Congratulations to Kevin Zalinsky on the successful defense of his INTS program honors thesis, “Palestine, Belize, and International Law: Debunking the Myth of Post-Colonialism.” Kevin argues:
Widely accepted narratives of decolonization tend to portray colonialism as a thing of the past, with little to no bearing on the world of the 21st century. Despite these myths, however, Palestine and Belize demonstrate colonialism’s continuing effects on the political, economic, and social lives of indigenous populations throughout the world. This thesis aims to examine the mechanisms which have perpetuated colonialism in our supposedly post-colonial world.
Kevin’s thesis advisor was Dr. Bassem Hassan. The Honors Program provides INTS students an opportunity to conduct in-depth research, work one-on-one with an INTS-affiliated faculty member, and develop unique expertise in a subject area and region of the world. International Studies is an interdisciplinary program, and some students find that the Honors Program allows them to focus in-depth on their chosen specialty. Graduates report that the Honors Program develops independence, maturity, research and analytical abilities, and critical thinking. Students are responsible for narrowing their research interests, working closely with faculty members, reference librarians, and administrators, managing their time (4-6 hours per week, generally), and completing high quality research and writing projects. Students may seek to publish their honors project (or selected portions) in an academic journal, specialty publication, or on an influential blog (publication is not required). Honors projects demonstrate to employers and graduate school admissions committees that a student is able to complete a major research project, defend arguments in both written and verbal form, and self-manage their work to successful completion.