News and Events

The Center for International Studies would like to congratulate Dr. Yongmei Lu. Dr. Lu is Chair of the Department of Geography. Thank you for your commitment to student excellence, global perspective, and generous support of the Center for International Studies.

The Center would also like to congradulate Dr. Louie Dean Valencia-Garcia as the International Studies Professor of the Year.  Dr. Valencia-Garcia is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History and most recently taught the Spring 2019 International Studies Senior Seminar course.  This award is voted on by the students and the Center would like to thank Dr. Valencia-Garcia for his passion for global affairs and his student-centered philosophy.

The Center hosted a panel on the ongoing Brexit saga, placing it in historical context and discussing recent events and possible outcomes. Attendees also had the opportunity to ask questions in a Q&A.

Participants included:

Dr. Caroline Ritter -   Department of History
Dr. Omar Sanchez - Department of Political Science
Dr. Rob Konopaske - Institute for Global Business 

Dr. Paul Hart recently received the 2019 Harvey L. Johnson Book Award, from the Southwest Council of Latin American Studies (SCOLAS) for his book, Emiliano Zapata: Mexico’s Social Revolutionary

This year’s award was presented to Dr. Hart at the annual SCOLAS conference in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

International Studies undergraduate students presented their research in the College of Liberal Arts Research Expo. The Expo provided the opportunity for  students to engage in a professional presentation of their research along with the creation of a poster. Posters were judged by Liberal Arts Faculty and Staff. The Center is proud to recognize Broderick Turner for winning First Place and Sierra Bligh for wining the People's Choice Award!

Center Director, Dr. Paul Hart moderated a panel at The Bullock Texas State History Museum on January 31st. The panel was part of the Conference for the Centennial of the 1919 Canales Investigation when a border native and the only Mexican American serving in the state legislature, José Tomas ‘JT’ Canales called for an investigation into state-sanctioned violence unleashed on the predominantly Mexican-origin community on the Texas border. 

The Center, along with the Departments of Political Science and History sponsored a Lecture by Dr. Richard Steigmann-Gall. 

Dr. Gall is Associate Professor of History at Kent State University. His academic interests concern the cultural and religious dimensions of German National Socialism, specifically the cohort of Nazis who believed in "positive Christianity" and the struggles they waged with Nazism's neo-pagans for religious dominance in the Third Reich. 

The the Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA) established the Edward J. Perkins Study Abroad Award administered by the Center for International Studies to assist students interested in a career in international affairs to study abroad. The award is intended to encourage students of historically underserved populations to pursue careers in international relations and is named for Edward Perkins. During his stellar career, Mr. Perkins served as U.S. representative to the U.N. Security Council, as ambassador to the United Nations, Australia, and South Africa, and as Director General of the Foreign Service.

The first ever recipient of the award is International Studies undergraduate student Jordyn Pettigrew. This summer, Jordyn will be traveling to Beijing, where she will pursue language studies while also researching Chinese politics and society through literature and film. 

The Center thanks Ambassador Ruth Davis, Vice President of ABAA and Dr. Ronald Johnson from the Department of History for working to bring this scholarship to Texas State.

Center Director Dr. Paul Hart gave a lecture at the University of Arkansas as part of the 100th Anniversary of Emiliano Zapata's death. In his talk, Dr. Hart discussed the contemporary relevance of Zapata as a symbol of resistance and hope, how his memory and meaning remain contested territory, and how history is used to shape the present. 

The Model Arab League Chapter at Texas State University competed in the National University Model Arab League (NUMAL) competition April 4-7, winning awards and one member being chosen for a chair position. 

Representing Comoros, Texas State delegates participated in debates, discussions and wrote resolutions on economic, political and social affairs as well as on joint defense, women and children’s rights, and Palestinian affairs.

The Model Arab League chapter at Texas State is an all-inclusive organization where students learn about the politics and history of the Arab world through the arts of diplomacy and public speech.

The Journal of Hispanic Higher Education published an article by Center for International Studies Program Coordinator, Jeremy Peña.

In Undocumented Students: History and Implications for Higher Education Administrators, Jeremy provides a brief history of undocumented students and higher education, from the landmark case of Plyler v. Doe to the examination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals while also examining a model of success for supporting such a unique student population.  

In his talk "Who's Writing this Novel Anyway?", the author explored a doubling of the translator (Mr. Matthieussent) writing a novel about a translator who commandeers a novel that he is translating, blurring the lines between translation and original creation.

Brice Matthieussent is an award-winning translator of over 200 books from English to French including works by Jack Kerouac, Henry Miller, Bret Easton Ellis, Thomas Pynchon, Jim Harrison, and Charles Bukowski. He teaches history of contemporary art and aesthetics at the Ecole Superiéure des Beaux-Arts in Marseille. His debut novel, Revenge of the Translator, was awarded the Prix du style Cultura.