IBAVI - oIP Partnership
The International Beliefs and Values Institute (IBAVI) has partnered with the Office of International Programs (oIP) at James Madison University in order to pursue a range of joint initiatives. As the following scholarly and programmatic initiatives illustrate, the oIP sponsors a variety of projects and programs ...
that explore other cultural practices and belief systems, joint lectures with partner universities regarding the U.S. Department of State and its role in shaping global politics, the assessment of student learning outcomes while participating in international education experiences, and secondary teacher training abroad among others.
In addition to the Forum BEVI Project - which explicitly investigates beliefs and values in the context of international learning processes and outcomes - many oIP projects and programs are directly related to the mission, purpose, and rationale for the IBAVI.
For example, Illuminating Islam: A Guide for Better Understanding was a "semester long grant-funded project bringing Muslim students and community members from James Madison University, the public school system, and the larger community, into dialogue with one another." Along similar lines, the oIP recently completed a program in Cairo in which JMU faculty and scholar-partners worked with secondary school teachers in to foster joint understanding of cultural and pedagogical practices. In the fall, 2005 semester, the oIP will sponsor a visiting Fulbright specialist regarding opportunities for dialogue with the Muslim world (for additional information, see http://www.jmu.edu/international/aboutoip/initiatives.shtml). In addition to ACE-FIPSE, current IBAVI-oIP projects include a grant initiative to develop a sister IBAVI in India and an "Art Around the World" project, which is coordinated with the Children's Art Network.
