International Education Week (IEW) is a national program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. With 359 students from 76 countries here at UCA, IEW gives these students the opportunity to share many facets of their culture with the community. Additionally, during this week we promote education abroad with the Office of Education Abroad, and show how the work of academic departments and students can have a global impact!
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2ND
International Soccer Tournament: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Farris Fields Complex
Sponsor: UCA Ivorian Student Association, UCA African Student Association, UCA Team Global & Center for Global Learning and Engagement
Come join us for a fun-filled day of soccer! Matches will be 8-vs-8 with the winning team and the most valuable player receiving trophies.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13 – 17
Geography Awareness Week 2023: Time and Location Varies
Join the UCA Geography Department, Geography Club, and Gamma Theta Upsilon for a celebration of Geography and GIS through the theme of “The Power of Place”. A few of the events planned this week include Humanitarian Mapping at Global Expo, URC Faculty Research Symposium, and a Google Earth Scavenger Hunt. Learn more about Geography Awareness Week here!
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14
Global Expo: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Ronnie Williams Student Center Courtyard
Sponsor: Center for Global Learning and Engagement
Global Expo is an opportunity for all internationally related RSOs and departments to represent their culture or mission to the whole campus. Attendees will get a “passport” to travel through the Global Expo. After you have collected enough “stamps”, you will get a FREE T-shirt! [While supplies last]
Workshop: Introduction to Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL): 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM, McCastlain Hall, Art Lecture Hall
Sponsor: Center for Global Learning and Engagement
Faculty can learn about Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), a type of virtual exchange program where professors from different countries design a class project that connects their classrooms. COIL projects help to increase students’ intercultural awareness and align with Global Goals.
Distinguished COIL Fellows Dinner: 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM, McCastlain Hall, Fireplace Room – Private event – Invitation Only
Sponsor: Center for Global Learning and Engagement
Six faculty members will be honored as Distinguished COIL Fellows, a special designation for faculty who have completed two or more Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects. The honorees teach in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (3); College of Business (1); College of Education (1); and the Honors College (1).
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15
Dining Around the World: UCA Cafeteria
Sponsors: UCA Team Global & Center for Global Learning and Engagement
Get a taste of international dishes at the Cafeteria during lunch. This year Nigerian Jollof Rice and Nigerian Dodo (Fried Plantain) will be featured. We hope you enjoy!
Virtual Trivia: Battle of the Halls 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM, EVERYWHERE! — Registration Only
Sponsors: UCA Team Global, UCA Resident Housing Association & Center for Global Learning and Engagement
Earn bragging rights for your hall as you form teams and compete in our 1st annual “Virtual Trivia: Battle of the Halls”! A trophy will be awarded to the hall that scores the most points! Be looking for an email from your Hall staff about this event!
Japanamania!: 6:30 – 8:00 PM, Torreyson West, Room 320
Sponsors: Center for Global Learning and Engagement & UCA School of Language and Literature
Please join us as David House, Japanese instructor at UCA, leads a fun introduction to the Japanese language. Joining David is Dr. Kae Hashimoto Reed, an instructor at UCA Community Language School and Arkansas Tech University, who will introduce you to Manga, including its history, art, and culture through popular series. To conclude the session, we will enjoy some tasty Japanese dishes!
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Keystone Conversation: Reframing Asian American History with Baldwin Chiu: 1:40 PM – 2:30 PM, Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts
Sponsors: Arkansas National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, UCA’s Center for Chinese Language and Culture and the UCA History Department’s Florence Williams Fund
Baldwin Chiu is an award-winning Chinese American film producer and hip hop artist whose music videos and documentary films seek to educate the public about Asian American identity and inspire positive change. He and his wife, Larissa Lam, co-produced the documentary film Far East Deep South, which explores the complex legacy of Chinese Americans in the Mississippi Delta through the lens of the Chiu family’s efforts to uncover their own lost family history. Prior to the screening of Far East Deep South on UCA’s Campus, join Baldwin Chiu for a wide ranging conversation about filmmaking, Asian American representation in media, and challenge and joy of reframing Asian American identity and history on screen.
Teacher Workshop: Teaching Asian American History in Arkansas: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM, UCA Integrated Health Sciences Building, room 345
Sponsors: Arkansas National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, UCA’s Center for Chinese Language and Culture and the UCA History Department’s Florence Williams Fund
Join ARNCTA Director Dr. Zach Smith for an exploration of engaging themes and classroom-ready teaching materials for centering Asian American experiences in Arkansas and US History courses. Topics include: Chinese grocers in the Arkansas and Mississippi Deltas, Japanese internment in Rohwer, Marshallese Communities in Northwest Arkansas, and more. For professional development credit, register here.
FREE PUBLIC FILM SCREENING: Far East Deep South: 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM, UCA Integrated Health Sciences Building, rooms 245/246
Sponsors: Arkansas National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, UCA’s Center for Chinese Language and Culture and the UCA History Department’s Florence Williams Fund
Join us for a free public film screening of the award-winning documentary film Far East Deep South (dir. Larissa Lam, 77 min), which explores the seldom-told history of Chinese immigrants living in the American south during the late 1800s to mid-1900s through the eyes of Charles Chiu and his family as they travel from California to Mississippi to discover their lost family history. The film will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A featuring producer Baldwin Chiu and members of the Chinese Association of Arkansas and Chinese Historical Society of Memphis and the Mid-South. Learn more about the film here!
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17 -18
58th Arkansas Model United Nations Conference: Time and Location Varies
Sponsors: UCA Department of Government, Public Service, and International Studies and UCA Model United Nations RSO
UCA campus will host the 58th Arkansas Model United Nations conference for high school students in Arkansas and neighboring states. The Opening Session will be on November 17 at 1:00 in Ida Waldran Auditorium (Main Hall). All sessions are open to the public. For more information: https://uca.edu/politicalscience/model-united-nations/amun/conference/
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Thanksgiving Dinner: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, McCastlain Ballroom — Private event – Invitation Only
Sponsor: Center for Global Learning and Engagement
The Center for Global Learning and Engagement is very grateful for each and every one of our international students. During these challenging times, we want to celebrate UCA’s global community at a delicious Thanksgiving feast.