INTerrupted Silence Vol3No2

8/12/2019 INTerrupted Silence Vol3No2

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2 ACTIVELY ENGAGED INTELLECTUALS ~INTELLECTUALLY ENGAGED ACTIVISTS

GOT TUITION? NOT FOREVER!SOMEONE TELL THE PRESIDENT!

By: Dana Jabri

DePaul University, as a private, Catholic, urban,

and Vincentian institution, has an importantreputation and image that it needs to cultivate,just like any other university. This image isconstructed in hopes that the universitycontinuously increases its enrollment from oneacademic year to the next. DePaul is a heavilytuition-driven institution which means that, unlikea school like Harvard University that receivesbillions of dollars in endowments, it dependsentirely on student tuition for revenue. In2012-2013, DePauls endowment funds onlyconsisted of 1% of a total revenue ofapproximately 560 million dollars. In light of thismodel, DePaul has continuously increased tuitionby 2.5% for the past three years. As a student atDePaul, I refuse to support the continuation ofthis model in the future. There must be ways forthe administration to bring students, faculty, andstaff together to have frank conversations onpossible solutions and the future of thisinstitution.

As students, staff, or faculty, we should know thatwhen enrollment drops, even if it is by a fraction,consequences are inevitable. An expected domino

effect of hiring freezes, departmental budget cuts,and increased tuition are set in place to keepthings under control. So, you may ask, what is thepurpose of all of this? As students, it is our role toask the big questions, especially if enrollment isdecreasing and the universitys revenue is notincreasing. How do we know if the university isutilizing its resources efficiently? Or perhapsefficiently enough to continue to provide studentsand staff with the necessary support to ensure thatthe universitys reputation bounces back andbrings enrollment up again? The university has

continuously distributed and allocated resourcesand revenue to renovate and build infrastructure.This has transformed DePaul into an institutionthat is modern while operating in a corporatefashion. While the university prides itself on itsVincentian mission, I ask: What would St.Vincent do?

I Spy: The Investment Trend

Unfortunately, in order to notice that misused and

falling revenues has been an on-going issue, one

needs to be around the people who are havingthese conversations the higher-ups, like DonPope Davis the former Provost, David Kalsbeekthe Senior Vice President of EnrollmentManagement & Marketing (EM&M), and theStudent Government Association, just to name afew. The real questions are how accessible havethese administrators been to students and how dothey get to hear our suggestions? At this universitythe proper forum would be SGA, but that wouldstill leave SGA to be the liaison between theadministration and the student body.

This was my precise call to action. Spring quarterof my sophomore year I ran for the College ofLiberal Art & Social Sciences SGA Senator chair,hoping it would allow me to leverage a newnetwork of students and give me access touniversity administrators and officials. From myexperience thus far, this has been true but notevery student can sit on SGA. I am fortunateenough to participate in SGAs meetings as avoting member where I can voice my concerns,but the degrees of separation between studentsand administrators seem to only get wider. This

means that, as students, we have to get our handsa bit dirty in order to gather, collect, andsynthesize the necessary information tounderstand why tuition rates continue to increase,and why our university has not been attractingmore students.

After spending some time looking into theuniversitys publicly accessible financial budget, Inoticed two important trends: the increase of newhires and the dramatic hike in compensation ratesof the top-paid positions at this university. For thefirst trend, DePauls Institutional Research &Market Analytics (IRMA) analysis shows thatnew hiring at DePaul rose by 20% between thefiscal years of 2007 and 2012. Most importantly,the allocation of new hires has beendisproportionate between professional staff andfaculty. Full-time faculty hires increased by slightlyless than 11%, while professional staff increasedby over 25%. To my dismay, the Board ofTrustees decided to financially support the officeof EM&M by allocating the largest number of


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ACTIVELY ENGAGED INTELLECTUALS ~INTELLECTUALLY ENGAGED ACTIVISTS 3

to this department. A 62% growth in positions inthis unit has led it to house over 300 employees,making it the second largest unit in the universityin terms of employee numbers.

The second trend I noticed is the continuousincrease in compensation to some of the top-paid

professional staff. An analysis of some of thesepositions overall salary from year to year is quiteshocking. Take for an example, the newly hiredmens basketball coach, Oliver Purnell, whoreplaced Gerald Wainwright. Wainwrights totalcompensation in the academic year of2009-2010 was $656,086. Purnells totalcompensation in the academic year of2010-2011 was over three times as large:$2,192,385. This analysis suggests that, if DePaulis truly committed to fiscal sustainability, it shouldreconsider where it is allocating its limited

resources.The Future of our Tuition: Where is itgoing?

I can reflect as a current DePaul student andstudent worker, that I made the consciousdecision to attend DePaul because of its missionand academic program. I did not choose toattend DePaul because of an advertised brochureor pamphlet that presented colorful yet sterileinformation. I also did not come to DePaul sothat my tuition money could be used to fund a 70

million dollar investment in a new Events Center.As students, we need to let administrators know

that we are not satisfied with the way that ourtuition money is being used. It should not behard for a student who is pursuing a career inacademia, the liberal arts fields, or any field forthat matter, to find research scholarships. We areconstantly told that there are no universityresources to help students pay for lodging

expenses to present at international conferences,or for funds that help increase resources tosupport our professors (like more subscriptions toresearch databases). Why is DePaul not providingmore tools for students to grow academically?

My experience as an activist has taught me thatasking questions is never enough. We have thefacts. It is time that we begin organizingourselves. Whether that may mean starting letter-writing campaigns or finding alternatives togetting access to the resources we deem

necessary. Being able to collect and analyze thedata presented in this article has made thingscrystal clear for me. The poet Amir Sulaimansaid in his poem Heavens Falling, But Ill tellyou a secret. That power is mine and that power is yours.But they fed you a lie, and said all of that power issomewhere up in the sky. Somewhere up in the sky. Thatswhy I told them liars the sky is mine. When I hearstories of students struggling to pay tuition andworking hard not to pull out extra loans, I amreminded of the strength in their sacrifices. Andfor this struggle, I will continue to advocate for

truth and justice for student voices need to beheard.


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Despite the discomfort of hearingvagina over and over again, it washard not to laugh at the absurdityand the truth of what was beingpresented.

This theme of finding humorthrough our discomfort continuedthroughout the various monologues,which were all performed by fullyclothed women. The VaginaMonologues was first written by EveEnsler in 1996, and various additionsand adjustments have been madesince. All of the monologues arebased on stories of different womenwho came to know their womanhoodt h r o u g h t h e i r v a g i n a . T h emonologues explore the mystery andsatisfaction of discovering ones ownvagina, the journey to loving andrespecting ones vagina, and how tonot rely on a man for pleasure, whichwas loudly applauded by thepredominantly female audience.More sober ing performancesdescribe how violence enacted uponthe vagina is used as an instrument ofdomination in the context of war,and discuss the vagina as the site ofpsychological trauma as a result ofdomestic abuses.

The unflinching detail and intimatediscussion of the vagina occasionallymade me uncomfortable, even as awoman. I could not help but notice,as I looked around in slight distress,that my feelings seemed to bemagnified tenfold for the smallpercentage of males in the audience.Some men were sunk way down intheir seats with their arms crossedover their chests, while others gavetheir friends incredulous looks.Doubtless, it must have been difficultfor males who live in a patriarchalsociety to be confronted with untoldstories, both good and bad, of what itmeans to be a woman. But it washeartening to see that, although few,men were thereeven if it was justto support a friend or girlfriend.

This got me thinking, what couldhave possibly sparked their interest insomething so boldly titled The VaginaMonologues, a play that seems to begeared towards a female audience?

I found an answer to this question

during a very powerful momenttowards the end of the play as one ofthe actresses, about to perform hermonologue, asked all victims ofsexual violence to stand. The roomremained still and quiet as severalpeople stood. Then, she asked thosewith relatives or friends who werevictims of sexual violence to stand aswell. It was shocking to see how thenumber of people standing grewexponentially. Finally, she asked thosecommitted to help end sexual

violence to stand. That night everyseat in Cortelyou Commons hadbeen filled, and every person wasnow standing. The actress looked atthe audience and said: This is foryou. This is how I realized that theanswer to my question was simple: itis not only important for women toembrace and love womanhood, but itis also important for men to do so aswell.

At the end of the performance, the

actresses announced that The VaginaMo no lo gu es will continue to beperformed across the world untilviolence against women is no longera reality. The Vagina Monologues strivesto help erase the st igma ofe m b r a c i n g f e m i n i n i t y a n dwomanhood, which are bothseemingly encompassed through thevagina. The levels of discomfort thatare felt during these monologuesshould be regarded positively, and areprobably intentional. It forces the

audience to be engaged with theiremotions and to relate as a woman,or to relate to women. The VaginaMonologues thus succeed in provokinga discomfort that encourages peopleto truly absorb the power andimportance of these women's stories.

A REVIEW: THE

VAGINA

MONOLOGUES

By Christina Campbell

What is The Vagina Monologues?The name is slightly off-puttingwho actually wants to discussvaginas? Most people I talk toh a v e n o i d e a o f t h emonologues content and putforth different theories of whatthey actually entail. TheVagina Monologues made abrief appearance in popularculture in an episode of FamilyGuy in which a pair of barelegs topped off by a vagina sitson a stool and does standup.Having never seen this episode,I was not even armed with thebizarre notion of what I wasgetting myself into when Iagreed to go see the play.

Vagina. Vagin-uh. Vuh-gin-

uh. Vagina? Vagina. Thesewere the opening words of thefi r s t m ono l ogu e , wh ichuncomfortably continued foranother minute or two withdifferent emphases on theword. The audience giggled,perhaps feel ing that themonologue, consisting only ofthe word vagina, had gone ont o o l o n g . T h e a c t r e s sperforming this monologue

earnestly stated that no matterhow many times you say it andno matter the emphasis,vagina still ends up soundingunpleasant and like a surgicalinstrument.


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What do you currently do?

I am a Junior Associate at a communicationsstrategy firm in Washington D.C. - ASGK PublicStrategies. I work with a brilliant team on crisiscommunications, media relations and strategicpublic affairs campaigns. Couldn't imagine myselfanywhere else.What did you do after graduating

from DePaul?I worked as an intern for Obama for America atcampaign headquarters in Chicago, whilefreaking out about ever finding a job that I'd love.Were you involved in any otherdepartments, organizations, oractivities while at DePaul?

I was an intern at Open Books - a used bookstorethat uses profits to run literacy programs forelementary schools throughout the city. I alsofounded the rock climbing club at DePaul.

Why did you choose INT as yourmajor, and what was your favoriteaspect of the major?Like most, I didn't know what I was getting intowhen I choose INT. I most enjoyed that it was anunexpected lesson in learning how the mediaticks.How has being a former INT majorhelped you in your professional life?

I work on the flip side of International Studies.The machine we all learned to critique, is now a

crazy, critical part of my work. Watching thepress with the eye of a former INT studentinforms how I think, how I write, and how Ipresent information for campaigns that spreadnew ideas using the media.What was the most useful skillyou learned as an INT student?Writing is a skill that everyone, in every

profession, uses more frequently than anyfactoid or history lesson. International Studiestaught me to digest information and present itin a way that others can use to informthemselves. Good writing can make or breakit.What advice do you have to offerto students as they work throughtheir studies?

Write. Write. Write.What advice do you have for INTseniors who are getting ready toenter the job market or pursuegraduate degrees?

DO NOT take a job you don't love. Yourbrilliant minds are worth using on work thatdrives and fulfills you.Are there any other thoughts oradvice you would like to share?

Play the hand you are dealt to the best of yourability. You got this!

ALUMNI

IN

ACTION:

TANIA

ZAPARANIUK

By: Gabriela Polo

ALUMNI

IN

ACTION:

DREW

EDWARDS

By: Emily Deering

What do you currently do?During my time at DePaul, I co-founded a smallnonprofit organization named PangeaEducational Development. PED is an NGO

dedicated to providing sustainable access andquality education in 3 regions of Uganda. Sincegraduating, I have taken up a position inUganda where I now serve as our Director ofInternational Operations. I oversee thedevelopment of all local staff, resourceacquisition for projects, and host volunteers whocome to dedicate their time to our mission.Why did you choose INT as yourmajor, and what was your favoriteaspect of the major?I chose to study INT because I love to read.Kidding, but I have learned to love it. I reallychose INT because its challenging and dynamic

curriculum set a foundation for understandingthe world and how I could be a conscious andeffective actor within it, regardless of what fieldof endeavor I chose.How has being a former INT majorhelped you in your professional life?My studies in INT have helped me bridge thegap between essential theory and the applicationof real world circumstances in order to put thework I now do in context. Without that criticalunderstanding, I would simply be anotherignorant do-gooder. I believe what our

organization is doing in Uganda is different thananything else being done around education inUganda, and it was all developed during mytime at DePaul.

What was the most useful skill youlearned as an INT student?This probably comes as a great surprise to allINT majors, but the greatest skill I learned wasto write effectively. While I usually struggled toenjoy the challenge of writing multiple 20-40page research paper each quarter, it preparedme to write much longer reports. INT developsthe intellectual capacity to intake multiple layersand perspectives of information and respondeffectively towards action. I would say I use thatskill everyday.What advice do you have to offer?My advice to current and future INT majors

would be to make your assignments real andmeaningful but, more than anything, to get outand learn by doing while you are in school. Themost important thing for my personaldevelopment and for any employer taking youserious, is being able to answer the question,"What real world experience do you have thatothers don't?" Everyone in any field has readbooks. Develop both your interests and what youhave to offer while you are in the DePaulcommunity. It's rich with opportunities if youlook around enough.


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Q&Awith Dr. Shiera Malik By: Elena BecerrilAfter deciding to interview a faculty member for my article, I sat there wonderingwho I would choose. Being entirely new to the INT department, I still wasintimidated by every faculty member (even those who I had yet to meet). After muchthought, I decided to interview my current INT 202 professor, Dr. Malik.

Dr. Malik completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science at UIC andreceived a Masters in Peace Studies and a PhD in Political Science from TrinityCollege in Dublin. Many of us, in one way or another, are familiar with ourprofessors academic life, so I decided to target Dr. Maliks personal hobbies andinterests for this interview. I hope this article helps you realize that, althoughintimidating at times, our professors are just like us in many ways. Enjoy!

Where were you born?I was born in Chicago.

Your profile indicates that you studied inUIC and later received a Masters in PeaceStudies and a PhD in Political Science fromTrinity College in Dublin. What led you tochoose these programs?I was initially interested in International Studies andInternational Law, but then I realized I did not want tobe in debt. I picked Peace Studies because it allowed meto do what I wanted to do in post-colonial theory.

As a student at UIC, what were some of thethings you would do for fun?

As a student at UIC I worked 40 hours a week in CafFlorian located in Hyde Park.

Dublin or Chicago?Dublin, because you can walk everywhere!

Of all the courses you teach, which one isyour favorite one? Why?Post-colonialism since it connects to my own research.

Who is your favorite author?Emile Zola. I really like her bookLadies Paradise. It isabout the development of the first department store in

Paris and how it changed the social relations of power inthe city.

What type of music do you like? Do youhave any favorite artists?I like an eclectic range of music from the early 1980spunk to mid-20th century blues. I really like NinaSimone, Joy Division, and New Order.

Where have you traveled? Do you have afavorite country, if so why is it yourfavorite?I lived in Lebanon, the United States, Saudi Arabia andEngland, all before the age of 18. Out of all thecountries I have lived in, I would say I liked England the

most because I had an easier way of life.What are some of your favorite movies/d o c u m e n t a r i e s ? D o y o u h a v e a n yrecommendations for INT students?My all-time favorite movie is Moonstruck. Some moviesI would recommend to INT students would be DirtyPretty Things, Revolutionary Road, The Black PowerMix Tape, and the Spook Who Sat by the Door.

What is some advice you would give currentINT students?It is important to not only read for what you know, butto read to expand your knowledge.


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A Movement Beyond Two Moments

In light of the extensivemedia coverage followingNelson Mandelas death, Idecided to rehash an oldproject of mine that

explored the American Anti-apartheid Movement ass i tuated be tween twomoments: the SharpevilleMassacre and Mandelasrelease from prison. Thesetwo events were influential inthe framing of the American

Anti-apartheid Movement internationally, and wereimperative to its eventual continuation into the 1990s.However, the American Anti-apartheid Movement isconsistently analyzed within the borders of these twoevents and the larger context surrounding the

movement is often abandoned. This movementshould be analyzed as more than just an internationalintervention for human rights and equality inpostcolonial nations, but also as a U.S. struggle foridentity and place. As a movement that had torenounce the systemic oppression of a foreigngovernment while also facing systematic oppressionfrom the government they were trying to operateunder, the American Anti-apartheid Movementfought for the equality and identity of both thoseunder the apartheid regime and those protestingagainst it.

The Afrikkans word apartheid, meaning

apartness, was politicized in the twentieth centuryand came to denote a legally enforced policy topromote the political, social and cultural separationof racially defined communities for the exclusivebenefit of one of those communities. The apartheidregime in South Africa was formally in power from1948 to 1992, but the conditions of an apartheidregime had been developing for centuries. Thecontext in which the apartheid regime came intoexistence was the result of years of racial and ethnicdiscrimination and segregation. The resultingexclusion was more than just linguistic exclusion. Itwas also politicized and physicalized through the

physical separation of blacks from the small whitepopulation and through gerrymandering.

In 1991, Prexy Nesbitt, the Chicago FieldRepresentative of the American Committee onAfrica (ACOA), stated that the social and politicalclimate of the United States mirrored the strugglesthat the people of South Africa faced. She explained,The racial dynamics of Chicago are similar toSouth Africa. When you get the bus on State St.going north or south you are watching South Africain operation. For Nesbitt, the success of the

mobilizations of the American Anti-apartheidMovement was made possible by an organic linkageresulting from an American public that understoodoppression and could relate to it. For example, theACOA would be handing out leaflets on the street to

people who had just been denied a lease because ofthe redlining processes in Chicago. The movementused the experiences of communities in Chicago tobuild support for an international issue. This madethe experience of people in South Africa politicallyand socially relevant to people living in the US.

In Movement Matters: American Antiapartheid Activism andthe Rise of Multicultural Politics, David Hoesetter arguesthat it was this precise climate that brought the SouthAfrican apartheid movement to the United States inthe 1960s. For Hoesetter, the Sharpeville Massacreand the state of emergency in which South Africafound itself provided a stark reminder of the racial

apocalypse that America might face if nonviolencefailed to bring about peaceful change. The reality inSouth Africa foreshadowed a potential future of USracial relations. Hoesetter argues that, in this sense,the movement could no longer simply be a movementof solidarity, but was appropriated by the governmentto curb any threat of violence at home. By taking ananti-apartheid stance, the United States sought togain respect and bolster a national identitysurrounding a moral mandate for human rightswithout actually having to deal with the problems inits own backyard.

This argument is problematic in that it puts theawakening and momentum of the movement on theshoulders of the state and excludes the role of thepeople in their own intervention. In Territories ofDifference: Place, Movements, Life, Redes, Arturo Escobarsuggests that social movements offer a space for theproduction of alternative knowledges. Escobar arguesthat it is in this space that claim-making occurs andthat history, geography and politics become linked. Itis important to perceive the American Anti-apartheidMovement as more than just a movement alignedwith changes in foreign policy and instead to considerthe role the movement had in empowering

communities and politicizing new organizers.

The American Anti-Apartheid movement was aspace in which a new identity was being formed. Themovement as a form of intervention opened a newspace for the creation of identity that emerged fromdecades of oppression and segregation. It was notsimply a movement of alliance with another country,but also solidarity in the purest form of the word: aunion or fellowship arising from commonresponsibilities, common struggles and commonpossibilities.

by Emily Deering


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The 2008 financial crisis haddevastating global repercussionsthat affected not only tax-payingU.S. citizens, but people fromdeveloping nations who reliedh e av i l y o n f o r e i gn d i r e c tinvestment. However, the stockmarket now looks better than everas it continues on its ascent to newheights. It recently witnessed itshighest one-day gain earlier thisyear, which may leave many tobelieve that the 2008 globalrecession is safely in the rear viewmirror.This celebratory effort,however, is entirely premature.

What remains is a need to holdhigh-level executives responsible forthe damages they caused.

Morgan Stanley, a multinationalinvestment bank, recently settled alawsuit in which it agreed to payout $1.25 billion from its hand inselling dubious mortgage-backedsecurities t ied to the globalfinancial crisis. This lawsuit wasfiled by the Federal HousingFinance Agency (FHFA). Only sixdays after the news of Morgan

Stanley's settlement, a non-governmental group called BetterMarkets sued the U.S. JusticeDepartment for wrongly handling asimilarly settled case in Novemberof 2013 against JP Morgan. DennisKelleher, the executive for BetterMarkets, pointed out that theJustice Department cannot act asthe prosecutor, jury, and the judgeagainst one of the most politicallyconnected banks on Wall Street.Without settling this in front of ajury and judge in a courtroom, the

important details of the case canbe easily concealed. Kelleherargued that the $13 bil l ionsettlement against the financialgiant failed to address whichspecific laws were violated, theamount in damages from investors,or even the names of individualswho were held responsible. This ishardly the type of justice that this

country was hoping would comeout of Washington, especiallyduring a time when the issue ofgovernment transparency isparticularly necessary. However, amore pertinent question to ask iswhy have none of the high-levelexecutives from these banks facedprosecution?

While there are many plausiblescenarios for why high-levelexecutives from the Wall Streetbanks have not been prosecuted,some are less convincing thanothers. When Attorney General

Eric Holder was asked to speak onthis issue, he provided the excusethat such prosecutions, will have anegative impact on the nationaleconomy, perhaps even the worldeconomy. Holders claim does notjustify why the financial bankersand investment firms that causedthe largest financial collapse sincethe Great Depression have notbeen held accountable for theiractions. For the past 30 years, therehas been a fundamental shift fromprosecuting high-level executives to

only prosecuting the companies orinstitutions as a whole. Thispresents a moral dilemma, in whichprosecuting a company maydirectly or indirectly punishemployees or shareholders whomay very well not have beeninvolved. This dramatic shift hasoccurred because prosecutors wantto save time and resources. It is justeasier for them; no one wants toendure long investigations. In theend, short-term lawsuits arep r e f e r a b l e t o p r o l o n g e d

investigations.This is a systemic issue, and onethat needs to be addressed before itis too late. The future value ofprosecuting high-level executives ore v e n f o r m e r e x e c u t i v e sundoubtedly outweighs anypresent-value benefit in prosecutingthe company or institution as a

whole. While there are preventativeand internal measures enforced inthese institutions or companiesafter a lawsuit, these are fictitiousand short-term band-aids thatfail at covering up the gapingwound in the financial sector. TheDepartment of Justice shouldtackle these criminals of thefinance industry in the samefashion that prosecutors would goafter drug lords. This strategybegins at the grassroots level andthese lengthy invest igat ionseventually climb upwards until theleading figure has been held

responsible. This method has beensuccessful in the recent high-profilearrests of Mexican drug leaders.While the individuals on WallStreet may not have been involvedin the bloodshed of thousands as aresult of drug wars, the devastatingimpact of their actions in the U.S.and the global economy should betaken just as seriously.

This new type of incentive forprosecutors to go after companiesand institutions with short-term

lawsuits sharply resembles theoverall tendencies of businesseswithin the economy to maximizeshare-holder value and short-termprofits. Both situations undoubtedlyfavor the short-term success overthe entire future sustainability ofthe country. Unfortunately, thejudicial system has a five yearlimitation for prosecuting high-levelofficials after the 2008 crisis. It isnot surprising then, that much ofthe general public feels as thoughWall Street will be let off the hook

for their behavior once again.While Better Markets is fearlesslytaking on the powerful Wall Streetfinancial banks, the FHFA hastaken a step in the wrong direction.For all those affected from thecriminal activities that were carriedout by Wall Street, this settlementagainst Morgan Stanley missed thepoint.

Missing the point: Settlement of $1.25 billion from Morgan

Stanley fails to address a larger issueby Kyle Wagner


9/12


In "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence" (1967), Martin Luther King calls for an anti-racistand internationalist response to oppression in its various guises. Taking King's Vietnam speech as astarting point, this essay contest asks students to consider what such a speech might look like today.

See http://las.depaul.edu/int/Events/StudentEssayContest/index.aspfor important submission and formattingguidelines.

Email Susan Dirr at [email protected] questions.

ANNOUNCING:Martin Luther King Jr. Student Essay Contest

! Cash prizes for bestundergraduate and

graduate papers!

DEADLINE: APRIL 1st by

5pm

The International Studies Programs at DePaul & University of Illinois at Chicago invite you to the2014 annual student conference to be held on Thursday, April 24th, 2014at DePaul University.

The theme of this years conference is Critical Perspectives on Technology and Information in an

International Context. The conference seeks to create a space for critical, interdisciplinary dialogueon international issues relating to the social impact of technologies and the increased prevalence anddependence on data and information.
http://las.depaul.edu/int/Events/StudentEssayContest/index.asphttp://las.depaul.edu/int/Events/StudentEssayContest/index.aspmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://las.depaul.edu/int/Events/StudentEssayContest/index.asphttp://las.depaul.edu/int/Events/StudentEssayContest/index.asphttps://outlook.depaul.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=Wlz7NlCM-E2dc78YZVMnTZvigDC47c8IWjCJQWpT9lV1zzuE79QX-8cqg2eSefbOR-6GRlncBy0.&URL=http%3a%2f%2flas.depaul.edu%2fint%2fdocs%2fUpcomingEventsDocs%2fBeyondVietnam.pdfhttps://outlook.depaul.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=Wlz7NlCM-E2dc78YZVMnTZvigDC47c8IWjCJQWpT9lV1zzuE79QX-8cqg2eSefbOR-6GRlncBy0.&URL=http%3a%2f%2flas.depaul.edu%2fint%2fdocs%2fUpcomingEventsDocs%2fBeyondVietnam.pdf


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2014SpringQuarterClassL istINT 340 European Area Studies: Spain &

Portugal|Kara Dempsey |TuTh 1:00pm-2:30pm

INT 368 Topics in Global Culture: Culture andInequality |Larisa Kurtovic |W 6:00pm-9:15pm

INT 364 Topics in International PoliticalEconomy: Race, Sex and Difference |Heidi Nast |Tu 6:00pm-9:15pm

INT 374 Topics in International Organizations:

European Union# |Erik Tillman |MW 1:00pm-2:30pmINT 388 Special Topics in International

Studies: Middle East-Latin AmericanRelations| John Karam |MW 2:40pm-4:10pm

INT 388 Special Topics in InternationalStudies: Postcolonial Theory &International Relations | Shiera Malik |MW 4:20am-5:50pm

INT 360 Development/Anti-Development:Critical Development Theory# | Antonio Morales-Pita |Th 6:00-9:15pm

INT 368 Topics in Global Culture: The BlackAtlantic# | Daniel McNeil |MW 4:20pm-5:50pm

INT 371 International Environmental Politics# | Gil Gott |M 6:00pm-9:15pmINT 388 Special Topics in International

Studies: Sustainable Urbanism# | Cecil Brownlow |TuTh 11:20am-12:50pm

The Wedlock: A Review

This February, the 24th AnnualFestival of Films from Iranpremiered at the Gene Siskel FilmCenter downtown. From February7th to 28th the theater showcasedseven Iranian films, many of themdebuting for the first time inNorth America. Many of the filmswere originally banned in Iranbecause their scandalous subjectmatter broke censorship laws.Two of director Ruhollah Hejazi'sfilms were included in the festival.Both of these films were aboutadultery, marital issues, andpremarital sex. One of them, TheWedlock (Zendegi-e Moshtarak-eAghaye Mahmoodi va Banoo),features award-winning actressTaraneh Alidoosti as Sanaz, a

woman caught in the middle of amisunderstood generational gaps p a n n i n g h e r d e c e a s e dgrandmother, her older husband,her traditional aunt and uncle,and their impressionable teenager,Negin. Ideologies clash whenSanaz arrives to renovate heraunt's house and a series ofeavesdropping and name-callingw i d e n s t h e g a p b e t w e e nindependent, modern Sanaz andher traditional aunt. They openlydiscuss premarital sex and awoman's place in the household,all while young Negin, attached toher cellphone, blasts Katy Perryfrom her bedroom. The Wedlockuses this traditional family conflictto display the changing politics of

Iranian society. The ambiguousending and sometimes confusingsubtitles made for a generallyunderwhelming experience, butthe fi lm is imp ort an t forexemplifying a clear shift inIranian cinema in recent years.Increasingly, Iranian films portraypolitical protest in a societyfrustrated with the success ofvarious Arab Spring movementsand the failure of its own. Becausethe films were completed beforethe recent renewed diplomacybetween the US and Iranregarding nuclear programcutbacks, perhaps next yearsfest ival wi l l i l lustrate theinternational atmosphere with lesscynicism and more hope.

by Neda Tolooli


11/12


STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

YULIYA RALKO

Last fall, I lived in Madrid, Spain aspart of the DePaul study abroadprogram. In three short months,Madrid became one of my favoritecities. It is difficult to describe mystudy abroad experience becauseevery moment was so great. AnotherDePaul student and I stayed with ahost family together. The otherDePaul students in the program werehelpful and friendly. Given that wespent a lot of time together, we wereall good friends by the end of the trip.Interestingly enough, my trip toSpain not only introduced me toSpanish culture, but to many othercultures as well. This was because themajority of my classes were filled

with students from all over the worldincluding China, Turkey, India,Russ ia, Japan, and Norway.Considering the wide range ofnationalities and backgrounds,everyone got along pretty well. I amstill connected with my friends fromclass who are still studying in Spain,and many of them were very sad thatI left at the end of the quarter.

People warned me about the cultureshock I would experience whileabroad bu t , su rp r i s i n g l y , Iexperienced very little of it. At first Iwas shy to use my Spanish, but overtime I adjusted and became morecomfortable. I was amazed at howquickly I adapted to my newenvironment and, in fact, I felt athome in Madrid. Madrids subwaysystem, which I loved, is welldeveloped and allowed me to explore

the city, which was a major part ofmy experience in Spain. In the firstcouple of days, I explored Madridsfamous landmarks like El Sol (thedowntown main square), Gran Via(one of main streets for shopping),and Palacio Real (The Royal Palace).However, the city has a lot more tooffer than just the famous sights. Ithas great museums like Prado,Thyssen-Bornemisza, and ReinaSofia, as well as smaller ones likeMuseo Cerralbo and the MuseoNacional de Romanticismo, and a

v a r i e t y o f c h u r c h e s , r o y a lmonasteries, and parks. One parkeven has a real Egyptian temple.Madrid has great weather, amazing

sunsets, and many other hiddengems, and walking through the citynever failed to make me feel relaxedand accomplished.

While abroad, I also traveled to otherSpanish cities including Granada,S a l a m a n c a , B a r c e l o n a , S a nSebastian, and Toledo. Each city wasspecial and unique. My favorite thingto do in these cities was to walk alongthe charming small streets of theirold neighborhoods. Many of thesestreets were so small that, when a caractually came through, pedestriansneeded to stand very close to the wallin order to not get hit by it.Additionally, I traveled to some citiesoutside of Spain. I went to Paris,Copenhagen, and Rome. My favoriteone was Copenhagen, where I cameto experience the greatest cultureshock of my entire trip.

This city is very expensive, but it istotally worth it. In the three days Iwas there, I saw all types of weather,

visited palaces and other monuments,and wandered through the citysdowntown area. It was truly a once ina lifetime experience. I also lovedRome, mainly because of all itshistory. The Vatican City is

captivating and Saint Peters Churchis very beautiful. I actually spent awhole day in The Vatican City andstill was not able to see all there wasto see. Rome surprised me in a lot ofways because I did not expect thelarge amount of old buildings andstructures, which were full of historyand ancient culture.

It is hard to put into wordseverything I experienced during mytrip. I must say that this program wasworth the time and money and, ingeneral, study abroad offers a greatopportunity to go see the world wealways read about in INT courses. If

you have already participated instudy abroad, you likely agree withme. If you have not, I encourage youto consider it, as it will radicallychange your life and outlook in everypossible way.

Conference CongratulationsThe newsletter committee would like to recognize and congratulate the undergraduate students who have been accepted to present

at local and international academic conferences. We know you will be great representatives of the type of scholars our department

cultivates.

Human Development Conference MPSA Conference CASID ConferenceVierelina Fernndez Vierelina Fernndez Emily DeeringKeavy McFadden Salma Ghalyoun Vierelina Fernndez

# Gabriela Polo# # # # Amelia Hussein# # # Miriam Keep# # # # # # Keavy McFadden# # # # # # Gabriela Polo


12/12

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Department of International S tudies990 West Fullerton, Suite 4100

Chicago, IL 60614

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G i l d i h I d Sil ! L k f i i d i h S

Elena Becerril

Christina Campbell

Emily Deering

Vierelina Fernndez

Dana Jabri

Keavy McFadden

Gabriela Polo

Yuliya Ralko

Neda Tolooli

Kyle Wagner
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