Journal Brings Global Awareness to Gallatin
Boats in Vernazza, one of the five villages that make up the Cinque Terre in Italy (Photo by Lesley Merz)
NYU students interested in global affairs now have the opportunity to publish their work. The Journal of Global Affairs (JGA), an undergraduate-run online and printed publication, is housed in the Gallatin School thanks to the dedication of Gallatin undergraduate Jason McMann (BA ’07)—the Journal’s president and cofounder—and a roster of students who hold administrative posts and make up the publication committee. The Journal is the first of its kind at NYU, and it is an excellent example of the Gallatin School’s ideology at work; its aim is to foster and continue dialogue on important global issues in the NYU community.
In his freshman year, McMann took a seminar on globalization taught by Gallatin Professor Asale Angel-Ajani. The course sparked his interest in global affairs, and he went on to explore this subject matter with a focus on international relations, taking courses at Gallatin and in the Politics, French, Economics, and History departments at NYU’s College of Arts and Science. By 2005 McMann, then a junior, observed that there were few opportunities for students to publish scholarly work on issues related to global affairs. So he set to work establishing JGA as a Gallatin School club, drafting a constitution and mission, recruiting club officers, and submitting a budget request to the Gallatin Student Council. His efforts caught the attention of Gallatin Interim Dean Ali Mirsepassi, who was able to provide JGA with a research grant to help cover publication costs for two years. Today, after a year of operations, the club has published three online editions and one print edition, and also organized a documentary film series with screenings on such topics as the Mexican education system and Chinese labor rights.
A Tibetan monk studying at Sera Monastery in Lhasa (Photo by Jon Knipper)
“I feel that it’s important for students to be educated about the events taking place today that directly shape the world in which we live. Issues taking place on a global level—ranging from debates over agricultural subsidies to the avian bird flu—often have repercussions on a national and even individual level,” states McMann. “For me, JGA has been an opportunity to learn more about these issues while meeting other students who share similar interests.”
Most of JGA’s members hail from Gallatin and the College of Arts and Science (though students in all NYU schools are welcome to participate), and they contribute to the club in various ways: serving in administrative capacities, working on the Journal’s layout and editing, or planning events. Another Gallatin senior, Abram Paley (BA ’07) is JGA’s vice president; he cofounded the group with McMann and the two work together to oversee the Journal’s production and weekly meetings. The group hopes to attract more members and would also like to recruit a permanent faculty adviser. During the club’s first year in development, JGA was fortunate to receive support and advice from Dean Mirsepassi. Aside from providing the research grant, the dean offered guidance on the publication process, meeting with McMann regularly to discuss the Journal’s overall direction and publication status.
While the Journal’s primary purpose is to provide a forum for NYU students to publish their work, its secondary objective is “to stimulate general interest in and lead to an increased awareness of global affairs that affect the world in which we live.” Though advancement towards this goal is difficult to gauge, McMann is confident that by offering interesting and thought-provoking articles they will make ongoing progress.
“The articles published in JGA are not intended to be read and understood only by people with specialized knowledge in global affairs,” he offers. “In fact, JGA tries to do exactly the opposite by providing readers with access to articles on highly diverse issues in an easy-to-understand format, without sacrificing the depth that makes each article interesting….we hope that every reader is able to find something interesting and exciting to explore within the pages of JGA.”
The club intends to build on the momentum created in its first year, and already has some programming scheduled for the 2006-2007 academic year. JGA members will organize additional film screenings and will also host a lecture series with international human rights advocates in conjunction with the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University. Looking forward a few years, McMann would like to see JGA firmly established as a highly-regarded publication that continues to attract the work of bright students.
To view JGA’s latest publication or to learn about submission guidelines, visit www.gallatinstudent.com/jga. Photos featured here are from JGA’s inaugural print edition.