna, Washington, D.C. and Nanjing, as well as the Sciences Po, which has campuses in Paris, Le Havre, Menton, Reims, Dijon, Nancy and Poitiers. Through these campuses, selected students can obtain credits studying abroad or pursue a five-year MA/BA track.
Senior Chance Fowler took part in the SAIS Abroad program in Bologna.
“The SAIS Bologna Junior Abroad program is a great experience and the Bologna Center has a very friendly social atmosphere, faculty included,” Fowler said. “Going abroad for the whole year gave me the opportunity to do a ton of traveling, but Bologna was by far the best city I visited; it’s the food capital of Italy.”
Galan enjoys her position since it allows her to help steer students in the right direction academically and professionally.
“I enjoy providing students with the resources, networking opportunities, social events and advice that will allow them to have an enjoyable undergraduate academic experience and that will also benefit them as they plan out their future career path,” Galan wrote. “And I really love collaborating with the students on ideas for the program — getting their feedback on what’s working and what isn’t, working together on hosting information sessions for prospective and current students, working on the peer advisor program.”
Galan hopes to see the program continue to develop down the road.
“I have worked together with the students and the faculty to create a real community, one that offers social, career-based and academic events and opportunities that go beyond the classroom,” she wrote. “From the Dinners with Professors series, to the parties at Maxie’s, to hosting speakers such as former Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson, and even to the creation of the peer advisor program that students can turn to as an additional resource, the IS Program has become a dynamic, forward-thinking major, which is especially needed in today’s globalized world.”
Sophomore Gen Crawford has found the major to be everything she was hoping it would be.
“I really enjoy IS because it is such a holistic discipline,” Crawford said. “You get to see such a diverse breadth of material, but it’s really cool how everything ultimately ties together. I also really like how so much is so relevant to current international events and you can actually apply what you are learning to the world around you.”
Other students, such as sophomore Adam Eckstein, like what opportunities the major provides to students interested in getting involved in the IS community.
“I think that it’s beneficial for the students to be around people with similar interests and discuss world events,” Eckstein said. “The events for IS majors are good opportunities for people to meet and to get to know other people who are passionate about what’s going on in the world. It’s cool to have a major that is active in providing events for students to socialize and meet professors.”
