Program Overview

The Transatlantic Students Symposia are a series of short-term academic exchanges that provide a student-based and largely student-run space for the discussion of topics of contemporary relevance in an interdisciplinary, experiential and transatlantic setting. Students of the humanities, including Political Science, Cultural and Literary Studies, History, Education, and others, are working together in order to approach political and historical topics with a strong relation to present-day cultural and public policy issues. They are furthermore provided with an outlook into professional and practical applications of their academic training. Student participants are selected on the basis of merit, service to their degree programs, and areas of academic concentration.


The MPP program partners with Diversity and Cultural Engagement (DCE; previously Intercultural Student Services) at OSU to create a diverse group of participants. Our international partners come from the American Studies Program at Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany, and from the American Studies Center at Warsaw University, Poland.

Each student symposium is prepared by a class at all all participating universities in the preceding term, taught by Philipp Kneis (MPP) and Allison Davis-White Eyes (DCE) at OSU, Reinhard Isensee at Humboldt University, and Tomasz Basiuk at the University of Warsaw. The classes have a joint online forum and conduct a joint video conference. During Spring Break, we undertake a week-long field trip to locations of relevance to the symposium topic, followed by a student-led conference. Student organizers, which are recruited from previous symposium participants, partake in key aspects of the organization of the program both during the class and the field trip itself.

The program was started at Humboldt University Berlin in 2003, and saw a collaboration with Bard College (2003-04), Georgetown University (2005-11), and with OSU in 2007 (with Intercultural Student Services) and since 2011 (with DCE and the MPP program). We have been supported by the participating universities and by Max Kade Foundation.

The Transatlantic Students Symposia web site includes the complete program history and educational philosophy of the series.

 

Program History at the OSU MPP Program

Upcoming Symposium:

15th Transatlantic Students Symposium, Rome and Warsaw, March 24-April 2, 2017:
Returning to the Nation? Challenges to Democracy and Supranationality in the 21st Century

in cooperation between OSU (MPP program and Intercultural Student Services), Humboldt University Berlin, and the University of Warsaw

Symposium Web Site

14th Transatlantic Students Symposium, California and Oregon, March 2016:
The Politics and Culture of Resilience: Adapting to a Changing Environment

in cooperation between OSU (MPP Program and Diversity and Cultural Engagement), Humboldt University Berlin, University of Warsaw

MPP students Nathan Davis, Sione Filimoehala, Sarah Boege, Jordan Hensley and PhD students Warda Ajaz and Stuty Maskey participated in the 14th Transatlantic Students Symposium in California and Oregon, in a cooperation with Diversity & Cultural Engagement, with additional organizers Daryl Adkins and Kali Furman, as well as students from Humboldt University Berlin, and the University of Warsaw.

 

For the 2016 Symposium OSU's MPP program and Diversity and Cultural Engagement (partnered again with Humboldt University Berlin and Warsaw University. We visited several locations in California, namely San Diego, the Salton Sea, Palm Springs, the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, Los Angeles, as well as the Siletz Indian Reservation and Devil’s Churn in Oregon.

We visited sites of cultural memory dealing with the survival and resilience of indigenous, immigrant and marginalized cultures, as well as sites of ecological interest. The program concluded with a student conference at Oregon State University.

The follow-up 5th Social Justice Student Conference at OSU, taking place during Holocaust Memorial Week, including reflections on the field trip, as well as student presentations on topics related to social justice issues.

 

13th Transatlantic Students Symposium, Bulgaria and Berlin, March 2015:
Crisis of Mission: Transatlantic (Mis)Understandings of European Integration

in cooperation between OSU (MPP Program and Diversity and Cultural Engagement), Humboldt University Berlin, University of Warsaw, American University Blagoevgrad

MPP students Nathan Davis, Julia McKenna, Anna Karmazina, Iana Shevtsova and Iaroslav Vugniavi participated in the 13th Transatlantic Students Symposium in Bulgaria, together with fellow OSU students organized by Intercultural Students Services, namely Daryl Adkins, Kali Furman, Shalece Rains and Lisa Taieb, as well as students from Humboldt University Berlin, the University of Warsaw, and the American University in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

 

For the 2015 Symposium OSU's MPP program and Diversity and Cultural Engagement (previously Intercultural Student Services) partnered again with Humboldt University Berlin and Warsaw University, and also with the American University in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. We visited several locations in Bulgaria, namely Plovdiv, Sofia, and Rila Monastery, including workshops at the American University in Blagoevgrad and the American Research Institute in Sofia.

We visited further cultural and political institutions dealing with matters of European identity and trauma in Berlin, such as the Topography of Terror, and also met with representatives from the German parliament, visited the German Bundestag as well as the Bundesrat. The program concluded with a two-day student conference at Humboldt University.

Symposium alumna and MPP Student Brittany Gaustad organized the 4th Social Justice Student Conference at OSU, taking place during Holocaust Memorial Week, including reflections on the field trip, as well as further student presentations on the topic of “Gender and Violence.”

12th Transatlantic Students Symposium, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, March 2014:
Sustainability in Education, Culture and Politics: Questioning the Validity of National Narratives and Policies

in cooperation between OSU (MPP program and Intercultural Student Services), Humboldt University Berlin, University of Warsaw

MPP students Mariana Amorim, Rebecca Arce, Brittany Gaustad, Patricia Martins Marcos, and Julia McKenna participated in the 12th Transatlantic Students Symposium in the American Southwest, together with fellow OSU students organized by Intercultural Student Services, namely Elba Moise (Public Health & Anthropology), DJ Zissen (CSSA), Sharece Bunn (CSSA), Esther Kim (CSSA) and Lauren Visconti (Anthropology), as well as  students from Humboldt University Berlin and the University of Warsaw.

The 12th Transatlantic Students Symposium was dedicated to finding approaches towards sustainability in the areas of education, culture and politics. After preparatory classwork, a group of 25 students and 6 faculty from 3 participating Universities (Oregon State University, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany, and the University of Warsaw) travelled to New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Oregon to conduct a joint field trip during spring break 2014. The group visited several sites of ecological, historical, social and cultural relevance, such as the Quivira Coalition (a farming cooperative) in Albuquerque, Acoma Pueblo, Chaco Canyon, the Navajo Nation (including a workshop with the Vice President), Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, the San Juan Citizens Alliance in Durango (an environmental group), the Japanese Internment Memorial and the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, and the SAGE gardens (a farming cooperative) in Corvallis. Students presented their papers at a concluding conference in Corvallis.See also: Symposium Report

11th Transatlantic Students Symposium, Poland, March 2013:
Borders in Transit: Rural and Urban Liminalities in the US and Europe

in cooperation between OSU (MPP program and Intercultural Student Services), Humboldt University Berlin, University of Warsaw

MPP students Mariana Amorim, Rebecca Arce, Zachary Dunn, Snehalatha Gantla, Paul Meuse, and Meghann Rhynard-Geil participated in the 11th Transatlantic Students Symposium in Poland, together with fellow OSU students organized by Intercultural Students Services, namely Felicia Arce (CSSA), Elba Moise (Anthropology), Doris Gonzalez-Gomez (Ethnic Studies), DJ Zissen (CSSA) and Sophie Wilson (CSSA), as well as students from Humboldt University Berlin and the University of Warsaw.For the 2013 Symposium OSU's MPP program and Intercultural Student Services partnered again with Humboldt University Berlin, and Warsaw University. We visited several locations in Poland, namely the cities of Gdánsk, Bialystok, Lublin and Warsaw, as well as an old Teutonic Knights castle in Marlbork, the Tatar community in Kruszyniany, a primeval forest in Bialowieza, and the site of the former concentration camp Majdanek.

We visited further cultural and political institutions dealing with matters of immigration and border policy. The program included a two-day student conference at Warsaw and further reflection sessions.

Assessment was conducted by Jeff Kenney from Intercultural Student services, which this time also included video journaling.

Symposium participants Mariana Amorim and Snehalatha Gantla also organized the 2nd Social Justice Student Conference at OSU, taking place during Holocaust Memorial Week, including reflections on the Majdanek visit and further student

See also: Symposium Report

10th Transatlantic Students Symposium, Oregon, March 2012:
Rural Frontier Communities, Global Challenges? The American West, the European East, and the Resurgence of National Mythologies

in cooperation between OSU (MPP program and Intercultural Student Services), Humboldt University Berlin, University of Warsaw

MPP students Hillary Fishler, Chrysanthemum Mattison, Clair Clark, Sarah Cline, Paul Meuse and Meghann Rhynard-Geil participated in the 10th Transatlantic Students Symposium in Oregon, together with fellow OSU students organized by Intercultural Students Services, namely Lauren Plaza (ISS), and Felicia Arce, as well as students from Humboldt University Berlin and the University of Warsaw.

The 2012 Symposium saw OSU'S MPP program and Intercultural Student Services partner with Humboldt University Berlin, and Warsaw University. We undertook field trips to Portland, Pendleton, the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, talks with field laborers at Port of Morrow, a visit to the John Day Fossil Beds’ Painted Hills Unit, to Bend, the High Desert Museum, Newport and a final student conference at OSU.

 An assessment of the program was undertaken under the leadership of student organizer Chrysanthemum Mattison (MPP). Students have been surveyed throughout the symposium week and after the concluding conference. These results will be presented at the next national NASPA conference. We are also planning a publication.

The 10th Symposium was conceived as a two-part event. The continuation of the themes of rurality and the frontier was continued in Poland, 2013.See also: Symposium Report

9th Transatlantic Students Symposium, Madrid and Berlin, March 2011:
Confronting the Crises of the 21st Century: Politics, Economy, and Identity

in cooperation between OSU (MPP program and Intercultural Student Services), Humboldt University Berlin, University of Warsaw, Georgetown University

MPP students Hillary Fishler and Chrysanthemum Mattison participated in the 10th Transatlantic Students Symposium in Spain and Berlin, together with fellow OSU students organized by Intercultural Students Services, namely  Doris Gonzalez-Gomez (Ethnic Studies), Lauren Plaza (ISS), Gianluigi Benvenutto, Cuauhtli Hernandez, and Chance White Eyes, as well as students from Humboldt University Berlin and the University of Warsaw.

The Transatlantic Student Symposium was notably full of firsts in terms of professional, academic, and cultural experiences. Through discussions, academic lectures, visits to historical, cultural, and political sites, and our individual research presentations graduate students from Humboldt University, Georgetown University, and Oregon State University collaborated on the many facets of the global financial crisis. Student involvement was the heart of the symposium.

Chrysanthemum said "While we each brought a different perspective and area of interest to the symposium, our time together resulted in revelations about the interconnectedness of our disciplines and the implications of social, political, and economic decisions around the world. I have a new level of understanding about the work I do in the MPP program. Seeing first hand the value and importance of strong working relationships between countries and peers leave me feeling reinvigorated and excited to keep studying policy and apply what I learn to the transatlantic community."See also: Complete List of Symposia


 

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