International Education Week sparks interest in global issues

November 07, 2008

ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus will be feeding minds and battling world hunger as part of International Education Week.<separator></separator>This annual joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education runs from Nov. 17-21, and is sponsored by ASU’s University College, School of Letters & Sciences, Department of Student Engagement and Office of the Dean of Student Affairs.<separator></separator>“Here at the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus, we hope to develop awareness on global issues such as poverty and hunger, promote programs that facilitate cultural interaction such as viewing and discussing international films, and attract future leaders to study and learn more about the world we all share,” said Mirna Lattouf, a senior lecturer at ASU’s School of Letters & Sciences.<separator></separator>International Education Week was first held in 2000 and today is celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide. It aims to promote international understanding and build support for international educational exchange by encouraging the development of programs that prepare Americans to live and work in a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study in the United States.<separator></separator>ASU will commemorate the annual initiative with a food drive, lecture, film festival and a celebration of international students.<separator></separator>The International Education Week schedule includes:<separator></separator>• “Everlasting Regret”, 6:45 p.m., Nov. 18, University Center, 411 N. Central, Room 107. Admission to this 2005 film, which is in Chinese and includes English subtitles, is one canned food item.<separator></separator>• “Hunger and Poverty in the World – 2008”, 4:30 p.m., Nov. 19, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Room 125. Jonathan Lembright, an educational consultant with Phoenix-based Food for the Hungry, will present this two-and-a-half hour lecture. Admission is one canned food item.<separator></separator>• “Wonderful Troubles”, 6:45 p.m., Nov. 20, University Center, 411 N. Central Ave., Room 107. Admission to this 2004 film, which is in Hebrew and includes English subtitles, is one canned food item.<separator></separator>• International Extravaganza Celebration, 7 p.m., Nov. 24, ASU Wells Fargo Student Center, Arizona Center, second floor (above the AMC Theaters). This dinner celebration will include stories from international students about hunger in their respective countries. Admission is free.<separator></separator>Throughout International Education Week and up to Dec. 10, ASU will conduct a food drive for St. Vincent DePaul and collect nonperishable food items on their behalf. Boxes will be distributed throughout the Downtown Phoenix campus.<separator></separator>For more information on International Education Week and activities, call Mirna Lattouf at (602) 496-0638 or e-mail <a href="mailto:Mirna.Lattouf@asu.edu">Mirna.Lattouf@asu.edu</a>.<separator>… class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p>