International Studies Offers

Two New Tracks in Law and Humanitarian Assistance

Most students who enter Burman don’t know much about post-university careers. They know the basics: if you want to be a teacher or a nurse, pursue a degree in teaching or nursing. But what is international studies, and what can you do with it?

On October 18, 2022, a new book by Burman University Professor Marc Froese and York University Professor Daniel Drache became available to the public in major bookstores throughout the world.

Students in Dr. Adam Kiš’s international studies classes are regularly given opportunities to work on research projects with their professor. For example, in 2019, Dr. Kiš invited Spencer Page, a senior international studies major, to travel with him to Kenya to collect project data for A Better World Canada. Spencer is named co-author with Dr. Kiš in a recently published article in the journal Human Organization, the flagship journal of the second-largest professional association for anthropologists in the world, The Society for Applied Anthropology. A second student, Elisa Vital who helped with the literature review for this article, is also named as co-author.

This academic year, the international studies faculty implemented a strategy that engages not only individual students, but an entire group in research. They added the Professional Writing for Proposals and Evaluations course to the curriculum last fall. Dr. Kiš explains, “Proposal- and evaluation-writing are two of the most marketable skills in the international development industry. Graduates who have experience in writing grant proposals and/ or evaluating completed development projects will have the best chances to get jobs, if international development is the career path that they choose to take.”

In their analysis, students compared baseline data (collected at the initial project proposal stage in 2015) and end-of-project data from 2018 with Dr. Kiš’s 2022 followup evaluation data. They discovered that, even though there was significant erosion of project achievements four years after the project ended, none of the project objectives dropped back to (or below) baseline. They also learned to appreciate the value of identifying the WASH objectives that had the greatest residual impact (for organizational learning) and those that had the least (for future programming).

The class then presented their findings via Zoom to the ADRA Malawi executive office, with ADRA Sweden (the donor of the WASH project) and ADRA Africa (the regional office overseeing ADRA Malawi’s work) also in attendance.

The new course was an unmitigated success, according to the students, their professor, and the ADRA entities. Dr. Kiš comments, “It is understood in the development industry that project effects wear off after time. We just don’t know how quickly that happens. The fact that, in this case, anything remained at all after four years made ADRA elated!”

Engagement in research such as this gives students more than a great addition to their résumés and job applications; it gives them greater knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the processes, rewards, and challenges of research in international development.

Dr. Marc Froese, chair of the program, writes, “Our program prepares students for careers in global affairs—from law and diplomacy to development and humanitarian intervention. Our graduates have worked for the Norwegian Refugee Council, the United Nations, Canada’s Department of National Defense, and ADRA.” But most first-year students don’t even know these opportunities exist, let alone how to pursue them. To help, the international studies faculty developed two new course pathways so incoming students and their parents can better understand career opportunities.

Global Health and Community Development

The first new track includes courses in humanitarianism, international development, and global health. Students are supported by Professor Adam Kiš, an anthropologist who conducts research in East Africa. His newest journal article (written with two recent alumni) tackles the difficult topic of female genital cutting.

Law and International Affairs

In the second new track, students take courses in Canadian government, global affairs, and international law. This track is supported by Professor Marc Froese, a political scientist who has published books on the World Trade Organization, international law, and the rise of authoritarian populism around the world.

These new major pathways let students dream big. When they come home for Christmas and someone asks, “What can you do with a degree in international studies?” they can confidently answer, “My major track is in Law and International Affairs because I plan to pursue a career in international law after graduation.”

Showcasing the wealth of possibilities in the international studies program is just one more way faculty are emphasizing the Burman University advantage.

Has Populism Won?: The Global War on Liberal Democracy defines populism (a significant feature, given today’s tendency to bandy about politically charged words without understanding their meanings—take, for example, the term woke), discusses its extensive reach and real dangers, and warns of its threat to democracy “for at least the next decade or longer.”

Burman Professor Exposes Populism as Grievance-fed Political Threat

The authors state that populism “plays to the mass psychology of fascism in which extremism provides meaning to alienated voters. It emphasises messages of grievance for the purpose of ‘rage farming.’” It grows on anger.

At least 35 populist governments are in power around the world, the authors claim, and more than a half billion voters voted for populist parties since 2015. While each national populist movement has its own agenda, one common emphasis, according to Froese and Drache, is their “ultra-nationalist vision for national renewal that requires scapegoating outsiders.”

The threat of the movement lies in it having “captured powerful political parties” and legitimizing a “paranoid style of politics in which conspiracy theories are used to win elections and hold on to power.” The threat also lies in it being “more broad-based than its critics realize.”

Micro-credential Certification Modules

School of Business

A Community Resource

Small Business Centre

Burman University School of Business launched the Small Business Centre in August 2019. The centre helps small business owners in their quest for sustainability and success.

During Small Business Week in October, the centre hosted several sessions in Central Alberta. Speakers included Dr. Robert Opoku, chair of the Donald School of Business in Red Deer; Jo Phillips, CEO of Jo(e) Social Media; and Chelsea Nespor, vice-president and trainer of Dale Carnegie Training of Calgary/ Twello Consulting. Presentations focused on current issues such as achieving success in growing one’s business, making change effectively, and the role of women in entrepreneurship.

Burman’s goal is that the school be responsive to the needs of the community at large. Our number one message in participating in Small Business Week is that while the school is part of the community, it also ‘belongs to’ the Central Alberta community.

The centre offers a speakers series throughout the year for students and the business community to hear knowledgeable and experienced business professionals speak on various topics of interest. The centre also connects Burman students to local businesses for projects.

Dr. Louicius Michel says, “The concepts we teach make more sense when students can go out and experience theory applied to practice. We are here to help. And we build this into the learning processes of the students.” He describes this as “experiential learning” that benefits businesses as well as Burman’s students.

Micro-credential Program

As of September 2023, Burman University’s School of Business will offer an online micro-credential program in entrepreneurship and finance. Micro-credentials are short, specialized certification programs that provide the tools for starting a new career or growing a business in less time and through greater accessibility.

Small businesses play a critical and vital role in the daily lives of all Canadians. They help foster local economies by keeping money close to home, supporting charitable initiatives, and volunteering within their communities. Each year they create in the neighbourhood of 150,000 jobs. For context, in 2021, small businesses made up 98.1 percent of all employer businesses in Canada, according to Statistics Canada, and employed almost two-thirds of the total labour force. As such, they are a significant driver towards economic recovery.

Starting and growing a small business takes a great deal of expertise, time, effort, perseverance, and commitment. Entrepreneurs have learned that all the hard work and financial resources they’ve put into launching their dreams can go to waste if they don’t have the necessary expertise in marketing and finance. Dr. Louicius Michel points out that 53 percent of small businesses across Canada don’t last beyond the five-year mark.

One primary cause for business failure, in addition to marketing and finance, he says, is “a lack of strategic thinking: what are the long-term prospects? How do you prosper and grow your business? How do you keep it going? Where can a busy owner find time to strategize and make plans for the future?”

A university degree in business is the ideal for gaining essential expertise for success. But obviously not everyone has the interest, time, or financial support to spend four years at a university. For those individuals, getting into a business career or advancing a business career can seem unattainable.

Burman’s micro-credential program offers a solution to the conundrum. The cost is minimal: the $300 tuition charge per course is reduced even lower to $200 for Grade 12 students and also for those who have a high school diploma. The time is minimal as well: each course runs for eight weeks. An additional advantage is that its online courses can be taken any time, anywhere in the world. (See module courses on page 15)

Entrepreneurship Module

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Digital Marketing and Website Development

Marketing Strategy

Bookkeeping and Taxation for Small Business

Small Business Finance

Internet Security

Finance Module

Bookkeeping and Taxation for Small Business

Small Business Finance

Canadian Investment Funds (Mutual Funds)

Family Finance

Introduction to Banking and Financial Institutions

Real Estate and Insurance Finance

Participants in the School of Business micro-credential program are assured that the credits they earn are fully transferrable and that the skills they acquire will boost their careers.

Canada is where many immigrants and refugees choose to make their new homes. Students will discover how to best welcome newcomers and gain the skills to help them fit in safely and happily in Canada. Students will interact with qualified instructors and serve handson in the community to develop key competencies.

The world is becoming an increasingly turbulent place, creating many opportunities to serve. Students in this program will learn from experts and practitioners how the world has been negatively impacted by natural disasters and wars. They will learn how to bring help and recovery to a broken world.