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Dean of International Programs Announces 2009-2011 Global Initiatives Theme
Dear Colleagues:
The unprecedented crises that have engulfed the world are fundamentally changing the ways in which we think, work, and live our everyday lives, as well as the ways in which we interact with our social, political, and physical environment. Things that we have taken for granted are no longer available; and events that we did not anticipate seem to be here to stay. It looks as though our futures are indisputably to be altered.
The 2009-2011 Global Initiative theme Ecologies in the balance? will explore these new realities and attempt to grapple with the consequences of these massive changes. This year the theme will for the first time take on a biennial format. During 2009-2010 we will examine the theme of ecologies through the lenses of current crises and their wide-ranging impacts. In 2010-2011 we will emphasize the search for the solutions to the crises that threaten to undermine the precarious environmental, social, political, economic, and psychological balances that we strive to maintain in our worlds.
THE THEME
Ecologies in the balance? Thinking through the crises, the focus of the first year, will scrutinize the economic and financial collapse that has reverberated across the world and the effects it will exercise on multiple domains of human life, whether social, biological, physical, technological, or cultural. The focus on ecologies in the balance captures the reality that critical understanding and constructive approaches must necessarily engage the complex web of interactions and relationships among human groups and among humans, non-humans, and their multiple environments.
No country has been insulated from the recent economic meltdown and every aspect of human lives is in some manner affected by current new realities. National borders and the entitlements they are supposed to delimit can no longer be defended in the face of the contemporary financial crisis as well as the impending environmental crisis. To think in terms of "ecologies" (oîkos, or “house”) is to rescale our understandings of the social, as our everyday lives come to be experienced in ways that are at once insistently domestic and local even as they are also increasingly hemispheric and global.
What remain to be uncovered are not only the adverse consequences of these changes, but also the creative possibilities for human interventions that these crises may pose. Futures are hanging in the balance, and critical insights and creative solutions and approaches will be needed. How are human relations and interactions across these provinces being altered? How will these new conditions shape interrelationships among humans, nonhumans, and their natural ecosystems? Will financial and ecological crisis give rise to new experiences of poverty for millions more, producing fear and misery and leading to increased violence, or might we find unexpected changes in human values and attitudes towards sustainability and the possibility of better futures?
The impact of the economic crisis is uneven, and existing gender, racial, ethnic, social, economic, and technological inequalities are not only being reproduced, but also potentially exacerbated. Although much has been written about the impacts of this crisis on the global economy as a whole, the consequences of the current collapse for poorer countries have been given far less attention, even though their severity in many instances will be far worse. The impacts of financial and political crises may generate declines in health conditions and increases in poverty that will lead to malnutrition, hunger, starvation, sickness, and in many instances death. Declines in the quality of well-being often result in social and political unrest that aggravates ethnic conflicts, but also reinforces the political struggles of minorities, excluded, and marginalized social groups. The potential decline in food security will have far-reaching environmental consequences and will heighten the likelihood of generating new large migration flows; but it may also result in imaginative new technologies and approaches to sustainability. The inequalities of today's global order will require new sets of institutions and imaginaries; indeed, it may require a more serious engagement with older institutions and ways of envisioning the world.
The focus on Ecologies in the balance offers us a unique opportunity to embrace diverse topics such as the social, political, and material practices of everyday life; human and nonhuman economic interactions with ecosystems; wide-ranging implications of climate change; discrimination and other forms of victimization, or the roles of collective advocacy and community actions. Literature, film, and art have repeatedly depicted the destructive nature of humanity, a gloomy ending, and impending cataclysm, yet these diverse forms of expression provide for continued possibilities of exploration of uncertainties that mark humanity’s future. The proposed theme affords an opportunity for different schools to examine specific concerns in areas such as labor, law, or health. The theme provides a forum in which to investigate the ways in which the meanings of “ecological” or “sustainable” are being redefined as a result of economic shifts, technological advances, resource misuse, environmental degradation, or power struggles in different areas of the world, and the ways in which these concepts are intertwined with discourses of gender, race, ethnicity, and nation. The biennial focus allows us to explore the interconnectedness of such concepts as human dignity, justice, and ecology, and to scrutinize the ways in which unequal power relationships and economic inequities affect individuals’ and collective senses of belonging.
THE FORMAT AND ACTIVITIES
Because our 2008-2009 Global Initiative Human Rights events (humanrights.rutgers.edu) generated overwhelming interest, with many participating units and over 100 events, we have decided to move from a one-year series of focused activities to a two-year sequence. The decision was prompted by our desire to allow for a deeper and more thorough engagement with various topics. Such a format, we believe, will offer more time for preparation and for greater integration of the theme with the undergraduate and graduate curriculum.
While the theme of Ecologies in the balance will serve as an umbrella--and several campus-wide events will be planned--we envisage that different units as well as student organizations will organize their own programs and activities. The idea is not to replace, but rather to connect and enhance diverse activities that are being offered across the campus to meet needs of different audiences, and to give visibility to the creativity of Rutgers scholars and others who are exploring new paradigms as means of addressing the challenges we face. As we did last year, we are planning a joint poster, a website, and a coordinated advertising effort.
At this point, we would like to solicit your preliminary ideas on events that you are planning for the 2009-2010 academic year that may relate to the theme of Ecologies in the balance? Thinking through the crises. We would like to hear your suggestions on what kind of activities you and your unit might be most interested in presenting. We also would like to hear how we might engage students and student organizations in your area of interest. What are the significant topics and what are the best ways to reach particular groups of students? Last year’s experiences taught us that events that allowed for undergraduate students’ participation through poster sessions or students’ panels that provided forums for the presentation of the work of their organizations were among the most successful in attracting large student audiences. Special meetings with speakers in more informal settings or the incorporation of readings, films, discussions, and speakers into the course schedule attracted the most interest. Similarly, we welcome graduate-student initiatives in the form of workshops, seminars and formal and informal discussions.
Sincerely,
Joanna Regulska
Dean of International Programs
FUNDING
Through the support of the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs we will be able to offer small grants (up to $500) to units that are organizing events related to the theme. To receive such support please send:
1) A brief description of the event (up to 200 words); in addition please include a brief bio for outside speakers and details regarding the format of the event; and
2) A preliminary budget for the event, including the amount requested and a brief justification.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
There are numerous ways that faculty, students, and staff can support the 2009-2010 Global Initiative theme on Ecologies in the balance? Here we list just few suggestions:
1) Incorporate the theme into events offered by your unit (speakers, lectures, symposia, conferences, workshops, films, exhibitions, performances, poster sessions, etc);
2) Organize specific events related to the theme;
3) Partner with other organizers of the Global Initiative theme events;
4) Highlight on your website classes that your department/unit is offering throughout the year that are relevant to the theme;
5) Encourage your students to do an internship or honors thesis that is relevant to the theme;
6) Identify faculty and students that are interested in the theme and organize informal discussion session(s);
7) Promote Global Initiative events (add them to your calendar, to your newsletter, etc);
8) Mark all related events as a part of the Global Initiative theme; or
9) Propose a special topics course related to the theme in your department or school.
Please forward your ideas, comments, and requests by May 15, 2009 to Maryella Hannum at
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. We will follow up with further details once we have the preliminary information. We plan to have a final version of the program by mid-summer, and in August we will produce a poster containing the calendar of events.
If you have further questions please contact Maryella Hannum, Senior Program Coordinator at
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or Joanna Regulska, SAS Dean of International Programs at
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