Expert on Latin America Offers Outlook for Security Among “Guns, Gangs and Cartels”

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Howard J. Wiarda, one of the nation's most respected and influential scholars on Latin America and U.S. policy in the region, will speak Thursday, October 20 at Washington College on the topic of “Guns, Gangs and Cartels: Hemispheric Security in the New Millennium.” His talk will take place at 5 p.m. in Hynson Lounge, Hodson Hall, on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue.

Presented by the Louis L. Goldstein ’35 Program in Public Affairs, the event is free and open to the public.

Wiarda is the Dean Rusk Professor of International Relations at the University of Georgia and founding head of the university’s Department of International Affairs. He also serves as a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center. For nearly a quarter century he has divided his time among the academic, policy, and think-tank worlds. Among his many prestigious posts, he has been visiting scholar/research associate at the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University; founding director of the Center for Hemispheric Studies at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research; course chairman at the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of State; lead consultant to the National Bipartisan (Kissinger) Commission on Central America; and Thornton D. Hooper Fellow in International Security Affairs at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

A prolific author, Wiarda has written or edited more than 70 books, including American Foreign Policy (HarperCollins, 1996), Development on the Periphery (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), European Politics in the Age of Globalization (Harcourt, 2001), Latin American Politics and Development, (6th ed., Westview, 2006), and Political Development in Emerging Nations (Wadsworth, 2004). He also is the author of more than 300 articles, book chapters, op-eds, and congressional testimonies. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Florida and an M.S. degree from the National Defense University.

For more information visit www.washcoll.edu.

Washington College Adds Guadalajara, Mexico To Study Abroad Programs

Chestertown, MD, March 23, 2004 — In response to the growing demand from today's college students for global educational opportunities, Washington College has added the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, Mexico to its selection of 42 study abroad programs in 26 countries. The new program in Mexico offers students both formal studies and community outreach opportunities for an applied, engaged learning experience.

“This is a great program for students studying Spanish, international studies, business, or Latin American history and culture,” said Professor Tahir Shad, director of Washington College's International Studies Program. “Students should have some Spanish language skills before they go, but the school has a well-established intensive language program ready to prepare students for immersion in the university and the Mexican culture.”

Founded in 1935, Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara is the second largest university in Mexico and offers 50 undergraduate majors, including arts, international relations, economics, psychology, education, Spanish language and literature, law, engineering, and health sciences. Costs for the program are met for Washington College students through a prearranged tuition exchange program.

With a mix of cultural heritage and modernism, urban sensibilities and rural heritage, the university's hometown of Guadalajara is Mexico's second largest city, located in the state of Jalisco, which is known for its spring-like climate and as the epicenter of Mexican culture. Students can take advantage of Guadalajara's rich cultural resources and nearby attractions such as Puerto Vallarta, Chapala (the largest lake in Mexico), the town of Tequila, and the historic colonial city of Guanajuato.

While abroad, students have the opportunity to take a large array of subjects, not always offered at Washington College. The university's International Language Center is equipped with modern multimedia facilities for language instruction, and for students with a special interest in Spanish and Latin American culture, the Center offers several study options such as intensive Spanish courses, a Spanish and culture program, and Spanish courses for special purposes such as Business Spanish and Spanish for Physicians.

Housing for students, prearranged through the university's International Exchange Department, is with approved families who offer room and board to international students. By living with a family, students can practice their Spanish, learn more about Mexican culture, and experience first-hand a different way of life.

Interested students should contact Kelly Keer, Administrator of International and Diversity Affairs, at 410-778-7762, or via e-mail: kkeer2@wahscoll.edu.