International and Area Studies

Over the 2021-2022 academic year, the Department of International and Area Studies made positive changes and has been looking ahead to nurture our community of globally engaged scholars, to support our students and expand opportunities, and to foster diversity in our culture and curricula.

In 2021-2022, IAS was pleased to be able to increase resources to support faculty research through the newly created CIS Faculty Research Support Council, and we also reformed our system of faculty mentoring, especially for faculty early in their progress toward tenure. IAS hired two new faculty in Russian studies and Latin American studies. The department was able to increase funding to academic centers and institutes that is earmarked for research support, and took on two postdocs via IAS research centers (with plans to bring in another next year). The last two annual IAS symposia have been a success, leading to a special issue in a Brazilian journal and an edited volume published by Edinburgh University Press. IAS hosted its most recent symposium, Global Corruption and Authoritarianism: Exploring the Nexus, in September 2022. The event was a success, drawing scholars from around the world for two days of panels and keynote talks.

The department has also worked to expand and streamline our programs and opportunities for students. We have appointed field/area coordinators for all majors and codified their roles, leading to greater organization and focus. This summer, our Master in Global Affairs program will begin offering a concentration in Middle East studies, and we have also launched a new website, MENA at OU, compiling resources and information pertaining to Middle East and North Africa studies, research and programs.

The department has also been hard at work on DEI initiatives, establishing two student DEI awards and one faculty DEI award. Our DEI committee will also be hosting Geneva Murray, senior associate director for inclusive teaching at OU, for a workshop titled "Diversifying your Syllabi."

We continue to work toward our short-term strategic goals in the 2022-2023 academic year. These include reforming our global community course, increasing faculty participation in recruitment, increasing our major/minor numbers, better incorporating our affiliate faculty into our teaching mission, adding partnerships to increase student internship opportunities and developing a more collaborative model with Education Abroad.

Photo: Students at IAS Convocation, spring 2022