Welcome to Jepson in the World

Published by Sue Robinson on January 4, 2010 in Opportunities, Study Abroad, Working Abroad, Service Abroad, Ideas, Information sharing, Events, Opinion, Issues & Concerns and Reflections. 0 Comments

Most students of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies study abroad. Most Jepson faculty have deep scholarly interests in business, justice, politics and life around the globe. Many alumni engage in service outside the United States or live outside its borders or work for organizations or businesses that reach worldwide.

The intention of this blog is to offer an electronic gathering place, where students, faculty and alumni can share ideas and analysis, reflections and opinions, photos and video from their travels, study and work in the world. 

Members of the Jepson community with international ties, special knowledge of international studies or affairs, and alumni working and living abroad or working stateside for international companies and organizations are invited to join this conversation. Interested in becoming a contributor to this communal blog? Email jepson@richmond.edu.

Painting the Holy Land, Part II

Published by ttripp on December 10, 2009 in Working Abroad and Reflections. 0 Comments

A posting from Ginger Doyle, class of 2002.

Greetings from Tel Aviv!

My third grade art teacher, Mr. Robert Weaver, had a sign on his desk that read, “Draw what you see, not what you know—or think you know.” This has been incredibly hard to do since I arrived in Jerusalem Sept. 2.

I came with a purpose: To create approximately 150 watercolors of what I saw in Israel and the occupied West Bank–areas that comprise part of what some call the “Holy Land.” But immediately, I encountered a severe disconnect between what I was seeing, and what I knew—or thought I knew—about the region. From the suffering caused by the “separation wall,” to blatant human rights violations, the area seemed far from holy. So, the greatest challenge over the past three months has been to accept that the Holy Land is not the Hallmark card-like place I envisioned it to be, and to document its complexity, tragedy, and beauty.

The days are not long enough to accomplish all that I would like to. Recent highlights have included participating in and sketching a nonviolent protest against the wall near Bethlehem, attending and sketching a Palestinian wedding, meeting with and sketching Palestinian midwifes at work, witnessing home demolitions in East Jerusalem, learning to see beyond the obvious in that places such as the tranquil Mt. of Olives are actually warzones, going beneath the Dome of the Rock at Al Haram Al Sharif, learning to make makluba with a family of 23 in Sheikh Jarrah, visiting settlements in Gush Etzion, and being stoned during the recent conflagration at Al Aqsa because the male youths thought I was a Jewish settler.

I moved from East Jerusalem to the ancient port of Jaffa (or Yaffo) here in Tel Aviv last week. The main reason for doing so was to be closer to the areas in Northern Israel, and the Northern West Bank, where I will be spending most of my time in the coming weeks. In the immediate future, I will be sketching live at the Knesset and at a Supreme Court case involving Qadum, touring Iscar (see www.iscar.co.il) in order to document the diversity of its workforce, visiting Israel’s Intelligence and Information Center (see www.intelligence.org.il), and traveling briefly to Jordan.

A selection of my illustrations, as well as more regular updates about the project, will be available soon at www.gingerdoyel.com or through the Kairos Project’s website. I hope that members of the University of Richmond community will not hesitate to ask if I can be of any assistance while I am here or upon my return. Of course, I would also welcome any visitors who happen to be in the region! The best ways to reach me are by e-mail at ginger@gingerdoyel.com or my local mobile, + 972 052 752 1789.

Study abroad in Argentina leads student to create Jepson concentration that explores consumer studies and media communication

Published by ttripp on December 8, 2009 in Reflections. 0 Comments

A posting from Christina Pfaff, class of 2011.

Since I’ve been abroad I’ve tried to embrace trying and doing things I would never get the chance to in the States. A less conventional example of this came through one of my classes, called “Diseño” (Design). I decided to enroll in this course because it is in the advertising major at UCA, and is unlike any course offered at Richmond.  Along with the only other American in the class, fellow Richmond student and friend Kaylin Politzer, we quickly realized that we were out of our league. The entire class had been formally trained in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, two programs I barely knew existed, and furthermore, we were told that in the class we would be making a number of advertisements for Argentine products.  Advertisements I could make, but for Argentine products?  Well, that could be tricky considering I wasn’t familiar with Argentine products at the time. And I know Spanish, more or less, but catchy phrases and play-on-words… forget it. 

Not only were the two of us ill prepared for the course, but we were also at a disadvantage because we were only just learning the nuances of Argentine consumer society. Together, however, we approached the whole thing the only way we knew how: with an unfaltering sense of humor. I’ll never forget the first day when I walked into class with a few dinky, colored-pencil sketches of an ad (bear in mind, my art skills are sub-par at best) and the rest of the class had already made elaborate “diseños”, printed and polished, using Photoshop. To make matters worse, we were instructed to post our works around the classroom. My stupidity as an American, not exactly understanding the assignment OR the scope of the class’ abilities, was suddenly on full display! I can only laugh when I think about that day, one of several that followed when I brought in something that wasn’t quite “right” in one way or another. 

We managed to win our professors over though when they saw that we were willing to stick it out and put in the time to learn as much as we could. As the semester went on, and our abilities improved, it became very interesting to see how our ads compared to those of our Argentine classmates. We had an eye and a sense for the stuff, probably because American culture can be defined in many ways by consumerism. The semester has finished up now, and it actually, somehow, really did turn out okay. There were times I wanted to scream, like when the computer lab would randomly, without warning, not be open the day before we had an a
ssignment due. But Kaylin and I managed to teach ourselves Photoshop, and did so well in the class that we passed out of taking the final exam! I discovered a love for Advertising and as a result am in the process of creating a concentration in Jepson that encompasses the concepts of Consumer Studies/ Media Communication.  

I say all this because it enumerates on the reality that the most important moments, not to mention the most memorable and the most fun, while abroad are the ones that force you out of your comfort zone. I have been grateful to try to be able to experience such a wide array of new things!

Reflections on studying abroad in Amman, Jordan

Published by ttripp on December 1, 2009 in Reflections. 0 Comments

A posting from Caleb Routhier, class of 2011.

I recently started a list of what I miss about the U.S. and what I will miss about Jordan, so I’ll post that with interesting cultural differences.

Some things I miss about the U.S.:

Three square meals a day. Many Arabs (my host family included) usually eat a light breakfast (bread with spices) at 10, then a normal size meal at 4, and then maybe some fruit in the evening. It just isn’t enough for my high metabolism, so I supplement it with a lunch on campus.

Indoor heating. It gets cold in the desert when the sun goes down, as well as in the winter (Amman is just a little bit south of Richmond), but heating oil is so expensive that most homes only run it 2-4 hours a day, and my host family averages about 2 hours every 3 days. If you study abroad here, bring warm clothes. I didn’t bring enough with just sweaters and a light jacket.

Drinkable tap water. I drink a lot of water, and it is little annoying to have to buy bottles of it in restaurants instead of asking for a glass of free tap water. Here bread is so subsidized that it is free in the dining hall, but water costs money everywhere.

Reliable fast Internet. It goes out very often, and is so slow I have only uploaded a fraction of my photos on Facebook, and I can’t e-mail them because my e-mail times out before they finish uploading. Continue reading ‘Reflections on studying abroad in Amman, Jordan’

‘Dead Aid’ author Dambisa Moyo discusses the West’s failure in Africa at Jepson Leadership Forum

Published by Sue Robinson on November 16, 2009 in Reflections. 0 Comments

A petite slice of village life: Mbam, Senegal

Published by ttripp on November 13, 2009 in Reflections. 0 Comments

A posting from Emily Prior, class of 2011.

To me, the term Rural Visit sounded somewhat administrative. Stupid, maybe, but I pictured us formally “sitting in” on a rural village, clipboard in hand, acting as the overseers or even playing the role of the high school principal that quietly sits in the back analyzing some particular developmental aspect of a class otherwise foreign to him. We were prepared for the even-greater-than-Dakar language barriers between us and our particular rural village and prepared for the vast cultural differences we were bound to run into as well. Through all these warnings, however, I somehow overlooked the possibility of having the simplest yet most powerful week of my time in Senegal thus far.

Mbam, Senegal is a little village located on the River Delta, about a six-hour trip south of Dakar. But then again a six hour trip could very well translate into a mere 20 kilometers for all I know - the pot-holed roads, vehicles, and general “always on Senegal time” attitude of every public transit driver here (30 minutes late) messes with my notion of distance covered. Either way, after sept-place (Volkswagen-looking cars packed with 7 people and driver), bus, pirogue fishing boat, and of course horse chariot, Katy Heerwagen and I trotted into Mbam.

We knew we were to stay with Bineta Bass for our week in Mbam. Bineta is the vice-president of the local NGO Association Populaire des Voluntaires pour la Réhabilitation, (ASPOVRECE). In fact, thanks to ASPOVRECE, Mbam has made a tiny little name for itself as an Eco-Village and is proud to be the only village in Senegal with Bio Fuel tanks. The tanks were constructed in 2003 and will hopefully run near the end of this year… Senegal Time.

Turns out Bineta Bass would soon become near god-like to me. She has no children of her own but instead acts as the mother to fifteen students who live there for the school year. But nobody would ever know that the packed compound is full of boarders. They care for each other, cook, know the ins and outs of every other person in the house, and love Bineta immensely. She also hosts travelers from all around the world, Peace Corps volunteers, anyone who, through their travels, happens to run into this remote place.

Village life was a breath of fresh air from hustling bustling Dakar. We stayed in huts, took bucket showers, picked peanuts, wrote in journals, watched the stars, swam in the river, attempted that oh so difficile Senegalese cookin. We weren’t awkwardly sitting in the back, doing our observatory work but through broken conversations we not only talked to everyone on the compound but thanks to the open and loving atmosphere that Bineta seemed to have created, we connected with them and felt a part of this makeshift family. Standing over “the hole” throwing water on my head and calling it a shower, I couldn’t help but think that in many ways, I really admire Mbam.

Student visits Brandenburg Gate to witness historic moment

Published by ttripp on November 9, 2009 in Study Abroad and Reflections. 0 Comments

A posting from Sarah Wallace, class of 2011, on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Wallace is studying at the Warsaw School of Economics in Poland this semester. The following post is an excerpt from her personal blog on her study abroad experience. 

So now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… Berlin!

My friends from UR and AXO are studying at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland this semester and we decided to meet up for the weekend. At first we were hoping to travel to Barcelona, especially since we have a few other friends studying there, but once the flight prices skyrocketed I suggested we go to Berlin. The other Americans who study in a different program were going to be there to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall so I thought it would be fun to join them.

I took the Berlin-Warsaw express train there on Sunday morning (only about a 6 hour trip). The next morning we had planned to make it to an 11 a.m. tour of the city that was departing at 10:30 from our hostel. The tour was interesting but we walked around 3 miles in 4 hours and it was really cold and slightly raining. At this point I’m used to the weather in Warsaw so I at least had my wool coat and a light hat and gloves with me, but the others were very cold. I learned a lot about the history of Germany and Berlin and saw some of the more significant attractions such as the Brandenburg Gate, a piece of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, and Museum Island.

Similar to Warsaw, many of the buildings had been damaged or completely destroyed when 70 percent of Berlin was bombed during World War II, but a lot of rebuilding had been done. I understood and appreciated significantly more of the communist heritage of East Berlin after spending the last month in Poland learning about the situation from various museums and tours as well we my Transitions in Central and Eastern Europe class online. Our tour guide was honestly they best I’ve ever had, which is even more surprising considering the tour was free and tips were his only source of income.

We went back to our hostels briefly to prepare for going back to the Brandenburg Gate area for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Our tour guide told us the story of how the Berlin Wall “fell,” that it basically resulted from a misinformed speaker at an international press conference on Nov. 9, 1989.  Continue reading ‘Student visits Brandenburg Gate to witness historic moment’

Faculty take lead role at International Leadership Association conference in Prague Nov. 11-14

Published by Sue Robinson on November 9, 2009 in Information sharing and Events. 0 Comments

Jepson faculty will again be well-represented as presenters and attendees at the annual meeting of the International Leadership Association, which meets in Prague Nov. 11-14. Among activities:

  • The 2009 Jablin Dissertation Award – a partnership between Jepson and ILA — again will be presented at the conference.
  • A timely panel on “Barack Obama and the Reinvention of Political Leadership in the United States” features presentations by Jepson’s Thad Williamson, George Goethals, and Douglas A. Hicks. This presentation will be  simulcast to a classroom in Jepson Hall where students will see their faculty in action at this major scholarly meeting on leadership studies.

The International Leadership Association, the global network for all those who practice, study and teach leadership, promotes a deeper understanding of leadership knowledge and practices for the greater good of individuals and communities worldwide. Jepson faculty have been involved since its start. Continue reading ‘Faculty take lead role at International Leadership Association conference in Prague Nov. 11-14′

Reflecting on how secrecy undermines checks and balances in wartime political decision-making

Published by Sue Robinson on October 31, 2009 in Information sharing, Issues & Concerns and Reflections. 0 Comments

A posting from Elizabeth MacKenzie Biedell, class of 1996, Fellow, Open Society Institute

I’m embarking on a new path in my international affairs career – leapfrogging from working for the government on Middle East issues to writing a book on foreign policy decision-making. The decision to leave the government is born of a realization that after nine years with a front row seat to history, there are important lessons for the future that I need to reflect on and share. The book will explore how the classified nature of intelligence can undermine checks and balances in wartime political decision-making.

This opportunity was made possible through a fellowship with the Open Society Institute, a foundation that promotes the development and maintenance of open, democratic societies.  I was selected this fall. More about Soros. I am very inspired by the other fellows selected. One fellow, who was CNN’s Beijing bureau chief, is writing a book exploring China’s censorship of the internet. Another fellow, a vocal advocate for the end of genocide in Darfur, is writing a book exploring  ways for advocacy to actually impact policy rather than simply raise awareness (something I have also been concerned about). Another fellow, who wrote “How to Break a Terrorist” (and appeared on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart) is writing a manual for the military on non-coercive interrogation that actually yields more information (I completely agree). Read more about them.
 
So far, I have been thrown for a real loop rejoining the non-classified world, but I am glad to be back. I look forward to re-engaging with the Jepson community and talking with those of you with thoughts on U.S. foreign policy and war.
 

Amnesty International chief speaks at Jepson Leadership Forum on “Hard Truths on Poverty and Human Rights”

Published by Sue Robinson on October 23, 2009 in Ideas, Information sharing and Issues & Concerns. 0 Comments

Indignity, deprivation, suppression, insecurity, inequality: All are common experiences for many people. What does living in dignity mean to us? What responsibility do we have to advocate for the rule of law, the right to peaceful protest, and the need for a global, holistic, economic, social, and cultural solution to poverty and human rights abuses? Irene Khan, leader of Amnesty International, shared her views on the state of our world in an October 23 presentation on campus at the University of Richmond.

Irene Zubaida Khan is the Secretary General of Amnesty International, the human rights organization. She is the first woman, the first Asian, the first Bangladeshi, and the first Muslim to hold the organization’s highest leadership position. Khan grew up in a relatively wealthy family in what was then the eastern, Bengali-speaking wing of Pakistan (now Bangladesh), which was racked by poverty. Human rights abuses during the Bangladesh Liberation War, in which Bangladesh achieved independence, shaped Khan’s activist viewpoint. She left Bangladesh as a teenager for school in Northern Ireland, and later studied at the University of Manchester and earned a law degree at Harvard University. She helped create several human rights organizations and then spent 20 years at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She led important teams in India and Kosovo. In 2001, her first year as Amnesty’s leader, she reformed Amnesty’s response to crisis situations and initiated a global campaign against violence toward women.