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International Studies

WPI has long recognized the need for students to appreciate how their lives and work will benefit from an understanding of other cultures. That’s why the International Studies program integrates WPI’s international courses in the humanities and social sciences with its global projects and exchange programs. The goal is to develop leaders of an interdependent and culturally diverse world.

Our students have the freedom to create programs that will accommodate their interests and career goals, as well as develop their ability to make a difference in the world. Students of International Studies learn to become global citizens, not only cognizant of complex cultural, political, and historical issues with an impact on different international communities, but able to solve real problems facing those communities.

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Finding Harmony in Music and Asian Studies

Katelyn Krajenka ’11 came to WPI to pursue her passion for music. She soon discovered she could also nurture a longstanding interest in Asia.

Faculty Profile

Name: Peter H. Hansen
Department: Humanities & Arts
Title: Associate Professor

Professor Hansen enjoys collaborating with students on solving real-world problems at WPI’s project centers in Bangkok, London, Morocco, Washington, DC, and in Worcester.

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Faculty Profile

Name: W. A. Bland Addison, Jr.
Department: Humanities & Arts
Title: Associate Professor

Professor Addison has advised students at many Project Centers and is codirector of the Morocco Project Center. Interests include world conflicts, intellectual history, and social justice.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Ulrike Brisson
Department: Humanities & Arts
Title: Assistant Professor

Professor Brisson received the Massachusetts German Educator of the Year award in 2006, and the 2011 Goethe-Institute / American Association of Teachers of German Certificate of Merit.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Fabio Carrera
Department: Interdisciplinary & Global Studies
Title: Adjunct Associate Professor

Carerra developed Street Bump, an application that allows mobile devices to report when a car hits a pothole, giving cities a chance to make repairs quickly so fewer cars are damaged.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Laureen Elgert
Department: Social Science & Policy Studies
Title: Assistant Professor

In the classroom, Laureen enjoys the challenge of inspiring learning and intellectual development, while helping students develop the skills needed to achieve good outcomes.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Arthur Gerstenfeld
Department: School of Business
Title: Professor

As director of the Wall Street project center, Professor Gerstenfeld has guided may WPI students through their Interactive Qualifying Projects.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Scott Jiusto
Department: Interdisciplinary & Global Studies Division
Title: Associate Professor

Professor Jiusto's research and teaching lives have been closely intertwined in Cape Town, South Africa, where he and his students work on sustainable community development projects.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Aarti S. Madan
Department: Humanities & Arts
Title: Assistant Professor

Professor Madan sees herself as a guide, leading students into unknown spheres. They learn to appreciate differences while understanding themselves and their position in a diverse world.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Michael J. Radzicki
Department: Social Science & Policy Studies
Title: Associate Professor

In 1990 Professor Radzicki created WPI’s program in system dynamics and most recently he and Professor Hossein Hakim created WPI's program in trading system development.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Kent J. Rissmiller
Department: Social Science & Policy Studies
Title: Associate Professor

One of Professor Rissmiller’s greatest joys is watching his students go on to graduate and law schools and become accomplished public policy and legal professionals.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Tom Robertson
Department: Humanities & Arts
Title: Associate Professor

Professor Robertson focuses on American environmental history, history of American foreign relations, and 20th-century America, and is interested in U.S. relations with the developing world.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Jennifer Rudolph
Department: Associate Professor
Title: Associate Professor

Professor Rudolph incorporates her research into her teaching, because she says doing so helps students realize that scholarship should be part of ongoing debate.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Richard F. Vaz
Department: Interdisciplinary & Global Studies Division
Title: Associate Professor

Professor Vaz has advised hundreds of undergraduate research projects in Australia, England, Hong Kong, Ireland, Namibia, the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United States.

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