Heartland’s Petrea awarded Asian Studies Course Development Grant

 

[August 31, 2019]    A Heartland Community College faculty member has received a grant to help students to engage in international studies.

English professor and Study Abroad Coordinator Zach Petrea was awarded the University of Washington’s 2019-2020 Asian Studies Course Development Grant from the Global and Asia Studies Centers in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies.

The grant of $4000 will support curriculum development for “Introduction to Asian Culture and Society,” a new class Petrea and adjunct professor Sanae Ferrier will create for the 2020-2021 academic year.

The new course will be paired with the already developed “Introduction to Global Studies” to serve as the foundation of a Global Studies Program at Heartland.

“Our hope is that these two courses will provide students an additional global perspective above and beyond what is already offered on campus,” Petrea said. “While we had individual courses that discussed global issues, there was not much communication between them. This program provides a good nexus for advancing our common interests.”

Petrea is not alone in his passion for global studies. Ten Heartland faculty members representing various disciplines form the International Education Committee (IEC). This committee is charged to increasing the global competencies of students and staff, creating meaningful cultural interactions between international and domestic students, and collecting input on matters pertaining to study abroad and other international education issues.

“The IEC articulates our desire to increase dialog across campus regarding global education,” Petrea said. “Our hope is to increase the competencies and interactions of our students in regards to our place in the world.”

Learn more about the IEC at https:// www.heartland.edu/international/IEC.html

[Steve Fast
Director, Public Information
Heartland Community College]