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International Studies

International studies at Denison

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES ENCOURAGES ITS STUDENTSto view the world from social, political, economic and cultural perspectives and to be broadly concerned with interdependencies and power relations that connect individuals and groups across the globe.

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International Studies

In this interdisciplinary field students develop analytical skills that integrate the tools of political economic and cultural analysis, as well as the ability to understand the intersections of global and local processes. This integrated knowledge is essential for understanding contemporary issues such as those involving transnational economic organizations and practices, migration, environmental issues, ethnic and national diasporas, the HIV/AIDs pandemic, human rights and gender issues.


The international studies major

International studies is available only as part of a double major. Students who want to major in international studies are encouraged to articulate a synergistic relationship between the two majors. A double major in international studies exposes students to frameworks that highlight connectedness on a global level in terms that are broadly historical and geographical. It also focuses on transnational processes involving, among others, political regimes, cultural formations and economic relations.

Students design a concentration in consultation with an international studies faculty advisor. A concentration allows students to engage in in-depth study based on their own interests.

The general requirements for a major in international studies are:

What do international studies majors do after Denison?

Students who majored in international studies have gone on to many different careers. The following is a sampling of what some recent graduates are doing:

Who are our professors?

The International Studies Program comprises faculty from across departments at Denison University. Most of our faculty have active international research agendas and offer numerous courses with an international orientation. The International Studies Committee has the major responsibility for overseeing the program and for advising international studies majors.

Director of International Studies and Professor of History Margaret L. Meriwether joined the faculty at Denison in 1981. She earned a B.A. at Bryn Mawr College and a Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research and teaching interests are in Middle Eastern history. She teaches Development of the Modern Middle East, Islamic Civilization, and Selected Topics in Middle Eastern History, as well as a course on Plagues and Peoples.

Professor of Modern Languages Gary Baker joined the faculty at Denison in 1989 and teaches German. He earned his B.A. from Juniata College, his M.A. from Pennsylvania State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. His research interests include German culture and literature and Netherlandic topics.

Assistant Professor of History Ruramisai Charumbira joined the faculty in 2006. She earned a Diploma at the University of Zimbabwe, a B.A. and M.A. at St. Mary's University, a M.A. at the University of Toronto, and her Ph.D. from Yale University. Her research interests include: ethno-archaeology, historical memory, indigenous knowledge systems, imperialism, and comparative women's history. Her dissertation, "Forgetting Lives, Remembering Symbols: Women in the History of Zimbabwe," examined the dialectical relationship between historical memory and forgetting in the history of pre-1850 Zimbabwe and the political and cultural icon, Nehanda, in the history of Zimbabwe in recent times. 

Professor of Religion John E. Cort joined the faculty at Denison in 1992. He earned a B.A. and an M.A. at the University of Wisconsin and an M.A. and a Ph.D. at Harvard University. His research interests include Asian, Indian and comparative religions, Indian history and culture and the history of religion.

Associate Professor of Sociology/Anthropology Susan E. Diduk joined the faculty at Denison in 1984. She earned a B.A. at the College of William and Mary, an M.A. at University College London, U.K. and an M.A. and a Ph.D. at Indiana University. She teaches in the areas of comparative social institutions, sociology of art, contemporary sociocultural theory, gender and Africa. Her areas of specialization include classical and contemporary theory, art and society, gender, political economy and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Assistant Professor of Communication Carol "Mimi" Harvey earned her B.A.  and M.A. at the University of Victoria and her Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa. She has done field research on migrant workers in South Korea, and worked on several development projects in China, Korea and Indonesia. Her ethnographic research interests focus on the lived experiences of those groups and individuals living on the borderlands between cultures and nations, including immigrants, migrating and diasporic peoples, refugees, and short-and long-term travelers.

Director of International and Off-Campus Study Andrew Law came to Denison in 2004. He earned a B.A. at Georgetown University and a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota.

Assistant Professor of Sociology/Anthropology Veerendra P. Lele joined the faculty at Denison in 2003. He earned an A.B. at Cornell University, an M.A. at Georgetown University, an M.A. at the University of Michigan and an M.Phil. and a Ph.D. at Columbia University. His research interests are in cultural identity, material culture and archeology, issues of racial and ethnic identity, kinship, and religious ritual. Much of his field work has been done in Ireland, exploring issues of identity through the work of certain philosophers.

Assistant Professor of English Anita Mannur joined the faculty in 2005. She earned  her B.A. at the University of Wisconsin and her Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts. She specializes in the areas of Asian American literature and culture, South Asian literature, diaspora and transnationalism, minority and racial discourse, and postcolonial studies. Her most recent work explores the articulation of racial and ethnic identities within a culinary frame.

Assistant Professor of Women's Studies and International Studies Isis Nusair joined the faculty at Denison in 2005. She earned a B.A. at Tel-Aviv University, an M.A. at the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. at Clark University. She has served as a researcher on women's human rights in the Middle East and North Africa for Human Rights Watch and worked as a researcher with the Euro-Med Human Rights Network.

Associate Professor of Political Science James Pletcher joined the faculty in 1983 and currently holds the Charles and Nancy Brickman Distinguished Service Chair. He earned his B.A. at the University of Michigan and his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin. His research focuses on the politics and institutions of agricultural production and marketing in the developing world, especially in Africa, and Malaysia. His current project explores the dynamics of small holder production and marketing of agricultural exports in Uganda and the effect of import standards and global trade negotiations on Ugandan exports.

Assistant Professor of Communication Eric Saranovitz joined the faculty in 2005. He earned his B.A. at Amherst College, an M.A. at Hebrew University and his Ph.D. at NewYork University. His research interests are centered on the relationships  among media, globalization, national identity, and history and public  memory, especially as they relate to Israel, where he lived, studied,  and worked for 8 years.

Assistant Professor of Religion Jennifer B. Saunders joined the faculty in 2005. She earned a B.A. at Duke University, a M.A. at the University of North Carolina, and her Ph.D. at Emory University. She engages in ethnographic research in the United States and India, focusing on narratives in an extended, transnational Hindu family.

Assistant Professor of International Studies Taku Suzuki joined the faculty in 2007. He earned a B.A. at Meiji Gakuin University in Japan and his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. His research interests include the Okinawan immigrant community in eastern Bolivia, Okinawan/Bolivian immigrant communities in Japan, and transnational Okinawan peace and environmental activism.

For more information about the department and curriculum, go to:

International Studies Department

or contact:

Marlee Meriwether, Director
Department of International Studies
Fellows Hall, Room 418
Denison University
Granville, Ohio 43023

Phone:  (740) 587-6258
Fax:  (740) 587-5764
E-mail: Marlee Meriwether