To the flash of Salsa dancers and beat of Latin music, the University celebrated its newest major, international studies, Thursday night in Caldwell Hall Lounge.

Linda Brady, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, announced to the crowd crammed into the lounge, “The international studies major is an engaging and interesting program.”

She added, based on experiences other universities have had, “We expect this program to be enormously successful.”

Jonathan Tucker, a freshman in the inaugural class of the international studies major, agreed.

“The degree puts you on a track where you will be easily immersed into another culture,” he said.

“It will poise students to participate more actively in a global arena,” Anne Schiller, professor of anthropology and director of International Programs in CHASS, said.

Students in the new major select an area of concentration based on either a region of the world or a thematic emphasis. Within regional emphases of Europe, East Asia, Africa, South and West Asia, and Latin America, students have the opportunity to specialize in literature, culture, history and politics.

A thematic concentration allows students to specialize more broadly in fields such as international relations, international economics and environment, and a theme to be added in the near future — cultural studies.

The new major includes a study abroad or international internship experience. Schiller said she is seeking to rapidly expand course offerings for the major.

“Students have the flexibility to take courses abroad and have them count toward this major,” Schiller said, emphasizing the broad range of course selections offered to students. She cited a study abroad program currently in the works that would allow students to study at the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute in Florence, Italy.

The program “Florence Program in Contemporary Italian Society,” planned for the fall, will offer classes in early Renaissance art history, the Italian political system and Italian language courses.

In addition, mini courses such as “The Food of Italy: a Gastronomic Tour” and “The Wines of Italy” are available on a non-credit basis. Also included in the program are excursion trips to the ancient volcano at Mount Vesuvius, the ruins of Pompeii and a visit to the Criminological Museum located in San Gimignano, Italy.

Students previously participated in parts of the curriculum offered in the new major through joint programs such as the Hamilton Scholars, which offered a degree in the College of Management, and the multidisciplinary studies degree in CHASS.

“It opens up new perspectives as opposed to a strictly business major,” Bennett Leake, a senior in business management and Hamilton Scholar who participates in the international studies curriculum, said. “These international studies have changed the way I look at politics and economic events.”

The international studies major was approved by the UNC system Board of Governors last November for students beginning this semester.

Schiller is working toward sandwiching a study-abroad experience between two short courses designed to enhance the learning experience. The pre-trip course teaches the students international cultural communication, helps them understand cultural differences and develops an understanding of the host country before the student leaves for a study-abroad program in that country.

After the study-abroad program is completed, students would then take a post-experience short course to reflect on what they have learned and how they can integrate it into their chosen discipline.

“I feel that in meeting different people from around the world, you have a better understanding of the world you live in, as well as your own culture,” Jacqueline Morgan, a sophomore in Spanish and international studies, said.

Tucker sees the program as a way to work in the field of volunteer medicine, possibly in Africa.

“It’s a good thing to take international based classes in another country. You get a different perspective outside the United States,” he said.

Thursday’s celebratory event also featured a Mexican food buffet, an “International Meet and Greet” game and Salsa dance lessons. A Raleigh-based dance group, “Seis Son Salsa,” performed and then led students in the dance steps.

Dance group leader Lee Keatts, an alumnus, explained several types of Latin music comprise the category of music known as Salsa. These include Cumbia from Mexico, Bachata from the Dominican Republic and Cocina de Rueda, a coordinated dance recently popularized in Miami.

Schiller deemed Thursday’s event as “a big celebration because we are happy about the [new] major.”