International and Area Studies

Director: James Wertsch

Home Page: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~overseas/index.html Location: Stix International House Telephone: (314) 935-7642

International and Area Studies (IAS) offers an interdisciplinary major that allows students to develop a broad understanding of the world, while exploring the diversity and richness of other cultures. One of the hallmarks of our contemporary era is the complex relationship between globalization and local differences. New information technologies and worldwide markets connect us to people, ideas and products throughout the globe. Yet even in this context of globalization, we continue to have strong attachments to local languages, cultures, and societies. In some ways, differences among people -- whether of government, economy, religion, or ethnicity - are becoming more pronounced. Faculty members in the department help students explore this tension between global and local.

News Stories & Tip Sheets:

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Step in the right direction Obama's Russian meeting may have opened a new chapter in U.S./Russian relations July 8, 2009 -- President Barack Obama met this week with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitri Medvedev. While the two sides did not see eye-to-eye on all topics, they did mutually agree to dispose of 34 tons each of weapons-grade plutonium, an initiative started in the 1990s and never completed. It's a step in the right direction, says an expert on Russian identity at Washington University in St. Louis.

Disputed election Iranian administration losing legitimacy, says expert June 23, 2009 -- Robert Canfield Download As the Iranian government continues to crack down on citizens protesting against the recent disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an expert on Iran at Washington University in St. Louis says the Iranian administration wants the legitimacy of having won an election without actually having allowed a true election to take place.

Unrest in Russia Russia views U.S. missile defense in Poland as antagonistic, says expert Aug. 22, 2008 -- James Wertsch Download Russia's leaders and its population tend to view current developments in Poland through the lens of a basic Russian national narrative that focuses on Russia as a target of invasion by foreign enemies, claims James V. Wertsch, an expert on post-Soviet democracy movements at Washington University in St. Louis. Wertsch was interviewed on this subject and on the Georgia/Russian conflict recently on KMOX radio. The interview is available here.

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Faculty Experts:

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Shanti A. Parikh Assistant Professor of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences Parikh's research focuses on local responses to national and global development interventions, particularly issues surrounding sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, and gender relations. Using ethnographic and historical methods and critical theory, her current research in eastern Uganda traces ... Expertise: East Africa, HIV/AIDS, eastern Uganda, globalization, sexuality, gender relations, social change, … Direct contact: (314) 935-7769 / sparikh@artsci.wustl.edu

Robert L. Canfield Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology in Arts & Sciences Robert Canfield Download Canfield, a sociocultural anthropologist, spent nine years in Afghanistan. His research focuses on Islamic movements in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and other Central Asian countries. He supports the U.S. war in Afghanistan, but was highly critical of the Bush administration regarding the war in Iraq. ... Expertise: Islamic politics, U.S. anti-terrorism policy, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Central Asia, Eastern Islamic World, … Direct contact: (314) 935-5282 / canfrobt@artsci.wustl.edu

James V. Wertsch Marshall S. Snow Professor in Arts & Sciences James Wertsch Download James V. Wertsch, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences.In addition, he holds joint appointments in Education, the Russian Studies Program, and the Program in Philosophy, Neuroscience, and Psychology, all in Arts & Sciences. Heis the director of the McDonnell International ... Expertise: Russia and former Soviet Union, collective memory, identity, international studies, psychology, education Direct contact: (314) 935-9015 / jwertsch@wustl.edu

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More News:

International and Area Studies program to start in 2002
Dec. 2000 - International travel, global exchange, communications and technology play a large role in today's fast-paced business world. In the future, leaders will need to be trained in the issues of diversity and a global economy. The Program of International Studies in Arts & Sciences is planning a new academic option aimed at helping students meet the challenges of our rapidly changing world. The new program, called International and Area Studies, could start as early as the fall of 2002.