Transnational Study Opportunities
Professional planners in the United States increasingly draw on planning expertise and experiences from around the world in their daily practice. Faculty in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning seek to understand and teach global best practices in land use and environmental planning, transportation planning, community development, economic development, sustainable design, and other subfields. Faculty are also actively researching planning issues in other countries, as well as the impact of globalization on U.S. and foreign cities and regions, populations, and governments and institutions. Finally, the Department seeks to offer a curriculum and study abroad opportunities appropriate for students interested specifically in taking positions overseas or working for many of the national and international development agencies and organizations (what has traditionally been described as "international planning" in many academic planning departments).
DURP's international programs reflect a strong belief that the understanding of international issues and planning practice in other countries should not be the exclusive focus of students seeking to work outside the U.S. or in international development. Rather, the increasing economic, social, political and institutional connections between countries and cities and regions across the globe require that even planners working purely domestically understand the implications of globalization for their own communities as well as appreciate the rich experiences from around the world that can inform local domestic practice.
DURP's perspective is reflected in the term "transnational," which seeks to bridge the arbitrary separation of domestic and non-domestic or international issues. For example, in the MUP program, the Transnational Planning Stream seeks to immerse students in learning experiences that illustrate how local planning practices shape and are shaped by global economic, social and political trends. The experiences include student involvement in faculty-led research and teaching and service learning opportunities located within and outside the U.S. The stream is not a separate concentration, but rather a set of courses and activities that may be pursued concurrently with a student's concentration of choice. The Department also offers a broad array of study abroad opportunities for BAUP, MUP and PhD students (as described below).
More broadly, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers an extraordinarily rich environment for international and transnational study and engagement. In the 2006-07 school year, Illinois ranked behind only the University of Southern California, Columbia University, and New York University among all research universities in the number of enrolled foreign students, and Illinois is fifth in the country in the number of students participating in study abroad (see the report Open Doors 2007). Illinois is the only U.S. institution of higher education ranking in the top ten in the three key metrics of international education: international student enrollment, total number of study abroad students, and the number of federally-funded Title VI National Resource Centers for international and area studies, according to statistics compiled by the Office of the Associate Provost for International Affairs.
Coordination
The Department's collective efforts to expand and improve its international and transnational curricula, programs, and offerings are led by a Transnational Studies Coordinator, currently Professor Faranak Miraftab. Specific courses and programs are often led by individual faculty, as noted the descriptions below. For general questions about international and transnational offerings in the Department or on campus, contact Professor Miraftab at faranak@uiuc.edu or 217-265-8238.
Faculty Research with an International & Transnational Focus
Nearly all DURP faculty are engaged in research with a focus on international and transnational planning issues. Examples are:
- Arnab Chakraborty: Land use and growth management in Rotterdam and China; urban development patterns and energy consumption in developing countries;
- Brian Deal: Urban growth and development modeling activities in rural Korea;
- Edward Feser: Comparative U.S.-European regional development policy; economic development on the U.S.-Mexico border (Ciudad Juarez and El Paso);
- Stacy Harwood: Immigrants in California and Chicago, community-based planning in Costa Rica, and scenario planning in Săo Tomé;
- T John Kim: Land use and transportation modeling in Seoul, planning for cities in ubiquitous spaces in Korea, and planning for future cities;
- Faranak Miraftab: Neoliberal policies and transnational planning in South Africa, immigrant labor and rapid social change in the rural U.S. Midwest, and transnational development practices in Tapalpa, Mexico and Concord, California;
- Zorica Nedović-Budić: Post-socialist urbanization and planning in east central Europe;
- Rob Olshansky: Post-disaster redevelopment in Japan, India, Indonesia and the U.S. (New Orleans);
- Ken Salo: Environmental justice and environmental racism in South Africa and Illinois;
- Daniel Schneider: Community-based ecological management Mexico and the U.S.;
- Elizabeth Sweet: Latinas and transnational economic gardening in Chicago and Mexico and economic development and indigenous women in Mexico and Siberia in the context of structural adjustment and transition.
Study & Research Abroad Opportunities
In its teaching, DURP seeks not simply to introduce students to international and transnational planning issues but also to enhance experiential knowledge and learning by actively involving students in varied aspects of urban and regional development around the world. The Department believes that students learn by active engagement and participation in processes that lead to social change. Hence, it seeks to enhance the global dimension of its curriculum by providing a range of community-based and overseas learning opportunities.
DURP (and UIUC Study Abroad) offers many active exchange programs that provide students outlets to study planning and planning-related issues in different cultural, political, and economic contexts. The periods of overseas study range from several months to a semester or year-long programs. In most instances, the coursework and research undertaken through study abroad fulfill DURP graduation requirements. In other words, participation does not extend the time need to complete degree requirements. Most importantly, study abroad contributes to an enriched planning education.
In addition to the opportunities provided to DURP students through study abroad, the Department also hosts exchange students from its overseas partners. The Department's current active study and research abroad programs involve partnerships with the following universities:
- Griffith University, Australia
- Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia
- Jönköping International Business School, Sweden
- Korea University, Seoul
- Macquarie University, Australia
- Monteverde Institute, Costa Rica
- National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City
- National Taipei University, Taiwan
- National University of Singapore, Singapore
- University of Barcelona, Spain
- University College Dublin, Ireland
- University of Cape Town, South Africa
- University of Groningen, The Netherlands
- University of Guadalajara, Mexico
- University of Indonesia, Indonesia
- University of Manchester, United Kingdom
- University of Newcastle, United Kingdom
- University of New South Wales, Australia
- University of Pécs, Hungary
- University of Queensland, Australia
- University of Rome, Italy
- University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Austria
Cape Town Study Abroad Course
The Department offers a study abroad course (LAS 199: Globalization and Inequality in Post-apartheid Cape Town, South Africa) during the winter break (December 26-January 12, 2008) that engages students in a cross-cultural dialogue with communities of color in Cape Town, South Africa. Students participate in several lecture and discussion sessions before departing for an intensive two weeks of faculty-led and community-facilitated lectures, debates and field trips in and around Cape Town, where, in the shadow of the city's world famous beaches, jazz music, and cultural festivals, they encounter poor communities struggling to access coastal resources, municipal services and public spaces. Students document and report on how racial, gender, ecological and economic hierarchies that developed during colonial conquest and apartheid rule continue to underpin and transform contemporary practices of exclusion and inequality. The course is directed by Ken Salo. Additional information is available here. Note that the deadline for applications to participate is September 20, 2007.
Sustainable Futures Program, Monteverde, Costa Rica
The ten week Sustainable Futures Program, directed by Stacy Harwood, is offered every summer to planners, architects, landscape architects, international development specialists, natural resource managers, and other students interested in sustainable futures. Participants live in a rural Costa Rican rain forest community struggling to achieve a balance between its agricultural base, the pressures of eco-tourism, and the desire to save the rain forests. Participants study the ecology of the area, the institutional supports for sustainable development, ecological tourism, the origins of urbanism, community-based planning, buffer zone management strategies, Spanish language and Costa Rican culture.
NEURUS: Network for European-United States Regional & Urban Studies
NEURUS is an international consortium of universities dedicated to the collaborative study of urban and regional development issues around the globe. The origin of the acronym, with its focus on the U.S. and Europe, derives from the consortium's original title when first established in 1998. At that time, the network consisted of six universities, three in Europe and three in the United States. Today, NEURUS is a ten university consortium with partners in the United States, Europe and Asia. A centerpiece of the consortium is the NEURUS Fellows program, a framework of agreements and supportive environments designed to give scholars and students flexible opportunities to enhance their study of urban and regional issues from comparative perspectives. NEURUS is heavily focused on applied research as opposed to conventional student exchange. Participating DURP students are typically in their second year of the MUP program or a PhD candidate interested in investigating a specific comparative issue. Often they are working with a faculty member on a comparative research project. UIUC's involvement in NEURUS is coordinated by Professor Edward Feser.
Research & Internship Opportunities in Tapalpa, Mexico
Life in the remote mountain village of Sierra de Tapalpa in Jalisco, Mexico
is intimately linked to the everyday practices and life of many in the Californian
town of Concord, located in the San Francisco Bay area. A saying among the
people of Tapalpa goes, “in Concord there is another Tapalpa,” or “if something
happens in Tapalpa they know about it first in Concord.” The main planning
issues in this case are development of community-based cultural and sport
tourism to reduce the out-migration of Tapalpa youth to Concord, as well
as the promotion of educational programs to help remittance-receiving households
use their income for sustainable economic development projects rather than
media-induced consumption. Students interested in working on either of these
two challenges facing Tapalpa should contact Professor
Faranak Miraftab.
United Kingdom and Australian Study Abroad Programs
All UK and Australia programs, which are primarily geared toward undergraduate study abroad, are organized through the University's Study Abroad Office, which provides applications and scholarship information. One year of study is preferred, although one-semester abroad is an option at Sheffield University. The UK academic calendar goes from September-January and January-June. The Australian academic calendar is reversed from UIUC's, going from late February to mid-June and mid-July to late-November. Courses taken abroad must be selected to fulfill department requirements.
University of Sheffield (UK)
The University fo Sheffield is located in the center of England, southeast of Manchester. Courses are grouped into five areas in the Department of Town and Regional Planning: geography and planning, landscape architecture and planning, urban environmental studies, urban studies, and urban studies and planning.
University of Newcastle (UK)
Lcoated in northeast England, the University of Newcastle offers a variety of course possibilities in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Applicable departments include architecture, environmental studies, geography, and town planning.
University of Manchester (UK)
The University of Manchester is located in central England. Manchester is a massive city and an extraordinary blend of the old and new. Courses are available in a variety of subject areas, including town and country planning, landscape planning and management, environmental management, and city and regional development (see especially the offerings in the School of Environment and Development).
University of Queensland (Australia)
Located near the city of Brisbane on the northwest coast, the University of Queensland has 15 colleges made up of nearly 80 departments, giving the campus the ablity to accomodate a wide variety of disciplines and interests. Many planning courses are geared toward environmental studies and can be found within the School of Geography, Planning and Architecture.
University of New South Wales (Australia)
The University of New South Wales is located within the center of Sydney, Australia's capital. Through the Faculty of the Built Environment, applicable courses can be found in areas such as urban development and design, urban planning, and environmental studies.
Macquarie University (Australia)
Macquarie University, a newer university located in Sydney, offers courses through the Department of Human Geography as well as in areas such as geographic information systems (GIS) and environmental management.
Griffith University (Australia)
Griffith University is located inland in southeastern Australia between Sydney and Melbourne. Specializing in environmental planning, relevant courses are offered in the School of the Environment.
Worldwide Universities Network (WUN)
Graduate students at DURP have access to opportunities offered through WUN to UIUC students for research and study abroad. The Worldwide Universities Network is a partnership of 17 research-led universities from Europe, North America, South East Asia and Australia. Member universities are University of Bergen, University of Bristol, University of California, San Diego, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Leeds, Nanjing University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Sheffield, University of Southampton, University of Sydney, University of Toronto, Universiteit Utrecht, University of Washington at Seattle, University of Wisconsin at Madison, University of York, and Zhejiang University.
As one of the member universities, UIUC students may take advantage of two WUN programs supporting overseas research and career development:
Study Abroad and Certification Program in Good Governance
The Good Governance program is a two-semester program targeted at undergraduate and graduate students who seek careers in politics, the public sector, and nongovernmental organizations. Students combine general courses on good governance with specialized courses in a focus area of their choosing.
In the fall semester, students participate in a web-based course in Good
Governance, interacting with students at all GGC campuses. They
also complete any area studies or language preparation courses necessary
for study abroad. Students spend their spring semester abroad at a partner
institution. They continue to interact via a multi-site course on the European
Union. While abroad they also complete courses in their area of focus. Partner
universities in the US are the University of Arizona, the University of
Illinois, and the University of Minnesota. European partners are the University
of Vienna in Austria, the University of Turku in Finland, University College
Cork in Ireland, and the University of Cagliari in Italy. For more information,
consult the Good Governance
program website.
Transnational Urbanism Reading Group
UIUC faculty and graduate students have formed a multi disciplinary reading
group on Transnational Urbanism. Funded by the Illinois
Program for Research in the Humanities (IPRH), the reading group is
currently in its second year of operation; 2007 organizers are Professor
Stacy Harwood and Professor Betsy
Sweet. The Transnational Urbanism Reading Group brings together faculty
and graduate students with interests in transnational studies to
collectively examine the complexity of urban development, urban
life and citizenship in a transnational era. It calls for reconsidering
how cultural, political and economic urban processes are shaped
locally and trans-locally. Selected readings are used as catalysts
for discussion and debate. More information is available here.
Information on other
IPRH reading groups is available.
Campus Resources
The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign has a number of nation-leading
programs and area studies centers, including the Office
of Study Abroad, the Center
for Global Studies, the Center
for African Studies, the Program
in South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, the Center
for East Asian and Pacific Studies, the Women
and Gender in Global Perspectives program, the Center
for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the Russian,
East European and Eurasian Center, the European
Union Center, and International Programs
and Studies. Many of these units award travel grants and other kinds
of support on a competitive basis to BAUP, MUP and PhD students
in DURP working on international and transnational issues. Also,
students may wish to develop a deeper understanding of a specific
region and culture by securing language training through generous
funding provided by the Foreign
Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS) program. FLAS is an important
source of funding for students interested in specializing in a
specific region of the world. The CIC
Foreign Language enhancement Program (FLEP)
provides scholarships to help graduate students take advantage
of language
offerings not available at their home university, but available
at another CIC member university. Scholarships are intended to
cover living expenses incurred while attending another CIC host
institution during the summer session. Students should also check
out the Office of Scholarships
for International Studies for information about support through programs
such as Fulbright, Gates Cambridge, Mitchell, Marshall, Rhodes, and others.
Other Useful Links
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