IIC Peace Corps Leadership

Happy Week 3!

As the first quarter continues to roll on, a couple of first year IIC students have taken on leadership roles in the University of Denver’s Peace Corps Community (DUPCC).  Our very own David Boggs has taken on the position of DUPCC President and Jennifer Murphy is the new VP of Communications and Public Relations.  David and Jennifer are both elated to be leading the DUPCC and have provided the following words:

“Hello everyone! It's that exciting time of year again as we all settle into our routines here at DU, and I am happy to announce my recent induction as President of the DU Peace Corps Community. We also have a great new committee of VP's that will be assisting in organizing events and activities throughout campus and the Denver community. During the year, DUPCC traditionally holds fundraisers to help assist local causes and international charities. We also coordinate functions to help promote Peace Corps' 3rd Goal of "helping Americans better understand the people and cultures of other countries," as well as further relating our services abroad as volunteers. This year we're kicking off with a bang as we launch into plans to help the recovery efforts for the floods that hit the Boulder community. To learn more about us and keep up with events, visit our page at http://www.du.edu/peacecorps. For more information about the U.S. Peace Corps visit http://www.peacecorps.gov. Best wishes to everyone as we start off this quarter! We're all looking forward to a great year!”

-David Boggs

“I am excited at the proposition of working with people who have or will devote at least two years of their life to service work. I hope our group will be able to do some amazing things in the community and network with other organizations who are working on awesome projects as well. I look forward to getting the word out about what the group is involved in through the website and Facebook pages as the VP of Communications and Public Relations.”

-Jennifer Murphy

Congratulations to our IIC, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders!

IIC Summer Picnic

Hi new and continuing IICers!

Hope you've all been having a great summer. We decided to organize an informal IIC get-together before orientation and classes start in September.  SO, if you're around the Denver area and would like to meet up, we are planning on having a little afternoon picnic in Wash Park on Sunday, August 18th starting at around 3 p.m. If you would like, bring a snack and/or drink to share. Also, feel free to bring significant others and friends. The more the merrier!!

When: Sunday, August 18th at 3 p.m.
Where: Wash Park - 701 S. Franklin St. Denver, CO

I'll send out an update once it gets closer on where we can meet. Hope to see some of you there!!

End of the Year IIC Dinner

The IIC group at the International House 

Surrounded by good food and good people, the International and Intercultural Communications program met to celebrate the end of another school year at the International House on May 11. All that were in attendance were treated to a catered Italian dinner and were able to relax with fellow classmates for the night. The dinner included an annual tradition where students were given two pieces of papers - one to write something from the year that they wanted to let go and the other a wish or a hope for the coming year. Ceremoniously, each student burned the paper on which they wrote what had been weighting them down, while the other paper was folded up and put into an envelope to be opened at the end of next year. 

The dinner also celebrated this year's graduates and their accomplishments. Margie presented the graduates with a gift and asked them to share what it felt like to be graduating from DU and embarking on a new journey. Laughs, stories, and food were all shared, creating a successful dinner and great way to end the year. 

To all that were not in attendance, we wish you a luck on your finals and a happy and safe summer. We look forward to seeing all of you next year. 

To this year's IIC graduates, we wish you luck in this exciting time in your life. This new chapter has many possibilities and opportunities and we hope that you come back to visit us to share some of them!

IIC Dinner Tomorrow Night!

Just a friendly reminder that the IIC end of the year & graduation celebration dinner is tomorrow night at 6 p.m. at the I-House. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Festival of Nations

This past Saturday the IIC program joined up with many other groups from the DU and Denver area  to come together to share and celebrate our many diverse cultures and experiences. This yearly event held in the Ritchie Center concourse allowed for a full day of activities that opened up a fun and interesting way to learn about one another. 

The IIC group set up a slideshow of pictures sent in by some of our students to showcase our own experiences, a world map that allowed for passersby to mark where they were from or favorite place, and a trivia game with questions about countries around the world. 

The event also showcased performances by many of the groups. It was a day full of singing and dancing that was enjoyed by all who came out. We'd like to give a special thanks to everyone who took interest in our booth and those who helped to run the booth during this day! 

 

Spring IIC Party Date Set

Hello IICers,

We've set a date for our last IIC get together of the year! We'll be having a dinner party at the I-House on Saturday, May 11 from 6-9 p.m. This dinner is going to be catered, so we'll be sending out an Evite soon to get a feel for how many people will be attending. Again, you are more than welcome to bring family, significant others, etc. Just be sure to let us know. Look forward to seeing you all there!

New 2013 Summer Interterm Course

MFJS 4912 – Border cultures, communication and immigration rights

 June 9-16, 2013

This class will take place in Tucson and south to the US-Mexico border area (but will not cross into Mexico) to study the role of communication/media in border cultures and immigration rights.  

Immigration issues are front and center in news headlines, but this often masks the complex realities of many immigrants’ lives, both undocumented and documented.  For those who decide to cross the border, it is an extremely dangerous and arduous journey that all too often results in arrest by the Border Patrol and deportation.  For others who are deported, they may have lived in the United States for many years, working and raising families.  The towns along the US-Mexican border are a unique cultural site of people living transient lives, moving back and forth, some voluntarily, others forced across, with the massive 20-foot border security wall looming overhead.

The course will be conducted in collaboration with Borderlinks, an organization located in Tucson, Arizona that has offered educational programs along the US-Mexican border region for the past 25 years.  Students will also meet twice during Spring Quarter 2013 to discuss assigned readings and prepare for the trip.  They will complete short papers and journal assignments, as well as a final project due after the trip is over.

Activities on the trip include walking the migrant trail in the harsh Sonoma Desert and talking to human rights groups active in the area; a visit to the Tucson courts where the controversial “Operation Streamline” policy is in effect, moving 60-80 immigrants in shackles through the legal process everyday; and discussions with immigrant defense attorneys and officials.  We will also cross the border into Nagales, Mexico to visit a shelter with recently deported immigrants, and HOGAR (House of Hope and Peace) which provides meals and services for children of maquila workers and immigrants in the area, as well as visit a maquila (factory in the free trade zone area).

The course will be co-taught by Margie Thompson, Associate Professor in Media, Film & Journalism Studies and Director of the MA in International & Intercultural Communication, who has worked as a journalist in Central America for the past 16 years, along with María Suárez Toro, a longtime journalist and feminist human rights activist and educator from Puerto Rico/Costa Rica.

The course is offered for 4 credits, but students may sign up for an additional credit as independent study. 

(June 9 & 16 are travel days; June 9-15 – Borderlinks program – 6 1/2 days)

Scholarships are available.

To apply for this course contact Diana Carvalho at: diana.carvalho@du.edu in the Special Programs Office.

For more information, contact: Margie Thompson at: mthompso@du.edu; or 303-871-3947.