Student Work
When one of senior Chelsea Maricle’s favorite professors, John Gage, told her about a course he was offering in Siena, Italy, last year, Maricle was excited by the prospect of studying in a foreign country. “I knew I had to go,” she says, because it was a perfect fit for her academic pursuits. She enjoyed the classwork, which consisted of an intensive Italian course with an emphasis on travel writing, and took ample opportunity to see as much of the country as she could.
In addition to her degree in International Studies, Maricle is an English major. “I have loved to write as long as I can remember,” she says. “And I just eat up books, so a degree in English was a no-brainer.” By combining her English interests with an international scope, Maricle is rounding out her college education with a desire to see and know many different aspects of the world.
Maricle is an active member of Amnesty International and attended the group’s international conference last spring. In addition, Maricle is working toward a minor in dance and participates in several on-campus dance groups.
There are so many classes to choose from at UO, Maricle says. “I’ve been here five years, and I’ve barely scratched the surface.”
Selected Faculty Work
As director of the Southeast Asian Studies Program, Associate Professor Kathie Carpenter has developed and overseen the beginnings and growth of Thai, Indonesian, Filipino, and Vietnamese language study at the UO. She used a cooperative faculty equipment award from Apple Computer to develop innovative materials for teaching the Thai and Indonesian languages on a Macintosh computer.
Dennis Galvan is an asssociate professor of international studies and political science, and is Director of the Ethnic Studies program. His interests focus on comparative analysis of development and social change, the politics of cultural identity and the politics of Africa and Indonesia. His work examines how ordinary non-Western peoples adapt markets, law, local government, and natural resource management sytstems when “traditional” cultures are incorporated into “modern” political and economic systems.
Stephen Wooten is an assistant professor of anthropology and international studies. His research interests are in African and international studies, local-global dynamics, and social-cultural change.
Associate professor of history Carlos Aguirre is also the director of the Latin American Studies Program. Aguirre has written several books about prisons and inmates in Lima, Peru, and teaches classes on Latin American history, as well as the history of terror in modern Latin America.
Career Prospects
You can apply this major to many careers—from law and busines to teaching and human rights activism. You can get into international politics and diplomacy. If you have interests in agriculture and environmentalism, you might want to explore a career in international agriculture. Many developing nations need food and supplies to support their people. A major in international studies has proven to be a strong foundation for far-reaching professional futures that can take you around the globe or put you to work in your very own community.