International Education Week Celebration at SMC

Santa Monica College is celebrating International Education Week Nov. 18-22 with a lively festival featuring food, games, and international dances; an informative session on the benefits and options of studying abroad through SMC; a talk on the politics driving immigration policy, and more! All events are FREE, and the public is invited.

"International Education Week celebrates SMC's remarkably diverse community, with more than 3,200 international students traveling to study here from more than 100 nations," said International Education Dean Kelley Brayton. "It's also a time to shine a spotlight on SMC's global citizenship."

The lineup of events, all held on the main SMC campus at 1900 Pico Blvd., is:

Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 11:15 a.m. (Humanities & Social Science Lecture Hall 165): Lecture – "The Cyclical Politics of Immigration Policy, from 1986 to Today." Karthick Ramakrishnan, Associate Professor of Political Science at UC Riverside, will discuss his research on immigration policy and the rise of state and local legislation on immigration over the past decade. Ramakrishnan is also Director of the National Asian American Survey. The talk is part of the Global Connections Lecture Series sponsored by the SMC Associates.

Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 11:15 a.m. (Business 111): Informational Meeting – "Study Abroad." Staff from the International Education Center and SMC faculty will talk about studying abroad as part of the academic program at SMC, the value of living and learning in another culture, the destinations being planned for summer 2014 and Winter 2015, and related topics.

Thursday, Nov. 21, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Campus Quad): Global Citizenship Day Festival – Take your taste buds traveling at a festival featuring a kaleidoscope of free food, music, games, and dance performances by SMC's Global Motion World Dance Company. Information will also be provided on how campus departments are engaged in SMC's Global Citizenship initiative.

SMC's International Education Week events are sponsored by the SMC International Education Center, Global Citizenship, Department of Communication/Film Studies, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, Dance Department, and SMC Associates (www.smc.edu/associates), a private organization that funds speakers and special programs on the Santa Monica College campus.

SMC is one of the many organizations nationwide that will celebrate International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. State and Education Departments.

For more information, go to http://www.smc.edu/international or contact Joan Kang at (310) 434-3962 (kang_joan@smc.edu).