Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Research Opportunities Available!

Students:
Please check the following research internship and job if they might be an interest to you.


1. Mclarty Associates - Spring 2012 Internship

International strategic advisory firm seeks graduate student or undergraduate senior for paid internship position. The ideal candidate is an accomplished researcher, an excellent writer and is exceptionally organized, with an understanding of international politics, economics, business and culture. He or she should have a strong background, demonstrated interest, and experience living or studying in Brazil, India, Russia or Southeast Asia (particularly Indonesia). Interns are also expected to demonstrate fluency in a foreign language appropriate to their regional background.
Responsibilities of the internship include extensive research of public policy and business issues; occasional translation; attending and reporting on speeches, panel discussions and policy forums of interest to the firm and clients; assisting professional staff with general office and administrative support; and a commitment to work from January through May 2012. During the Spring term, interns are expected to commit to working at least 25 hours per week (though they can work up to 40 hours per week if their schedules permit).
In order to complete the application, all candidates are asked to submit a detailed cover letter highlighting workday availability, relevant experience and skills; a copy of their resume; and one or two short writing samples (no more than 3 pp.) demonstrating strong research and concise writing style on issues related to international politics or political economy. Please send these materials to Caroline Stoga (cstoga@maglobal.com) and copy Aaron Melaas (amelaas@maglobal.com).




2. American Enterprise Institute Research Assistant: India and South Asia Studies

The American Enterprise Institute seeks a full-time research assistant to work in the India and South Asia studies area of the foreign policy department.
The primary responsibility of this position is to provide research, writing, and editing support to a scholar studying a wide range of South Asian political, economic and security issues with a focus on India and Pakistan. Other duties include writing for AEI’s blog; managing a small team of interns; developing and organizing conferences, panel discussions, and events; maintaining lists of contacts, overseeing long-term projects; scheduling; handling media requests; and administrative support.
Required Skills
This position requires excellent writing, research, communication, and organization skills. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated interest in foreign and defense policy with a focus on South Asia and US-India and US-Pakistan relations. Academic curiosity and an ability to multitask are also essential. A Master’s degree in a relevant field is preferred, though not required.
We offer a stimulating and harmonious work environment and excellent benefits. Qualified applicants should submit an online application, complete with a resume, cover letter, transcripts, and 500-word writing sample.
Job Location- Washington, DC, US.
Position Type - Full-Time/Regular
Salary -US Dollar (USD)

Please click here to submit an application online.


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Kim Jong Il's Death Viewed with Wary Optimism

Gregg Brazinsky, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs, discusses the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and its implications for regional security and U.S. foreign policy.

Watch the Fox 5 Interview at http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/kim-jong-il-death-viewed-with-wary-optimism-121911

Watch the Elliott School Interview at http://vimeo.com/33986397

Read the Chicago Tribune Op-Ed: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/ct-perspec-1221-korea-20111221,0,648391.story

Friday, December 16, 2011

Volunteer Abroad in Asia

Interested in gaining international volunteer experience in Asia?

VIA (formerly Volunteers in Asia) is a private, non-profit, non-religious organization dedicated to increasing understanding between the United States and Asia through service and education. Since 1963, Via has provided U.S. Residents with an opportunity to work and live within an Asian culture while meeting the needs of Asian host institutions. It currently offer long-term and summer programs in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam of issues in education, environment, gender, health, anti-trafficking, and rural development.


The deadline is January 15, 2012.

Please click here for applications.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Study in Taiwan


The Taiwan-United States Sister Relations Alliance (TUSA) is pleased to announce that Ambassador Scholarships are again being offered to U.S. college students (graduates and undergraduates) during the summer of 2012.

There is no requirement for proficiency in the Mandarin Chinese language... indeed, the program's aim is to provide opportunities to those who have not experienced a study-abroad program either in China or Taiwan, but are eager to pursue overseas immersion in language and cultural study. Accepted students will study at the National Pingtung University of Education in Taiwan. The application period ends March 31, 2012, and applications can be submitted online at www.taiwanusalliance.com.
The TUSA program starts July 2nd and ends August 31st, 2012. A stipend of NT $25,000 (US $800) per month for two months (July & August) will be awarded to each scholarship recipient. The scholarship is budgeted to cover tuition, dormitory fees, four excursions in Taiwan, and incidental insurance. The program is sponsored by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan, and a total of 36 Ambassador students will be accepted for the 2012 class.

Please visit
www.taiwanusalliance.com for additional information about the 2012 TUSA Summer Ambassador program.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Japan Internship Opportunity at the Council on Foreign Relations--Deadline is Tomorrow--Apply Today!

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Department: Japan Studies

Semester: Spring 2012

The Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Founded in 1921, the Council carries out its mission by maintaining a diverse membership, with special programs to promote interest and develop expertise in the next generation of foreign policy leaders; convening meetings at its headquarters in New York and in Washington, DC, and other cities where senior government officials, members of Congress, global leaders, and prominent thinkers come together with Council members to discuss and debate major international issues; supporting a Studies Program that fosters independent research, enabling Council scholars to produce articles, reports, and books and hold roundtables that analyze foreign policy issues and make concrete policy recommendations; publishing Foreign Affairs, the preeminent journal on international affairs and U.S. foreign policy; sponsoring Independent Task Forces that produce reports with both findings and policy prescriptions on the most important foreign policy topics; and providing up-to-date information and analysis about world events and American foreign policy on its website, CFR.org.

CFR's volunteer internships give selected interns the opportunity to receive training in the area of foreign policy; as well as skills training in areas such as writing, research, and program planning.

The responsibilities of the intern will include (but are not limited to):

  • Assisting with research assignments—focus will be primarily on Japan
  • Providing logistical and administrative support as needed

Qualifications:

  • Undergraduate or graduate student with demonstrated background and interest in Japan
  • Word processing and Internet research skills
  • Strong research abilities
  • Excellent attention to detail & follow-through
  • Fluent Japanese language skills so that candidate can conduct research in Japanese

CFR internships are unpaid. A modest stipend is offered upon completion of the internship.

Please mail, Email or fax a resume and cover letter INCLUDING POSITION NAME, DAYS AND TIMES AVAILABLE TO WORK to the Human Resource Office at the above address. The Council on Foreign Relations is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Quality, diversity and balance are the key objectives sought by the Council on Foreign Relations in the composition of its workforce.

Council on Foreign Relations
Human Resources Office
58 E. 68th St., NY, NY 10065
FAX +1 212.434.9893
humanresources@cfr.org
www.cfr.org

Monday, December 5, 2011

Volunteer Opportunity!!! Dec. 8th - 9:30am

Attention Students:

The Sigur Center for Asian Studies is looking for 2-3 volunteers to help with set up and registration at our upcoming conference on Taiwan in a Shifting International Landscape from 9:30 - 12:30 on Thursday, December 8.

Volunteers will be provided with lunch and a free Sigur Center t-shirt.
If you are interested in volunteering, please email Chris Wong at cpwong@gwu.edu


Thank you,

Sigur Center for Asian Studies
Elliott School of International Affairs
The George Washington University
1957 E St. NW Suite 503
Washington DC 20052
P: 202.994.5886; F: 202.994.6096
E: gsigur@gwu.edu

Summer Field Program: China: An Anthropological Journey


Summer Field Program: Heritage, Tourism, and Development on China’s Ethnic Frontiers
June 10th – July 1st, 2012
This program takes GW students into the field to experience firsthand the development challenges faced by state authorities, community leaders, and regular citizens in the interior regions of the People’s Republic of China. As part of a national campaign to ‘Go West’, Chinese authorities have promoted tourism and heritage projects as development tools in marginalized minority areas. The purpose of this program is to learn about these projects and their impact on citizens by traveling overland through the Tibetan cultural frontier area of historic Amdo and Kham.
After arriving in China we will spend five days in Beijing, where we will visit cultural sites in and around the city such as the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, and the Dongtian Daoist Temple complex. During this time we will also visit the National Minorities University for a discussion of state ethnic policies, and Beijing International Studies University, for a discussion on tourism policies and objectives. After traveling by train to Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province in Northwest China, we will travel overland through the Amdo and Kham regions of historic Tibet. Our first stop will be the Tibetan pilgrimage town of Xiahe, site of Labrang Monastery, a key intellectual center for the Gelukpa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. We will then continue by road to the monastery town of Taksen Lhamo (Chinese Langmusi), located along the Gansu-Sichuan border on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, and then to Jiuzhaigou National Park, in Northern Sichuan province. From Jiuzhaigou we will fly to Xian, the former capital of the Tang Dynasty and site of the Terra-Cotta warrior museum. Our trip will conclude with a return journey to Beijing by train.
Over the course of this three-week field study students will interact with Chinese tourism and heritage scholars, local Tibetan and Han Chinese business owners, Tibetan pilgrims and nomads, and Chinese students. In keeping with the focus of the program, our overland trip will be arranged and hosted by Nomad Travel, a Tibetan-run agency located in Xiahe, Gansu province.
The total fee for this program is $5,432.This includes GWU tuition ($3,679) for three credits), train (soft sleeper class) and air travel within China, all accommodations, site visits, admission fees, travel insurance and most meals. Parts of this journey will be at elevations of 3,000 to 3,500 meters (10,000-12,000 feet), so good health is a must.
The program will be led by Robert Shepherd, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and international Affairs.
For more information, feel free to email him at rshepher@gwu.edu or stop by his office in the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, Suite 503, 1957 E Street.

International Education Opportunities for Elliott School Master's Students


SNEAK PEAKS at Opportunities to Study Abroad for GW Master’s Students
1) Elliott School Summer Courses
2) School of Business Short-Term Abroad Courses
3) Spring 2012 Human and Organizational Learning Courses
4) Other GW Summer Abroad Offerings
5) The IPSI Institute-Bologna 2012 Program

Elliott School Graduate Summer Courses:
(Details not yet available, dates are estimated)
· IAFF6198, Controversies in Intellectual Property and Investment: Washington, Geneva
· IAFF 6138, Survey Methods in Developing World: Supporting Sustainable Tourism Peru
· IAFF 6186, Non-State Actors: Israel
· ECON 6280, Survey of International Economics, Shanghai
· GEOG 6293, Urban Sustainability and Development: A Field Course in Panama
· ANTH 3705, Heritage, Tourism, and Development on China’s Ethnic Frontiers
GWSB Short-Term Abroad Courses 2011-2012:
Other GW Summer Abroad Programs:
  • WLP 4198, Women's Leadership in the Brazilian Amazon Forest. Prof Patricia Kanashiro. Brazil June 9 to 20
  • TSTD 282, Behind the Scenes at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, London. Prof Lisa Delpy Neirotti.On campus for 3/21 to 5/2, London 7/27 to 8/5
  • PubH 6590.60, Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of India. Prof Amita Vyas. On campus July 5 to 26, India July 30 to August 8.
GW HOL Courses Spring Break 2012:
  • HOL 6747 - International and Multicultural Issues in Organizations - The impact of culture and globalization on U.S. and international HOL programs. March 13 - 17, 2012 Beijing, China (3 credits)
  • HOL 6704 - Leadership in Organizations - The goal is to expose participants to the various ways in which leadership has been conceptualized and to discuss how it will be shaped in the future. March 13 - 17, 2012 Buenos Aires, Argentina (3 credits) Contact elpnow@gwu.edu for more information on applying.
IPSI Institute – Bologna, Italy 2012 on Conflict Prevention, Resolution, Reconciliation:
In cooperation with Johns Hopkins University (SAIS), the 2012 Bologna Symposium will bring together the globe’s top graduate institutions, NGOs, international organizations, grassroots peace movements, and the armed services. Over a four-week period (June 16 to July 14) participants will undergo intensive training to foster peace and security in the world. Participants may apply to earn graduate-level course credit from SAIS.
GW International Travel Approval Policy (ITAP):
· GW students who travel abroad for academic purposes must comply with the GW International Travel Approval Policy (ITAP) “Academic purposes” includes study abroad, internships, capstones, research projects, etc.
· To request GW approval and register your travel plans with the University, please navigate to http://studyabroad.gwu.edu/?go=TravelApprovalPolicy

Information distributed by:

International Programs & Education
Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University
1957 E Street NW, Suite 401 Washington, DC 20052
Tel +1-202-994-0953 Fax +1-202-994-0335


East Asia Forum: "Thailand: Politics of a Flood"

Read the most recent East Asia Forum article written by Chayut Setboonsarng, a graduate of George Washington University's Master of Arts in International Affairs. The article highlights the political divisions that led Thailand's government to ineffectively respond to the devastating flood.

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2011/12/02/thailand-politics-of-a-flood/

New Employment Opportunity!

Northeast Asia Program

Open Society Institute–New York
Application Deadline: December 30, 2011
The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. To achieve this mission, the Foundations seek to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. On a local level, the Open Society Foundations implement a range of initiatives to advance justice, education, public health, and independent media. At the same time, we build alliances across borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of information. The Foundations place a high priority on protecting and improving the lives of people in marginalized communities.
Investor and philanthropist George Soros established the Open Society Foundations, starting in 1984, to help countries make the transition from communism. Our activities have grown to encompass the United States and more than 70 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Each Foundation relies on the expertise of boards composed of eminent citizens who determine individual agendas based on local priorities.

Program Officer Position

The Northeast Asia Program seeks a full-time Program Officer, based in Hong Kong (with a possibility of being based in the OSI-New York office). The program officer will report to the Northeast Asia Director, and will work in collaboration with other Open Society Foundations staff. The core of the Program Officer’s work will focus on legal reform.

Responsibilities

  • Work with the Program Director of the Northeast Asia Program to develop grantmaking strategies, priorities, and guidelines;
  • Review and assess letters of inquiry and make funding recommendations and declinations to the Director;
  • Work with applicants to develop and finalize grant proposals;
  • Review grant proposals and participate in the preparation of written grant recommendations as part of grant docket preparation process;
  • Perform site visits of prospective and current grantee organizations;
  • Monitor grants through site visits and review of narrative and financial reports;
  • Ensure that grantees submit narrative and financial reports as required under the terms of grant agreement;
  • Participate in the development, planning, and organization of program-related events;
  • Stay abreast of developments in the field through research, dialogue with key partners, and convenings;
  • Write strategy/position papers that provide direction on policy issues impacting the field and/or offers suggestions about strategic program development for funders and grantees;
  • Interact with grantees and other field professionals and participate in program and field-related meetings;
  • Build and establish strategic relationships within OSF and with other philanthropic partners.

Qualifications

  • Minimum of five years relevant work experience;
  • Advanced degree in relevant field preferred;
  • Direct experience in working with community groups on the development and implementation of advocacy strategies and campaigns with demonstrable impact ;
  • Ability to listen and communicate effectively with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds;
  • Ability to work independently and as a member of a team;
  • Excellent oral and written English skills;
  • Excellent oral and written Mandarin Chinese skills;
  • Self-starter with ability to set and meet goals;
  • Creative thinker with strong analytical skills; and
  • Willingness and ability to travel extensively.

Start Date

January 2012

Compensation

Commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits package.

To Apply

Please email resume and cover letter with salary requirements before December 30, 2011, to: humanresources@sorosny.org. Include job code in subject line: NEAP/PO
OR
Open Society Foundations
Human Resources – Code NEAP/PO
400 West 59th Street
New York, New York 10019
FAX: 646.557.2672
No phone calls, please. The Open Society Foundations are an Equal Opportunity Employer