DAVID L. BOREN COLLEGE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
AN INTERNATIONAL PROFILE
PANDEMIC EDITION: SPRING 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Photos from left: OU in Arezzo spring '20 students, International Student Services Pumpkin Carving, study abroad student Daniela Kosnacova. Cover image: stock photo via Canva.
PAGE 07 PAGE 13
A Journey Abroad Cut Short By Madeline Allen
Creativity by Necessity: An Interview with Chase Smithburg '12
PAGE 16
Gratitude in the Time of COVID By Lauren Lee-Lewis
PAGE 25
Remembering the Person I Was By Marien López-Medina
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About CIS
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International and Area Studies
Message from the Deans Education Abroad Faculty and Staff
International Student Services Research Centers
Managing Editor, Writer and Designer: Maura McAndrew Supervising Editor: Mitchell Smith Contributing Editors: Mohammad Almasri, Monica Goodwin, Lauren Lee-Lewis, Robyn Rojas, Caroline Serçe This publication, printed by the University of Oklahoma Printing Services, is issued by the University of Oklahoma. 100 copies have been prepared and distributed at no cost to the taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma.
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ABOUT CIS The David L. Boren College of International Studies at the University of Oklahoma is a comprehensive global college that conducts and offers international research efforts and partnerships, undergraduate and graduate degree programs, regional and thematic outreach centers and institutes, a wide range of study abroad opportunities, and a vibrant international student community. CIS globalizes the University of Oklahoma campus while expanding international research and exchanges. We seek to enhance our students’ global fluency, helping them to become analytical, compassionate, open-minded global citizens and leaders. In 2021, CIS celebrates 10 years as a college. We are proud of how much the college has grown over our first decade, and the future is full of promise as we work to expand our mission, strengthen our community and further develop as the hub of global engagement at the University of Oklahoma. Academic Programs
International Student Community
CIS academic programs offer a robust interdisciplinary curriculum led by a diverse, internationally recognized faculty. Our students acquire broad knowledge of complex global issues, preparing them for careers in diplomacy, international nonprofits and NGOs, think tanks and more. Graduate programs in the College of
CIS is the University of Oklahoma’s home for over 1,500 international students. Our International Student Services staff provides a vital support network for international students at OU, and the College of International Studies helps to foster the international student-led organizations and programs that lend dynamism to the entire
International Studies include both online and inperson options to meet the needs of a variety of
university.
students.
Education Abroad CIS is the home of the OU Education Abroad
Research The award-winning CIS faculty has wide-ranging
office, through which nearly 1,500 students study in approximately 80 countries each year. Our
expertise. During the past two academic years, college faculty have published books with a range
signature programs are our International Study Centers in Mexico and Italy, OU in Puebla and OU
of prestigious academic presses. Our nine facultyled research centers engage with scholars from all over the world and promote cross-cultural
in Arezzo. These centers, where students take OU courses while immersed in an international setting, create opportunities for local engagement,
collaboration throughout the university.
including community service projects, internships and experiential learning.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information visit www.ou.edu. WWW.OU.EDU/CIS • SPRING 2021 • COMPASS: PANDEMIC EDITION
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MESSAGE FROM THE DEANS
We celebrate the 10th anniversary of OU’s College of International Studies at a moment of monumental challenge — and great hope. The COVID pandemic plunged international higher education into a crisis, interrupting international research, education abroad and the ability of international students to study in the
When we began discussions in February 2020 that ultimately led to the return of all OU students abroad and the temporary closing of our study centers in Arezzo and Puebla, we did
United States. This issue of the Compass tells the story of how the College of International Studies has navigated these challenges, and how we plan to emerge energetically as the pandemic wanes.
not imagine that international travel would be disrupted for more than a year. But as the travel shutdown has worn on, we have redoubled our efforts to meet the pandemic-related housing and food security needs of international students
The story includes the heartbreak of bringing home students in the midst of realizing longimagined study abroad experiences and of returning and new international students unable to reach home or to fulfill their dreams of arriving on the OU campus to study. But the pandemic story is also marked by the steadfastness of the College of International Studies in its dedication to students and by the professionalism of CIS staff.
on the OU campus, to safely receive new international students (even if, unfortunately, a smaller group than in recent years) and to plan for a vibrant future of education abroad. These efforts relied on collaboration with numerous partners across campus and the work coordinated by the International Student Task Force established by CIS Dean Scott Fritzen. (continued on page 4)
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During the pandemic, faculty in the Department of International and Area Studies have adapted their teaching to mixed in-person and online formats. This issue of the Compass includes stories of how faculty members creatively enriched their classes. Additionally, in summer 2020 the growing Global Affairs M.A. program pioneered courses that brought substantive content from Ireland and from Italy, respectively, into the online classroom. The research and outreach centers located in CIS adapted to the online environment, shifting from in-person events to online discussions and webinars, often reaching broad audiences at OU and far beyond in this format and forging ties with new international partners in the process. The arrival of new CIS Dean Scott Fritzen in July 2020 accelerated strategic planning to position the College of International Studies to innovate in
We are pursuing projects that will intensify the strengths of our study centers in Arezzo, Italy, and Puebla, Mexico. And we are excited to work with university leadership to realize the aspiration contained in the new OU strategic plan to significantly increase the number of international students on the OU campus. As we do so, we will continue to engage actively with international students to provide programming that ensures a welcoming environment and celebrates the immense contribution of international students to the richness of the OU campus. We are grateful to staff, students and faculty for their dedicated adaptation and caring for each other throughout this trying period. The strengths we have shown throughout lead us to have every confidence that CIS is poised for a steep upward trajectory as we emerge from the pandemic.
international education. The college continues to plan in ways that resonate with the OU strategic
Sincerely,
plan, reflecting a commitment to expanding research impact, augmenting diversity in study
Scott Fritzen
abroad and increasing the number of international students studying on the OU campus. We have developed a new Research
Scott Fritzen
Council within the college and have identified additional resources to support faculty research.
Mitchell Smith
During the pandemic, we have been drafting plans to ensure that there are robust study
College of International Studies Dean
Mitchell Smith Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
abroad offerings for all parts of the globe and that we reach all OU students with a highly inclusive
Rebecca Cruise
study abroad enterprise. We have invited faculty across the OU campus to contribute their expertise to creative new study abroad programs.
Associate Dean for Student Services
Rebecca Cruise
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"While I was sad my time in Italy was cut short, I am immensely grateful I went abroad when I did." Madeline Allen OU in Arezzo Spring Semester 2020
EDUCATION ABROAD: PANDEMIC STORIES The pandemic presented great challenges for
By spring 2021, there appeared to be a light at the
Education Abroad. In March 2020, EA was tasked
end of the tunnel, as EA successfully sent five OU
with bringing all study abroad students home amid
students to study in South Korea. Select summer
safety concerns, travel restrictions and lockdowns.
2021 programs have since been green-lit, and the
Study abroad programs for summer and fall 2020
future of OU study abroad looks bright.
were also eventually canceled due to the virus. But staff and students alike adjusted quickly to the
What follows in this section are stories from center
situation. Education Abroad hosted its first-ever
directors and students about a study abroad year
Virtual Study Abroad Fair and debuted the virtual
disrupted. In each of these stories, there is
versions of Italy Week and Mexico Week, two
disappointment and sadness, but there is also
popular biannual events that feature activities
gratitude, hope and the sense that these
related to OU's international study centers, OU in
experiences have taught us resilience and
Arezzo, Italy, and OU in Puebla, Mexico. Study
adaptability. The Education Abroad staff looks
Abroad advising also transitioned to a virtual
forward to serving more students both virtually and
system, and the EA staff developed an interactive
in-person in future semesters. We can't wait to see
chat feature for their website in order to improve
them thrive as they explore the world.
communications and recruitment.
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"Some students had found something truly transformative in their study abroad experience — a new home. For the first time, they realized that home is not simply a place but is also a state of mind." OU IN AREZZO BY KIRK DUCLAUX As the spring 2020 students at OU’s Italian Study
Having to curtail an experience that many had
Center in Arezzo, Italy were enjoying another
been planning for years was a deep disappointment
delicious pasta alla carbonara prepared by Chef
to all. Even more painfully, some students had
Fabio, their conversations turned from how to
found something truly transformative in their
beat the line at the Roman Colosseum and
study abroad experience — a new home. For the
whether or not Paris was a worth a visit, to what
first time, they realized that home is not simply a
was happening with a virus called COVID-19.
place but is also a state of mind. Home is where
“What’s all that got to do with us?” several of the
you feel welcome and where you can be yourself; a
students asked me. I thought to myself, “well,
space where new and unexpected things become
that’s a good question.” We were many miles away
the driving force for a rediscovered sense of
from the first outbreak of the virus. Without a
identity, confidence and curiosity.
second thought, the students returned to making plans for Rome and Paris. As we all soon
We hope students will find the time and energy to
discovered, the interconnectedness of the
return to OUA. Sadly, many will have to be content
modern world was a reality that we simply could
with a memorable experience that was cut short —
not ignore.
though these students will always be welcome at the beautiful OUA study center.
The situation changed with staggering speed. By March 10, all the students in the OUA Spring
Taking stock of the situation as it has developed
cohort had tearfully and regretfully packed their
over the last 12 months has proven to all of us that
bags for home. Those thoughts of Rome and Paris
we must make the most of our opportunities and
had been replaced by more pressing needs such
plan for the future, however distant it may seem.
as staying safe, saying goodbye to new friends,
We must seek out ways to comprehend the world a
and finding a route back home. All the skill sets
little better in the hope that no matter what the
that the OUA staff employ to make the students’
situation, we can be more understanding of each
experiences memorable were redirected toward
other and prepared for life’s inevitable twists.
ensuring the safety and security of return trips. Kirk Duclaux is director of OU in Arezzo, OU's Study Center in Arezzo, Italy.
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EDUCATION ABROAD: PANDEMIC STORIES
A JOURNEY ABROAD CUT SHORT BY MADELINE ALLEN COVID-19 has changed many aspects of college
After returning to Oklahoma, I had to self-
life for everyone, but a group that was especially
quarantine for two weeks, and during that time I
affected by the pandemic were students studying
was able to reflect on the two months I spent in
abroad. In the spring of 2020, I was studying
Arezzo. I thought of my amazing new friends,
abroad in Arezzo, Italy. With the rise of COVID-19,
funny traveling stories, and all the gelato I was
me and the 30 other people in my program at the
able to eat. While I was still sad my time in Italy
University of Oklahoma in Arezzo were sent home
was cut short, I am immensely grateful I went
in early March, two months before our originally
abroad when I did. If I had not gone in the spring
scheduled return date. It was a very emotional
of 2020, I never would have been able to go. The
few weeks when the decision was made to send us
two months I was able to live and travel in Italy
back. However, all of the emotions that ran
helped me to grow as a person, while also giving
through me told me just how great the time I had
me amazing friends and experiences for which I
in Italy had been. I would not have been
will always be immensely thankful.
heartbroken if I had not loved every minute of my study abroad experience.
Madeline Allen is a junior at OU. She began her spring 2020 semester studying abroad at OU's Study Center in Arezzo, Italy,
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OU IN PUEBLA BY ARMANDO GARCIA It has been a year since we waved goodbye to the spring 2020 OUP students. Looking back at the unfolding story as reported in the news at the time, I somehow imagined there would not be a direct impact on our lives at OU in Puebla. What a mistaken perception that was! The logistics of sending students back home in March 2020 due to the pandemic was not the fundamental challenge; the difficult part was letting students know that they had to go back to the U.S. Students had dreamed about this opportunity for years. They were learning so much and developing an attachment to Mexico. But remaining was simply not an option. The last few days in Puebla required discipline. Students who were interacting with locals the week before, attending classes with Mexican and international students and going to restaurants and movies, now had to self-isolate for some days before they were able to travel back to the U.S.
how students were dealing with their impending departure. We continued to monitor the health situation with authorities in Puebla and the international travel requirements with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. I reflect in retrospect on the many contacts we sustained, the numerous decisions we made each day, and the stories we heard as the pandemic unfolded and we prepared our students to leave Puebla. The most difficult part was asking students to pack. Students did what was necessary, but their disappointment was evident. The weight of our decision to close the study center was personally stressful. But we knew the huge responsibility we bore given the confidence that students and their families placed with us. Happily, we now know that we made all the right decisions and that the response, uniformly focused on student needs and safety, was well choreographed. Following the departure of our students, we
The infrastructure at OUP made things easier, including our apartments, which created a safe and comfortable environment. For students
moved to a virtual environment, and this became our new way to do things. With students and faculty safely back home, we shifted our focus to
staying with host families, there was additional anxiety for the host families themselves, even
adapting to the new situation. But I would love to see the students return to walk the Juarez Avenue
while the families provided students with an additional layer of care.
and say “hi” to their new friends. What a great experience that would be!
Faculty dedication was central to the process.
Armando Garcia is director of OU in Puebla, OU's
Grady Wray was checking in regularly to hear
Study Center in Puebla, Mexico.
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EDUCATION ABROAD: PANDEMIC STORIES OU'S PRODIGAL DAUGHTER BY DANIELA KOSNACOVA You ask what is it like to be the only student studying abroad from OU? I know you might think it does not sound like much fun, and you’d be right in most cases. Since we all experienced quarantine, online learning and challenges during the pandemic, I’ll mention the fun parts and the perks of being OU’s one and only, or as my advisor jokingly said, OU’s ’’prodigal’’ daughter. For starters, the Education Abroad office has never responded to my emails faster. At times it felt like I had my own private advisor. What a time . . . Moving on, being the only applicant for CASH study abroad scholarships is not the worst position to be in, either — of course, only after I reminded them of my existence, as the scholarships were all canceled together with the study abroad programs. You might ask if I got lonely or missed my fellow American students being overseas all alone. I honestly didn’t think so until two weeks into September, when I caught myself befriending a young American family from North Carolina in a grocery store. I can safely say that despite being in quarantine for months, I wasn’t really bored. My two semesters of study abroad brought unexpected new friends to my life, made me overcome an impressive number of challenges and let me experience more than enough exciting moments, only under a tiny bit different circumstances. Nonetheless, it was just as unforgettable as any other study abroad that OU will offer in the future. Daniela Kosnacova, a junior from Slovakia majoring in international development and environmental sustainability, studied abroad at the University Clermont Auverge in ClermontFerrand, France, for the 2020 calendar year.
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EDUCATION ABROAD: BY THE NUMBERS
189 Students studying abroad or preparing to go abroad when the pandemic hit in March 2020
641 Students advised for study abroad after the start of the pandemic
1,314 Students who attended Study Abroad 101, other recruitment events after the start of the pandemic
55 Faculty-led study abroad programs proposed for summer and fall 2021
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A SUMMER OF VIRTUAL LANGUAGE LEARNING BY RACHEL WILLIAMS
In spring 2020, like many other students at OU and around the country, I found myself scrambling to adapt my summer plans to the spread of COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdown. I had been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship to study Arabic in Ibri, Oman, but by mid-March the program had been canceled. As a fourth-year Arabic student planning to apply to the Arabic Flagship capstone year in Morocco later in the year, I scrambled to find another summer program that would allow me to build up my language skills. My “plan B” was the Arabic Flagship’s summer program in Morocco, but that was canceled not long after CLS. Fortunately, the summer program administrators helped me to find other Flagship-approved programs that would be delivered virtually, and I landed on Indiana University’s Language Workshop. I was accepted to the two-month Arabic 5 course and a one-month Moroccan Darija course. (continued on page 12)
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EDUCATION ABROAD: PANDEMIC STORIES
IU’s Language Workshop turned out to be a fantastic program. Each week, my class focused on a different topic relating to the Arab world, including media, culture, minorities, education, gender issues and the migrant experience. Our well-connected professor invited experts and prominent figures to discuss the week’s topic with us in Arabic via Zoom, including author Shahla Ujayli, film director Basil Al-Khatib, Al Jazeera program host Nazih Al-Ahdab and Iraqi Ambassador to the United States Fareed Yasseen. I participated in weekly clubs to learn more about tourism in the Arab World and to practice discussing current events in Arabic. By the end of the program, I had achieved an “Advanced High” ranking in an Oral Proficiency Interview — just one step below the “Superior” ranking I hope to reach after the capstone year — and had developed a solid base of Moroccan Darija. When I was asked to conduct an interview with IU’s Language Workshop director for an end-of-summer program publication, I got a glimpse of adapting language-learning to the pandemic from the administrator’s side. Dr. Kathleen Evans shared that IU’s Language Workshop saw a significant spike in enrollment due to the cancellation of so many other programs. That forced the workshop to add new sections and hire and train additional personnel at the last minute. While that transition was exhausting, Evans shared that it was also rewarding, and accelerated the adoption of techniques to make language learning more effective and efficient. The pandemic demanded sacrifices of students, instructors and administrators alike, but through hard work and a positive attitude, students like me still had a productive and successful summer of language learning. Rachel Williams is in her fifth year of the B.A./M.A. in International Studies at OU, with a double major in Arabic.
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CREATIVITY BY NECESSITY: AN INTERVIEW WITH CHASE SMITHBURG '12 As a professional working with study abroad in Morocco, OU alum Chase Smithburg has seen firsthand the pandemic’s impact on international education. A 2012 graduate who double majored in political science and Arabic with a minor in international studies (he also worked in CIS as Arabic Flagship coordinator post-graduation), Smithburg has lived in Morocco for the past six years, working for American Councils for International Education as resident director of the Arabic Overseas Flagship Program, a federal initiative for American students to learn Arabic and gain skills to become global professionals. “I oversee the program, particularly student well-being, safety and overall experience, including cultural activities, excursions and host families,” he says. In March 2020, when countries began to address the coronavirus’s global spread, Smithburg and his colleagues faced an urgent situation: they had to get their students home quickly or risk being stuck indefinitely in Morocco under lockdown. “As the situation deteriorated, we quickly figured out how to get out,” he recalls. “We were actually on two of the last flights out of the country before they totally shut down the border. So it was certainly one of the higher-stress periods of my employment with this program, seeing the potential for being trapped in this country with quarantines and curfews and being responsible for some 30-some-odd young adults.” They managed to get all the students home safely, and though Smithburg had himself planned to return home to Morocco, border closures forced him to continue on to the United States. He spent the next six months with family and friends in Tennessee, Kansas and the Dallas area, working remotely until he could return in September. But evacuation was far from the only hurdle. Smithburg and his colleagues still had a program to run, and the students needed to complete their coursework in order to graduate. So Smithburg took on the task of helping to transition the program online and train faculty in new systems. “As you can imagine, it’s a bit strange to be responsible for overseeing a virtual study abroad program — an overseas program, online,” he says. “We had to totally retool the program.” (continued on page 14)
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EDUCATION ABROAD: PANDEMIC STORIES “As you can imagine, it’s a bi t s t range t o be re s po ns ib le for overseeing a virtual s t udy abr o ad pr o gr am — an overseas program, onlin e .” The 2019-20 cohort finished out their studies virtually, and the entire 2020-21 year has been virtual, a shift that necessitated creative new approaches to teaching and learning. Programming for the virtual experience has included group cooking classes on Zoom, virtual visits with Moroccan families, online internships and mentorships, and individual language partners — a practice that has resulted in meaningful friendships, Smithburg says. “We have been able to do some creative things that get students really in touch with people in an authentic way, or as authentic as it can be in this kind of COVID world.” While the program has adapted as well as it can, Smithburg emphasizes that the lack of an in-person experience abroad is a great loss for students. “The overseas year is supposed to be the culmination of their studies,” he says. “After getting to see the magic of what can happen in this program when students are here, the fact that our students this year are missing out on that is really difficult. Academically, they are excelling. But from a life experience standpoint, getting to know the culture in person, getting to meet people and build those lasting friendships, unfortunately that’s not there. So that’s probably the hardest part for me, is having to face that reality with them.” Smithburg is working with Arabic Flagship through the end of the academic year, but then he plans to return to the United States for graduate school. Though his time with the program is ending on a somewhat somber note, the challenge of the pandemic has taught him a great deal about adaptability and the future of international education. “I think across international education in general, the impacts of COVID will be felt for a long time, and not just negative,” he says. “This creativity that has had to be used to come up with different ways to expose students to culture, to other academic aspects, some of those components will remain, even once overseas programs like ours come back in person.” That said, there is no substitute for the real-life experience of going abroad — and Smithburg encourages students to seize opportunities in the post-COVID world. “Even if you’re getting ready to go out into the ‘real world’ — there are fewer expats in different countries with everyone kind of repatriating due to the pandemic. This means there are a lot of great opportunities out there to go abroad and find a job teaching English, or a job where an American is in high demand,” he says. “So now is the time. Graduating in 2021 is a really awful thing in many ways because of COVID, but there are opportunities to take advantage of if you can, and make the best of what’s out there.”
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FACULTY & STAFF: PANDEMIC STORIES
"We grieve collectively for all that has been lost. Beyond the grief and pain, though, is an opportunity to remember this as a time when the world slowed down and we were able to take stock of our lives in ways we never had before." Lauren Lee-Lewis Assistant Director of Financial Operations
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GRATITUDE IN THE TIME OF COVID BY LAUREN LEE-LEWIS It would be easy to look back on 2020 as a year of
We grieve collectively for all that has been lost.
loss — loss of life, loss of jobs, loss of “normalcy”
Beyond the grief and pain, though, is an
and loss of opportunity. When we came home
opportunity to remember this as a time when the
Friday, March 13, 2020, no one thought we would
world slowed down and we were able to take
still be in the grip of a pandemic a year later.
stock of our lives in ways we never had before.
I remember CIS making contingency plans for a
When I look for opportunities to be grateful in
two-week work-from-home situation and all of
this situation, this is what I see: I have had more
the uncertainty that even that short amount of
time with my family than ever before. My son is
time brought: Can we take equipment home? Will
thriving in virtual second grade with me and his
the university eventually implement a long-term
dad as teachers. My pets are thrilled to have
work-from-home strategy? What do we do if
someone at home every day. I have always
someone gets sick? Will students have to return
wanted to work from home, and it is as perfect a
home from abroad? The list goes on and on. It was
fit for me as anything I have ever encountered.
(and remains) easy to get lost in a sea of “what if”
While there is an immense amount of stress in
and to question when this will end. But what if we
the outside world — worrying about COVID,
were to reframe this sense of loss and
keeping up with vaccine information, etc. — there
overwhelming uncertainty by instead asking:
is a new sense of understanding and peace here
What have we gained?
at home.
Of course, we can and should hold 2020 up to the
Lauren Lee-Lewis is assistant director of financial
mirror for what it was: difficult and painful in
operations in the College of International Studies.
ways I think we still have not fully realized. The tragedy of so much pain will not easily be forgotten.
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POSITIVE STORIES IN THE CLASSROOM BY MOHAMMAD ALMASRI
In fall 2020, I taught a course on Arabic media and
The interesting part for my students was that
politics for students in their senior year in the
grandmothers were mostly happy with this
Arabic program at OU. In this course, we usually
change, despite its apparent inconvenience. It
discuss selections from Arabic media: online
presented them with a challenge but also with an
newspapers, videos, interviews, social media
opportunity to connect with the kids and their
activities, etc. The goal is to survey and discuss
busy parents. One of the grandmothers stated in
what makes it to news in some Arabic-speaking
the article that she won’t send her grandchildren
countries. One of the selections last fall focused
to nurseries, even if they reopen. The reason, she
on the impact of the pandemic on grandmothers
explained, is that her daughter had taken care of
in Jordan. The article describes the changes
her, not sending her to a senior home (where
imposed as a result of the pandemic and provides
older adults do not really prefer to spend their
some interviews with a few grandmothers. It
lives), and the grandmother saw this child care as
provides different aspects of how the pandemic
providing a favor in return. The different
changed peoples’ lives.
interviews gave examples of how people are creating their own networks to support each
The grandmothers interviewed in the newspaper
other when the government is unable to provide
article discussed risks and opportunities
sufficient care during the pandemic.
associated with the pandemic. Coronavirus forced them to restrict their social activities, provide a
The article and the interviews gave the students a
higher level of sanitization, limit their social
positive take: not everything about the pandemic
gatherings, avoid direct contact with strangers
is actually bad. Some people have had to make
and limit their shopping activities. And because
adjustments that eventually changed their lives in
most nurseries shut their doors at the start of the
a positive manner. Bringing a story like this into
pandemic, they also had to begin caring for their
the classroom gave students the opportunity not
grandchildren while their daughters or sons went
only to learn about Arabic media and culture, but
to work. Suddenly, grandmothers were back in the
also to consider a fresh perspective on the
role of mother, taking care of the children,
pandemic's impact.
preparing them for online school meetings, preparing their food, taking them to the mosques
Mohammad Almasri is ConocoPhilips Associate
for religious services (before mosques were shut
Professor of Arabic Language, Literature and
down), and generally meeting their needs.
Culture in the Department of International & Area Studies.
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FACULTY & STAFF: PANDEMIC STORIES NEW WAYS OF LEARNING BY REBECCA CRUISE Can you answer these questions? In 1948, over 1,000 OU students rallied to oppose the rejected law school application of the person who would become the first Black woman law student at the university. Which place on campus pays tribute to her? What building is rumored to have been designed to repel anti-Vietnam protests in the 1960s? (Although protests did take place, this was not the purpose of the building’s stark design.)
differently and to adjust to changing circumstances. As I returned to the classroom in August, I wanted to find fun, creative ways for our group of 30 to engage with each other safely. The
In the fall of 2015, Indigenize OU, founded by four Native American students, put forward a proposal to the SGA to stop recognizing Columbus Day. Today on the second Monday in October, we commemorate Indigenous Peoples’ Day at OU with many events, including a processional down what path? If you know OU activism history well, you would answer: the Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Fountain, the Blender (Physical Sciences Center) and the South Oval. If you were in my international activism class in the fall semester, you would have run with a team of fellow students to these and other points of activism across campus, reflecting and taking selfies as you went. It was an unusual day for our class: our first-ever OU activism scavenger hunt.
The pandemic has pushed us all to think
activism scavenger hunt allowed students to learn about the history of activism on their campus in the very spots where people have gathered to advance their causes. It also was a way to get outdoors and move around with their classmates in a safe way during the pandemic. In our continuous desire to reach students, faculty tried all sorts of projects, ideas and new ways of learning this past year. Some may not have been as effective as we would have liked, and others were great successes that we will surely keep in our tool kits as we head out of the pandemic. This scavenger hunt, for one, will definitely stay on my syllabus. Rebecca Cruise is the CIS associate dean for student services and assistant professor of security studies and comparative politics.
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FACULTY & STAFF: PANDEMIC STORIES
From left: Advisors Tracy Holloway, Malin Collins, Katie Watkins
ADVISING IN A PANDEMIC BY CIS ADVISING STAFF We’re all planners and organizers by nature.
We've also loved meeting everyone’s wonderful
That’s why we like advising. The job allows us
families and pets. It goes both ways. Our students
each to keep track of around 200 students and
have seen our homes, our families and our pets as
their plans. The pandemic certainly disrupted
well. We hope to incorporate a mix of traditional
everyone’s plans! We had to pivot from our
in-person and more flexible virtual appointments
prepared natures to being much more flexible.
when we are back on campus so that students can
Thankfully, it has worked. We now meet with all
choose which format works best for them. Our
of our students via Zoom, which has become
hope is that this flexibility will allow students with
second nature. Although we miss our students,
additional responsibilities, such as part- or full-
Zoom advising does have its benefits. For
time jobs and family commitments, to have more
example, we've been able to meet virtually with
access to their advisors, and to increase the
students outside traditional 8 a.m.-5 p.m. office
communication between students and our office.
hours.
FACULTY RESEARCH NEWS In spite of the pandemic, members of the College of International Studies have been able to continue contributing to their fields through research, publications and presentations. In addition to the achievements and published books on the following page, faculty have published journal articles in Human Rights Quarterly, Global Governance, Journal of Law and Society, Ethics & International Affairs, International Journal of Islam in Asia, Energy Research & Social Science, Foreign Affairs, Quarterly Journal of Political Science, chapters in books published by Oxford University Press and by I.B. Tauris, and opinion and analysis pieces in The Conversation, The Guardian and Al Jazeera. (Continued on page 20) WWW.OU.EDU/CIS • SPRING 2021 • COMPASS: PANDEMIC EDITION
PAGE 19
From left, Natalie Letsa, Emma Colven, Jonathan Stalling, Fabio de Sa e Silva, Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva
Natalie Letsa, Wick Cary Assistant Professor of
Jonathan Stalling, Harold J. and Ruth Newman
Political Economy, received funding from the
Chair in US-China Issues, was awarded a Chinese
American Political Science Association Centennial
patent for a language algorithm he developed,
Center and Warren E. Miller Fund in Electoral
which uses Chinese characters to encode English
Politics to conduct research in Cameroon for her
speech sounds without disruptive effects.
book, The Autocratic Citizen: Partisanship and Political Behavior under Dictatorship.
Fabio de Sa e Silva, assistant professor of international studies and Wick Cary Professor of
Emma Colven, assistant professor of global
Brazil Studies, was one of eight individuals
environment, is part of a team of researchers who
elected to the Law and Society Association's
recently received a Seminar Series Award from the
Board of Trustees Class of 2023.
Urban Studies Foundation for their proposal, "Decentering Urban Climate Finance: Relational
Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva, assistant professor
Comparison in Theory and Practice."
of international studies, was appointed as an associate editor of the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis.
RECENT FACULTY BOOKS Waleed Mahdi, Arab Americans in Film: From Hollywood and Egyptian Stereotypes to Self-Representation (Syracuse University Press, 2020) Manata Hashemi, Coming of Age in Iran: Poverty and the Struggle for Dignity (NYU Press, 2020) Scott Fritzen (co-authored with Michael Johnston), The Conundrum of Corruption: Reform for Social Justice (Routledge, 2021) Afshin Marashi, Exile and the Nation: The Parsi Community of India and the Making of Modern Iran (University of Texas Press, 2020)
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INTERNATIONAL & AREA STUDIES: GRADUATE STUDENTS IN IAS
25 B.A./M.A. MAIS Accelerated B.A./M.A. and M.A. in international studies
124
249
GAMA
MAIR
M.A. in Global Affairs (online)
M.A. in International Relations
IAS COURSES OFFERED (UNDERGRADUATE & MAIS)
Spring 2020: 26 Capstones: International Terrorism, Global Environment & Disease Crises, Environment & Society
Summer 2020: 2 Online courses: Global Security, Chinese Politics
Fall 2020: 31 New courses: US-Russia Relations, Global Islamophobia Capstones: Global Perspectives on Humanity, Resource Security
Spring 2021: 34 New courses: Transnational Religion & Global Politics, Challenging Global Security, Chinese Culture on the Global Stage, Land & Environment in Asia Capstones: International Terrorism, Global Environment & Disease Crises
WW WW W. W OU . O. EUD. EUD/ C U I/ S C I•S S•P SR PI N RG I N 2G0 22 01 2•1 C• OCMOPMAPSAS S: SP:APNADNEDMEI M C I ECDEI T DIIO TN ION
P APG A EG E1 92 1
BY THE NUMBERS
M.A. IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS COURSES OFFERED
Spring Intersession/ Summer 2020
Fall 2020
Spring 2021
5
9
9
Above: M.A. in Global Affairs (GAMA) students in Ireland for the course "Post-Brexit Ireland," 2019.
Spring/Summer 2020 IAS 5013 International Law IAS 5940 International Organizations IAS 5940 Refugees and Migration in Italy (originally planned as study abroad course) IAS 5063 Civil Military Relations Fall 2020 IAS IAS IAS IAS !AS IAS
5043 Global Security 5213 Politics of the EU 5323 Political Economy of Development 5473 The Arab/Israeli Conflict 5693 Political Economy of China 5902 Global Political Turbulence
IAS 5922 Global Social Turbulence IAS 5940 Global Environmental Politics IAS 5940 Practice of Diplomacy Spring 2021 IAS 5083 International Activism IAS 5353 Latin American International Relations IAS 5483 Arab/Israeli Conflict IAS 5803 Global Affairs Practicum IAS 5912 Global Economic Turbulence (2 course sections) IAS 5940 The US Intelligence Community IAS 5940 International Organizations IAS 5940 Comparative Politics of the Middle East
WW WW W. W OU . O. EUD. EUD/ C U I/ S C I•S S•P SR PI N RG I N 2G0 22 01 2•1 C• OCMOPMAPSAS S: SP:APNADNEDMEI M C I ECDEI T DIIO TN ION
P APG A EG E1 92 2
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES: PANDEMIC STORIES BY ROBYN ROJAS The pandemic presented unique challenges for people all over the world, and international students studying in the U.S. were no exception. In fact, international students were disproportionately affected compared to their domestic peers. They were thousands of miles away from their families and in many cases weren’t able to go home during summer and winter breaks due to canceled flights, closed borders and the inability to renew expired visas due to U.S. consulate closures around the world. Coupled with uncertainties surrounding how they would maintain federally mandated physical presence enrollment requirements when classes were moving online, international students were under the most tremendous pressure they had ever been. Throughout 2020, ISS faced various challenges trying to advise its students amidst last-minute immigration policy changes and conflicting information from different federal agencies. It was by far the most challenging year for the field of international student immigration advising on record. The ISS International Student Programs team also faced new challenges trying to provide meaningful ways to connect with international students, a critical need that was complicated by necessary social distancing measures. Addressing these unique challenges required an all-hands-on-deck approach, and ISS staff and CIS leadership collaborated closely with campus departments including Housing, Student Affairs, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the Graduate College. These efforts included advocating for affordable on-campus housing options for international students over summer break, assisting Housing with the fall semester quarantine and testing process for newly arriving and returning international students, connecting international students to a free holiday meal, and providing selfcare packages and various programming events and trips to local supermarkets over the extended winter break. Never before had all of campus come together so quickly and with such commitment for international students, and it was truly inspiring. PAGE 23
OU WINS DAVIS CUP FOR UNITED WORLD COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL FRESHMEN ENROLLMENT For the seventh time in the past eight years, the University of Oklahoma has won the Davis Cup, which recognizes record-setting enrollment of Davis United World College international freshmen. The OU Class of 2024 marks an all-time high of 76 Davis UWC Scholars enrolled. OU also boasts the largest total enrollment of Davis United World College Scholars in the United States, with 265 UWC Scholars representing 97 countries. More than 90 American higher education institutions participate in the global initiative, including Yale, Harvard and Princeton, and OU remains the only public university in the nation to ever receive the Davis Cup. In an OU News press release announcing the award, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. expressed his appreciation for OU's UWC community: “Our international students, including our 265 Davis United World College Scholars, provide unique and indispensable contributions that enrich our campuses and the broader community.” The Davis UWC Scholars Program is the world’s largest privately funded international scholarship program. Students are selected by independent committees from around the globe to attend a multinational United World College, where they finish their last two years of secondary education, participating in a rigorous, English-language International Baccalaureate curriculum. They are then selected to attend a Davis UWC Scholars Program partner college or university in the United States.
The first United World College was established in 1962 with the vision of building cross-cultural understanding. There are now 17 United World Colleges on five continents, educating students from 180 countries. No more than 25% of the students at each school can be from the country where the school is located. OU enrolled its first class of UWC scholars in 2008. Davis UWC Scholars attending OU have earned a reputation of being excellent students, influential members of the university community, and great assets to our international community in CIS. Our UWC scholars have achieved recognition as members of the President’s Leadership Class and President’s Community Scholars; Outstanding Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors; team leaders in the Ronnie K. Irani Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth; executive officers in the International Advisory Committee; and more. Shelby Davis, co-founder of the Davis United World College Scholars Program, was quoted in the news release, saying, “We greatly admire the University of Oklahoma for its deep and longstanding commitment to our program and its scholars." Source: www.ou.edu/web/news_events/articles/news_2020/ou-winsdavis-cup-for-record-setting-enrollment-of-united-world-collegeinternational-freshmen
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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES: PANDEMIC STORIES
REMEMBERING THE PERSON I WAS BY MARIEN LÓPEZ-MEDINA Remembering the person I was when I started at OU in fall 2019 gives me mixed feelings. Coming here after graduating from United World College was my transition to adulthood, yet I was mourning the cycles one has to close for a fresh beginning — friendships, nationalities, life decisions. I was rushing to find myself, my career and an international community to feel at home while in the U.S. When spring 2020 started, my plan was to take control of my own life. I changed my major from IAS to journalism (my dream career since 2010), found a campus job to make money and stuck to those I truly call friends. But just when adulthood seemed possible, a pandemic was announced. The possibility of COVID-19 becoming a global pandemic seemed too far away at first. During spring break 2020, the dining hall of Dunham College was full of afraid and anxious international students whose countries started closing their borders at the threat of a pandemic — yet the campus was already empty. On April 22, before OU
failure, graduation cancelation, difference of time zones, money issues, overpriced flights, travel bans, war, isolation, loss of family members and even threats to our immigration status. Just as the world was closing its borders, it seemed to us our dreams were becoming smaller, too. Some of the biggest lessons in my life were taught by the dramatic changes in the course of a year impacted by COVID-19, and I’m sure other international students had a similar experience. I know that it doesn’t matter how many plans we have; there are so many factors that could change them easily. I know that taking a pause to analyze our feelings is allowed, and most importantly that we cannot take our loved ones for granted. The year of the pandemic brought solidarity, warmth and support for the OU international
shut down, I left the U.S. on the last chaotic flight
community. Every online or in-person interaction
to Nicaragua, knowing I was one of the lucky international students who could quarantine with her family. Others got stuck, struggling with expenses and the loneliness brought by a summer
between the students and the International Student Services office, the College of International Studies and the UWC Scholar Program office brought words of encouragement
on campus.
that kept us strong in the hardest times. There is
Six months later, another Marien came back to a definitely different campus. Working at the OU Daily during the summer connected me to the different problems faced by international students at OU or in their home countries: fear of academic
where I found a family away from home. Marien López-Medina is a sophomore from Managua, Nicaragua majoring in journalism with minors in nonprofit organizational studies and international studies.
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OU IN PUEBLA STEPS UP FOR BRAZILIAN STUDENTS BY ROBYN ROJAS I had to quarantine in Mexico twice. Quarantining in a third country is risky, and my sister and I were very scared both times. However, the second time we felt safer and more supported by our OU community since we had many meetings with the ISS office. They provided housing in Mexico and constantly checked on us, worrying about both our physical and mental health. I am delighted with all the help OU has given to us, Brazilian students . . . it made me feel important to the campus community, just like any other student." – Allana Calvano, OU student from Brazil
International students studying in the U.S. faced extraordinary challenges in 2020. For some international students, presidential proclamations restricting their entry into the U.S. compounded
all students from affected countries who wanted to come to campus for the spring 2021 semester to use the OU in Puebla campus in Puebla, Mexico, as a landing spot for their two-week
those challenges. Starting with China in early spring 2020, citizens from countries including Iran, Brazil and later Schengen-area countries were prohibited from traveling to the U.S. if they had been in their home country in the 14 days immediately prior to their attempted entry. (At the time of this publication, China, Iran, Brazil and
quarantine before traveling on to the U.S. Students could stay in the OUP student apartments at no cost with the support of OUP Director Armando Garcia.
South Africa are subject to the 14-day travel restriction.)
Four Brazilian students took CIS up on the offer and arrived to Puebla in early January 2021. Director Garcia was eager to receive them, as they were the first OU student’s he’d seen in over six months! He and his staff provided information
These restrictions added logistical and financial burdens for new and returning students coming from the affected countries. Some students chose not to return home over summer break because
and walked the students around the area. Garcia also organized an online challenge for the students. "It was our way to be empathetic with them and make their stay easier, making sure that
they knew they would have to arrange travel to a
they were not alone and that we were here to
third country for two weeks before returning to the U.S. Others who went home were forced to complete their fall semester online from their
provide support," he says.
home countries because they couldn’t afford a side trip to a third country. After hearing the frustrating accounts of some of OU’s Brazilian students, CIS extended an offer to
CIS was happy to be able to help these students on their journey to Norman, and to use available resources to address a unique challenge and strengthen our community. Robyn Rojas is director of International Student Services.
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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES: PANDEMIC STORIES For international students who were stuck on campus during this year's extended winter break, International Student Services worked together with Housing, Student Affairs and other departments to plan programming and excursions. For one such event, a group of international students traveled by bus together to the Bricktown neighborhood in Oklahoma City, where they learned the history of the area, grabbed dinner at Fuzzy's Taco Shop and took a ride on a water taxi. It was a fun way to bring the community together during an isolating time.
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ISS: BY THE NUMBERS TOTAL ENROLLED (F-1 AND J-1 STUDENTS)
1275 Post-grad OPT/STEM/AT 16.9%
CLASSIFICATION
Exchange 2.2% Grad students 42.4%
Graduate: 650 Undergraduate: 589 Exchange: 34 Post-grad OPT/STEM/AT work authorization: 259
Undergraduate 38.4%
Iran 9.1%
TOP 5 COUNTRIES OF CITIZENSHIP
Nigeria 9.5%
China 42.2% Oman 12.7%
India 26.5%
China: 213 India: 134 Oman: 64 Nigeria: 48 Iran: 46
*Statistics compiled by the International Student Services (ISS) office from an internal COGNOS report generated on March 10, 2021. The total number of international students described here reflects the number of international students enrolled at Norman and Tulsa campuses excluding Liberal Studies (off-campus programs that do not require presence in the U.S.). These numbers do not include U.S. citizens, Permanent Residents, or Undocumented status persons (includes F, J, and all other visa types). Counts include all additional majors. Summing counts will not equal standard unduplicated enrollment counts.
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ISS: BY THE NUMBERS TOP 5 GRADUATE MAJORS 1. E l e c t r i c a l / C o m p u t e r E n g i n e e r i n g (5 9 ) 2. P e t r o l e u m E n g i n e e r i n g ( 4 8 ) 3. Ch e m i s t r y a n d B i o c h e m i s t r y ( 4 4 ) 4. C o m p u t e r S c i e n c e ( 4 2 ) 5. D a t a S c i e n c e & A n a l y t i c s ( 3 5 )
TOP 5 UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS 1. P e t r o l e u m E n g i n e e r i n g ( 4 0 ) 2. C o m p u t e r S c i e n c e ( 2 8 ) 3. M e c h a n i c a l E n g i n e e r i n g ( 2 5 ) 4. C h e m i c a l E n g i n e e r i n g ( 2 0 ) 5. B i o m e d i c a l E n g i n e e r i n g / Management Info Systems (19)
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS BY COLLEGE 500
400
300
200
100
CI S CA & Sc GS ie nc es Co nt in Law ui En ng gi Ed ne . Jo erin ur g Ar nal ch ism i G tec ra t d ure Co E lle Ea du ge rt ca h t & ion En er U ni g B ve us y i rs ity nes Co s lle g Fi ne e N on Ar -d ts eg re e Ar ts
Ac ad em ic
Af fa irs
0
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CIS RESEARCH CENTERS UPDATE The College of International Studies houses nine thematic or regional centers and institutes that foster crosscampus collaboration on research and outreach as well as international partnerships. As the following summaries make evident, collectively, the centers and institutes elevate the presence and role of the College of International Studies on campus, in the state of Oklahoma, nationally and internationally. Additionally, each of the centers/institutes navigated adaptation to the pandemic gracefully and effectively, utilizing online delivery to innovate and to broaden the reach of their activities.
AFRICAN STUDIES INSTITUTE The African Studies Institute is an interdisciplinary center that seeks to promote Executive Committee (from left): Associate Professor of African and African African studies at the University of Oklahoma American Studies Kalenda Eaton, Associate Professor of English Rita Keresztesi, Assistant Professor of International and Area Studies Natalie Letsa through the coordination of Africa-related activities across disciplines. The institute is led by In response to the global pandemic, the ASI shifted an executive committee of faculty from various fall 2020 programming online and focused on the departments. theme of “dual pandemics.” The institute The ASI’s recent activities demonstrate its crossorganized a virtual panel, “Global BLM: African & campus collaboration. In fall 2019, the ASI helped African Diaspora Students Respond,” with four sponsor a visit from Shuaib Lwasa (Makerere student panelists and a student moderator, and University, Uganda), who gave a talk in the College of Geographic and Environmental Sustainability, as well as an African music event
with Balafon Master Tijan Dorwana, who visited from Ghana. In November, the ASI put together a roundtable, “Youth and Protest in Africa,” with OU professors and students from the Honors College, Gaylord College of Journalism and CIS. In spring 2020, the ASI brought to campus George Paul Meiu from Harvard for a talk on Kenya titled “Under the Layers of Citizenship.” In March the institute organized a panel, “Arts in Contemporary Africa,” featuring four OU panelists from the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Music, Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts.
held a virtual talk, “Essential Workers, Covid-19, and the African diaspora,” featuring Fumilayo Showers (University of Connecticut) and Faranak Miraftab (University of Illinois). In the past year, the ASI launched new studentoriented initiatives, including a $500 student research grant (the first was awarded in spring 2020 to Robert Bob Okello), as well as a $1,000 student internship award to fund research assistance for an ASI affiliate faculty member. In fall 2020 the first award went to Thomas Fenn (Department of Anthropology) and his RA Ian Miller, a sophomore anthropology and economics major.
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CENTER FOR THE AMERICAS The Center for the Americas, directed by Associate Professor of Political Science Charles Kenney, continues to build an engaged Latin American Studies community within and beyond the OU campus. In fall 2019 the center sponsored events on ethnomusicology, on migrants at the U.S. southern border, and on the politics of anticorruption in Brazil, Peru and Latin America.
For example, the CFA had two on-campus scholars discuss COVID responses in Cuba and Brazil, along with one scholar from Puebla to discuss responses in Mexico. For the event on distrust of the state, both scholars presented from their home countries, Brazil and Chile.
Additionally, the center co-sponsored with World Literature Today a panel on the literature of the NSK Prize laureate, Cuban American writer Margarita Engle. In the spring of 2020, the center held events on the investigation and policy consequences of the Chilean dictatorship’s 1976 assassination of a dissident in Washington, D.C., and about the causes, consequences and implications of the
Director Charlie Kenney, associate professor, Department of Political Science
popular revolt that began in Chile in late 2019. By fall 2020 the center adjusted to the pandemic by holding all activities via Zoom and conducting pandemic-related events. The first event analyzed the varied responses to COVID in the Americas, with special emphasis on Brazil, Cuba and Mexico. The CFA co-sponsored a panel comparing coronavirus inequalities in the United States and Brazil. The next event examined distrust of the state, its sources, and its effects on public health in Brazil and in Chile. The final fall 2020 event looked at the significance of the U.S. election for Latin America. Making the most of the shift to a remote operating environment, the CFA was able to have more speakers from outside the state and from abroad participate than in typical years, and they used the opportunity to bring together speakers from the
In spring 2021, the CFA held a panel discussion on democracy and elections in Bolivia, with one participant from campus, another from Bolivia and a Bolivian scholar from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The Center for the Americas community joined as participants in the spring 2021 symposium sponsored by the CIS Brazil Studies Center. Spring 2021 programming concluded with a Guatemalan scholar speaking from his home campus about issues of race, massacre and historical memory in Guatemala — the center's contribution to OU’s tri-campus centennial commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre — and with an author’s presentation of a new book on the travels and translations of Brazilian artists and intellectuals in the United States since 1870.
OU community with speakers from abroad and from other universities in the United States. WWW.OU.EDU/CIS • SPRING 2021 • COMPASS: PANDEMIC EDITION
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CIS RESEARCH CENTERS UPDATE
Co-directors Fabio de Sa e Silva, assistant professor of international studies and Wick Cary Professor of Brazilian Studies, and Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva, assistant professor of international studies
CENTER FOR BRAZIL STUDIES Founded in fall 2019, the Center for Brazil Studies serves as a hub for teaching, outreach and research on pressing topics related to contemporary Brazil. In the brief period since beginning operations, the center has strengthened cross-campus collaboration and partnership with policy makers and scholars in Brazil as well as scholars studying Brazil at other institutions in the United States. The center launched a unique publication series, Brazil One Pagers, to bring cutting-edge policy relevant research findings about Brazil to the Anglo-American audience in an accessible format. The project was initially funded through an OU Faculty Senate Ed Cline Faculty Development Award.
intellectual and professional development activities. These exchange programs were the most disrupted element of the center’s agenda during the pandemic, but the center plans to resume these activities in the coming year. Most recently, the center organized the 2021 IAS Annual Symposium via Zoom webinar, bringing together top Brazilian academics, activists and artists around the theme “The Environment, Human Rights and Democracy in Bolsonaro’s Brazil.” The center is involved in transdisciplinary research projects in collaboration with faculty from other OU departments and partner Brazilian institutions that are aimed toward grant
The center has established a variety of exchange programs, including a Visiting Scholar/Researcher
application submissions to major funding sources in the United States. Through its multiple activities and partnerships, the center is working
program, a J1 internship program and a summer
to make OU a force in Brazil studies with rising
school to bring Brazilian students, academics and professionals to the Norman campus for
national and international recognition.
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Despite the pandemic, the Farzaneh Family Center has expanded its reach and impact through collaboration with other universities, social media and advertising. In 2020, Farzaneh Family Chair Afshin Marashi stepped down after eight years of leadership, and new center director Joshua Landis has begun to build on his strong foundation. Marjan Seirafi-Pour provides administrative assistance and teaches Persian language for the center, and the Board of Directors includes Dean Scott Fritzen, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Mitchell Smith, Jalal Farzaneh and Mohammad Farzaneh. The center focuses on research and outreach through events and distinguished visiting speakers. Since 2020 the center has organized 12 in-person and online events. One debate, titled “Iran versus Saudi Arabia,” pitted the Dean of Johns Hopkins SIAS, Vali Nasr, against Greg Gause, head of the International Affairs Department at the Bush School of Government and Public Service. The webinar attracted over 420 participants from nine countries, and more than 1,000 have viewed the discussion online. In 2020 the center sponsored a Persian classical music concert at OU with the Bâmdâd Ensemble and a Persian Cultural Week at Norman Public Library (photo pg. 32) with members of the Iranian Student Association and Iranian Cultural Association. And in November, Marjan Seirafi-Pour hosted the annual Persian Poetry Night, in which Persian language students recite and discuss Persian poems. Parents of students from several countries participated on Zoom.
Joshua Landis is the Sandra Mackey Chair in Middle East Studies, the director of the Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies and the director of the Center for Middle East Studies (opposite page).
Two of the center's faculty members published books this year: Associate Professor Manata Hashemi, Coming of Age in Iran, and Professor Afshin Marashi, Exile and the Nation. Iranian Studies faculty have also published five articles, including one co-authored by Assistant Professor Alexander Jabbari, “Sinicizing Islam: Translating the Gulistan of Sa‘di in Modern China,” in the International Journal of Islam in Asia. Following a restructuring of the award process, the Jafar and Shokoh Farzaneh Persian Literature Prize has been reactivated. The prize committee will announce the award winner at the Middle East Studies Association conference in October. The center continues to offer student scholarships and awards. Forty-eight Iranian students received $96,000 in scholarships, and eight students received $1,000 Farzaneh Family Persian Language Scholarships. IAS student Alyssa Wiley was awarded the 2020 Iranian Studies Best Paper Prize for her research paper, “The Tudeh Party in Iran From 1941-1953: A Tool of the Soviet Union or a National Evolution of Iranian Politics.” Finally, the center also recently received a generous donation of Persian books from the private collection of Michael C. Hillmann, professor of Persian literature at the University of Texas.
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CIS RESEARCH CENTERS UPDATE
A snapshot from Persian Cultural Week at Norman Public Library in early March of 2020, co-sponsored by the Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST STUDIES The Center for Middle East Studies is led by Joshua Landis, Sandra Mackey Chair and Professor in Middle East Studies. Marjan Seirafi-Pour provides administrative assistance for the Center. The center Board of Directors includes Associate Professor Samer Shehata and Assistant Professor of International and Area Studies and Modern Languages, Literatures and Linguistics Waleed Mahdi. The center focuses on outreach to those interested in Middle East studies through events featuring distinguished visiting speakers. In spring 2020 CMES held a small conference on Middle East conflicts with three guest speakers, but other scheduled spring 2020 activities had to be canceled due to COVID. The shift to delivery via Zoom in fall 2020 turned out to be a big success, increasing audiences to 200-300 attendees. The center will likely continue to host Zoom webinars in the post-pandemic environment to maximize the impact of events and to expand participation to both synchronous and asynchronous audiences. The center's first Zoom event in the fall, a lecture on COVID, oil & U.S. policy in the Middle East, was
coordinated with the Tulsa Committee on Foreign Relations and attracted more than 200 attendees. CMES also partnered with the University of South Florida to deliver a Zoom panel on “U.S. Challenges in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon” with Joshua Landis, Randa Slim and Abbas Kadhim. In 2019-20 the center received a generous donation from OU alumnus Dan Mackey to endow annual grants to students for the study of Arabic and travel to the Middle East. Additionally, CMES received the personal library of a Middle East scholar, Michael Van Dusen, which included 20 boxes of books on the region. Four College of International Studies faculty members working on issues related to the Middle East have published 10 articles in refereed journals and non-refereed journals, such as Foreign Affairs. In addition to his role as director of CMES, Joshua Landis served as the director of the Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies and as the faculty advisor for the student group Sooners for Israel.
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CYBER GOVERNANCE AND POLICY CENTER Over the past 18 months, the Cyber Governance and Policy Center has pursued new research projects and has performed public service consulting roles at the national, university and community levels to bring research insights to cyber policy.
CGPC director Mark Raymond,Wick Cary Associate Professor of International Security
The CGPC director, Associate Professor of International and Area Studies Mark Raymond, served in fall 2019 as a senior advisor to the United States Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a
Director Raymond played an active role on the university’s research intensification strategic planning efforts, serving as a member of the task force for Aerospace, Defense and Global Security research. International Security Policy was designated as one of three priorities within ADGS research, providing a significant leadership opportunity for the College of International Studies. In fall 2020, the CGPC partnered with the Water Technologies for Emerging Regions (WaTER) Center at OU to assist Purcell, Oklahoma, in complying with a new Environmental Protection Agency rule that mandates any water system serving more than 3,000 people complete a comprehensive risk assessment, including cyber risk, by June 2021. The goal is to develop an assessment tool that could be used by communities across the state and beyond.
bipartisan commission established by Congress to conduct an expert review of American
In spring 2021, Mark Raymond spoke on a virtual panel hosted by the University of Toronto on the changing face of diplomacy. Other panelists included the chair of the Canadian Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and the German Ambassador
cybersecurity strategy.
to Canada.
In spring 2020, students in the Cybersecurity Governance Lab worked on a project investigating
Finally, with non-resident affiliate Jennifer Spindel, the Cyber Governance and Policy Center
the City of Norman’s cyber preparedness. The student team completed its analysis with
is examining the potential effects of cyberattacks on nuclear command and control systems on the
recommendations for the city to strengthen its readiness.
stability of nuclear deterrence. Graduate student Rachel Williams presented work from this project at a virtual graduate student symposium held by American University in February 2021.
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CIS RESEARCH CENTERS UPDATE
The Center for the Study of Nationalism, under the leadership of Carsten Schapkow, associate professor of history and Judaic studies and L.R. Brammer Jr. Presidential Professor, brings together OU faculty from across the campus who are interested in nationalism studies. The center has also been a leader in establishing international research partnerships. An essential part of the center’s activities is the collaboration with Nord University in Bodø, Norway. A workshop on "Nationalism in a Transnational Age" with a group of international scholars took place at Nord University on Nov. 2526, 2019. The workshop and follow-up collaboration produced an edited volume that is forthcoming with de Gruyter Berlin in the summer of 2021. The Center for the Study of Nationalism
Director Carsten Schapkow, L.R. Brammer, Jr. Presidential Associate Professor in History, Department of History and Schusterman Center for Judaic and Israel Studies
be published with de Gruyter in 2022 under the title, Nationalism and Populism: Expressions of Fear or Political Strategies? The Center for the Study of Nationalism plans to extend the partnership with Nord University to faculty and student exchanges. Illustrative of its role in integrating faculty from a wide range of disciplines, over the past 18 months the Center for the Study of Nationalism has hosted research-in-progress talks with OU faculty members Sandy Holguin (History), Afshin Marashi (International and Area Studies), Deonnie
authors once the volume has been published.
Moodie (Religious Studies), Erin Duncan-O’Neill (Art History) and Kaleigh Bangor (German/Modern Languages, Literatures and
An additional workshop on the topic of
Linguistics). The Center also organized a March 2021 Zoom lecture by Professor Robert Norton,
will hold an online book celebration with the
"Nationalism and Populism: Expressions of Fear and Political Strategies" was scheduled to take place on the OU campus in April 2020 but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. Some contributions from the proposed workshop will
Notre Dame University, on the topic of “The Long Path to Democracy in Germany: Ernst Troeltsch and the First World War.”
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During the past year, the co-directors of the Institute for U.S.-China Issues have begun to implement a new strategic vision and continue to carry out the institute’s core activities while adapting to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The co-directors organized two timely seminars, including one of the first public events on COVID-19 in the country: “Understanding the Coronavirus Crisis: Its Causes, China’s Response, and Implications,” with a panel including Nelson Agudelo-Higuita, Robert Andrew, Miriam Gross, Bo Kong and Thomas Zhang, on Feb. 4, 2020. Additionally, the institute hosted a webinar,
Photo from the Institute's Feb. 4, 2020 panel on the Coronavirus.
“China’s Belt, Road, and Beyond: Political Mobilization and Fragmented Implementation,”
collaboration with China’s Poetry Society, which
with Associate Professor Min Ye of Boston University, on Nov. 11, 2020. The Institute’s affiliated faculty also gave online lectures on a
institute received five nominees for the Newman
wide variety of topics throughout the academic year.
received extensive media coverage in China. The Prize for Chinese Literature, and the winning juror, Eric Abrahamsen, successfully nominated Yan Lianke, who was celebrated in March 2021 at an inperson ceremony in Beijing and a Zoom ceremony hosted by the institute. Further, the institute continued to expand its international ties by extending the Newman Prize for English Jueju to the UK. On the research front, the institute achieved two major accomplishments, publishing another volume of its peer-reviewed academic journal
Institute co-directors Jonathan Stalling (left), Newman Chair of U.S.-China Issues, and Bo Kong, ConocoPhilips Associate Professor of Chinese and Asian Studies
Chinese Literature Today and conducting a successful international search for the inaugural Newman Post-Doctoral Fellow in U.S.-China
While postponing the 2020 U.S.-China Poetry
Issues. The fellowship was awarded to Zhu Zhang
Dialogue, the institute created a COVID-19
of Tulane University, who will join the institute in
U.S.-China children’s poetry exchange in
fall 2021.
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CIS RESEARCH CENTERS UPDATE
Co-directors Sara Ann "Sally" Beach, professor of literacy education & Grant Family Presidential Professor, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, and John Harris, assistant professor and director of regional and city planning, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture
CENTER FOR PEACE & DEVELOPMENT The Center for Peace and Development is an interdisciplinary center committed to knowledge creation and community-based participatory action and research in post-conflict communities. The overarching goal is to play a meaningful role in transformative peacebuilding, understood as an intersectional approach to confronting race, gender and class oppressions in conflict-affected communities. Peacebuilding is a long-term, multifaceted, grassroots effort. While CPD’s primary
and individuals engaged in a North-South dialogue around critical questions of peace and conflict and the political economy of security. Through this partnership, CPD was awarded a $175,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to further its goals, especially growing ties to global partners and creating opportunities for learning at OU.
programs are in northern Uganda, CPD also works with partners globally towards transformative peace, and as a catalyst at OU for ongoing critical dialogue. In 2020, both CPD and our global partners had to adjust to working in the pandemic. The Grassroots Women’s Peacebuilding Conference, held annually
CPD has hosted multiple events bringing together scholars and activists to interact virtually with the wider OU community. Activities include a discussion on women, human rights and insecurity with Izabela Steflja of Tulane University; an event, “Self-Devouring Growth,” with Julie Livingston of NYU; “Mega Dams and Human Insecurity in East Africa,” a talk by
in Gulu, Uganda, where CPD is a member of a local
anthropology professor Edward Stevenson of
consortium or grassroots organizations, was canceled for both 2020 and 2021. Similarly, the CPD had to cancel the June education abroad
Durham University; and a roundtable on “genocide and healing” with five contributors to
programs.
Throughout the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021,
an edited volume Art From Trauma. Additionally, the center has added three new graduate research fellows and has established
Nonetheless, 2020 was a momentous year for CPD. The center was invited to join the Security in Context group, a global network of universities
multidisciplinary faculty working groups on multipolarity and on financialization.
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DEAN'S POSTSCRIPT LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD — SENSE-MAKING IN TURBULENT TIMES BY SCOTT FRITZEN Looking back over my first nine months as Dean at CIS, it is tempting to try to impose an order on my own, and the college’s, experience that isn’t necessarily there. Perhaps after the many months of slow-moving crisis we have lived through, we will all have this need, amid much unprocessed suffering, dislocation and general bewilderment. While any “sense-making” will necessarily be provisional and personal, allow me to share three insights that I take away from the stories I have read in this year’s edition of the Compass, and from our evolving context. First, the reality of global interdependence — taught every day in our seminars — has been brought powerfully home to us all. Through the pandemic — yes — but also in countless other ways: the regulatory environment that has affected international students; the painful confrontations with institutional racism that have defined these months; the accumulated political and economic dysfunctions we have witnessed . . . While such systemic stresses have been dramatic, they have taken their toll on us as individuals too, in ways both shared and particular. Looking around me, I can agree with Paul Simon (in “An American Tune”) that “I don’t know a soul who’s not been battered, I don’t have a friend who feels at ease.”
A second insight is that the people of CIS have been resilient and resourceful through this turmoil. You can see this in some extraordinary achievements recounted in this Compass. Evacuating study abroad students. Adapting to online teaching and advising. Helping international students through regulatory mazes. And for the entire college, adapting so positively and productively (I must honestly say) to a whole new modality and rhythm of work, with a new dean (the fourth within two years), in the blur of zoom-land — while so many dealt with weighty personal and family challenges and misfortunes, sometimes in silence. The third insight is more forward-looking. As I write in April 2021, many of us in the U.S. are beginning to enjoy the first weeks of certain regained liberties post-vaccination. Yet is clear there is no “going back home” for us collectively. The virus in its new variants is presently burning uncontrollably through India and Brazil, among other places, causing unfathomable suffering. And the obscene inequities surrounding vaccine distribution globally will lock in this global threat for years longer than it otherwise would. In looking at the impact of the pandemic on international education (and much else), we must prepare for a long tail of pandemic-related impacts and contingencies.
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Organizations, just like individuals, attempt to make sense of an uncertain world too, and one way they do so is through strategic planning. So perhaps it is no coincidence that this season finds the University of Oklahoma deep into such planning, both for the Norman campus as a whole and for different colleges and departments. At CIS, we are at present engaged in extensive consultations, both internally and across the university, to inform our own evolving strategic plan, which we hope to have completed in first draft form by mid-year.* For this to be a meaningful exercise in sensemaking, we need to make the strategic planning process, the plan itself, and what we do with that plan come to life. It can’t remain a box-ticking exercise. Our goal is to further build out an organizational culture at CIS — of which the plan is just one part — that is resilient, adaptive and even “‘antifragile”’** — thriving on the complexity that will certainly be with us going forward. It is a culture centered on our mission, our people, and on innovation: Being mission-centered means creatively articulating the directions we need to move in as a university in order to put “global fluency” at the core of what it means to be educated in the 21st century. And it means tracking our progress systematically — including in multifaceted areas such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) — so that our stakeholders can hold us accountable for all that we do.
Being people- and partnership-centered is the essential strategy, because we can truly accomplish nothing through some bureaucratic blueprint — and nothing alone. We create value in the world when we tap into those initiatives that a beautiful diversity of stakeholders feel passionate about doing throughout the university. Being innovation-centered starts with recognizing how quickly the field of international education, and the universities in which it is embedded, are changing, and rethinking our models and methods accordingly. We must constantly anticipate and adapt within this landscape. Despite the many trials we have faced, and traps that surely lie in wait for us, my “sense-making” leaves me both excited and surprisingly optimistic. The college has a proud record on which to build. We have tremendous people and partnerships. And we are ready to channel the goodwill that exists throughout our university towards global engagements of all kinds. Our mission is noble, the challenges complex, and we have room to run. What more could we ask for? Scott Fritzen is Dean of CIS and Associate Provost for Global Engagement. *Please check https://ou.edu/cis/strategicplanning2021 for updates on both the process and outputs of this planning. **A term popularized by N. Taleb in his 2014 book, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder.
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"Bamboo Forest" by Fily Wahidin, 2019
