ANN ARBOR—Dozens of students have already expressed interest or signed up for the University of Michigan’s new International Studies concentration to help prepare them for living and working in a global economy.

Ken Kollman, director of the Center for International Studies, describes the interdisciplinary concentration as “rigorous, relevant and innovative in a Michigan way,” leading to careers involving corporations, government, policy-related positions and nongovernmental organizations.

Mark Tessler, U-M vice provost for International Affairs and director of U-M’s International Institute, said the concentration is part of a larger campuswide emphasis on international activities, including education abroad programs. He noted that President Mary Sue Coleman, Provost Teresa Sullivan and other U-M officials have traveled to destinations like Africa and China to improve the University’s international partnerships.

“We’re looking outside boxes and beyond borders,” said Douglas Northrop, director of the U-M Center for Russian and East European Studies and an associate professor of Near Eastern studies and history.

The new concentration requires three years of proficiency in a language other than English and draws on methods developed in the disciplines of economics, sociology, psychology, comparative literature, political science and history. Students choose one of four tracks:

• International Security, Norms and Cooperation

• Political Economy and Development

• Comparative Culture and Identity

• Global Environment and Health

Susan Waltz, U-M professor of public policy, said she is enthusiastic about the new effort, noting her own doctorate is in international studies and that she deliberately pursued an interdisciplinary path because so many of today’s challenges cross disciplines and boundaries.

Daniel Herwitz, director of U-M’s Institute for the Humanities, said studying abroad “has to be linked to a certain intellectual preparation?listening just doesn’t come out of nothing.”

New concentration