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Year of Asia & the Pacific (2018 – 2019)

Purpose

Ramapo College of New Jersey launched a Strategic Plan for Comprehensive Internationalization beginning in Fall 2015. In addition to specific targets within the plan, each academic year will also have a specific region of focus. Through these regional foci, our goal is to increase global awareness and the multitude of opportunities and initiatives the College is involved. Below, you will find specific details about some of these initiatives, plus an extensive calendar of events.

Opportunities for Students

Featured International Programs in Asia & the Pacific

India: Semester Abroad
Spring / 16 undergraduate credits / Deadline: early March
Interdisciplinary courses offered in: Culture, History, Sustainable Development, Social Movements, Global Indian Media, Micro-Enterprise and a Field Research Project

China: Business Immersion Experience
Spring Break / 4 undergraduate credits / Deadline: early March

India: Cultures & Grassroots Communities
Summer / 4 undergraduate credits / Deadline: late April

China: Community Health and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Summer / 4 undergraduate credits / Deadline: early March

Japan & South Korea: Exploring the Harmony of Traditional and Modern Societies
Summer / 4 undergraduate credits / Deadline: early March

Internships in Australia
8-week Summer / 6 undergraduate transfer credits / Deadlines: mid-January & mid-February

Internships in New Zealand
8-week Summer / 6 undergraduate transfer credits / Deadlines: mid-January & mid-February

Other Study Abroad & Internship Opportunities in Asia & the Pacific (full program list)

Scholarships for Students

Ramapo College – International Programs’ Scholarship for Asia & the Pacific

$15,000 Scholarship to New Zealand (sponsored by Go Overseas, Education New Zealand and STA Travel)

Generation Study Abroad Travel & Excellence Awards (New Zealand)

CIEE will provide all Ramapo students with a guaranteed $2000 scholarship for semester programs and $500 scholarship for summer programs in the Asia and Pacific Region (Australia, China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand). There is no application required. (Valid Spring 2019, Summer 2019 & Fall 2019)

ISA will offer the following guaranteed scholarships:

(other scholarships can be found here: https://www.ramapo.edu/study-abroad/scholarships/)

Course options with a focus on Asia & the Pacific regions

Course options with a focus on Asia & the Pacific:

AMER 206 – Asian-Pacific Americans – Description here

ANTH 220 – Food and Culture – Description here

ANTH 223 – World Cultures – Description here

CHIN 101 – Foundation of Chinese Language I – Description here

ENST 209 – World Sustainability – Description here

ENST 240 – Global Climate Change – Description here

ENST 336 – Global Ethics – Description here

ENST 338 – Sustainable Communities – Description here

ENST 339 – Sustainable Agriculture – Description here

HIST 278 – United States and East Asia – Description here

HIST 279 – Japan: Early Civilization to Modern Revolution – Description here

LAWS 201 – Global Legal Order – Description here

LAWS 206 – Human Rights – Description here

LITR 374 – World Literature and the Environment – Description here

POLI 233 – East Asia: History & Politics – Description here

POLI 301 – China: History, Politics & Culture – Description here

POLI 366 – U.S.-China Relations – Description here

PSYC 231 – Multicultural Psychology – Description here

PSYC 290 – Psychology of Community – Description here

SWRK 202 – Political Economy of Social Welfare – Description here

SOCI 202 – Social Inequality – Description here

SOCI 250 – International Migration and Human Rights – Description here

SOCI 302 – Third World Women – Description here

SOCI 304 – Globalization and Society – Description here

SOCI 309 – Food and Population – Description here

More coming soon….

You may also view the Course Catalog

LANGUAGE HAPPY HOURS (all take place in ASB123, unless otherwise noted):

Hindi: Tuesdays, 1-2pm, ASB-123

Japanese: Wednesdays, 1-2pm, ASB123

Chinese: Thursdays, 2-4pm, B-127

The following is a list of student clubs of potential interest:

Building Tomorrow

Culture Club

Diversity Action Committee Student Club

Filipino American Student Association

International Student Organization (ISO)

Model UN Club

South Asians at Ramapo

United Asian Association (UAA)

Opportunities for Faculty

The 2018-2019 focus area for International Education is Asia/Pacific. The Office of the Provost provided funding for up to 10 travel grants with up to $2,500 per grant for full-time faculty. Grants were funded relating to scholarship, teaching and learning, or service/civic engagement with a content focus on Asia/Pacific.

To evaluate the merit of the proposals the Deans Council used the following criteria:

  • Expected impact of the proposed project on the applicant’s research or scholarly output (for example but not limited to publications, conference presentations, grant applications, performances or exhibitions, exploratory research visit in order to develop a more in-depth research project in Asia to result in a submission of an external grant proposal, …).
  • Expected impact of the proposed project on the applicant’s teaching (for example but not limited to revision of courses, seminars, …).
  • Expected benefit of the proposed project for students at Ramapo College and/or Ramapo College in general.
  • Evidence how the proposed project is linked to, is built on, and/or will expand the applicant’s professional expertise.

The Application Process is now CLOSED.

A.   Project description that addresses the above-mentioned criteria, and

B.  Travel Request form including the agenda or program information of the event you would like to attend.

The travel request must be approved by the Director of International Education (Ben Levy).

Please note that we cannot consider incomplete or late applications.  All activities related to the grant must be completed by June 30, 2019. An end of the year reception will be held in April 2019 at which awardees will report on their project. A final report to the unit or convening group, the Dean, and the Provost must be submitted by September 1, 2019.

The following faculty have been provided a 2018-2019 Grant for Engagement in the Asia and Pacific regions:

Travel Grants for the Year of Asia and the Pacific Regions
Professor School Countr(ies) Grant Activity
Rikki Abzug ASB Vietnam “Gleaning Management Education Lessons from Vietnam’s World Class Voluntary Efforts to Address the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”
Christina Chung ASB Japan & S. Korea “Research on Korean and Japanese Young Consumers’ Green Behaviors”
Kristin Kenneavy SSHS Thailand “Thai Approaches to Social Research”
Huiping Li ASB Vietnam “Vietnam”s Expanding Business Environment”
Thierry Rakatobe-Joel ASB Japan Present a paper at the Asian Conference on Sustainability
Ruma Sen CA Fiji “Bollywood in the Indo-Fijian Diaspora: A Cross Generational Study”
Lisa Williams HGS Japan Present a paper at the Asian Conference on Asian Studies

Site visits

(organized visits in either groups or as an individual, to partner institutions with subsidized expenses. The following links below provide you with details on available group visits and how to apply.) 

International Studies Abroad

  • Brisbane, Gold Coast & Newcastle, Australia (12 – 20 October 2018) – applications now CLOSED
  • Tokyo, Japan & Seoul/Busan, South Korea (31 March – 6 April 2019) – applications now CLOSED
  • Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand (22 – 30 March 2019) – applications due now CLOSED

SIT Study Abroad

  • Kathmandu, Nepal (9- 16 March 2019) – applications now CLOSED

*If Faculty are interested in visiting any of our overseas partners, please contact the Roukema
Center for International Education and the Director can help coordinate this for you.

Faculty Development Seminars

faculty-only seminars on specific topics held overseas to explore the topics in context

“Community Health and Indigenous Knowledge” – Kunming, China and Tibetan areas of Yunnan Province
Study the intersection of western and traditional medicine in practice, policy, and community health. Sponsored by SIT Study Abroad.

Book Club

The George T. Potter Library will be hosting a book club with a focus on the Asia & Pacific region.

Fall Semester Book:

Book: Interpreter of Maladies
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Description: Navigating between the Indian traditions they’ve inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri’s elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of culture and generations. In “A Temporary Matter,” published in The New Yorker, a young Indian-American couple faces the heartbreak of a stillborn birth while their Boston neighborhood copes with a nightly blackout. In the title story, an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors and hears an astonishing confession. Lahiri writes with deft cultural insight reminiscent of Anita Desai and a nuanced depth that recalls Mavis Gallant. She is an important and powerful new voice. Winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Price in Fiction.

Discussion Dates, Locations and Section Selections:

  • Thu, October 18, 1:10-2:00pm, Potter Library
  • Thu, November 15, 1:10-2:00pm, Potter Library
  • Thu, December 6, 1:10-2:00pm, Potter Library

The first 30 students to sign up at the Potter Library Circulation Desk will receive a free copy of the novel. Contact Sam Wittenberg (switten1@ramapo.edu) and Katie Cohen (kcohen1@ramapo.edu) to join and for additional information. Refreshments will be served.

Hosted by the George T. Potter Library; Sponsored by the Roukema Center for International Education.

Spring Semester Book: 

Book:  Tiare in Bloom: A Novel
Author:  Célestine Vaite
Description: Now that Materena is a big star with her radio talk show, Pito can’t help noticing some changes in his wife. She’s spending more and more time at work and with her girlfriends instead of coming home to cook for him. And why does a Tahitian woman need to know how to drive, anyway? He tries to shrug it off, but when Materena gives him the silent treatment and doesn’t come home after a night of dancing, Pito has had enough! How is he supposed to fix things with Materena when she doesn’t even give him a chance?
Luckily for Pito, his opportunity comes when a threemonth-old girl named Tiare–rumored to be their son Tomatoa’s daughter–is left on the Mahis’ doorstep. Anxious to pull his weight and set things right, Pito embarks on a hilarious and noble mission to prove himself to his granddaughter, his wife, and–most importantly–himself. TIARE IN BLOOM is the heartwarming story of a couple facing big changes on a small island–and a love that outlasts it all.

Discussion Dates, Locations and Section Selections:

TBD

The first 30 students to sign up at the Potter Library Circulation Desk will receive a free copy of the novel. Contact Sam Wittenberg (switten1@ramapo.edu) and Katie Cohen (kcohen1@ramapo.edu) to join and for additional information. Refreshments will be served.

Hosted by the George T. Potter Library; Sponsored by the Roukema Center for International Education.

Calendar of Events

For more information, please contact the Roukema Center for International Education in ASB-123, by calling x7533 or e-mailing international@ramapo.edu.
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