 | Nayan Chanda, the founder and editor of YaleGlobal Online, says he created the Internet journal to help "bridge the gap" between scholarly thought about globalization and the perceptions of the general public on issues associated with it. |
Although it is less than a month old, YaleGlobal Online has already proven to be one of the most popular new resources of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.
The new Internet journal examining the globalization phenomenon, which was launched Nov. 19, received over 68,000 requests for information in its first three weeks of existence.
"The journal is designed to help bridge the gap between an interested general public and academia on this important issue," says Nayan Chanda, the journal's creator and editor, as well as director of publications at the center. "It is a part of the internationalization of Yale, a way for Yale's world class scholars to reach a new and broader audience."
"Much of the thinking done at Yale has immediate relevance beyond our campus. We want to get that information out to a general audience who may not be looking at academic sites or journals -- make those ideas a little more accessible," he adds.
Each week the journal -- located at www.yaleglobal.yale.edu -- will publish up to three original articles written by scholars from Yale, along with articles by scholars from other universities and research institutions. (Chanda has also published several articles by undergraduates and employs several undergraduate interns on his staff.) By avoiding the jargon prevalent in other academic journals, Chanda and Anthony Spires, the journal's associate editor, hope to avoid the esoteric aura commonly associated with academic writing and appeal to a broader audience.
"I have already returned one article to an author four times in order to meet our expectations," notes Chanda.
Since the journal is free of charge, original articles published on the World Wide Web may be reprinted by other news media. According to Chanda, three YaleGlobal articles have already been reprinted in major international media outlets, including the International Herald Tribune.
To date, all of the original articles have been commissioned by Chanda. It is his hope, however, that as word of the site spreads, the publication will receive unsolicited articles as well.
In addition to the original work, YaleGlobal Online links to related articles from major news publications from around the world, as well as think-tanks such as the Brookings Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations. The site also contains a section for posting excerpts from books, and book reviews by both journal staff and other publications.
Each link will be accompanied by an editorial note written by the YaleGlobal's editorial staff to assist the viewer with understanding the content and context of the article. "We have been collecting articles and then classifying them according to the theme to facilitate a better understanding of this phenomenon of globalization," says Chanda.
"We believe globalization is better understood by looking at it through the optic of specific news items -- deconstructing the idea by looking at specific examples rather than trying to take a cosmic or abstract view," he notes.
The website indexes all stories by themes that reflect the impact of globalization on different facets of life. In a further effort to be user-friendly, the website categorizes each story by topic and also by region.
Each article, link and editorial note will remain archived on the site indefinitely and is designed to be easy to search through, thanks to a custom search tool and a key word list developed by the journal's staff. "Unlike other websites, where you must pay to search for articles over two weeks old, searching articles that we have selected will remain free of charge," notes Chanda. "An article that a major newspaper has moved to its restricted archive or retired all together will still be available in a searchable format on the YaleGlobal."
Currently, the journal has arrangements with 16 major media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, The Financial Times, The Straits Times, The Hindu and Frankfurter Allgemeine. Chanda and his staff are constantly working to develop similar relationships with other media outlets.
Chanda is careful to point out that the YaleGlobal is not a propaganda site devoted to promoting globalization. "We are trying to understand the phenomenon of globalization in all its ramifications and that, of course, includes its negative impacts as well as its critics," says Chanda. "The site will contain articles and opinions from all sides of the issue. A search of the term 'anti-globalization,' for instance, will show all the articles on that theme in our archive."
The YaleGlobal website also offers video and audio files of many of Yale's most distinguished visitors. In addition, the site contains PowerPoint presentations on the history of globalization that can be used as instructional materials by educators, both in universities and at the high school level. Chanda plans to increase the number of available presentations over the coming months.
Chanda and his team have also developed what they refer to as "Flash animation media presentations." These innovative productions combine audio, video and animation to help elucidate the many facets of globalization. "It is a very user-friendly way to illustrate the effects of globalization," says Chanda.
In the coming months, the YaleGlobal will be adding a comment section that will be used as a discussion forum. The forum will be moderated and edited by the journal staff to develop a more in-depth and sustained discussion.
Chanda expects the discussion forum will be similar to a global listserv forum that he and his staff has moderated for the past year. The listserv's international membership is comprised of more than 300 individuals from government and academia. Chanda hopes to attract the same diverse participation to the journal's site.
Although the journal is currently only available in English, it is receiving quite a bit of notice internationally. According to Chanda, more than 67% of the page requests at the website have been from 44 countries.
As evidence of the site's immediate success, Chanda has been contacted by several professors and educators outside of Yale to inquire about using the site and his Flash animation presentations in their classrooms. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor wrote, "This will be such a valuable resource, especially for people teaching classes on globalization."
Chanda has even received e-mail from a high school senior regarding the site content. "To me, that is the biggest reward," says Chanda, "to ignite the enthusiasm of young students."
-- By John Longbrake
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