This report discusses the numerous international programs and courses administered by Liberal Arts and Sciences. Overall, the strategy of LAS has been to focus on and develop our comparative advantage while further extending it into the international arena. After examining the current state of international programs and courses in LAS, this report discusses several new international initiatives that are under consideration. LAS looks forward to strengthening and expanding Tulane's international programming, and with it the national and international reputation of the University.
Strengths:
International education and research is a major emphasis and long-standing tradition in the liberal arts and sciences at Tulane. The Center for Latin American Studies, programs in Anthropology and French, and the Junior Year Abroad Program are among the major strengths. Graduate programs in Latin American Studies, Anthropology, and French were chosen for enhancement in the University's 1991-96 Strategic Plan on the basis of their national and international reputation and the appropriateness of their plans for development. The undergraduate program in Latin American Studies ranks second in the nation, the highest single ranking of any program currently offered in any of Tulane's schools and colleges.
While both the Center for Latin American Studies and the Junior Year Abroad program had their origins in the liberal arts and sciences, these programs now extend to other schools and colleges as well. The Center for Latin American Studies includes faculty participation from most schools and colleges, and the Junior Year Abroad Program initiated by Newcomb College now includes students from the schools of Architecture and Business as well as Newcomb and Tulane colleges. A large proportion of the faculty and students who participate in these programs are members of the liberal arts and sciences. More recently, LAS faculty have been instrumental in developing Semester Abroad programs for undergraduates, the Year at Tulane program for visiting international students, and international research exchanges such as one involving environmental concerns between Tulane and the Institute of Radioecological Problems of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
Goals:
LAS is in the process of expanding its international programs and courses. These initiatives seek to build upon the comparative advantages of the University while also strengthening areas where the international component is deficient, such as in the sciences. These new programs are listed in section VI, "Proposed New Programs."
In the past two years, LAS has expanded its semester abroad programs and added new components to the JYA program. These include the semester programs in Mexico City, Ghana, Brazil, Japan, Taiwan and Central Europe, as well as the JYA program in Israel. A greater emphasis on Africa and the diaspora has also been included in the LAS curriculum. The formulation phase of the proposed new programs is also well advanced, and implementation will begin following their approval.
LAS operates numerous international programs, a list of which is below.
Semester Programs:
American University of Paris ( administered by JYA office)
Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil ( Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese)
Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland (Associate Dean Richard Marksbury)
University of Ghana (Dept. of Sociology. Fall semester only)
Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City. (Center for Latin American Studies)
Institute of Economic and Political Studies, London or Cambridge (Murphy Institute of Political Economy.)
Kansai Gaidai University, Japan. (Department of History)
Mandarin Training Center, Taiwan ( Dr. S.T. Hsieh. Summer and Fall only.)
Regents College, London. (JYA office)
Summer Programs:
Summer in Paris Program
Summer in Mexico Program (Universidad Iberoamericana)
Urban Design in Mexico City (Universidad Iberoamericana)
Russia: Art and Architecture
Architecture in Venice
Barcelona and Paris: Contemporary Urbanism and Architecture
Barbados: Communication and Culture in the Caribbean
Teachers Summer in England
Political Economy in London
Junior Year Abroad Programs:
University of Paris, France.
University of Hamburg, Germany.
Great Britain/Ireland. Various Universities.
Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
University of Florence, Italy.
University of Madrid, Spain.
Our chief goal is to continue to support the large number of international programs in instruction and research that have already been developed by our faculty. New developments, as described in section VI ,"Proposed New Programs", are designed to augment these programs.
Courses
Course offerings and research activities involve numerous departments of the liberal arts and sciences. Each undergraduate must demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English, and a number of languages are offered. Language departments also offer courses in the culture and literature of language communities at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Numerous courses with international themes are also offered in other departments in the humanities, fine arts, and social sciences. Course offerings in the natural sciences and mathematics deal predominately with global themes, and these departments include a number of faculty and graduate students with international backgrounds and interests. International education pervades virtually all of the 24 departments of the liberal and sciences. A complete list of courses with an international focus or content in the appendix.
A large number of LAS faculty are involved in teaching international-content courses and working with international programs. They and their research interests are listed in the appendix.
In our effort to expand international programming in LAS, several proposed new programs are currently under consideration. These include the following:
Biotic Reserves and Resources of the Yucatan Peninsula
Center for African-Diaspora Studies
Natural Language Knowledge Base
Pan-American Association for Physics
Spanish-Language Masters Program in Technologies for Development and Policy Analysis
Theoretical Computation
Tulane-Cambridge Atlantic Studies Group
Tulane-Uppsala Genocide and Ethnic Violence Research Network
Upgrading African/Diaspora Studies Program
Most of these proposals were reviewed by the Liberal Arts and Sciences Task Force for International Programs, appointed by Dean Cooper in consultation with the LAS Executive Committee and Committee on Committees. Professor Roderic Camp served as chair; other members included Marina Arbetman, Francis Dodoo, Yutaka Horiba, Amadou KonŽ, Cora Presley, Sam Ramer, Wayne Reed, and Justin Rudelson. The Task Force was formed to solicit and review LAS proposals on international programs and to formulate any omnibus proposals that might be appropriate. Members of the committee were selected on the basis of their record of accomplishment and interest in international programs, with representation of all major world regions and academic areas.
Existing programs in undergraduate language and cultural instruction provide a foundation for professional study in a number of Tulane's schools and colleges. Among the new initiatives, The Center for African/Diaspora Studies will help to draw together the university's wide-ranging resources on Africa and African-American issues, including the Amistad Research Center, the William Ransom Hogan Jazz Archive, and the Spingarn Collection, as well as school-based efforts in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. The Center will provide a foundation in education and scholarship that will foster interaction among students and faculty in all schools and colleges.
The Pan-American Association for Physics proposal should provide more graduate students in areas of physics who interact with faculty and students in the School of Engineering, the School of Medicine, and the Center for Bioenvironmental Research. It is anticipated that it will have a positive impact on research projects in the areas of biophysics and materials science.
LAS Faculty members in the Departments of Economics, Political Science and Psychology are involved in the Program with the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey initiated by the School of Business.
Proposed savings from faculty attrition and new grants will provide budgetary support as needed. Seed support is being requested from the Payson Fund for the following:
Biotic Reserves and Resources of the Yucatan Peninsula: $35,100.
Center for African/Diaspora Studies: $180,000.
Natural Language Knowledge Base: $122,240.
Pan-American Association for Physics: $14,000.
Spanish-Language Masters Program in Technologies for Development and Policy Analysis: $67,555.
Theoretical Computation: $12,500.
Tulane-Cambridge Atlantic Studies Group: $53,938.
Tulane-Uppsala Genocide and Ethnic Violence Research Network: $33,500.
Upgrading African/Diaspora Studies Program: $55,000.
Each year, approximately 5-15 faculty lines become vacant through retirements and resignations. A system of reallocation is already in place for the filling of faculty vacancies based on competitive proposals from departments. In recent years, this system of reallocation has favored proposals emphasizing international education and research (e.g. continental philosophy, international economics), and it will continue to do so. However, for the next two years, it is anticipated that approximately ten vacancies will be relinquished to undergird Strategic Plan and related appointments for whom temporary funding is no longer provided. Beyond these vacancies, some vacancies will need to be filled with replacements for critical areas in basic required instruction. Using current five year budget projections, it is estimated that reallocation of 2-4 faculty lines to support new international initiatives will be possible beginning in 1997-98. New faculty appointments will be considered in areas such as African and Diaspora Studies, Latin American economics, Latin American ecology, and Portuguese. Faculty appointments beyond 1998 should continue to emphasize our strength in Latin America, where our comparative advantage is greatest among major universities.
An analysis of faculty merit salary increases and promotion and tenure decisions during the past five years indicates that an effective reward system is already in place for faculty who undertake interdisciplinary, internationally-related course development and research initiatives of high quality. We will continue to monitor the system of merit salary increases and promotion and tenure to ensure that appropriate rewards continue to be offered to faculty members who undertake such efforts.
Time frames and benchmarks for the proposed projects are included as appropriate in individual proposals. Most of the proposals would be in effect within a year of their approval.
LAS presently has a solid and extensive basis of international programs and courses. By building upon this foundation in concert with Tulane's comparative advantage and strategic plan, LAS will be able to further contribute to the University's leadership in this field.
The following is a listing of LAS courses and faculty members whose research includes a focus on a specific country or international region. Not included in this list are faculty members who engage in international collaborations in particular disciplines (e.g. Physics) where the substantive focus of the research is not regional in character. This latter type of collaboration includes numerous faculty members and departments. In addition, international students comprise a large proportion of students enrolled in the graduate programs of many departments.
To receive information on the activities relating to these countries or topics, click on thecountry or topic.