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About

Program Leadership

Director

Alison Bruey, professor of history

See description of director's role for more information.

Advisory Committee

  • Mina Baliamoune, professor of economics
  • Christopher Baynard, associate professor of geography and GIS
  • Payton Cantrell, study abroad advisor, International Center
  • Karen Cousins, associate vice president, Office of the Provost
  • Nicholas de Villiers, professor of English and film
  • Brandi Denison, associate professor of religious studies
  • Andrea Gaytán Cuesta, assistant professor of Spanish and Latin American studies
  • Josh Gellers, associate professor of political science and director, Master of Arts in International Affairs
  • David Jaffee, professor of sociology
  • Tiffany Kershner, instructor and director, fellowships, Hicks Honors College
  • Leslie Kaplan, director, Hicks Honors College
  • Chau Kelly, associate professor of history
  • David Kersey, academic advisor, COAS Academic Advising
  • Nathan Kunz, assistant professor of operations management
  • Ruth López, assistant vice president for student engagement and international affairs
  • Sarah Mattice, professor and chair, Department of Philosophy and Religioius Studies
  • Jacqueline Meier, assistant professor of anthropology
  • Lauren Newton, head of instruction, Thomas G. Carpenter Library
  • Judith Ochrietor, director, Office of Undergraduate Research
  • Nataliya Roman, associate professor of communication
  • Katie Sarria, assistant director for retention initiatives, Undergraduate Studies
  • Agnès Schaffauser, assistant professor of French and Francophone studies
  • Vivian Senior, associate director of career development services
  • Sericea Stallings–Smith, associate professor of Public Health 
  • Chris Trice, associate professor of photography

Director's Role

The director of the International Studies Program:

  • maintains the programs of study for the International Studies major and minor in the UNF Undergraduate Catalog and the courses offered by the program (those with an INS prefix), carrying out periodic updates with input from the program’s Advisory Committee and submitting the corresponding materials to the University’s Academic Programs Committee;
  • prepares the list of courses that students may count toward the International Studies major and minor (three times per year, for fall, spring, and summer semesters), consulting with faculty members of the Advisory Committee to ensure the list is correct with respect to their departments’ offerings;
  • coordinates with the chair of the host department each semester to place any courses offered by the International Studies Program (those with an INS prefix) on the schedule for the following semester;
  • oversees the teaching of INS3003 Introduction to International Studies and INS4930 International Studies Senior Research seminar;
  • coordinates internships, including helping students to identify opportunities and apply; working with the Office of the General Counsel to make sure agency agreements are in place with the corresponding off-campus entities; ensuring that participating students sign all appropriate waivers and other paperwork; and handling arrangements related to receiving credit, including reviewing supervisors’ end-of-term evaluation letters and students’ reflective papers or other materials, and assigning of grades;
  • works with graduate program directors and The Graduate School to administer the accelerated paths that International Studies offers into various graduate programs;
  • administers Honors in the Major in International Studies, in collaboration with the Hicks Honors College;
  • advises students on academic matters, in collaboration with College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) Academic Advising, First-Year Advising, and department chairs and program directors, providing help with such topics as selecting courses, minors, and second majors, and the double-counting of credits;
  • advises students on study abroad matters, in collaboration with the International Center, Global Engagement, COAS Academic Advising, faculty study abroad program leaders and others;
  • advises students on career, professional, and graduate school matters, in collaboration with the COAS Career Success Center, faculty members in specific disciplinary areas and others;
  • assists faculty, departments and administrative units to promote courses on international topics and study abroad programs;
  • approves activities undertaken in fulfillment of the international educational experience requirement for the major, and tracks completion of those activities using the 0-credit course INS3950;
  • organizes, or works with others to organize, the research exhibit at which the students in INS4930 International Studies Senior Research Seminar present at the end of each fall and spring semester;
  • coordinates and promotes the events that the program sponsors, including lectures and/or discussion series, workshops, special events, and graduate student research talks;
  • ensures the effective use of social media to promote events, publish news about students and alumni, and for other purposes related to building community and promoting the program;
  • maintains and periodically updates the program web site, including material related to curriculum, programming, and advising;
  • convenes meetings of the Advisory Committee or solicits feedback electronically, regarding curriculum, policies, advising, and the day-to-day operations of the program;
  • coordinates membership of the Advisory Committee and any other advisory bodies, which might include currently enrolled International Studies undergraduates and alumni, as well as student liaisons from UNF graduate programs;
  • oversees the program’s annual budget;
  • carries out all responsibilities related to creating and maintaining learning objectives for the program and assessing those outcomes on an annual basis;
  • conducts the regular external review of program every five years; and
  • remains a regular faculty member within a host department, and as such, will generally teach two courses per semester within that department, carry out administrative or committee responsibilities related to that department, and maintain an active research agenda for purposes of tenure and promotion, processed through that department, and annual performance evaluations, conducted by the chair of that department.

The director may also optionally work with International Center and faculty from various departments across campus to develop study abroad experiences involving curriculum of relevance to the International Studies major and minor, including faculty-led and semester-long exchanges. The director also may be asked to serve on the campus-wide International Council convened by the assistant vice president for Student and International Affairs.

Role of Advisory Committee Members

The members of the International Studies Program Advisory Committee:

  • assist in the preparation of the per-semester lists of courses that count toward the International Studies major and minor,
  • provide feedback on the updating of the programs of study for the International Studies major and minor on an annual basis,
  • serve as the primary contacts for students needing help with research topics or other advising matters related to their areas of specialty,
  • function as liaisons between the program and their respective departments, programs, or administrative areas, and
  • advise the director on issues related to the governance and day-to-day operation of the program.

Mission and Learning Outcomes

Mission

The International Studies Program seeks to enable students to think critically about the contemporary world from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, and to endow them with set of competencies needed for success in graduate programs and as professionals and leaders in a diverse range of professions within government, business and the non-profit sector.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Demonstrate structural knowledge of the international system.
  • Demonstrate an ability to compare differing cultural systems.
  • Demonstrate the ability to locate and critically evaluate sources of information appropriate to academic research.
  • Demonstrate the ability to construct and substantiate an original and narrowly defined argument in writing.
  • Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate research results orally and in a public setting.

These materials were approved by the members of the Advisory Committee to the International Studies Program in the spring of 2018.