University Gets Visit From CIA

The Central Intelligence Agency visited the University of Oklahoma this week, but the visit had nothing to do with an undercover governmental operation.

Students at OU's College of International Studies had the opportunity to meet with recruiters from both the CIA and the National Clandestine Service to learn about potential careers and internship opportunities with the government agencies.

The college has been hosting visits from CIA recruiters for many semesters. These presentations are well-attended events that always attract a good number of students, according to Janice Levi, international programs coordinator for the College of International Studies.

"Careers with the CIA appeal to a large cross-section of our students, as many are focused on security studies, as well as careers with global components," Levi said.

The College of International Studies has been committed to introducing its students to potential job opportunities with numerous companies, agencies and organizations, according to Levi.

"Although many students are focused on the present, like attending classes and test-taking, we want them to begin thinking of their future and how they will market their degree, as well as what career they may be interested in pursuing," Levi said.

Many students within the international studies college have a primary focus of study, but they are also concerned with intercultural competency on many different levels. Studying a foreign language and participating in study abroad programs are often integrated into a student's area of study in order to gain certain skills for their future.

"These skills are needed in the ever-increasing global world in which we reside, and these skills are often required in careers with foreign relations and components, such as the CIA," Levi said.

The next scheduled event for career development is a career panel that the college will host on Nov. 7. For more information on this event, visit the college's website at cis.ou.edu.

Spotlight on Iranian Cinema

 
Students intrigued with international cinema are getting the opportunity this week to screen and celebrate masterpieces of contemporary Iranian film.

University of Oklahoma’s College of International Studies, the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art are joining together to create a week-long spotlight on Iranian cinema. The series will consist of five films shown throughout a six-day event, and will conclude with a lecture given by Hamid Naficy from Northwestern University, the preeminent scholar on Iranian cinema.

Afshin Marashi, associate professor for the Department of International and Area Studies at OU and Farzaneh Family Chair in Iranian studies, helped create and organize the event.

When Marashi arrived at OU last year as a new faculty member for Iranian studies, part of his job was to establish an Iranian studies program. Not only does this mean teaching courses about Iran, but it also means bringing in guest speakers and putting on other kinds of programming that will help educate students and the community about Iranian history, culture and society, according to Marashi.

“Film is sort of a natural part of that because in contemporary Iran, film is probably the most important and thriving genre of art that is taking place inside Iran. Iranian artists have really embraced the genre of filmmaking as really one of the primary forms of artistic expression,” Marashi said.

As more contemporary Iranian filmmakers emerge, they are becoming more and more noticed and rewarded for their talent.

“Iranian filmmakers in really only the last 20 years have won all sorts of awards at international film festivals, and they’ve become recognized on a global level as one of the most important film traditions in the world,” Marashi said.

However, in many parts of the world, including here in United States, and perhaps even more so in Oklahoma, Iranian film is a very foreign concept, both literally and figuratively. Many Americans have yet to be exposed to Iranian cinema.

“People at OU should know about this. Especially in this part of the country, there are very few opportunities to see foreign films. We get the big Hollywood blockbusters, but the art films and foreign films that are usually shown in New York and Los Angeles and other major metropolitan areas, those kind of films hardly ever make it to places like Oklahoma,” Marashi said.

Partnering with Marashi for the event is Brian Hearn, film curator for the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Marashi and Hearn brainstormed several dozen Iranian films and filmmakers before ultimately deciding on the five films they thought were most important, each for different reasons, to show during the series, according to Hearn.

“We wanted to show contemporary films that give a sense of what life is like inside Iran. It is noteworthy that for the first time ever, an Iranian film ‘A Separation’ won the 2012 best foreign language film Academy Award. Of course, we had to include that film in the series,” Hearn said.

Marashi and Hearn are also spotlighting Iranian cinema in order to give the public a different perspective on the Middle Eastern country and to shed light on a culture that is often misconstrued.

“Iran is a nation that is widely misunderstood and misrepresented in the U.S… It is important to show other dimensions of Iranian society and culture that are rarely depicted in western mass media,” Hearn said.

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is not only giving attendees the opportunity to screen Iranian films, they are also giving movie-goers a taste of Iran created specifically for this event.

“We are adding a related culinary component - a special menu available in our museum café,” Hearn said.

In addition to this week of Iranian film and food, concluding the event will be a lecture featuring Hamid Naficy immediately following the screening of the last film of the series.

“I would say that Hamid Naficy is the world’s leading authority on Iranian film, and in the field of Iranian studies, his reputation is something that everyone knows. So I thought if we’re doing a film series, we could combine that with a lecture by the world’s most preeminent scholar of Iranian film, and that would be a really great conclusion to the series,” Marashi said.

A reception and book signing will follow the lecture to celebrate the release of Naficy’s 4-volume book “A Social History of Iranian Cinema” and to wrap up the film series.

The spotlight on Iranian cinema will take place Oct. 16-21, 2012. For more information on the films being screened, film times and locations, visit www.ou.edu/international.

Syrian Panel Discussion

Students interested in leadership in foreign countries will have the opportunity this week to hear from a panel of experts.

University of Oklahoma’s College of International Studies is hosting a panel discussion focusing on American leadership in Syria. The event will feature Ambassador Kurt Volker, executive director of Arizona State University’s McCain Institute for International Leadership.

Attendees can expect a thoughtful and lively discussion of what, if any, role the United States should play in the current Syria conflict, according to Lyndsey Ray, development officer for the College of International Studies.

“We invited Ambassador Volker to be our guest to share his knowledge on the Middle East and offer commentary on the region’s current conflicts to illustrate the value of an internationally-focused education in preparing American leaders for global conflict resolution,” Ray said.

The panel discussion will take place Friday, Oct. 19, at 11:30 a.m. in Hester Hall, room 170.

Latin American Career Night

Students interested in pursuing Latin American focused careers were able to get insight from a panel of experts this week.

            
The University of Oklahoma’s College of International Studies hosted a Latin American career night on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. in Hester Hall. This was the first of four region specific career nights that the college is offering this year.

           

Throughout the semester, the College of International Studies is hosting career panels to provide a group of professionals working in various fields, in a specific region of the world, to discuss their career paths, according to the college’s website. Students are encouraged to attend for discussion, networking, and learning about various opportunities available to them in their particular world region of interest.

           

“We first started the idea of career night last spring, with no region specificity. This semester we are starting to offer more than one region specific career night, which will continue into spring 2013,” said Janice Levi, international programs coordinator for the College of International Studies at OU.

            

Attendees are able to hear from global experts such as diplomats, international studies professors and Peace Corps representatives from areas all over the world.

            

“Although many College of International Studies students are not region specific, as defined by their major, many have an interest in a particular area of the world which influences their choice of language study and acquisition, study abroad program, and internship interests,” Levi said.

           

Students outside of the international studies college that are interested in working in various regions of the world are also welcome to attend the college’s career nights.

           

The next career night will focus on Asia and Africa. It is scheduled for Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. in Hester Hall, room 170. For more information on upcoming events for career development, visit the college’s website at cis.ou.edu. 

University Radio Show Gets New Time Slot

Listeners to the third most downloaded radio program on campus will soon be able to tune in to the popular talk radio show more often.

“World Views,” a 30-minute show broadcasting from KGOU studios in Copeland Hall at the University of Oklahoma, will go from broadcasting bi-monthly to every Friday at 4 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. beginning this Friday, Oct. 5.

The program features three faculty members from the College of International Studies as well as special guests, and each show focuses on specific global topics or world regions in a roundtable discussion. The roundtable consists of host Suzette Grillot, interim dean of the College of International Studies, Joshua Landis , director of the Center for Middle East Studies at OU, and Rebecca Cruise, a securities studies and comparative politics expert, according to the radio station’s website.

With the new time slot for “World Views” being put in place, Cruise said the content of the show needed a little change as well to continue to bring in more listeners.

“Along with the roundtable conversation, we’re also going to be doing a live Twitter discussion, so as people are listening to the show they can get into a Twitter conversation with us as the show is airing if they have any questions or comments they want to share,” Cruise said.

The show also allows listeners to hear from experts on global affairs in a place where most people probably do not think much overseas insight exists.

“It’s really neat because I think so many people don’t think of Oklahoma as having connections to international communities, and the fact of the matter is, we have a lot of connections, and a lot of people doing international work visit OU. We’re able to interact with these visitors and talk with local leaders as well,” Cruise said.

“World Views” began airing nearly three years ago with Zach Messitte, former dean of the College of International Studies, as its host.

The program started as a segment within a locally produced public affairs program that is produced at KGOU called “Oklahoma Voices,” and Messitte did a series of interviews that the station aired as part of that program, according to Brian Hardzinski, a producer for KGOU.

“Dean Messitte approached us about turning the segment into a regular program that stood on its own, so what we ended up doing is we turned it into a twice a month, 30-minute show that aired right after ‘Oklahoma Voices’ every other Monday morning at 11:30,” Hardzinski said.

As Suzette Grillot stepped into the interim dean’s role once Messitte left OU last spring, KGOU continued the program with Grillot as the new host.

With “World Views” listener base growing, Grillot, Landis and Cruise approached the producers of KGOU with the idea to turn the show into a weekly broadcast.

“The show seems to be well received, so it was kind of a collaborative effort between us and the producers to switch from airing bi-monthly to every week,” Grillot said.

With this Friday being the first week of the new time slot for the show, there is a lot of excitement among the producers and hosts.

“Listeners now know that the show will air every week during prime time, so they won’t be confused which Monday to tune in or get confused by which week the program will air. It will be interesting to see if having the show every Friday will increase listenership like we‘re hoping,” Cruise said.

This week’s installment of “World Views” will feature discussions on the Iranian currency crisis and the Syrian-Turkey conflict, as well as other world news and current events, according to Cruise.

Tune in to “World Views” this and every Friday at 4 p.m. or the re-airing at 6:30 p.m. Listen in the Norman area on the radio at 106.3 FM, or listen anywhere online at kgou.org.

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF

Students are showing a different type of spirit during the Halloween season in order to give back to children in need throughout the community.

UNICEF at OU, the official UNICEF campus initiative chapter at the University of Oklahoma, is participating in the 62^nd annual Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign. Participants of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF tote the organization’s iconic orange box door-to-door on Halloween, collecting funds for the worldwide organization aimed at helping and protecting children, according to UNICEF’s website.

Matt Bebb, a member of UNICEF at OU, has been contacting organizations, student groups and local businesses to participate in the fundraising project.

“The purpose of the project is to collect small donations from the various people we have contacted, and then send the money back to UNICEF,” Bebb said.

Those interested in helping can now pick up Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF boxes in Hester Hall, room 150. Boxes must be returned by Oct. 26.