Presentations on aspects of life in Spain, Mongolia, Kenya, East Asia and the Siberian Arctic highlight WWU's Center for International Studies Fall Lecture Series

Presentations on aspects of life in Spain, Mongolia, Kenya, East Asia and the Siberian Arctic will highlight the fall lecture series from the Center for International Studies at Western Washington University. The center sponsors lectures and presentations by visiting and resident scholars during the academic year, covering such diverse topics as children’s family lives in Kenya and the behavior of Spaniards toward soccer-jersey-wearing tourists.

“We tried to put together a series of lectures from across disciplines and from a broad range of colleges,” said Edward Vajda, a professor in the Center for International Studies. “These are presentations from faculty members and others at Western who do really interesting international work. Their research is not narrowly focused; you’ve got economics mixed with politics, or politics mixed with culture.”

All presentations are at noon on the following Tuesdays in College Hall Room 131 on the WWU campus:

Oct. 6: Reid Nelson, who has a master’s degree in experimental psychology from WWU, will present “Effects of Similarity and Tourist Status on Prosocial Behavior: A Field Study in Spain.” Nelson will discuss the results of his research on the likelihood of a Spaniard helping a suspected tourist based on the tourist’s attire, stated nationality and choice of language.

Oct. 13: Marie Eaton, a professor in Western’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, will present “International Service Learning: Case Studies from East Asia and Kenya.” Citing examples from students’ experiences in Thailand, India and Kenya, Eaton will reflect on the benefits and challenges of service-learning as a means to educate and cultivate globally aware citizens who are civically engaged and responsive to the needs of others.

Oct. 20: Edward Vajda, a professor with the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at WWU, will present “The Mongol Impact on World History.” As part of celebrating Mongolia Day at WWU, Vajda will discuss the spectacular consequences of the Mongol conquests begun in the 13th century by Chinggis Khan. The lecture explains how the medieval era ended and the modern world began in the wake of history’s most successful empire builder.

Oct. 27: Andy Bunn, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at WWU, will present “The Polaris Project: A barge, twenty bunks, and a river at the top of the world,” discussing his work in the Siberian Arctic with undergraduates from eight American and Russian universities. The project’s guiding scientific theme is the transport and transformations of carbon and nutrients as they move along the Kolyma River from terrestrial uplands to the Arctic Ocean. This is a central scientific issue as scientists struggle to understand a rapidly changing Arctic. Bunn will discuss the involvement of WWU undergraduates during the past two summers and describe some of their scientific achievements and cultural experiences.

Nov. 3: Carolyn Nielsen, an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism at WWU, will present “El Progreso del Periodismo: the Growing Presence of Spanish-language News Media in the U.S.” regarding her research into the history and current state of U.S. Spanish-language news media. While many news outlets struggle to survive, their Spanish-language counterparts are thriving. Language is not the only factor in audience growth and loyalty. Which stories are covered and how they are framed appear to play a role in consumer preference as well as contribute to shaping political opinion and public policy.

Nov. 10: Kris Slentz, a professor in the Department of Special Education at WWU, will present “School and Family Life in Rural Kenya,” a photo essay depicting school and family life in rural Kenya. The presentation will integrate the survey results Slentz has obtained during her research into children’s behavior, school and family life in rural areas of Kenya.

For more information on this lecture series or on the Center for International Studies, visit http://international.wwu.edu/ or contact CIS Executive Director Doug Nord at (360) 650-3200 or doug.nord@wwu.edu.