Celebrating 25 years of the UTS Bachelor of Arts in International Studies

Celebrating 25 years of the
UTS Bachelor of Arts in International Studies

UTS Bachelor of Arts in International Studies 25th Anniversary

Shaping the globe for 25 years

Since the 1990s, the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (BAIS) has been producing graduates who are ready to shape the world beyond our borders. This year, we’re celebrating 25 years of this flagship degree – and we’re looking back to where it all began.

We’re redefining international studies

At the School of International Studies, our focus lies in both the traditional and contemporary humanities and social sciences, including language studies and education, linguistics, literary studies, geography, history, cultural studies, art history and more.

We’ve recently expanded our areas of enquiry to encompass what we call ‘transcultural realities’. This emerging field examines what happens in the contact zone between cultures and languages, and when we encounter cultural difference. What happens when culture crosses or surmounts divides?

Since the BAIS was established in 1995, the global landscape has continued to shift – and our degree has shapeshifted alongside it. 

Our people are part of something bigger

Our work blends contemporary as well as traditional practices, and it’s shaped by our internationally recognised teaching and research team. Our staff are the lifeblood of what we do, producing work that’s aligned with the UTS vision of being practice-oriented, research inspired, technology linked and driven by creativity.

Our global networks define us – what we are, who we know and where we go to seek knowledge are the driving forces that shape our school. Our connections with local and international scholars and experts offer extensive opportunities for academic collaboration, and for scholarly discussion of the increasingly complex societies we inhabit.

25 years, 25 stories: The Bachelor of International Studies at UTS

Read the first-hand experiences of some of our Bachelor of Arts in International Studies graduates and stakeholders.

Mark Isaacs, ICS Mexico

Mark undertook his In Country Studies in Mexico in 2010.  He is now a writer, an author, a community worker, and a campaigner for social justice.  

Ninah Kopel, ICS Argentina

Ninah is one of our most recent ICS students in Argentina.  She attended University in Buenos Aires, completed her studies at UTS in 2017, and is set to graduate in our 25th anniversary year. 

Bernadette Cajigal, ICS Canada (Quebec)

Bernadette went to Universite Laval in 2009 and subsequently graduated with a B Biotechnology/BA International Studies degree.  After graduation, she returned to Quebec City, where she lived for a year or two, and welcomed new cohorts of In Country Studies students. 

Adam Brieger, ICS Latino USA

Adam Brieger, a combined degree student with Law, went to the University of Texas at Austin for his ICS year in the Latino USA major in 2014. After completing his ICS year Adam opted to stay in-country and undertake a 6-month internship for a US NGO.

Andrea Myles, ICS China

After undertaking ICS in China and graduating, Andrea co-founded and became CEO  of the China Australia Millennial Project.

Professor emeritus Tony Moon and Rebecca Dominguez (Moon), ICS Spain

Tony Moon is both an emeritus professor at UTS, and the father of Rebecca Dominguez, a BAIS student who undertook her In Country Studies in Spain in 2002. 

Evrithiki Diinis, ICS Germany

Evrithiki undertook a combined degree with Law and attended the Technische Universitaet Berlin, now one of UTS’s Key Technology Partner universities.  

Tom Anlezark, ICS Argentina

Tom undertook ICS in Argentina, and in addition to the suite of host university subjects and self-directed research he undertook, he made videos for his professional portfolio in the process.

Robert Onus, ICS Spain

Rob undertook ICS in Spain.  He currently works with Medecins Sans Frontieres in the Emergency Unit as a Country Director and Emergency Coordinator. 

Alan McGuinness, ICS China

Alan combined International Studies with a Bachelor of Public Communication.  In China, he studied at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

Alicia Child, ICS Costa Rica

Costa Rica is our youngest Major, having been established in 2014.  Alicia is currently on ICS, and will be undertaking a supplementary exchange semester in Uruguay in 2019.

Professor emerita Barbara Leigh and the 1st South-East Asia Major cohort

Professor emerita Barbara Leigh is currently an associate of the School of International Studies.  She was responsible for the South-East Asia and Indonesian Majors, which were an important part of the In Country Studies programme until they were phased out.

Dr Kiran Grewal, ICS France

After completing a combined degree (Bachelor of International Studies and Law), Kiran then went on to complete a PhD in the School of International Studies.  

Sarah Yahya, ICS Colombia

Sarah Yahya undertook her ICS year in Colombia.  Having been born outside Australia and migrating as a young person, she brought her own prior experiences into In-Country Studies. 

Steve Baeza Abadie, ICS Argentina

Steve was a Bachelor of International Studies student in Chile.  Since graduating he has held various administrative and managing roles in logistics, not for profit, entertainment, banking and services marketing to Tertiary Education.   

Taylor Fuller, ICS Germany

Taylor first completed a Communications degree at UTS, and then returned for a double degree in Sound and Music design and International studies.  He has composed music for film and made radio documentaries. 

Flora Suen, ICS Germany

Flora undertook her ICS year at the University of Konstanz.  After graduating, she returned to Germany and has been living in Berlin for some years, where she has worked as a public historian.

Harrison Boudakin, ICS Germany

Harrison studied a Bachelor of Design in Integrated Product Design, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies.  He has a passion for automotive design and innovation, and was able to study during his In Country Studies year at one of Germany’s leading universities.

Maike Statz, ICS Germany

Maike completed degrees in Architecture and International Studies at UTS, and lived in Berlin for one year’s In Country Studies.  She is pursuing a higher degree in Europe and maintains an art practice.

Wakao Koike, The Japan Foundation

Mr Koike is a Japanese cultural diplomat, formerly stationed in Sydney, and now returned to Japan.   Students in the BAIS have often benefited from the links that School of International Studies staff have forged with organisations like Mr Koike’s. 

Jill Suggate, ICS Chile

Upon graduation from the Bachelor of International Studies, Jill joined the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  She has worked in the Australian High Commissions in Nauru and Ghana, and previously worked in the NGO sector.

Professor Jim Walker, Université Lumière Lyon2

The Université Lumière Lyon2 is one of the School of International Studies’ oldest In-Country Studies partner universities in the Francophone Majors. It is the most popular destination for BAIS students going to France.

Joanne Wong, ICS Switzerland

Joanne undertook ICS in Lausanne in 2012 and graduated from her combined degree in 2014.  She now works as an in-house lawyer.

Anna Watanabe, ICS Japan

Anna combined International Studies with a Communications degree, majoring in journalism.  She graduated in 2012.

Clancy Wilmott, ICS Italy

Clancy Wilmott is now a Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Manchester.  She completed her In-Country Study in 2009 at the Università di Bologna.

International Studies 25 Year Anniversary events

Welcome back ICS 2018 students and 25th Anniversary launch

In March 2019, we launched our 25th Anniversary activities and celebrated the return of our most recent In-Country Study cohort. 200 people were in attendance including students, current and former UTS staff, graduates, and special guests from the consular and cultural sector. Access our event gallery.

25th Anniversary Symposium

The 25th anniversary symposium brings together local and international scholars working in the field of international studies. As details are confirmed, we will post them here. This event will be held from Tuesday 10 to Wednesday 11 September 2019.

25th Anniversary cookbook

Academic staff in the School of International Studies will launch an anniversary cookbook in September.  It includes not only iconic recipes for dishes, including many that have travelled the globe, but also reflections on the respective dish, and its cultural and personal significance.