School of World Studies shows off student work

Administrators, faculty and students remain enthusiastic about the outcome of VCU’s 11th World Studies Student Research Conference.

“It was a great opportunity for students to get their feet wet in their conference circuit, and a great experience in the realm of international and world studies,” said Carrie Naumann-Monti, conference coordinator for the second consecutive year.

R. McKenna Brown, director of the School of World Studies, said most students found the early November conference at VCU really motivating and valuable to them and their studies.

“They also get to present panels with other students who have similar interests so they can start networking,” he said, pointing out that international topics increasingly are becoming important in today’s world. “No matter what field you’re going into today, a better grasp of the global situation is very valuable.”

In all, 63 VCU student researchers showcased their proposals, while one Randolph-Macon College panel from Ashland presented their research. In addition two art students from VCU’s Qatar Campus presented their work via teleconference.

Naumann-Monti said a call to submit research proposals went out to world studies students at the beginning of fall semester. She later reviewed and selected the topics based on the subject researched and its acceptability to a professor.

Researchers presented their work during the nearly two-hour panels, with three or four presentations for each panel.

Some topics presented included:

* Japanese Gender Issues

* Dowry Violence: When Brides are Married In India

* Intimate Partner Violence among American Indians and Alaska Natives

* Haitian Women and Politicized Rape, and

* Culture Differences in Obesity

Holly Tate, senior biology and Spanish major, discussed her study-abroad trip to the Dominican Republic.

“It focuses on the differences in the social structure and health-care sectors in the developing countries,” she said. “I got involved because I thought it was important for students to hear more about the study-abroad opportunities and for them to hear about first-hand experiences.”

Another dealt with the impact of the illicit drug trade on Colombia presented by Hernan Restrepo, a native of Colombia and senior VCU international studies major.

“Most people in this country seem to think that Colombia is some sort of narco-democracy that benefits so much from the illicit drug trade that it is unwilling to actively fight the problem.