SAGE

Crossing Borders: International Studies for the 21st Century, Third Edition Harry I. Chernotsky and Heidi H. Hobbs International Studies: Global Forces, Interactions, and Tensions Scott Straus and Barry Driscoll Learn more on page 14. The chapter, echoing Chernotsky's own classroom instructions, is quite applied, and the better for it. That's something he and Hobbs recognize and are proud of. "You're not going to fi nd that kind of chapter in any kind of textbook in a course," he says. "You might fi nd a chapter like that in another fi eld on education abroad or jobs abroad, but you won't fi nd that in an academic book." On the other hand, in his book International Studies: Global Forces, Interactions, and Tensions, co-authored with Barry Driscoll, former journalist Scott Straus at the University of Wisconsin – Madison brings current global issues—things that are in the news today—into the classroom discussion (and into his book). Straus also feels his book addresses holes he sees in many current texts, which he suggests "undershoot or underestimate students' potential." He accepts the idea that students can be intelligent consumers of news outside the classroom, and that they can bring their independent observations into the classroom to be examined critically. "Again," Straus says, "I'm trying to use the framework and concepts from the beginning of the course to the pressing challenges of the day—poverty, food security, global health issues, climate change, civil wars and terrorism, human rights—to really anchor international studies in a lot of contemporary issues that I think many students care about." That mirrors Straus' own academic trajectory. After reporting from Africa for non-African news outlets in the 1990s (and yes, he's well versed on the Rwandan genocide) he decided he wanted an understanding that his experiences alone didn't provide. "I had observed a lot of things as a reporter and covered a lot of really fascinating stories, but wanted to get a deeper intellectual hold on what I was observing. I think what I learned in graduate school is how to think in a more structured and theoretical way, really focusing on explanation. Reporting is very descriptive. I think a lot of the social science work is very explanatory." His pedagogic approach mirrors that—he's bringing on-the-ground material into that theoretical arena. Student explores an outdoor market in Bangkok, Thailand [Getty Images] Suburb in Kigali, Rwanda [Getty Images] I'm trying to use the framework and concepts from the beginning of the course to the pressing challenges of the day...to really anchor international studies in a lot of contemporary issues that I think many students care about. International Studies 7

• Cover