TABLE OF CONTENTS

• NEWS
  • Tsunami Relief Agencies
  • Freeman Travel Award Won by UWM Freshman
  • UWM Winners Announced for CLACS Travel Grants and the Shea Scholarship
• PROGRAMS AND SCHOLARSHIP
  • January/February: International Focus:  Program Schedule
  • January-March:  2005 "Great Decisions" Series
  • January 3:  Paper Abstracts due for ATINER Conference
  • February 1:  Paper proposals due for 4th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Social Sciences
  • February 1: Paper proposals due for "Media and Society in China Today" Conference
  • July 26-28, 2005:  IAMCR Conference:  “Media Panics"
  • The Fund for American Studies:  Student Internship Program in DC
• GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS & AWARDS
• EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
  • February 1:  Applications due for Student Services Coordinator Sought by CIE
• FEATURED WEB SITES
  • Digital Himalaya
  • UN-Habitat: United Nations Human Settlements Programme
  • National Geographic Explorer
  • Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation

Tsunami/Earthquake Relief Agencies
The USAID web site features a comprehensive list of non-profit agencies that are working now to provide assistance to people affected by the recent Asian earthquake and tsunamis.

Those who wish to contribute to the relief effort may contact the agencies by mail, phone, or through their web sites, which are listed at:
    http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/tsunami/ngolist.html.
 

UWM's Center for Volunteerism &  Student Leadership (CVSL), meanwhile, has identified three especially noteworthy charities, each of which has received a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator:

• AmeriCares -- http://www.americares.org/
  • AmeriCares is a nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization providing immediate response to emergency medical needs, as well as supporting long-term humanitarian assistance programs, for all people around the world, irrespective of race, creed or political persuasion. AmeriCares solicits donations of medicines, medical supplies and other relief materials from U.S. and international manufacturers, and delivers them quickly and efficiently to indigenous health care and welfare professionals around the world.
• Action Against Hunger -- http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/
  • Action Against Hunger's mission is to save lives by combating hunger, malnutrition, physical suffering and the associated distress that endanger the lives of children, women, and men in emergency situations of war, conflict, and natural disaster.
• American Red Cross – http://www.redcross.org -- c/o the International Response Fund:
  • You can help those affected by the recent tsunamis in South Asia, the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and Chad, and countless other crises around the world each year by making a financial gift. This fund enables us to provide immediate and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance, and other support to those in need.

UWM freshman Tim Wong has never traveled abroad before, but the cost of his first trip will be cut in half thanks to an award he earned through the Freeman-ASIA Award Program. Wong, a film major, was recently awarded a $5,000 scholarship that he will apply toward his overseas program fees at Tokyo International University where he will spend the 2005 spring semester. He first learned about the scholarship from the scholarship list available in the Overseas Programs and Partnerships office, then found more detailed information on Freeman-ASIA’s website. Receiving the award as well as other forms of financial aid was critical in Wong’s decision to study abroad considering Japan’s high cost of living.

In the past, there have been limited funding opportunities for study abroad in Asia. However, with the support of the Freeman Foundation, the Institute of International Education (IIE) now administers the Freeman-ASIA Award Program in order to give more American undergraduate students the means to study in Asia. The majority of American students who study abroad go to the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France or Germany. According to Open Doors, the annual survey of international student mobility conducted by IIE, over 60% of all U.S. students studying abroad go to Europe, while only about 6% study in East and Southeast Asia.

Wong first became interested in the Japanese culture when he started taking Japanese language classes during his freshman year of high school. He continued to study Japanese throughout high school and hopes to improve his language skills during his time in Japan, especially through his homestay experience. Wong’s interest in Japanese culture goes beyond his desire to learn the language. He has also studied kendo (Japanese fencing) for 2 and a half years and enjoys films by Japanese directors as well as documentaries on Japanese culture. “These activities have enriched my knowledge of the culture and strengthened by desire to study in Japan even more.” Wong said.

During his spring semester at Tokyo International University, Wong plans to enroll in a Japanese language course, a cultural studies class and a Japanese literature course. “My goal is to use the Japanese Studies credits I earn in Japan to achieve a minor in Asian Studies at UWM.” he said. Tim also hopes to continue his involvement in extracurricular activities by joining the table tennis, golf and kendo clubs at the university.

Freeman-ASIA Award Program grantees are expected to share their experiences with their home campus to encourage study abroad in Asia by others, and to spread greater understanding of Asian people and cultures within their home communities. Wong, who is majoring in film at UWM, hopes to achieve this by producing a film about his experience in Japan. He plans to bring his video camera on cultural excursions to temples, rural areas, and central Tokyo to capture snippets of Japanese life. Tim also hopes to film parts of the historical city of Kawagoe, where he will be studying. Upon returning home, he plans to edit his footage into a final piece and show it in UWM’s theatre as well as present it to students enrolled in Asian Studies courses. “Hopefully, this will inform my audience about the opportunities and experiences that await them in Japan and Asia as a whole,” he said.
Since the program began in 2000, the Freeman-ASIA Award Program has supported over 2,000 U.S. undergraduates with their study abroad plans in East and Southeast Asia.

• January 9 -- "2004 World Affairs Roundup: the Year in Review"
  • Carol Edler Baumann, Professor of Political Science Emerita, UWM
  • David Garnham, Professor of Political Science Emeritus, UWM
  • John Katzka, U.S. Foreign Service, (Ret.)
• January 16 -- "World Affairs Roundup"
  • Panel of Local Foreign Policy Experts
• January 23 -- “Humanitarian Aid after the Tsunami”
  • Panel of Aid and South Asian Experts
• January 30 -- “World Affairs Roundup”
  • Panel of Local Foreign Policy Experts
• February 6 -- “The Dollar, The Euro and World Finance”
  • Panel of Local International Business Figures
• February 13  -- “World Affairs Roundup”
  • Panel of Local Foreign Policy Experts
• February 20 -- “US Intelligence Reform”
  • Ray McGovern, Former CIA Intelligence Analyst

Wisconsin Great Decisions 2005 Co-sponsors:  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Midwest Airlines, The Foreign Policy Association, Wisconsin Public Radio, UWM Center for International Education, USBank, and Brady Corporation.

Great Decisions 2005 Cooperating Organizations:   UWM Student Union,Mead Public Library Racine Unified School District, J.I. Case High School, Waukesha County Technical College, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee Public Television, UW College-Sheboygan, Fond du Lac Public Library, Marian College, UW College-Fond du Lac, Bemis International Center, and St. Norbert College.

For information, contact the Institute of World Affairs at 414-229-3220 or iwa@uwm.edu.

To register online:  http://www.iwa.uwm.edu

The European Research Unit of the Athens Institute for Education and Research (AT.IN.E.R.) organizes its third international conference on International and European Political & Economic Affairs, May 26-28, 2005.

The registration fee is €250 (euro), covering access to all sessions, two lunches, one Dinner, coffee breaks and conference material. Special arrangements will be made with local hotels for a limited number of rooms at a special conference rate. In addition, a one-day cruise to picturesque Greek Islands and a Greek Night with live music will be organized.

The aim of the conference is to bring together scholars and students of political and economic studies. Political sessions will be devoted to Comparative Politics, European Union Politics and Enlargement, NGO, International Organizations, Intergovernmental Relations, Political Parties, Democracy, Government (Federal and Local) and Political Ethics. Economic sessions will be organized in the areas of International Economics (Trade, International Factor Movements and International Investment), International
Financial Economics, Economic Development, Technological Change, Growth, Economic Systems, Agricultural & Natural Resource Economics, Urban, Rural and Regional Economics. Selected papers will be published in a Special Volume of the Conference Proceedings.

If you think that you can contribute, please send your abstract (no more than 300 words), via e-mail, by January 3, 2005 to:

Dr. Nicholas Pappas, Head
Research Unit of European Affairs, Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER)
atiner@atiner.gr

Sponsored by: East West Council for Education, the Asia-Pacific Research Institute of Peking University and the University of Louisville - Center for Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods

The 4th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Social Sciences will be held from June 13 (Monday) to June 16 (Thursday), 2005 at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii.  The conference will provide many opportunities for academicians and professionals from social sciences related fields to interact with members inside and outside their own particular disciplines.

For more information:

Web address:  http://www.hicsocial.org
Email address: social@hicsocial.org

Hawaii International Conference on Social Sciences P.O. Box 75023 Honolulu, HI 96836 USA
Telephone: (808) 946-9932
Fax: (808) 947-2420
E-mail:  social@hicsocial.org
Website:  http://www.hicsocial.org

The rapid transformation of Chinese society over the last two decades, and the increasing importance of the market in economic and social life, has had a major effect on the mass media. Increasingly, the old command model of media is being replaced by a market-driven media. On the other hand, the continuation of the CCP monopoly of legitimate political expression has meant that there is still strong political influence over some media, and political concern about many others.   These changes in the media have been accompanied by a flowering of scholarly research on the mass media, both from scholars in China itself and those working outside. This conference aims to provide a showcase for this richly diverse work and to encourage a conversation between scholars from different traditions. To that end, proposals are invited that address any subject within the broad theme of the conference. We would, however, particularly welcome work on the following questions:

• The regulation of Chinese media in a market environment
• The economics and management of Chinese media
• Politics and the media
• Journalism in China: history, forms and functions
• Chinese culture in an epoch of market-oriented media
• Audiences for the media
• The impact of new media, particularly the Internet
• Media exchanges between different Chinese societies

For more information on this International Association of Media and Communication Research Conference, please see: http://iamcr2005.shu.edu.tw/basic_info.htm

Certain events, from time to time, shock the world: sometimes into action; sometimes into paralysis. Often, it seems, it is because of the way they are featured in the media. Generally, they are 'bad news' - disaster and conflict. Recall the Chicken Flu sacre in Asia, the SARS epidemic, various terrorist atrocities, the 911 attacks in the USA. Even Janet Jackson's exposure of herself. Twenty five years after observers of the 'active audience' challenged effects theory, the media and their messages seem to reassert their power. And some governments seek to strengthen their controls, whatever the cost to democracy.

Media panics have themselves became the focus of media attention, as well as of scholarly interest. The 2005 IAMCR conference will focus on the topic "Media Panics: Freedom, Control and Democracy in the Age of Globalisation."

At least two theoretical perspectives apply. One is that exaggerated media reports of disasters and violence are either things to be corrected and controlled or as reflective of the culture of our time. Any attempt to curb them is an infringement on our freedom. The other involves the age-old debates that pit social and psychological effects of media against their mass market orientations. How and why have media panics come to be the major concerns of our societies? How do people in different worlds and circumstances respond to this communication phenomenon?

The use of new technology in communication, the process of news production, the content of media coverage from opposing perspectives, and the influence of these events on different audiences and national are some examples. Furthermore, regulation/deregulation of the global media, empowerment of audience in the development of media literacy, as well as meanings of the global and local interactions in this "panic" context are all critical issues to be examined.

Four programs are offered in the summer and Capital Semester is held in the fall and spring.  Programs are offered in the following subject areas:

• Politics and Economics
• Journalism
• Business and Government Affairs
• Nonprofit and Community Service

• Internships – Competitive placements with top sites in DC
• Classes – Transferable credits from Georgetown University
• Housing – Furnished on-campus apartments in the heart of DC
• Scholarships – Over half of all students receive full or partial funding
• Networking – Numerous opportunities for professional growth
• Leadership Development - Leadership and career building activities
• Site Briefings— Hear from national leaders at Washington’s places of power, such as The White House, State Department, House of Representatives, and the Federal Reserve.

Professors and academic advisors have proven to be our most valuable resource in recruiting quality applicants.  We invite you to utilize our new online nomination form, where you can choose up to four students to receive priority acceptance and scholarship consideration (https://inq.applyyourself.com/?id=tfas&pid=1054).

If you have any questions, please contact us at admissions@tfas.org or (202) 986-0384.

For more information about job duties, qualifications and how to apply, please see our website:  http://www.international.uwm.edu .

UWM is an AA/EO employer.

Digital Himalaya
    http://www.digitalhimalaya.com/index.html
For those who feel that there may be a paucity of material on the Himalayan region, they will need to take a close look at this fine site provided through a collaboration between the Department of Social Anthropology at Cambridge University and the Anthropology Department at Cornell University. Since its inception in December 2000, the partners have managed to digitize a number of photographic collections, several journals, and a number of short films. Scholars with an interest in Himalayan studies will want to browse through the digitized volumes of such publications as Contributions to Nepalese Studies and the Journal of Bhutan Studies. One particularly intriguing collection made available here is the Frederick Williamson Collection. Williamson was a British political officer stationed in Sikkim, Bhutan, and Tibet during the 1930s. During his tenure there he and his wife took some 1,700 photographs documenting their experiences and also made a number of short films, which are also available for viewing on the site. Visitors to the site may also want to register with the project so that they are informed of project updates.

UN-Habitat: United Nations Human Settlements Programme
    http://www.unchs.org/
Started in 1978, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme is designed to prevent and ameliorate problems that stem from the massive growth of conurbations throughout the world, with a special focus on those major urban locales in the developing world. For persons interested in this broad set of topics and the multilateral responses to such conditions, this site is invaluable. The site provides information on the Programme's governing bodies as well as the various campaigns, partner organizations, and events it sponsors, such as the World Urban Forum. The Publications area is quite nice, as it includes highlights from the annual "State of the World's Cities" report, research reports on slums, and the problems of large-scale urban governance. The homepage of the site also contains feature stories about the organization's latest research findings and updates from various urban areas.

National Geographic Explorer
    http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/
The National Geographic Society has long been known for its flagship publication magazine, but they also have several other well-known public outreach programs such as their television programs. One such publication with a significant educational outreach program is the National Geographic Explorer magazine, which is geared for grades three through six. This particular website contains a host of valuable resources that complement the print magazine, many of which may be used as standalone materials to aid in learning about various topics, such as environmental degradation and wildlife. The site contains a number of educational games, such as one that asks students to identify various Ice Age animals, and others that ask students to find various topical words within a crossword. The "Kid Stuff" area is quite a find as well, containing a virtual coloring book, a map-making machine, and a photo of the day feature. Finally, there's a feedback section where people can send along ideas for future stories.

Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation
    http://www.unpo.org/
The concerns of such indigenous peoples who are unrepresented in the pantheon of nations is admirably represented by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO), who strive "to protect their human and cultural rights, preserve their environments, and to find non-violent solutions to conflicts which affect them." The best way to learn about these various groups is to peruse the members section, which features profiles of their number, including the Lakota in the United States, Albanians in Macedonians, and numerous others. After taking a look there, visitors may want to proceed to the reports section, which includes various topical reports dealing with some of the groups represented by the UNPO. Equally helpful is the area which contains details on the UNPO's activities at the United Nations where they seek to provide their members with assistance in gaining access to the different UN bodies, such as the UN Commission on Human Rights and the Working Group on Indigenous Populations. Finally, the site is rounded out by a helpful links page, which offers direct links to the webpages of relevant non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other supra-national organizations.