The five newest International Studies faculty members represent a diversity of research and teaching interests befitting an interdisciplinary program with a global outlook: the intersection of economic growth, innovation, and international trade; the relationship between protest movements and democratization; global capitalism in imperial and post-colonial settings; the depiction of political history in film; and the influence of ethics and religion on international politics. 聽
聽Collectively, their defining experiences make for an impressive sweep of academic, social, and formational activities: They include involvement in Iran鈥檚 pro-democracy movement, winning a national innovation award as a high school student, publishing an award-winning book on international finance and war, and working on projects in conflict alleviation and recovery.
These qualities, according to International Studies Program Director Erik Owens, make the five 鈥渃rucial contributors to the University鈥檚 broad effort to enhance interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching.鈥 Four of the new faculty were hired with joint tenured or tenure-track appointments in other departments: Assistant Professor Danial Lashkari (Economics); Assistant Professor Stacie Kent (History); Assistant Professor Ali Kadivar (Sociology); and Professor Jonathan Kirshner (Political Science). The fifth, ethicist Mara Willard, serves a three-year term as a visiting assistant professor in International Studies.
鈥淓ach completed rigorous disciplinary training in his or her field and has chosen to research and teach in ways, and about issues, that cross disciplines in illuminating ways,鈥 adds Owens. 鈥淓ach also reflects md传媒国产剧 College鈥檚 commitment to global engagement, both in the international content of the courses they teach, but also in the international experience they bring in their personal and professional lives.鈥
The joint appointments between the IS Program and the four departments, he explains, are 鈥渁 constructive way of formalizing the relationship so that the expectations of teaching, advising, service, and scholarship are fairly distributed and clear to all parties. The common goal is to have new faculty members truly flourish at BC, eventually earning tenure and integrating themselves into the life of the University and, of course, their home program and departments.鈥
One of md传媒国产剧 College鈥檚 oldest interdisciplinary programs, International Studies has seen a 102 percent increase during the past 10 years in the number of students鈥攖he current figure is 267鈥攃hoosing it as a major and has consistently been among the top 10 most popular undergraduate minors. There are good reasons for this, says Owens.
鈥淎t its best, International Studies embodies the forms of interdisciplinary teaching and learning that prepare students to think and act in complex working environments after graduation.鈥 In his recent conversations with IS students and alumni, Owens adds, 鈥渢hey consistently described it as rigorous, flexible, interdisciplinary, and global鈥攆our key themes that also dovetail with the University鈥檚 Strategic Plan鈥檚 initiatives.鈥
鈥淚ncreasing global aspects of the BC curriculum is an important initiative in the University鈥檚 Strategic Plan, and enhancing faculty strength in the International Studies Program will make an important contribution to implementing that initiative,鈥 says Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. 鈥淚鈥檓 delighted that we鈥檝e been able to add such a strong cohort of new faculty with joint appointments in International Studies this year, and I鈥檒l look forward to working with these new colleagues as we continue to strengthen the University鈥檚 global impact in the years ahead.鈥
The IS newcomers have a similarly favorable impression of the program and its students.
鈥淢y career trajectory has been somewhat unusual in that I have been in many different disciplines along the way, before settling at last on economics,鈥 says Lashkari, an expert in economic growth, innovation, and international trade. 鈥淭herefore, being part of a multidisciplinary program along with colleagues from other fields has certainly been an important aspect of joining the IS faculty. I accepted the position hoping for rewarding and enriching interactions with faculty and students with broad and diverse perspectives on ideas and goals in their academic and professional careers.鈥
An Iran native, Lashkari won the National Student Award of Innovation in 1998 and later earned degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Tehran. He also holds doctorates in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT and political economy and government from Harvard University.
鈥淲ith the students in the classes I taught in the first semester and my advisees,鈥 he says, 鈥淚 have come across many motivated and brilliant minds, who are eager to learn and succeed and yet maintain a refreshing sense of humility.鈥
Kent, who describes IS as a 鈥渞obust major,鈥 appreciates the program鈥檚 鈥渋nvitation to think creatively about issue-oriented courses.鈥 Her classes at BC include Colonial Pasts/Global Presents, which explores both the continuities and discontinuities between the colonial era and the globalization of today.
鈥淢y appointment in the History Department is in global history, which is still an uncommon position within the discipline. BC is ahead of the curve in recognizing that a better understanding of the present 鈥榞lobal condition鈥 is improved through a historical perspective and that one can ask historical questions that are properly answered at the global scale.鈥
Kent holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in international studies from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in history from the University of Chicago. She sees BC students as 鈥渉ighly motivated and eager to engage with ideas and texts that deepen their understanding of experiences they have had or observations they have made about the world in which they live.鈥
Kadivar, who earned degrees from the University of Tehran and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, was drawn to BC because of the Sociology Department鈥檚 strength in fields such as global and transnational sociology, comparative historical analysis, and sociology of development. However, he adds, 鈥渂eyond sociology I draw from political science, history, and area studies. So I find International Studies an ideal home since we have faculties from various disciplines and we promote interdisciplinary approaches in our teaching. My students are professional, hardworking, and engaging鈥攅very time that I leave class I feel energized and cheered up, looking forward to our next meeting.鈥
His experience as a participant-observer in Iran鈥檚 failed pro-democracy movement prompted Kadivar to study the characteristics of other similar efforts鈥攕uccessful or not鈥攁round the globe, and what tactics and strategies are conducive to democracy. He is currently teaching Protest and Social Movements in the Middle East.
Kirshner pursues research in international relations, political economy, and politics and film, and has authored American Power after the Financial Crisis and Hollywood鈥檚 Last Golden Age: Politics, Society and the Seventies Film in America. Another book, Appeasing Bankers: Financial Caution on the Road to War鈥攐n how financial interests and international financial markets can influence states鈥 grand strategies and decisions about war and peace鈥攚on an award from the International Security Studies Section of the International Studies Association.
Willard, a former visiting scholar at BC鈥檚 Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life whose degrees include a master鈥檚 in divinity and a Ph.D. in the Study of Religion from Harvard, worked with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and USAID in conflict alleviation and recovery. In addition to her Ethics, Religion, and International Politics class, Willard has co-taught Where on Earth?, a new course in the International Studies core curriculum examining the meaning of 鈥減lace鈥 as the basic building block for a globalizing world, from geographical location to cyberspace.
To find out more about the International Studies Program and its faculty, go to聽.
All photos by Peter Julian.
--Sean Smith, Universtiy Communications | February 2019