Meet the Speaker with Chad Broughton

Mills students with Amy and Professor Chad Broughton

On January 20, 2015, the World Affairs Council welcomed Chad Broughton from the University of Chicago to discuss the topic of globalization and US-Mexico relations. Before this public program, the Education Program organized a Meet the Speaker gathering for local Bay Area students who had the chance to meet Chad Broughton and ask him questions about his career and this particular field. Six students from Mills High School along with their teacher, Mr. Phillips, participated in the event.

The students asked interesting questions such as, “What made you interested in English and Psychology during your college years?” and “Why did you decide to focus on Mexico for your research?” Professor Broughton stated that he had always been a strong student in math and science, while the subject of English came harder to him. He wanted a challenge while he was in college so he decided to pursue English as his major for this reason aside from the fact that he loves writing.

Maytag moved their factory from Galesburg, Illinois to Reynosa, Mexico.

Professor Broughton took his first job at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois upon receiving his PhD and the events occurring  at the time inspired him to investigate the loss of manufacturing jobs in the US to Mexico. The Maytag factory had just shut down and Galesburg residents were protesting the incident. He made his way down to Mexico to see the other side of the story. Professor Broughton met a lot of hardworking people who inspired him to tell their story given its importance to the world at large. When asked about the best thing to happen in him in Mexico, he responded that it was the Mexicans with their incredible hospitality and warmth. Even though they may not have much in terms of material things, they are extremely giving and happy, noting the kids who are always smiling.

The students were eager to talk about public policy and free trade agreements, namely NAFTA, to which Professor Broughton talked about the controversy behind NAFTA for various segments in the population as well as the need for more protective measures within free trade agreements. In discussing the role of policy at large, he explained concepts in sociology connecting the macro to the micro to relay information on the status of underprivileged schools in Chicago. Professor Broughton noted, interestingly, that the key grade for intervention to increase the number of high school graduates is 9th grade or freshman year. He stated that with new policies, Chicago hopes to greatly increase its high school graduation rate within the next few decades by over 30%.

If you missed Professor Broughton’s presentation, you can catch it online at worldaffairs.org.

By Amy Juelsgaard, Education Program Intern, World Affairs Council

 

Keynote Address @ WorldAffairs 2012:That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back

In preparation for WorldAffairs 2012, the Education Program is featuring posts about our keynote sessions and main themes. For more information about WorldAffairs 2012, please click here.

In 2012, the United States finds itself in a precarious situation, both economically and politically. This type of shift in the global landscape would have unknown implications for the future of our world, a prospect that frightens American citizens as well as other global actors. The United States has played the most influential role in terms of global governance since World War II, offering military protection to the world’s most important trading passages, encouraging economic growth internationally (especially in East Asia) by acting as the most attractive market, and displaying their diplomatic and military power to stifle one of the world’s most pressing issues: the proliferation of nuclear weapons. However, in 2012 American exceptionalism has been brought into question, and it is a matter of urgency as to how the United States will respond to their new found position in the world.

Director of American Foreign Policy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Michael Mandelbaum will be on hand at WorldAffairs 2012 to address this very topic.

Michael Mandelbaum

In a book co-authored with Thomas Friedman, Mandelbaum outlines the 4 most pressing domestic challenges the United States faces: globalization, the revolution in information technology, the country’s huge and growing deficits, and its pattern of energy consumption. Mandelbaum goes on to explain that rising to these challenges and creating policies to master these challenges will allow the United States to remain “exceptional.” The starting point to this process however, is where Mandelbaum believes we have failed, failed to ask the most important question, “What world are we living in? And what do we need to do to thrive in it?”

Follow this link to read from a  Foreign Policy article adapted from the book.

I believe the United States is the best-positioned country to lead the globe into the future, but just because we were exceptional once doesn’t mean we are forever, it’s a title we must constantly earn. I am looking forward to hearing Mr. Mandelbaum’s thoughts on the United States foreign policy and how our domestic challenges will affect our international actions.

Follow this link to listen to Michael Mandelbaum discuss the challenges the United States faces in maintaining their “expansive global role.”

Additionally, Mr. Mandelbaum will be available on-site to sign copies of his new book That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back.

Mike Riley, Education Program Intern, World Affairs Council

 

Education and the Global Economy

In the November/December issue of Foreign Affairs, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, lays out his concerns about education in America and the increasingly global world that we live in. Duncan believes that global education benefits all.

Some of his concerns are the ever-increasing portion of U.S. jobs requiring college educations while actual college completion rates stagnate, the growing share of U.S. 9^th graders not graduating within 4 years, and the lack of college preparedness of college freshmen.

Duncan does have solutions to these problems, including incorporating technology in the classroom, changing the way we award degrees, shifting the focus of our education funding to target the neediest students and emphasizing multicultural education amongst others. One of Duncan’s other solutions, the very controversial idea of lengthening the school day and year, is not mentioned in his article, but you can watch Duncan discuss it below.

As much as Duncan feels concerns about the U.S.’s position in the global education field, he is confident that this is an outstanding time for education in the world. For Duncan, “[t]he economic future of the United States rests not only on its ability to strengthen its education system but also on citizens in other states raising their living standards… Americans must realize that expanding educational attainment everywhere is the best way to grow the pie for all.”

(To read more, visit the  Foreign Affairs website, (subscription required.)

 

“Teaching for a Shared Future: Think Global”

The Education Program of the World Affairs Council engages high school, community college and university students in activities and opportunities designed to develop the international leaders of tomorrow across a broad range of disciplines.

In a post on edweek.org this Monday, authors Michael Levine and Esther Wojcicki expound on the need for a more global perspective in U.S classrooms. Their major concern is this:

America’s leadership position in the world depends on preparing students to be savvy citizens with the specific competencies needed to compete and cooperate in a global age.

Levine and Wojcicki believe that the recent debates centered on illegal immigration and Islamic influence in the U.S. has diverted the attention from the need to focus American students’ attention on global issues.

To read more of the article, visit edweek.org and be sure to check out some of the council’s upcoming programs on the World Affairs Council Calendar.