Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Student Spotlight of the Week

             
  Xizhu Xiao


Hometown: Changsha, China
  
College: Communication University of China

Undergraduate Focus: Japanese, TV editing & directing

How did you become interested in the IIC program? I am really interested in intercultural and international things. I want to use my language abilities to communicate with people and get a job concerning languages and communication.



Name some specific areas within IIC you’re interested in: Non-profit organizations, media

Favorite place you’ve traveled to so far: Denver!!!!
  
Dream job: International communication staff or international sales staff in a film company or the media. Working with international communication in a non-profit organization

Monday, January 28, 2013

IIC Class Hosts Dr. Arthur Jones

Last week, Margie Thompson's Foundations in International & Intercultural Communication class had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Arthur Jones as a guest speaker. He is the Clinical Professor of Culture and Psychology and Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence at The Women's College at DU.

Jones also founded the Spirituals Project, which focuses on preservation and revitalization of the spirituals of African slaves in the U.S. Since the class had been discussing topics relating to racial identity and civil rights activists, Jones spoke about his experiences growing up through the Civil Rights Movement.

Check out this TedX talk by Dr. Jones about the Spirituals Project:

TedX talk - Professor Art Jones


Thursday, January 10, 2013

Winter Wonderland

First year IIC student Brittany Burton participated in the International Service Learning program in Nicaragua over Winter Interterm this year. The course, which was a four-credit course registered through the Geography department at DU, examined various international development dilemmas that have arisen in Nicaragua through recent decades.

“I’m interested in sustainable tourism development, and have a particular interest in Latin America, so this was really a perfect opportunity for me to explore my interests and the region,” Brittany said.

Students were able to observe the inner workings of various organizations on the southwest Nicaraguan coast, including a privately funded charity foundation, a luxury tourism resort, a vacation home community, and a local educational nonprofit.

“The number of foreigners developing infrastructure on previously undeveloped landscapes in Nicaragua is growing at a really fast rate, so it was really interesting to study the dynamics between the outside developers and the affects of these developments on the local people,” she said.

The course also had a service component. Some students spent time volunteering for a US-based nonprofit doing ecological conservation and construction projects, while others taught English at a local school.

Brittany spent nearly two weeks with her DU classmates as a part of the course, but she also backpacked independently through northwest Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama for a few weeks after the course. There she was able to do some adventure travel activities, spend some time on the beach, and practice her Spanish skills.  Here are a few photos from her trip!


 Students painting and cleaning a local school bus in Playa Gigante, Nicaragua


ISL Nicaragua classmates on the ferry across Lago Nicaragua from Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua



 Enjoying the sunset near Playa Colorado, Nicaragua


Walking the Amador Causeway in Panama City, Panama


 Ziplining in Monteverde, Costa Rica




Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Welcome Back!

Hello all,

Welcome back! Hope you had a wonderful winter break. Did anyone have exciting adventures over the break? We'd love to hear about them!

Make sure to keep up with the blog and the IIC Facebook page for news, photos and information about events. We plan on organizing another IIC get together and also an international film night this quarter. Also, check out our calendar below for different cultural events happening around DU and Denver.

Good luck with your first week of class!