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Student Perspectives

Please enjoy these articles written by UCLA students affiliated with the International Institute

  • The Good Daughter
    UCLA alumna Jasmin Darznik spoke about unraveling her family's history at a reading on Friday, Feb. 18 at the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies.
  • Urban Planning Student Lets Egyptians' Voices Be Heard
    John Scott-Railton, who has done research and studied in Egypt, decided to begin relaying reports from Egyptians via Twitter and Youtube when the government shut down Internet and cell phone service last Thursday.
  • Rock Bands, Rock Brands of India
    On her International Institute dissertation fieldwork grant, ethnomusicology graduate student Chloe Coventry traveled to Bangalore, in the south Indian state of Karnataka, to study the city's local rock music.
  • 'Talking Drums' on Rural and Global Stages
    For his dissertation field research, UCLA graduate student Jesse Ruskin went to southwestern Nigeria to understand the local uses and global reach of the Yoruba 'talking drum.' He also performed with local musicians.
  • Rhodes Scholar Sees the Human Face in Poverty in India
    Elizavida Fouksman investigated human rights abuses in rural India during her junior year, then returned after graduation to inspire social activism. She is UCLA's 12th Rhodes Scholar.
  • UCLA Athlete, World Affairs Enthusiast Receives Marshall Scholarship
    Matthew Clawson, a political science and economics major with a minor in public affairs, plans to use the award to complete a master's degree in international relations at Oxford University.
  • Renewable Energy for Urban Homes
    Urban planning graduate student and Fulbright fellow T.H. Culhane introduces handmade solar water heaters in Cairo and thinks about how energy projects can address both poverty and environmental problems.
  • Finding the Cutting Edge of Fashion in Indonesia
    The Graduate Quarterly profiles anthropology graduate student and Fulbright fellow Brent Luvaas.
  • Venues of Transformation
    Damola Osinulu, a doctoral student in the Department of World Arts and Cultures, took his International Fieldwork Fellowship to Lagos, Nigeria, to understand why at least a million Pentecostal worshippers come together just north of the city.
  • Hip Hop Dreams in Dakar
    A whirlwind tour of the Senagalese captial's music scene laid the groundwork for my comparative dissertation.
  • UCLA Advanced Degrees Put to Work for Education in Afghanistan
    Born in Kabul and brought up in Orange County, UCLA Islamic Studies alumna Parisa Popalzai says that war-torn Afghanistan needs the help of those who had to leave it. She applies skills learned at the Anderson School and the International Institute to two issues: giving Afghan kids with special needs a chance and training managers for a new economy.
  • Seeking 'Spatial Justice' for World's Disabled
    Victor Pineda, a doctoral student in urban planning, will return to Dubai on a Fulbright-Hays award in December to monitor the implementation of an ambitious disability rights law. He argues that the built environments we live in largely determine our abilities and who we are.
  • Domesticating the Harem
    A doctoral student in art history reconsiders 'zenana' (female household) imagery in 19th- and early 20th-century India.
  • South African Heritages and Their Owners
    On a trip to Cape Town, Laura Foster, an attorney and UCLA doctoral student in women's studies, discovers that intellectual property rights are not marginal concerns for marginalized and historically oppressed communities. They're near the center of efforts to reclaim and reaffirm cultures.