About The Project

The Annual International Studies Symposium has become a student-initiated tradition at Glendon College, York University.

Each year, a Committee of senior International Studies students is formed to perform an in-depth study of a country or region. The Committees work to organize, fundraise, and host an academic conference, and then pursue their first experience with field research when they travel to the country after the conference. The research conducted is then compiled with the conference proceedings for publication.

Conference attendees, Across Borders: Diverse Perspectives on Mexico, at Glendon Campus, York University.

What makes this project unique is that it is independently organized and run. The students involved are highly motivated and creative thinkers who consistently push the limits to improve the project year after year. Because of the independent nature of the project, the students acquire a rich skill set through which they are able attract prominent panelists from the academic, business, and policy sectors.

This annual event has attracted much attention to Glendon and its outstanding International Studies students. Past student committees have studied Cuba, China, South Africa, the European Union, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Brazil, Russia, India, and the Great Lakes Region of Africa. Plans are already underway for the next conference, slated for February 10th, 2007 – Turkey: An International Crossroads.

In 2003 the conference on Russia was awarded the Canadian Bureau for International Education’s Student Leadership in Internationalization Award, and in 2004 the India conference received an award for internationalization from Scotiabank and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

Across Borders: Diverse Perspectives on Mexico exemplifies how far this international project has come over the past 11 years. Panelists remarked constantly at the professionalism and decorum of the committee, some expressing disbelief that undergraduate students could possibly have organized such a prestigious event. The organizing committee has recently returned from Mexico and is finishing its manuscript for imminent publication.

Why Mexico?

The purpose of this project is to build relationships and ties to new communities, leaders, centres, organizations, and individuals. We chose Mexico because we wanted to enrich the knowledge of our community, challenge stereotypes, and bring together a variety of perspectives from different disciplines to discuss important issues that affect this continent. Mexico is an integral part of North America in so many ways, yet most North Americans know very little about this country. Glendon Campus and York University are working very hard to change this. The International Studies Program at Glendon is working to include more Spanish-language courses and Latin American Studies courses, and the Hispanic Studies department is very active in the Mexican community here in Toronto. York's Centre for Research on Latin America and teh Caribbean (CERLAC) is the premier research institute in this field in Canada, and is home to prominent academics in Mexican studies.

The Committee hopes that its efforts in organizing the various components of this project, will result in enriching the ties and relationships that exist at Glendon, in Toronto, and across borders with those in the United States and Mexico who are participating in this initiative.

In acheiving this aim, the Committee took on an in-depth study of Mexican history and contemporary issues, and each individual explored rigourously his/her own specialized topic in relation to Mexico. The Symposium brought together individuals who discussed Mexican issues for the first time, and those who are experts in their particular fields to engage in rich presentations and dynamic discussions. The contacts established throughout the organization of the conference were extremely helpful in the field research conducted this spring. Next, the Committee's publication will be released - a compilation of papers submitted by panelists and the research of each Committee member.

We thank those who assisted us throughout this process and hope that we have been able to educate and inspire dialogue and interest in this fascinating and diverse country.