Course offerings: an overview

The subjects studied at the IIRE have also evolved. Present from the beginning, feminist and ecological concerns have gained in importance. More recently issues such as economic globalization, lean production, international financial institutions, and new forms of North-South solidarity have become important focuses.

In addition to our most recent sessions - Globalization schools, Women's Schools, Youth Schools, LGBT Strategy Seminars - specific sessions held at the IIRE in recent years include:

Ecology

In 1988, for the first time, a full week of a session was devoted to ecology. Activists in this field gathered later at the IIRE for an international ecology seminar.

Latin American Schools

In 1990 we held our first one-month session conducted in Spanish and attended almost exclusively by Latin Americans. These sessions address e.g. problems posed by NAFTA and Mercosur, the changing role of liberation theology and the decline of Latin American populism.

Palestine Solidarity Seminars

In 1990 we held our first one-month School on the Arab Region, in Arabic, addressing such issues as Islamic fundamentalism, the legacy of the Gulf wars and the dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Our work on the Middle East continues in September 2004 with a Palestine Solidarity Seminar, bringing together experienced peace activists from Israel/Palestine, Europe and other parts of the world to discuss recent developments and possible roads to peace.

Eastern European School

This one-month school in 1990 was attended by participants from Poland, East Germany, Hungary and other countries. Discussions of Eastern Europe in transition at later IIRE sessions benefitted considerably from this course.

Third-World Schools

In 1993 we brought together leaders of social movements from Asia, Africa and Latin America for a one-month session. This and later Third-World Schools have studied in particular changing patterns of world trade, the debt crisis, the role of national minorities and trans-border disputes, and the US role in the Third World since 1989.