The Program for Education in Global Stewardship 

International Faculty Development Seminar 2004: "Immigration and Identity within the European Context"

Seven professors from across the College and Williams School participated in our second Faculty Development Seminar on "Immigration and Identity within the European Context".    Members included Drs. Jeffrey Barnett (Romance Languages), Robin Le Blanc (Politics), Krzystof Jasiewicz (Sociology), Mohamed Kamara (Romance Languages), Robert Youngblood (German/Italian), Francoise Fregnac-Clave (Romance Languages), and Roger Dean (Management). 

The on-campus portion began to meet in the winter and then culminated with site visits to Denmark International Studies in Copenhagen, Denmark and John Cabot University,  Rome, Italy.   The Northern and Southern European locales of Denmark and Italy made for interesting points of comparison for the study of migration and its consequences for identity.  In addition to lectures by members of the two institutes, site visits to NGOs (in Rome), a language school and housing complex (in Copenhagen), and a migrant employment agency (in Malmo, Sweden) illustrated the complexities of the push and pull associated with immigrants and the host society.  A variety of lectures--ranging from historical perspectives to recent policy changes--by local experts further provided insight into one of the most dynamic topics facing the European Union.

In 2005, nine to eleven faculty will participate in various seminars offered by the Council on International Educational Exchange.  For more information, see 2005 Faculty Development Seminars

On-campus Program: 

• Dates and Topics for  January -- May

Site Visit  Program:  June 5th - 17th, 2004, Copenhagen and Rome

• List of participants

• Denmark Program 

• Rome Program

Dates and Topics for On-Campus Meetings:

January

• When: January 28, 4:00 pm in the Chavis Board Room (Elrod Commons)
• Speaker: Hugh Blackmer
• Topic: Finding Resources on Migration

Note from Hugh...

• (1) look over the materials at http://home.wlu.edu/~blackmerh/gs/immig.html --we'll spend a goodly part of the hour in those realms
  
• (2) consult the list of books at http://home.wlu.edu/~blackmerh/gs/immigannie.html and choose one that seems particularly interesting and/or relevant to your concerns, then digest enough of it to get a sense for what it does well (or poorly). Bring it along to the meeting as a contribution to the discussion.

February

• When: February 25th, at 4 p.m. in the Chavis Board Room (Elrod Commons)

• Speaker: Mark Rush

• Reading to be Discussed: The Camp of the Saints by J. Raspail 

• Topic: Migration and National Sovereignty. 

Note from Mark: 

• "...The tension between migration and national sovereignty manifests the conflict among internationally recognized rights of political and cultural self-determination, refuge, and movement. As well, the tension has been exacerbated by the enhanced freedom of movement around the globe that resulted from the end of the cold war. The tension to which I refer is perhaps best manifested by the rise of nationalist parties in Europe. Echoing the cries of past Nativist movements in other countries (including the United States), these new parties embody the sentiments of citizens who fear that their culture is under attack by waves of migration. The European experience is somewhat unique because, for much of the 20th century, Europe was a net exporter of people. At the turn of the 21st century, the reverse is true. What is most ironic is that Europe needs people. Birthrates throughout Europe (especially western Europe) have plummeted in recent years. The result is that immigration actually has become necessary to sustain Europe’s population. This ironic twists gives rise to a host of additional tensions that I will discuss in my presentation..."

Please return for Dates and Speakers for March - May.  Details will be confirmed shortly.  

March:  31, 3:30 Informational meeting, chavis room

May 6th: Roshni Nirody
Discussion of: Ruben Martinez's CROSSING OVER (an exploration of immigration to California and the Pacific NW and how the persuit of labor opportunities has created an interesting push/pull between immigrant groups and the populations)

May: ron nigh

Seminar Participants:

Jeff Barnett (Global Stewardship / Romance Languages)
Roger Dean (Management)
Francoise Fregnac-Clave (Romance Languages)
Krzysztof Jasiewicz (Sociology)
Mohammed Kamara (Romance Languages)
Robin LeBlanc (Politics)
Bob Youngblood (German)

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