International Accents

Iowa is on the front lines of the Trump administration’s burgeoning trade wars. What’s at stake? Last year Iowa sold agricultural products, advanced manufactured products, and other goods worth over $13.3 billion to international buyers. Canada, Mexico, Japan, and China were our largest customers.

The last WorldCanvass program of 2018 featured historians, political scientists, and a former U.S. ambassador. Together with host Joan Kjaer, they examined the last century through the prism of foreign policy to explore the interwar period (1918-1939), follow the rise of the post-WWII Western alliance, and assess U.S. foreign policy in a new time of global realignment and instability.

In late July and early August of 2017, we took a 10-day trip to Japan, sponsored by the Japan Foundation. Our group consisted of 6 faculty members from the University of Iowa. The purpose of the trip was to make us more aware of Japanese culture so we can include Japanese elements in our future teaching and research. My expectation wasn’t high. Until the trip ended, I didn’t expect to learn anything to fundamentally change my view of Japan in 10 days.

It took me a fair amount of reading, but just a few minutes in Tokyo’s Nakano arcade, to realize that, aside from the U.S., Japan is the country whose visual artists have the greatest influence on global youth today.

Two of my areas of specialization are World War II in Europe and post-war memory - so a trip to Japan was a natural for me. One of my ambitions is to develop a course on World War II as a global event, which is a deviation from the more typical courses which focus on either Asia or Europe, and append the other theater as a footnote (while neglecting North Africa and Europe's overseas colonies entirely). I have also spoken to an academic press about writing a global history of sexuality in World War II; this trip provided fodder for thought for that project.

While looking for a part-time job abroad, third-year student Danielle Leveille tried her luck in the Japanese modeling industry. Leveille found herself taking up 10-12 modeling jobs a month and a full-time position through her agency upon graduation.

This year International Student and Scholar Services received so many excellent nominations for International Parents of the Year, it became difficult to choose one recipient. So we chose two, and are very happy to announce both.

UI senior Austin Hughes named Rhodes scholar and will begin studying English and Japanese language and literature at Oxford University beginning in October 2019.

Student is the 21st Rhodes scholar in University of Iowa history

The twentieth century has been called the American Century, a time when American ingenuity, economic growth, military power, and vibrant cultural expression led to increased prosperity and confidence at home and a stabilizing role in leadership on the international stage. 2018 finds us in a time of shifting alliances, renewed nationalism, unraveling multinational trade agreements, and serious divides at every level of political discourse. On the next WorldCanvass, historians, political scientists, and a former U.S. ambassador will look back over the last century through the prism of foreign policy and explore the interwar period (1918-1939), follow the rise of the post-WWII Western alliance, and assess U.S. foreign policy in a new time of global realignment and instability. Joan Kjaer hosts WorldCanvass, which takes place in downtown Iowa City at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street, from 5:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 5, and is free and open to the public. We invite you to come at 5 and join us for a pre-show catered reception.

After receiving the October 2018 version of our International Alumni Quarterly E-Newsletter, Philip C. Campbell (PhD sociology ’70, MA sociology ’63) wrote in to share his experiences from over 50 years in international education.