Khalidi sees growth in International Studies

A new generation of globally aware students is one reason the International Studies concentration, which Professor Rashid Khalidi founded in 1998, has grown so quickly.

In June, nine graduating fourth-years received the first degrees to be awarded in International Studies. Currently more than 100 undergraduate students are enrolled in the program, of whom about 35 will graduate in 2002.

“College-age students understand something that their elders don’t. The way they understand the world is fundamentally different,” said Khalidi, Director of the Center for International Studies and Chairman of the International Studies concentration.

“If you look at Congress and other American institutions, they are very insular, even chauvinistic,” he said. “The current generation of students is much more internationally aware and much more capable of understanding issues in a global context.”

The International Studies concentration brings together the disciplines of social science, political science, economics, anthropology, literature and area studies. “Students can tap into disparate bodies of knowledge, which sometimes can be difficult within the confines of a particular department,” said Heather Hindman, Program Adviser.

In addition to a rigorous language requirement, the International Studies concentration is one of the few programs to include a study-abroad requirement. “Our students gain the practical experience required to work abroad or to take jobs with an international dimension,” said Khalidi. “Global awareness is an increasingly valuable skill and employers certainly understand that.”

In September, Lloyd Rudolph, Professor in Political Science and Chairman of the South Asian Studies Program, and Jennifer Mitzen, Postdoctoral Fellow in International Studies, will take over as cochairs of the program, succeeding Khalidi, who will be on leave during the next academic year.