Contemporary Asian Studies / en Students explore diversity in Muslim world through U of T's International Course Module in Indonesia /news/students-explore-diversity-muslim-world-through-u-t-s-international-course-module-indonesia <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Students explore diversity in Muslim world through U of T's International Course Module in Indonesia</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-03-15-new-indonesia-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=EdTuYuMZ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2018-03-15-new-indonesia-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=03zjayKi 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2018-03-15-new-indonesia-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=E_x98E-y 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-03-15-new-indonesia-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=EdTuYuMZ" alt="Photo of Indonesia trip"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-03-15T12:24:06-04:00" title="Thursday, March 15, 2018 - 12:24" class="datetime">Thu, 03/15/2018 - 12:24</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Kana Shishikura, a fourth-year Contemporary Asian Studies student, meets the pupils of Madrasah Mu'allimin Manba'ul Huda in Bandung, Indonesia (photo by Katrina Li)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/contemporary-asian-studies" hreflang="en">Contemporary Asian Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school-global-affairs-public-policy" hreflang="en">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Undergraduate students who take&nbsp;<strong>Dylan Clark</strong>’s course in the Contemporary Asian Studies program at the ؿζSM's Munk School of Global Affairs,&nbsp;study&nbsp;Indonesia, which has the largest number of Muslims in the world. The course includes an International Course Module, during which students travel to do field research and gain a better understanding of Islam and how it is practised there.</p> <p>On a recent nine-day trip,&nbsp;students visited Islamic boarding schools (called&nbsp;<em>pensantren),&nbsp;</em>and met with students, educators and religious leaders who encorporate&nbsp;Islamic values and texts in their daily lives, <a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/feature/discovering-islams-diversity-through-international-course-module-in-indonesia/">according to an article by <strong>Daviel Lazure-Vieira </strong>of the Munk School.</a></p> <div> <p>“We have seen a rise in misperception regarding Islam,”<strong> Jacques Bertrand, </strong>a professor of political science and director of the Asian Institute's&nbsp;Collaborative Master’s Specialization in Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Studies, told Lazure-Vieira. He supervised the students' research on the trip.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;“Reporting on terrorism, ISIS, as well as the deep conflict in the Middle East leaves the impression that radicalism and extremist ideas are the norm within Islam and creates anxiety across many societies, including Canada. While we can certainly try to compensate by inserting more teaching on Islam, its political expression and its diverse forms in our curriculum, the experience of actually engaging directly on the ground provides a unique opportunity to learn multiple facets within a very short time period.”</p> <p>“The Islamic narrative is usually shaped around the Arab countries of the Middle East. This trip challenged that notion for many of us,” says <strong>Aadil Randeree</strong>, a fourth-year economics and history student. “Having lived in the UAE for over 12 years, it was interesting for me to see how a majority-Muslim population can take different approaches to implementing Islam in government and society. From education to business, Islamic principles have been incorporated seamlessly into all aspects of Indonesian society.”</p> <h3><a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/feature/discovering-islams-diversity-through-international-course-module-in-indonesia/">Read the full Munk School of Global Affairs article</a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 15 Mar 2018 16:24:06 +0000 noreen.rasbach 131427 at In Myanmar, U of T undergrads gain perspective on peace-building /news/myanmar-u-t-undergrads-gain-perspective-peace-building <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">In Myanmar, U of T undergrads gain perspective on peace-building</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-10-26T05:59:09-04:00" title="Monday, October 26, 2015 - 05:59" class="datetime">Mon, 10/26/2015 - 05:59</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(all photos courtesy Jennifer Su)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/sean-bettam" hreflang="en">Sean Bettam</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Sean Bettam</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/academics" hreflang="en">Academics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-education" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergrad" hreflang="en">Undergrad</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/political-science" hreflang="en">Political Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/history" hreflang="en">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/economics" hreflang="en">Economics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/contemporary-asian-studies" hreflang="en">Contemporary Asian Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/anthropology" hreflang="en">Anthropology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/features" hreflang="en">Features</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">International Course Module Program gives students global learning experience</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A recent research expedition to Myanmar gave U of T student <strong>Eros Grinzato</strong> a taste of how much things have changed since democracy came to the country in 2011.</p> <p>He said conversations with a wide range of people, including the Canadian ambassador, NGO staff and young citizens, attested to a country undergoing a dramatic shift as some are beginning to exercise democratic rights for the first time.</p> <p>One young woman told the third-year <a href="http://munkschool.utoronto.ca/ai/cas/">contemporary asian studies</a> and economics student&nbsp;how much she hates the government, Grinzato said. “Public comments like this were unthinkable just a few years ago, for fear of landing in jail,” he added. “People really do feel they can speak more freely and think differently now.”</p> <p>Grinzato was one of 10 students visiting Myanmar, also known as Burma,&nbsp;as part of the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science’s <a href="http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/international-programs/faculty/applications-international-programs/icm">International Course Module (ICM) Program</a>. The program provides the opportunity to add a short international learning experience to an undergraduate course.</p> <p><img alt="student at shrine in Myanmar" src="/sites/default/files/2015-10-23-myanmar-embed-2.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 427px; margin: 10px;"></p> <p>The student&nbsp;group met with&nbsp;people involved in both democratization and peace-building initiatives, and leaders of parties representing ethnic minorities who will be running for positions in the upcoming November elections. They also met with representatives of state-run, private and international media outlets, leaders of large multi-national and small local businesses, as well as students and faculty at the University of Yangon.</p> <p>“Many people stated that it’s better now from a professional and personal point of view,” said Grinzato. “Some NGO leaders noted it is easier to get their organizations recognized and operate legally, while before they had to do so in secrecy. People are generally very political and have quickly taken to the Internet and communicating widely about anything in their lives.”</p> <p>The students also found opportunities to speak with members of the next generation of political activists, bloggers and filmmakers, collecting input from the widest range of local actors involved in the changes.</p> <p>“The trip consolidated our understanding of many of the theories about authoritarianism, democratic transition, peace-building, ethnic politics and economic liberalization that we had been considering in class,” said contemporary asian studies and history student <strong>Anthea Snowsill</strong>. “How these factors interact in Asia and Myanmar in particular, provided me with a strong foundation to analyze and evaluate our observations and interactions in Yangon.”</p> <p>Only eight days long and with a jam-packed research agenda, the Myanmar ICM was intense.</p> <p>“Despite the highly compressed nature of an ICM –&nbsp;or maybe because of it –&nbsp;the experience can be very meaningful,” said anthropologist <strong>Joshua Barker</strong>, who led the students with political scientist <strong>Jacques Bertrand</strong>. “We had enlightening conversations at all of our meetings, some of which continued via email and social media long after we returned.”</p> <p><img alt="student in front of a temple" src="/sites/default/files/2015-10-23-myanmar-embed-4.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 480px; margin: 10px;"></p> <p>In a discussion paper on U of T's three priorities&nbsp;released recently, President&nbsp;<strong>Meric Gertler</strong>&nbsp;talked about the importance of re-imagining undergraduate education and emphasizing research-based, experience-based and international learning.</p> <p>“Over the past 10 plus years we have dramatically scaled up the number of research opportunities for undergraduates,” Gertler said, “championed experiential and service learning and expanded the range and variety of international experiences available to our students. We need to build on these successes and maintain this momentum.</p> <p>“Participating in research provides a valuable opportunity for students to develop key skills&nbsp;– to enhance their problem-solving ability and creativity, to foster their capacity for team work and to sharpen their communication skills (both written and oral).”</p> <h2 style="font-size: 19.999px; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://threepriorities.utoronto.ca/">Read more about the three priorities</a></h2> <p>The students shared their findings upon their return with classmates, at a public event for the U of T community overall, and through several media interviews.</p> <p>“Not only did the ICM help to amplify the in-class learnings for those who took part, other students who weren’t on the trip, got to benefit from the experience by proxy,” said Barker.</p> <p>For Snowsill, the experience brought her to the realization that there is a complex relationship between the ways in which the rest of the world is trying to understand how the country is changing, and the ways in which people within Myanmar comprehend the changes themselves.</p> <p>“International sanctions are being lifted, and foreign companies and governments are looking to engage with Myanmar in new ways,” she said. “Notable endorsements of the reforms being implemented in the country are indicators of an increasing perception outside Myanmar that its developmental trajectory is aligning with liberal Western ideological beliefs.</p> <p>“The other side of that is actors within Myanmar are compelled to demonstrate clear and measured progress in order to continue to attract investment, and internalize Western discourse about development and democratization –&nbsp;sometimes to a fault. It is occasionally criticized as performative for the fact that the process precludes local knowledge and expertise during this time of change.”</p> <p><img alt="group photo of all students" src="/sites/default/files/2015-10-26-myanmar-students.jpg" style="width: 625px; height: 417px; margin: 10px 25px;"></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-10-23-myanmar-lead.jpg</div> </div> Mon, 26 Oct 2015 09:59:09 +0000 sgupta 7375 at