Letter from the Dean:

A Semester in Review

Greetings to Current Students, Alumni, Prospective students, and Friends of the International College:

This is the pioneer issue of the online International College newsletter. It is meant to inform you of the curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular activities of the College. I would like to express appreciation to our Editor Tamami Kawamura who spent time in compiling the first online edition. I know that she would welcome your feedback and recommendations.

Study at the International College, I like to say, is in and of itself an experience in globalization. This is expressed in a variety of ways, not the least of which is the vast array of students that we have in the College.
This past semester we were fortunate to have symposia on topics as diverse as Reflections on how to commemorate 9-11 and Divergent Cultural and Religious Views on Life after Death. Both of these symposia included participants from around the world. We were also pleased this semester to welcome international visitors from China and Japan. Mass Communication scholars from Nanjing University spoke at the University about emerging trends in China's media.

We have exciting plans for the coming semester and look forward to keeping you apprised. Meanwhile, let me reiterate that we welcome any International College-related news that you have to share and we look forward to your feedback on this new endeavor.

Thomas J. Ward
Dean

Student E-Portfolios

From August 26 to August 28 thirty-five UB deans and faculty participated in an orientation seminar on student electronic portfolios (e-portfolios). While in the past, many universities (including some programs at UB) have encouraged maintaining paper portfolios to monitor student academic progress, the E-portfolio (a university-supported webpage for each interested student where a student will be able to establish an online record of his or her curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular progress and achievements) has become increasingly recognized as an attractive and often more convenient way to record and track student academic progress. Beginning this fall already,

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UN Day

On Saturday, October 26, 2002, the International College celebrated United Nations Day, in conjunction with the University's Open House that was also taking place that day. Prospective students and their families, as well as the students, professors, and faculty of UB who volunteered to assist with the Open House gathered at around 9 am in the Social Room of the Student Center. At around 10:30 am, all the participants of the Open House welcomed the President of the University, President Neil Albert Salonen,

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The International College held an introductory banquet at the beginning of the year on the fifth of September to welcome students and introduce new professors. Dr. Ward gave a welcoming address to the participants of the nights event. Refreshments were served and the evening played host to much lively conversation between students and professors getting to know and become familiar with others in their department.

New Professors in the College were introduced, as well as current professors. Professor Mark Setton, the visiting World Religion

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Intimations on Life after Death

On the evening of November 21 the International College of the University of Bridgeport (the University's UN College) sponsored a symposium on the topic Intimations of Immortality: Perspectives on Life After Death. About 60 students and faculty participated in the seminar. It consisted of several speakers:

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On September 12, 2002, one year and one day after the tragic events of September 11, the International College, the Psychology Department, and SCUBA sponsored an event entitled, "September 11: Personal Reflections and Social Commemoration." The event consisted of two parts: the first part focused on the sharing of people's individual testimonies about how they felt on the actual day as well as after, and the second part focused on how to best commemorate

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Introduction to Western Religions covers some of the major religions of the west that is: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The textbook used is Willard G. Oxtoby's "World Religions: Western Traditions" which provides a pretty comprehensive look into religious beliefs, practices and culture. The President Emeritus Dr. Richard L. Rubenstein teaches the course on

As a freshman, I found Professor Setton's Philosophy of World Religions
course to be very interactive and provocative. With group discussions,
and Eastern Religion insights the professor provides, the course can
give a broader perspective of various crucial contents