LAS
International Programs Newsletters
LAS
International On-line
Vol. 2, No. 15
April 15, 2004
Affirming a Commitment to Global Learning
www.las.iastate.edu/students/international/
LAS International On-Line is the bi-monthly on-line
publication of the International Programs of the College of Liberal Arts
and Sciences. LAS International is part of LAS' on-going efforts to coordinate
all aspects of international activities within the College including international
studies, study abroad, exchange agreements, research and outreach.
Events
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – The College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences International Programs participated for the first time in the
Annual College of Business Voorhees Lecture program and conference on
Friday, April 2.
LAS had a display, coordinated by Steffen Schmidt, university professor
of political science, chair of the International Studies curriculum and
director of the Latin American Studies Program. The display featured posters
and a PowerPoint highlighting some of the College's programs, in particular
the International Studies major and minor, the new Department of Foreign
Languages and Literatures "Languages & Cultures for Professions"
program, and the International Leader Scholar Program.
A complete report on LAS' participation in the College of Business event
is available online at http://www.las.iastate.edu/newnews/internationalbusiness.shtml
Study Abroad
YUCATAN JOURNEY – A trip and course, "Experience Yucatan
Mexico," sponsored by the Minority Student Services Offices in the
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Family and Consumer
Sciences, recently returned from Merida, Mexico.
The program is designed to enhance and to promote participation of undergraduate
students in study abroad opportunities. The course covers such topics
as Mexican civilization, Mexican government and politics, business in
Mexico, NAFTA and history of Yucatan.
LAS has offered the course and study abroad experience for the past six
years with the annual spring break trip attracting around 15 students
per year. Enrollment is not limited to LAS and FCS students.
"We encourage diversity in the classroom and as a result we have
a good mix of students with different academic backgrounds," said
June Smith, LAS minority liaison officer. "We typically end up with
students from all across campus."
To find out more about this year's Yucatan study abroad experience go
online at http://www.las.iastate.edu/newnews/yucatan0419.shtml
Research
FINAL BURST – Looking at his workload, you would never
know that James Dow, professor of foreign languages and literatures, is
thinking about retirement.
He just recently published two books and has contacts to write two others.
He is preparing ten articles for publication and is either organizing
or speaking at three professional conferences in the coming months.
"It' s been pretty busy," said Dow, who is planning to retire
next January. "After spending the summer in Europe teaching at the
University of Bremen and working on my research I have been back four
times this academic year and plan on two more trips soon."
Trips to Europe, particularly Germany and Austria, is nothing new to Dow.
He says he has been to Vienna 15 times in a five-year span. An internationally
recognized scholar in German folklore, Dow has devoted much of his recent
work to writing the history of German and Austrian folklore, including
its complicity with National Socialist ideology. Dow has found that while
folklore may invoke images of quaint figures among many of us, the Germans
and Austrians used it much differently during the Nazi regime.
To learn more about James Dow's research on folklore and its use in National
Socialist politics go online at http://www.las.iastate.edu/newnews/dow0419.shtml
