Tag Archives: MIIS

Language Education Semester Away @ Monterey

Below is information about a study away program being offered Fall 2023 at our graduate school, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in beautiful Monterey, CA.  The program is designed to focus on language education (English or other world languages). They’re accepting applications now!

The newly designed Monterey Language Education Semester (MLES), a collaboration between faculty at Middlebury College and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) is a study away program that gives you the opportunity to explore core concepts and practices in language teaching at MIIS with a focus on social engagement. Coursework, which takes place during the fall semester, includes: 

  • Language Analysis OR Introduction to Sociolinguistics (3 credits)
  • Introduction to Intercultural Competence (2 credits)
  • Principles & Practices of Language Teaching I (4 credits)
  • Service-Learning in the Monterey Bay Region (2 credits)
  • Language Teaching for Social Justice (2 credits)
  • Electives (2-4 credits)

This program is ideal for those who are interested in teaching language in the US or abroad, seeking out Fulbright teaching assistantships, or participating in the Peace Corps. Furthermore, the program can shorten time to completion of a full MA TESOL or TFL at MIIS should you choose to return for a master’s degree. 

You can learn more about the MLES by visiting this webpage: https://www.middlebury.edu/office/study-abroad/programs-locations/california/middlebury-language-education-semester. Feel free to reach out to meet at any point to discuss this opportunity by emailing Jason Martel, Associate Professor, Program Chair, and Career & Academic Advisor, TESOL/TFL, MIIS at jmartel@middlebury.edu.  If you’re interested in continuing on to complete an MA TESOL or MA TFL at MIIS after the MLES, I’d highly recommend that we meet in order to strategize which courses you should take at the College to smooth the transition. 

Machiavelli in the Ivory Tower Ep 4: Nuclear Deterrence and the War in Ukraine – A Conversation with Jeffrey Lewis

In the 4th episode of Machiavelli in the Ivory Tower, hosts Sarah and Hanna are joined by Jeffrey Lewis, Professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and Director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). Jeffrey is also the founder of Arms Control Wonk, the leading blog and podcast on arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation.

Today’s discussion topics include:

  • the implications of Russia’s war against Ukraine and China’s growing nuclear arsenal on the concept of nuclear deterrence;
  • the ways forward in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program;
  • the challenges to arms control posed by disinformation;
  • the reasons why individuals matter in all of this

And much more.

The podcast is also available on Spotify:

Middlebury Study Away Program-CA Climate Semester: Resilience, Solutions, Justice

The all new California Climate Semester, which will be offered for the first time in Winter Term and Spring Term of 2022 is now open and accepting applications. Middlebury College students will spend the winter and spring at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey learning from climate leaders at the graduate level.

Middlebury College students have the chance to access the extraordinary resources of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), which features a Master of Arts in International Environmental Policy, Center for the Blue Economy, and connections with hundreds of environmental and non-governmental organizations. 

Professor Dan Brayton, Professor of English and American Literatures and Program Director of the Environmental Studies program at Middlebury College will be directing the program for the first two years.

As a new program, they are expecting to enroll ~15 Middlebury undergraduates in the inaugural 2022 program (January-May). Students will live in the new student dorm located near the Midd campus in Monterey. (Re)construction of the facility is currently underway. Students will enroll in a team-taught Winter Term course in Monterey followed by four courses in the spring (2 electives taught by MIIS International Environmental Policy colleagues, one place-based course taught by the Director, and one practicum).

Applications for the semesters are due by February 1st of the year preceding the spring semester away (so for this first cohort, this February 1st, 2021). Start an application or write to Programs Assistant, Heather Sitkie to request information or assistance. 

For more information, check out the webpage here: https://www.middlebury.edu/office/study-abroad/programs-locations/california-climate-semester

Inaugural Monterey Threat Financing Forum March 20-22

The Middlebury Institute Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism is hosting the Monterey Threat Financing Forum this March. The event will take place on the Monterey campus and feature experts from government, FinTech, and the finance industry. The event is geared towards professionals in the threat finance, sanctions, and anti-money laundering fields with 3-5 years of relevant work experience. Current graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to attend.

The Middlebury Institute’s Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism (CTEC) and its Financial Crime Management program are hosting the first Monterey Threat Financing Forum (MTFF), an ambitious international conference featuring government and private sector speakers in the field of counter-terrorism financing, counter-proliferation financing, threat financing investigations, and sanctions compliance. The conference will be held on the Institute’s Monterey campus on March 20-22.

“We’re excited to be hosting this inaugural event,” says Professor Moyara Ruehsen, director of the Financial Crime Management Certificate. “No other educational institution can match the Middlebury Institute’s curricular focus and expertise when it comes to threat financing. And thanks to our sponsors, we’re also excited to be able to provide this learning and networking opportunity to professionals in the field at minimal cost.”

“One of CTEC’s three core focus areas is threat finance and sanctions,” adds CTEC Director Jason Blazakis. “The discussion led by top notch experts in the area of sanctions and threat finance at the MTFF fits squarely within the CTEC mission.” Participants can earn 12 Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) credits by attending this conference.

Organizers announced this week that the keynote speaker will be Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the U.S. Department of the Treasury Andrea Gacki. OFAC is the federal agency charged with implementing and enforcing economic sanctions on behalf of the U.S. government. Before joining OFAC 10 years ago, Gacki spent eight years at the Department of Justice’s Civil Division in the Federal Programs Branch. She holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Participants can earn 12 Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) credits by attending this conference. Sessions will cover the latest sanctions evasion typologies, and how blockchain forensics can trace cryptocurrency transactions, supplemented by break-out workshops that offer the chance to analyze a fictitious terrorism financing case, trace the transnational workings of a real North Korean proliferation-financing operation, and learn how network analysis tools can aid investigators.

For the full agenda and more information about the conference visit the Monterey Threat Financing Forum website.

Gratitude At Work: Lessons from Berkeley

Creating a culture of appreciation was the culminating session at a recent UC Berkeley ‘Greater Good Science Center‘ event on gratitude and well-being at work.

logo - Gratitude and Well-being at Work conference

Click image to explore the conference website

An exploration of both the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of gratitude practices, the sessions took an increasingly practical focus as the day progressed:

  • What is gratitude, and why practice it at work? (theoretical frameworks & research) 
  • How to get started:  Debunking myths, overcoming barriers (existing programs, in context) 
  • Putting gratitude into practice (small-scale, practical activities) 
  • Building cultures of gratitude and appreciation (momentum & long-term organizational change) 

Participation in this event was made possible by the Monterey Mindfulness at MIIS Working Group, and we will be sharing the experience through a face-to-face campus event in Monterey and via the Mindfulness at Middlebury site.

Got questions?  Want to dive in?

Contact sarah.springer@middlebury.edu to receive a one-time update when resources for learning about and putting these ideas into practice are available.

Are you reading this post via a feed reader? If so, read on…

On Tuesday May 31st we’re going to change the categories on this blog, so if by any chance you’re using a feed of a specific category, that’s going to break. We suggest subscribing to the whole blog for maximum enjoyment! If you’re not a LIS staff member & would like to filter out the more staff related posts, you can subscribe to the new “Middlebury Community Interest” category after May 31st. The other categories will be “LIS Staff Interest”, and “Post for MiddPoints” which will cause the post to be added to the MiddPoints blog too. All the old categories except “The Essentials” will be converted to tags for easy searching.
The LIS Web team developed this new scheme, following recommendations that came out of the open meeting about the future of the LIS Blog (including a call for simplified categories). The AD Team reviewed and approved these changes. We welcome your comments.

TedxMonterey

The Monterey Institute of International Studies is hosting a Tedx event.  TED refers to the wildly successful annual conferences that bring together people from technology, entertainment and design to give short talks about their lives.  Tedx events are community organized programs that following a similar format to the TED conferences.

TedxMonterey is happening on April 15 and will be livestreamed and live-interpreted to the web.   Speakers will include dancers (including Middelbury’s Andrea Olsen), drummers, environmentalists, researchers, entrepreneurs and artists.