Interactive Millennium Development Goal Website

The UNDP has just launched a very useful new website that allows users to interactively track progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals, both generally and for specific countries. The site integrates with Google Earth if you have already installed that program on your computer. Go to http://www.mdgmonitor.org/index.cfm to see how it works.

ASK Night 7pm on Thursday November 8

ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) Night is a reception that provides Puget Sound students and alumni an opportunity to discuss life at and after Puget Sound. As a student, you will learn about the variety of career fields our graduates enter, the voluntary associations they join, and how their lives are enriched through their liberal arts education.

Alumni may have information about particular fields or advice about courses to take, extracurricular activities, the graduate school admission process, or how to conduct an effective job search. Some may have job leads. Many will also have questions about you and the campus today. The reception allows an exchange of information between alumni and students which can benefit everyone.

Click on the link above for more information, including a list of participating alumni.

Recognition for the IPE Program

The International Political Economy program was recognized as one of several "notable undergraduate programs at four-year Northwest institutions ... unique, nationally acclaimed or otherwise outstanding regional offerings" in an article in the October 27, 2007 edition of the Seattle Times.

Between Private Piety and Radical Politics: Finding Islam in Central Asia.

Anders Conway, an IPE ’06 graduate, spent last year traveling and working in Central Asia. He has returned to the Pacific Northwest to do graduate work at the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington and to speak to us about what he has learned.

Anders will talk at 6pm on Wednesday, November 7 in Mc309. The title of his talk is “Between Private Piety and Radical Politics: Finding Islam in Central Asia.”

Anders writes, “I am thinking that I will overview the two common lines of discourse; one is that militant Islam is a growing looming and almost immediate threat in the region, the other that Islam is moderate and stable. Then I will talk about my experience and highlight some ideas about how each camp has a point but that the reality lies somewhere in between.”

This is a great opportunity to learn about a part of the world that is unfamiliar to most of us from an IPE graduate who has experienced these issues both in the field and now through his graduate work.

Suggested Reading: A SECULAR ISLAM: NATION, STATE, AND RELIGION IN UZBEKISTAN by Adeeb Khalid, International Journal of Middle East Studies (2003), 35: 573-598 Cambridge University Press.

Dessert and beverages will be provided.

Alumni Update: Melissa Watson in the Dominican Republic

This just in from Melissa Watson, IPE Class of 2004.

As of November 7^th, I will have officially been living and working as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic on year and two months—only 13 more months to go! The town where I live, Enriquillo, is situated at the southern edge of the lush and fertile Bahoruco mountain range, where the steep slopes flatten out into the dry, arid desert plains of the Pedernales Penninsula. It is amazingly beautiful, and often unbearably hot (at least for my Spokane-bred, redheaded, easily-sunburnt self). Fortunately I can escape up to the coffee farms whenever I need a break from the heat!

As a Community Economic Development volunteer here in the DR I was assigned to work primarily with two groups: Cooperativa de Mujeres Amor y Fe (Love and Faith Women's Cooperative) and Cooperativa de Café Organico del Sur (Organic Coffee Cooperative of the South). Each group has, in its way, taught me much about community organization and working in the Dominican Republic and about development work in general.

The women's group (currently working to become an official cooperative) originally formed to benefit from a pregnant cow "chain" project funded by a Spanish NGO. 14 members received pregnant cows last October and are expected to return the calves, once grown and pregnant, back to the cooperative to be given to another member of the group. The project, though small, is an excellent opportunity for the women, as the cows can provide them with a source of income; however, it is also a challenge because it is a long-term project and the women have little incentive to continue meeting and working as a group. That is where I have stepped in, generating interest by offering income generation workshops where I teach them how to make products such as floor cleaner, candles, recycled paper, etc. and also teaching a small business course. The paper project in particular has sparked a great deal of interest, and we have started selling 100% recycled handmade stationary and cards at artesan fairs and in the local community. The women like it because it requires minimal capital investment (we use old papers, cornstarch, leaves and petals, a blender, and handmade screens fashioned from pieces of old mosquito net and wire) and they can make sheets throughout the day while they work around their homes. I love the project because it's creative, unique, and there's a great potential for success.

The 132 members of our coffee cooperative, COOCAFESUR, cultivate their café high in the mountains that jut dramatically up from the aquamarine waters of the Caribbean Sea. They are young (founded just 3 years ago with the help of a former Peace Corps volunteer) and their farms are already certified organic; unfortunately they lack the funds to build the infrastructure to fully process their own coffee, and thus cannot yet sell collectively as "organic." That is one of my main focuses this year: helping find funding to construct the necessary buildings and equiptment to process the coffee. We're also planning a post-harvest composting latrine project due to start this spring. The coffee they grow and roast here is excellent, and I absolutely love spending time up in the mountains on the farms, learning all about coffee and practicing my Creole with the Haitian migrant workers—yet another interest (int'l labor migration) cultivated during my years at UPS that I'm surrounded by daily here, in addition to coffee and women's development.

If you'd like to hear more about my work and life in the Peace Corps--or if you have any suggestions or tips--please check out my blog (www.dispatchesfromthedr.blogspot.com) or shoot me an email at mwatsondrv@gmail.com. Gracias!

Career Fair October 16-17.

Career & Employment Services (CES) is hosting a Career Fair on October 16 and 17 from 4-7pm in Marshall Hall with different potential employers in attendance each day.

Click here for more information from the CES website.

Click here for a list of each day's participants.



You might want to prepare for the Career Fair by getting your resume in shape (be sure to bring copies with you) and by attending a "speed networking" workshop on Oct. 12. Here are the details from CES:

Students and alumni connect, one minute at a time, for a session of “speed networking.”

Friday, October 12, 2007 Noon to 1:30 pm Trimble Hall Forum

Nervous about introducing yourself to new people or talking to strangers? Speed Networking will help you leave your anxiety behind!

After a speedy round of introductions where students can practice their personal networking speeches with alumni, an informal reception provides a slower-paced opportunity to build on conversations started during the speed networking time.

In conjunction with Economics department reunions during homecoming, this event will emphasize careers in economics and also non-profit fields. All classes and majors are invited!

IPE Trivia Night on October 24

Need a study break? Want to get to know the rest of the IPE department outside of class?

Join the IPE department faculty and students for a night of food and (intellectual) fun at IPE's first Trivia Night! With a team of 3-5 students, you can compete in several rounds of IPE trivia for prizes and glory. Tie-breakers and activities between rounds will include Outburst and Stump the Prof. Pizza will be served! Show off your knowledge of IPE theory, politics, economics, history, geography, and culture, and have some fun while you're at it!

Wednesday, October 24, from 6-7 PM in McIntyre 309

Sign up for a team spot on the IPE department bulletin board on the second floor of McIntyre. You don't need to have a team formed to sign up.

Anders Conway to Speak on Central Asia November 7

Anders Conway (IPE '06) spent the last year traveling and working Central Asia. We've invited him to come to campus to tell us about his experiences in this interesting and important part of the world. Everyone is invited to hear Anders' story and learn about Central Asia. Refreshments will be provided.
Wednesday, November 7 at 6pm in Mc309.
Check out Anders' travel blog at wandersponders.blogspot.com.

Grads Schools for IPE?

The IPE faculty are frequently asked to recommend graduate schools for students who want to undertake further study in IPE or a related field. We always say that the right graduate school for you depends on what you want to study and where you want your graduate education to take you. So you need to think deeply about your interests and career aspirations and do a lot of research on grad schools.

Know thyself -- that's tough advice. But what's the best way to get starting trying to "know" about the options for graduate school? One approach is to visit the website for the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA for short). This is an organization of the best grad programs in international affairs in the U.S. and around the world. This site won't tell you where you should study, but it gives you a useful starting menu of programs with an interdisciplinary approach and the expected links and contact information.

A couple of years ago we asked Matt Ferchen, an IPE graduate before there was an IPE program, to write down some of his thoughts about the best way to choose a graduate program. Click on the link to read his Guide to Choosing a Graduate Program. (Note: Matt did development fieldwork in Latin America after UPS, then a Masters degree at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies a.k.a. SAIS in Washington DC. He is now in China working on research for his PhD from Cornell.)

Peace Corps or Grad School?

I know that many of you are thinking about the possibility of grad school or the Peace Corps after your studies at Puget Sound. Well, the Peace Corps has partnered with a number of grad schools to offer the Master's International program , which integrates the Peace Corps Volunteer experience into a program of graduate studies and provides financial resources, too. Here is some information from the Peace Corps website:

Master's International (MI) has made the truly unique opportunity of complementing a master's degree with overseas service available in a variety of fields at over 50 academic institutions nationwide. Established in 1987, Master's International addresses the first goal of the Peace Corps: to help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women. Master's International students serve in over 70 different countries and participate in every aspect of life overseas.

As a prospective student, you will apply simultaneously to both the Peace Corps and the participating graduate school(s) of your choice. After being accepted by both, you will complete a year to two years of graduate course work at your respective university while continuing to prepare for work overseas. Each MI Program is autonomous. Your academic institution will have its own requirements and will award credit for Peace Corps service accordingly.

After completing your initial course work and receiving your Peace Corps placement, you will travel to your respective site and begin training. Once overseas, you are given an assignment according to the needs and requests of your host country. Participating faculty recognize that while overseas, your primary responsibility is the project and community to which you have been assigned. Rather than determining a research topic in advance, you will allow your volunteer assignment to shape your academic requirement.

Depending on the institution, that assignment may be a thesis, professional paper, or other culminating project, under the direction of your faculty and with the approval of Peace Corps overseas staff. You must be flexible and, in some cases, creative when transforming your volunteer service into your graduate work. Other possibilities offered are graduate credits for Peace Corps service and tuition or fee waivers.

After completing your Peace Corps service, you will return to either finish your graduate course work or begin your career. Now, you have the advantage of actually having implemented some of your ideas and applied theory to practice, while living overseas. You will have returned with a world view and the skills and education to change that world.

Click here to view a list of participating graduate program.

Alumni Report: New Beginnings with Stephanie Rubio Prine IPE '99

To say the least, my career path since leaving UPS with an IPE degree has been less than conventional. Like many people upon graduation, I was excited to be done with school but a little apprehensive about entering the cooperate world of suits and ties. So, I didn’t! Instead I took a full time position where I had been a work study through most of my years at UPS.

Sounds pretty logical so far, right? Not so fast. My work study job wasn’t with US Bank or Evergreen as you might assume. My work study job was at the Pt. Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in the zoological department thus I spent the next ten years of my life as a zookeeper. See, you really can do anything with an IPE degree!

While they were a very fun and exciting ten years, scooping up elephant dung with a shovel and training tigers to lay down on que slowly started to lose its charm. So, at the end of 2006 I decided it was time to try a new career and went back to my IPE roots for inspiration. Because I always had an interest in international trade, my goal was to work for one of the shipping lines or one of the ports here in Western Washington. I was a little nervous about my prospects; would my IPE degree and winning smile be enough to get a hiring manager to look past the zookeeper sitting across from them? Alas, it was and in February of 2007 I started my new job as an Assistant Operations Manager for APM Terminals in the Port of Tacoma.

So you might be wondering, what is an Assistant Operations Manager and who ever heard of APM Terminals? Excellent question! Well APM Terminals is a division of Maersk, the largest shipping line in the world. APM Terminals operates the terminals where the container ships dock. Our job is to organize the unloading and reloading of the vessels when they come into the port. There are several terminal operators within the port of Tacoma serving the various shipping lines that call there. Our terminal serves 5 different vessels on a weekly rotation for Maersk as well as Horizon Lines. Basically the container ships arrive at our dock; we take a certain number of containers off and then put different ones back on. The number of containers discharged from a ship or loaded onto the ship, generically referred to as ‘moves’, can vary widely. For example, the Horizon Lines Pacific generally only requires around 250 moves while the Maersk Sofie sometimes requires 1400. The whole process goes pretty quickly and ships rarely sit on the dock for more than 24 hours.

While it’s only been six months I am very happy with my new job and am having a great time learning something new. At times I still feel a little out of my element amongst the giant cranes and speeding trucks but I’m starting to get used to it. Heck, I don’t even miss my shovel anymore.

Alumni Report: On the Road with Anders Conway IPE '06

My name is Anders Conway. After graduating from UPS with an IPE major in May of 2006 I spent a doing a lot of different things. After a stint traveling for a couple months mostly in the former Yugoslavia and the Balkans, I traveled to Central Asia. In Kyrgyzstan I utilized my background in outdoor education and wilderness tripping as well as the little bit of Russian I picked up during an undergraduate study abroad to get started working for a little NGO in Bishkek called the Alpine Fund. I worked in the office, studied Kyrgyz and Russian and worked with local at risk kids to take them to the mountains and learn some English.
I am currently a graduate student at the University of Washington’s Jackson School for International Studies pursuing a M.A. degree from their Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Program. My emphasis will be Central Asia. I found the experience to be an invaluable grounding personally as well as professionally and if anybody wants to talk about post-graduate volunteering, work opportunities and/or graduate school, I am available.

I put together a blog while I was away: wandersponders.blogspot.com. There is some stuff in there about wilderness trips over the summer. Most of it is IPE related, however.

Before I go, I would just like to say that distancing one’s self from the US is not only a great way to seek new frontiers far away but also presents an almost unique opportunity to read and study all those books you have heard so much about but never had time to get to in between classes.

Alumni Update: Julie Goldenberg, IPE '02

Since graduating from the IPE program at UPS in 2002, I have been granted several amazing opportunities. I have completed my Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in International Public Service and Development (IPSD) from Rutgers University. My 2^nd an 3^rd years of the IPSD program were spent serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, where I worked with local groups in areas of community health, education, and youth development. Upon completion of my Peace Corps service, I was invited to work as a Crisis Corps Volunteer with small communities in El Salvador devastated by the aftermath of Hurricane Stan and the untimely eruption of Volcano Ilamatepec.

After my service in El Salvador (December of last year), and not yet ready to come home, I found myself seated on TicaBus with a one-way ticket to Honduras. Fortunately, I was able to work in a friend’s bakery in Tegucigalpa while job hunting. I landed an interview with the Alison Bixby Stone School (ABSS) and began work in mid-January. ABSS is a well-respected bilingual primary school that provides an innovative and rigorous education to children from all walks of life. It is a progressive institution with a social mission to grant scholarships to economically-disadvantaged children in the rural villages surrounding the school (check us out at www.zamorano.edu/abss).

I worked for eight months as an administrator, translator, substitute teacher, and fundraiser. It came to our attention quickly the need for a full-time fundraiser working in the U.S. in order to resolve the school’s issue of historically unpredictable funding as well as to help expand our scholarship program and institutionalize our efforts in training public school teachers. Problem solved (at least, partially): I am now working in Seattle as a fundraiser (out of my parent’s house!) for the Alison Bixby Stone School. We are doing our best to stay afloat as we continue to search for seed and salary monies. If interested in learning more about my story or ways to become involved with ABSS, please contact me at jgoldenberg@zamorano.edu.

Seattle Lectures: Cool It and Supercapitalism

The Town Hall Seattle lecture series (click on www.townhallseattle.org for details) is offering an exciting program of speakers this year at bargain prices -- as low as $5 per person. IPE students might be interested in two speakers who are coming to Seattle this week:

Bjorn Lomborg: 'Cool It.'

Wednesday, September 19, 2007 | 7:30pm Location: Downstairs at Town Hall, enter on Seneca Street. Bjorn Lomborg is an economist and author of The Skeptical Environmentalist. Named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2004, Lomborg argues in his new book, Cool It, that many of the elaborate and very expensive actions now being considered to stop global warming are often based on emotional rather than scientific assumptions and may very will have little impact of the world’s temperature for hundreds of years. He believes that we should first focus resources on more immediate concerns, such as fighting malaria and HIV/AIDS and maintaining a safe fresh water supply—problems which can be addressed at a fraction of the cost and save millions of lives in our lifetime. Presented by Town Hall Center for Civic Life with University Book Store. Robert Reich 'Supercapitalism' Thursday, September 20, 2007 | 7:30pm Location: Downstairs at Town Hall, enter on Seneca Street. Former Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton, Robert Reich is a best-selling author, commentator, and professor of public policy. Reich’s new book, Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life, is an examination of how mid-twentieth-century capitalism has become super-charged, resulting in both a larger economic pie and widening inequalities of income and wealth. He shows how the tools traditionally used to temper America’s societal problems—fair taxation, well-funded public education, and trade unions—have withered. Reich argues that business and politics must be kept distinct and calls for an end to the legal fiction that corporations are citizens or can be “socially responsible” until laws define social needs. Presented by Town Hall Center for Civic Life with University Book Store.

IPE Study Abroad Event on Monday 9/17

"Where in the world can my IPE major take me? Choosing a study abroad program."

What? IPE majors who studied abroad last year share information about their programs and experiences. Participants include Jessica Bruce and Logan Mackinnon (European Union), Drew Cameron (India, Tibet, Nepal), Natalie Fish (Denmark), and Emily Noel (Germany).

When? Monday, September 17 at 5pm in the WSC Murray Boardroom.

Why? A great way to learn about foreign study in general and specific programs that IPE majors have attended. It is also an opportunity to socialize with IPE faculty, majors and students who are interested in IPE. Pizza and soda will be provided!

Be sure to visit the Study Abroad Fair on Tuesday, September 18 from 11am-2pm in WSC Marshall Hall.

Alumni Update: Matt Van Sickle

Alumni Updates are a regular feature of the IPE Blog. Send your alumni profile to ipe@ups.edu

Matt Van Sickle (IPE 2002) currently works as a Foreign Affairs Analyst for the National Nuclear Security Administration, part of the Department of Energy, in Washington DC.

Matt's work focuses on U.S. Government policy related to nuclear nonproliferation, including the recent developments in Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

If you are interested in this field, please feel free to contact him at mvansickle@earthlink.net.

IPE in Action: Peace Corps in Honduras

Morgan Montgomery (IPE '06) has just completed her first year as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras. Here is a brief report from the field. You can learn more by visiting Morgan's blog at
http://morganinhonduras.blogspot.com/

So the 8th of September marked the official one year mark of my
service. It is really incredibly hard to believe that I have been here
in La Libertad for an entire year. The time has gone by so quickly
and I am looking at only a year left and it makes me a little crazy.
I have no clue what I am going to do afterward, I miss my family and
friends, but at the same time I don't want the time to pass so
quickly. I truly love it here and I am very happy. At the same time,
I am not really concerned about what I am going to do when I am done,
because I know that it will all work out and I will end up exactly
where I need to be-wherever that may be. So for my one year, we had a
small celebration here in my house and Roque came over for the
weekend. I made a cake for the family and we sat around, talking and
listening to music, it was a lot of fun and very chill. I thanked
them for a year of extreme hospitality and for sharing their lives
with me for this year. It was really nice.

When I look back at the year that I have had here, I am amazed. First
of all, I have been living in Honduras for over a year and it feels
like home to me. Secondly, I have made incredible friends and I
consider my host family to be exactly that, family. I have had an
insane amount of experiences, good/bad and indifferent that have
taught me a whole lot about myself. When I reflect on my work here,
it is very mixed. I know my job here is not like any other job
really. But here is a brief list of my work here in La Libertad:

• -I have been trying for a year now to start Escuela Para Padres yMadres (parenting schools).
  

• I have been training a baseball team (the last few months have been
• significantly more productive especially with the new coach I have)
• I am teaching English to 85 sixth graders
• I have learned to appreciate the down time, the hours of free time
• I have taught a little English to a few adults (when they came to class)
• I am working with CODEM (emergency committee)-which only recently
• started doing things
• I work with the Library (ummm…yeah, probably the biggest headache and
• the most frustrating of all….it is always one step forward 12 steps
• back but hopefully that will change soon…we will see)
• I have experienced the joys of a family killing an opossum at 3am in
• the morning
• I gave one charla to 5 teachers on how to teach more dynamically
• I have definitely enjoyed the reading-for-pleasure time
• I was giving charlas (self-esteem, values, communication, etc.) to
• the library's youth group
• I have gone deaf as a direct result of fireworks at 4am on Holidays
• I have grown somewhat accustomed to the Honduran style of time

That is the life in Peace Corps. I know I, as well as others, came in
with the mindset that we were going to come in and change the world.
Well, we are making change, just not necessarily in the manner in
which we thought, although sometimes yes it does happen. Peace Corps
truly is a unique experience and I would not change it for anything.
The change here is often unseen, often making an impact years down the
line, and often in ways that you never expected. But more often then
not, the change is within us (for me, my manner of thinking, acting,
being…). And this change we will carry with us into future jobs, our
lives, and interactions we have everyday after this.

So looking back on this past year of service, I am so happy for
everything that has happened and so grateful that I have this
experience. Thank you all very much for all of your love and your
support. It means the world to me. Thank you for everything.

I cannot wait to see what this next year will bring, and I know it
too, will fly by. I just plan on living and loving every minute of
it.

Soy Republic: Ali Riveness on GMO Soybeans in Argentina

Ali Riveness will discuss her summer research findings in a presentation titled "From Granary of the World to Soy Republic: Argentina's new-found Addiction to Genetically Modified Soybeans" at 4:00 pm on Wednesday September 12 in Wyatt 101. Everyone is invited to attend this interesting lecture, which includes a video Ali made during her study abroad experience in Argentina.

Watson Fellowship Meetings

The University of Puget Sound has been unusually successful in the Watson Fellowship competition (click here to learn all about this unique opportunity). Three Puget Sound students received Watson Fellowships last year (out of only 50 given nationwide). Two IPE majors, Scott Warren and Greg Groggel, have received Watsons in the last three years. Maybe you are a potential Watson Fellow? If so, read on ...

Professor Priti Joshi sends this message about the Watson Fellowship competition.

Please announce in your upper division classes the following two informational meetings I will be holding for students who are interested in applying for the Watson Fellowship this year:

Wed, Sept 12, 4-5:30 pm in Wyatt 208
or
Thurs, Sept 13, 5:30-7 pm in Wyatt 208

Any interested students are welcome to attend, although given the timeline, this meeting will likely be most pertinent to seniors who are considering applying this year (the deadline is Fri, Oct 5^th). For juniors and other lower-division students, I run several additional meetings in the spring.

A Few Words about the Watson Fellowship: The Watson is a highly competitive and prestigious national fellowship that provides students with a $25,000 grant to pursue a year of travel outside the United States. Fellows develop innovative projects that take them to diverse locations to address what are often highly idiosyncratic interests (e.g.: kite building and flying, communities with lake monster myths, retracing Darwin’s Beagle journey). Watson does not support "library" or research projects; instead, the foundation is interested in students who demonstrate curiosity and independent thinking and in projects that develop a young person’s self-reliance and interpersonal skills. Consequently, students who are successful can be but are not necessarily "A students"; they are always bold and original thinkers and very resourceful. The program is highly selective not only in the students it picks, but also in the roughly 50 colleges it invites to participate. Puget Sound has been a "Watson school" since 1992 and we have been extremely successful in those years with one or two winners almost every year since 1994, and three in 2006-7. This is a unique opportunity for our students, one they are fortunate to have available to them because they attend UPS.

Please take a few moments to announce these informational meetings in your classes. And if you have any questions about the program, please do not hesitate to contact me at pjoshi@ups.edu.

Casey Dillon on Local Food Systems

Casey Dillon (IPE class of 2006) works at the Center for Sustainable Communities at the National Association of Counties in Washington, D.C. She is the author of a recent study on "Counties and Local Food Systems." Click here to view a pdf of her report.

Vietnam Report: Lan Nguyen's Summer Research

IPE senior Lan Nguyen spent the summer in Vietnam doing fieldwork for her study of "Brain Drain vs. Brain Gain in Vietnam: Changes in Human Capital and its Effect on Development ." Click here to read about Lan's research and experiences.

Lan's research was made possible by the IPE Program's Summer Research Fellowship program. Click here to read about this program, which is financed by royalties from the IPE textbook project.

Put the IPE Blog on your iGoogle home page

If you have an iGoogle home page (go to www.google.com/ig if you don't), you can add a frequently updated feed from the IPE Blog so that you always know when new information is posted here.

Here's how you do it. Once you've created your iGoogle home page, click on the Add Stuff link in the upper right. Type "international political economy" into the Search Homepage Content space and then scroll down to the bottom of the results page, where you will find ipeatups.blogspot.com . Click the Add it Now link and you are in business.

You might also want to do the same thing for the Politics and Government's excellent blog. Search for "politicsups" on the Search Homepage Content page to find the PG blog.

Soros New Americans Fellowships

Soros New American Fellowships provide financial support ($20,000 per year) and a tuition grant (half of tuition) for graduate education of "New Americans:" students who are resident aliens, naturalized U.S. citizens, or the children of parents both of whom are naturalized citizens.
If you are a New American and you are interested in grad school, you should check out this fellowship opportunity. Application deadline is November 1. Details can be found at the program website http://www.pdsoros.org/index.html

World Trade Center Tacoma Fall Internships

The World Trade Center Tacoma is recruiting for fall interns. Interns are asked to work 15-20 hours per week, and are unpaid. Hours are flexible to work around student class and work schedules. There are positions available in event coordinating, international trade services, and website design. Interested students are asked to submit their resume, cover letter (indicate which intern position you are interested in and your schedule availability), a letter of recommendation, and also a school transcript if you are interested in receiving academic credit for your internship. For more information about intern positions, visit: http://www.wtcta.org/index.php?CURRENT_PAGE_ID=521.

All application materials and questions about internships can be sent to UPS alum Colleen Gause at cgause@wtcta.org.

Veseth Interviewed on Global Wine Market

Foreign Policy magazine recently interviewed IPE Professor Michael Veseth about the rapidly changing global market for wine for its popular "Seven Questions" online feature. You can read the interview at www.foreignpolicy.com
Professor Veseth writes a blog about his wine and globalization research. It is called Grape Expectations.

Jobs with the U.S. Department of State

The U.S. Department of State is actively recruiting talented young people to join their ranks as Foreign Service officers. There are also summer opportunities for students. Go to http://careers.state.gov/index.html for complete information.

Teach in Chile deadline September 1

Council on International Educational Exchange announces the opening of applications for their second Teach in Chile program: Teach in Chile begins in late February 2008 for the Chilean academic year; the application deadline is September 1. Application information is available on the CIEE website http://www.ciee.org/teach/teach_chile/placement_chile.aspx.

CIEE is collaborating with several institutions to host Americans as English teachers for the 2008 Chilean academic school year, starting in late February and ending in mid-December. These institutions include local private schools in Santiago, the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, and DuocUC, a non-profit private institution of higher education established in 1968 by the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

An exceptional opportunity for recent graduates, the CIEE Teach Chile program offers native English speakers with strong Spanish skills, who possess, at minimum, a bachelor's degree a unique and affordable opportunity to live and work in this fascinating country and to gain insight into the life and culture in a way no traveler could. Previous teaching experience is not necessary, although it's quite desirable.

CIEE program benefits include orientation by on-site CIEE staff and local experts in Santiago focused on cross-cultural issues and teaching methodologies, insurance coverage, 24 hour in-country emergency support services, pre-departure advice and support, teaching tools, and visa advising. Please go to the website listed above for details.

More Good Reading: Finance & Development

For a number of years the IMF has published a monthly magazine called Finance and Development (www.imf.org/faand ), available both on the web and in hard copy (free subscription). This magazine has evolved to become an unusually interesting (and underappreciated) forum for discussion of important issues. If you are interested in IPE you should check it out.

The current issue, for example, has several articles related to the issue's theme, which is the importance of empowering women in economic development. Other sections include several articles that look at the changes since the Asian financial crisis of 1997, examine investment problems in China and consider how to make remittances more effective in Africa. There is also a primer on microfinance and some thoughtful book reviews. The articles are fairly short, contain useful data, and are written for an informed audience (like our IPE students at Puget Sound) but try avoid technical jargon for the most part.

Recommended reading and an excellent place to look if you are having trouble coming up with a topic for your senior thesis.

Good Reading: Dani Rodrik's Blog

Dani Rodrik is Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and one of our favorite original thinkers. He isn't afraid to challenge the conventional wisdom when it comes to issues like globalization, free trade and economic development. You might have seen him quoted recently in the New York Times article about "heterodox economists."

Prof. Rodrik's started keeping a blog called"Unconventional thoughts on economic development and globalization" at http://rodrik.typepad.com/ If you are interested IPE Rodrik's blog is essential reading.

Alumni Survey II: What do they do?

What have our IPE alumni done since graduation? Here is a list of their activities taken from responses to the 2007 Alumni survey.

• teach Civics and Economics at a high school
• Peace Corps volunteer in Africa
• working on MA in Global Finance, Trade and Economics at the University of Denver; former Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine
• worked as sovereign risk analyst for a national bank, now working at a consulting firm
• junior partner with a non-profit consulting firm
• working for Lehman Brothers in Institutional Equity Sales
• work for an insurance company
• working on my graduate in the Masters in Development Administration, worked with AmeriCorps
• working at Friday's/Bite Me! Cookies Inc
• IES Beijing program assistant
• Columbia University environmental science grad school
• volunteering related to nursing
• working on political campaigns
• In the MA program at Iliff School of Theology
• volunteering, teaching English
• Summer Camp director - Camp Vega
• graduate school at San Diego State University, working on masters in Public Administration
• Business Development Manager for a Chamber of Commerce
• Johns Hopkins SAIS Bologna
• Job: Program Assistant, Center for Sustainable Communities at the National Association of Counties
• attending community college for training in Water Treatment and Wastewater
• aide in Senator Maria Cantwell's office in Washington DC
• professional liability account manager
• attend the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver
• Peace Corps Volunteer at Zambia
• working at global business consulting firm
• working as a victim advocate for the 13th judicial district attorney
• advertising agency in NYC
• Beaver Creek Ski Patrol
• trying to start up my own real-estate investing company
• practicing law in Denver
• work at bilingual elementary school at Honduras
• working as an underwriter for a mortgage company
• Watson Fellow
• working for Boeing Co
• working at General Mills
• I am a Presbyterian Minister and an Army Chaplin
• PhD candidate in economics at University of Massachusetts
• work for State Department as Foreign Service Officer
• summer volunteer work in Greece
• teacher at the British School of Lomé
• M.A. in Government: Georgetown University (2005), Ph.D. Fellow in International Relations, Government: Georgetown University (expected 2008) J.D Yale Law School (expected 2008)
• Outward Bound trip leader
• getting ready to attend law school at the University of Denver
• Peace Corps Volunteer at Zambia
• work as bilingual case manager
• worked at Chesapeake Bay Program, now sailing to New Caledonia
• looking for work in Seattle
• working as an environmental consultant
• working at a consulting firm
• working as an Associate Attorney in Washington, DC
• working as paralegal assistant
• working as the Assistant Director of Annual Giving at a university
• Peace Corps volunteer in Moldova
• in the graduate school, working toward masters of science in global affairs
• working at Morgan Stanley as a financial advisor
• current job: C-17 Pilot, United States Air Force Reserve
• current job: a middle school teacher in China
• finishing law school at U of Idaho
• in graduate school, working as an admissions graduate intern and graduate research assistant
• current job: at a small consulting company in Seattle
• current job: program director at REACH Ministries
• grad school at California State University, working as nutrition educator at a local hospital's community outreach
• Working for Wells Fargo
• running and growing my own beverage distribution business
• job: Lehman Bros
• job: Associate with Wachovia's Wealth Management Division
• job: assistant operations manager at APM terminals
• job: working for Congressman Harry Mitcehll as a legislative assistant
• job: work for investment bank and aerospace industry advisory firm
• job: Foundation for Sustainable Development
• job: manager, financial services at a Federal Reserve Bankj
• job: intelligence analyst the Defense Intelligence Agency
• University of Virginia School of Law
• job: account manager at IT recruiting firm
• job: associate at a Washington DC law firm
• job: program Assistant, Center for Sustainable Communities
• job: policy analyst for Statewide Accountability for the Oregon Community College, also I am working on my PhD in Education in Community College Leadership
• job: Senior Management Auditor for the King County Auditor's Office
• education: masters in Environmental Policy and Land-Use Planning
• job: music business for the Coalition of Independent Music Stores
• Hansard Research Scholar, London
• job: teaching high school social studies, education: in grad school at Pace University, working on masters in teaching
• job: personal banker at US bank, education: pursing graduate degree in Urban planning from Portland State University
• job: fellowship at the National Nuclear Security Administration, education: earned two masters from UW
• education: finishing law school; on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame
• fighting wildfires this summer then looking for work
• job: co-manager of a Human Resources department at a ski resort in New Mexico; former Watson Fellow
• job: systems engineer at Premera Blue Cross
• education: graduate student at Monterey Institute of International Studies
• job: real estate
• looking for job with grassroots campaign
• job: intern at Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, UC Berkeley

Alumni Survey I: Where do they go?

The IPE Program has recently completed a survey of its 300+ alumni and we will be posting information from this survey on the blog over the next week or so (this information will eventually be posted on the department web site, too). Here's the first entry:

Where do IPE majors go after they graduate? Here is a partial list taken from the survey. As you can see, they are everywhere.

• Charlotte, NC
• South Africa
• Salt Lake City / Africa
• Denver, CO
• New Caledonia
• Seattle, WA
• Aurora, CO
• Seattle, WA
• Seattle, WA
• New York, NY
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Kalamazoo, ML
• Puyallup, WA
• Beijing China
• New York, NY
• Vancouver, WA
• Tacoma, WA
• Denver, CO
• Portland, Maine
• San Francisco, CA
• Lakewood, CO
• Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
• Boston, MA
• Tucson, AZ
• San Diego, CA
• Portland, OR
• Bologna, Italy
• Seattle, WA
• Washington, DC
• S. California
• Washington, DC
• Salt Lake City / Africa
• Seattle, WA
• Franklin, MA
• Zambia
• Africa
• Seattle, WA
• Albuquerque, NM
• Brooklyn, NY
• Beaver Creek, CO
• Tacoma, WA
• Denver, CO
• El Zamarano, Honduras
• Vancouver, WA
• Sydney, Australia
• Washougal, WA
• Elk Grove CA
• Minnesota
• Seattle, WA
• Boulder, CO
• Amherst
• Lomé, Togo
• Glyfa, Greece
• Lomé, Togo
• New Haven, CT
• Red Lodge, MT
• Zambia
• Monterey, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Seattle, WA
• Seattle, WA
• Beaverton, OR
• Houston, TX
• Phoenix, AZ
• Seattle, WA
• Moldova
• Brooklyn, NY
• Seattle, WA
• Fircrest, WA
• Shanghai, China
• Moscow, ID
• Seattle, WA
• New York, NY
• Seattle, WA
• Tacoma, WA
• Long Beach, CA
• Tacoma, WA
• Las Vegas, NV
• Portland, OR
• Tacoma, WA
• New York, NY
• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Alexandria, Virginia
• Woodinville, WA
• Boise, ID
• Federal Way, WA
• Seattle, WA

Defense Intelligence Job Opportunities

This item was submitted by one of our IPE alumni who works for the Defense Intelligence Agency ...
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is conducting a "targeted" hiring event at the Sheraton Tacoma on July 19th. This isn't a traditional career fair, but more of an in-call for serious applicants. Any individuals interested in a career with the US Intelligence Community and the Department of Defense are encouraged to pre-register by July 16th. Only individuals who pre-register will be considered.
DIA is hiring "all-source" intelligence analysts, human intelligence specialists, and measures and signatures intelligence specialists. The agency is particularly interested in individuals with foreign area expertise, experience abroad, and foreign languages. Full details can be found at http://www.dia.mil/employment/fairs/event071907.htm.

New Edition of IPE Textbook

The 4th edition of Introduction to International Political Economy is due to be published later this month. As most of you know, this is a project of the IPE faculty at Puget Sound -- a book we originally wrote for our UPS classes and students, which is now used at more than 200 colleges and universities around the world. A portion of the royalties from the textbook go to support IPE program activities, including our summer research fellowship program. Here are the details:

Introduction to International Political Economy 4/e by David N. Balaam and Michael Veseth

In collaboration with Professors Brad Dillman, Monica DeHart, Karl Fields, Nick Kontogeorgopoulos, Sunil Kukreja, Patrick O'Neil, & Ross Singleton of the International Political Economy Program at the University of Puget Sound

Publisher: Prentice Hall
Copyright: 2008
Format: Paper; 528 pp

ISBN-10:	0136155634
ISBN-13:	9780136155638

For one semester/quarter courses in International Political Economy in Political Science, International Relations, and Economics departments as well as International Studies Programs.

A true introduction to the international political economy (IPE), the text does not assume that students have a background in politics, economy or sociology. This book clearly shows students how politics and economics come together in today's global environment. The text demonstrates how an understanding of IPE can help students make sense of global news, business investments, and government policies—by presenting the theories, institutions, and relationships found in IPE in simple ways that retain the complexity of the world issues and intellectual problems addressed.

You can find more information and a table of contents on the IPE Textbook home page or the Prentice Hall home page.

On the Research Trail

IPE senior Lan Nguyen is in Vietnam this summer working on her IPE Summer Research Fellowship project (see previous post for details). You can follow her adventures at Lan's Travel Blog.

You should also check out Greg Groggel's blog, Chasing the Flame. Greg (IPE Class of 2006) is on the last leg of his year-long Watson Fellowship journey.

IPE: It's a Small World

Professor Dave Balaam ran into Jessica Fritz and Stefan Hoerschelman (both IPE class of 2005) at a street market in Salzburg, Austria. If you have "small world" photos of IPE majors or alumni, send them to us at ipe@ups.edu