IPPCS

More and more we see intensified integration of the global political economy and the regulation of interstate relations through new international and regional agreements. In Europe, regional integration has been realized through the new transnational institutions of the European Union. North American integration (and potentially hemispheric integration) has been pursued through trading agreements that have brought rapid and fundamental changes to the politics and societies of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Trade, investment and economic integration have flourished. However, political, cultural, social, environmental and educational trends challenge the processes of economic integration.

In order to facilitate dialogue and exchange across national borders, the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States have agreed to sponsor student exchange and research among universities in each country. The North American Mobility Program (NAMP), is funded in Canada by Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), in Mexico by SEP (Secretaría de Educación Pública), and in the United States by FIPSE (Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education). NAMP provides fellowships to a select group of students to help defray the costs to travel, research and earn degree credits for a term in another North American country. The fellowship assistance is $5,000 U.S. Dollars. Tuition for foreign universities is waived and credits are fully transferred to FIU.

Our NAMP project is titled Beyond Borders: Regionalism, Migration, and Security in North America. We will focus on the connection migration and security have on furthering or thwarting North American integration and cooperation. It has been designed to draw faculty and students into a partnership to improve dialogue, understanding, and cooperation among all three countries. The curriculum is designed primarily for students in the social sciences: political science, political economy, law, sociology, communication studies, among others.

Six North American universities are participants in this project: two in Canada (Carleton University in Ottawa and the University of Alberta in Edmonton); two in Mexico (Centro de Investigacion y Docencia Economicas in Mexico City and Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey); and two in the United States (The University of Texas at El Paso and Florida International University in Miami). Students selected to participate in the program will register and pay tuition at their home institution, select and complete pre-approved courses at their host institution, and be credited for these courses by their home institution.

This competitive program is open to juniors and senior undergraduates and graduate students who have a demonstrated academic interest in North American relations. English-speaking students wishing to study in Mexico as well as Spanish speaking students wishing to study in Canada or the United States must pass a language proficiency test to be selected for participation.

Follow the links to the left to learn more about the program, application procedures and useful sites introducing the six participating universities as well as the study of North American relations.