International Classroom Initiative Journal – Belize, Central America (2014–2016) Volume 1

International Classroom Initiative Journal: Belize, Central America (2014-2016) Vol. 1 is the first volume in a series of immersive and enlightening scholarly journals that focus on specific international regions with respect to their unique character, relevant international and intellectual property laws, and developing markets for media and entertainment. This volume takes readers to Belize, an English-speaking portal into Central America with a burgeoning entertainment industry and a legal environment ripe with challenges and opportunities from which students can learn.

The journal begins with legal research, cases, and commentary cultivated by Professor Deborah Wagnon while leading the International Classroom Initiative (ICI) to Belize from 2014 to 2016. Readers learn about the ongoing legal tension between Belize and Guatemala, trademark law and entrepreneurship, the government institutions involved in building Belize's infrastructure, the current state of the entertainment industry in Belize, and the arts including Belizean music. In Part Two, select students who participated in the Belize ICI share their research, writing, and commentary, which serves to illuminate their personal insights, discoveries, and learnings.

Similar in style to a law review journal, but unique and targeted in subject matter, International Classroom Initiative Journal: Belize, Central America (2014-2016) Vol. 1 is well-suited for courses in entertainment industry, music business, intellectual property law, copyright law, international business, political science and international diplomacy. The journal is also an invaluable resource for university study abroad programs as it demonstrates the rich opportunities and experiences available to students exclusively through international study programs.

Deborah Wagnon is a practicing entertainment and IP attorney with her own firm, Portia Entertainment Group LLC, tenured associate professor in the Department of Recording Industry, College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University, and the founder and faculty leader of the International Classroom Initiative. She earned her Juris Doctorate of Law from Stanford Law School, where she studied in a joint degree program for the Law and Communication schools, her master's degree in creative writing from Goddard College, and her undergraduate degree in management from Georgia Tech. Prior to joining the faculty at Middle Tennessee State University, Professor Wagnon served as general counsel for Landmark Entertainment Group, Inc. in Hollywood, and as a partner in major international law firms based in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Atlanta.

“International Classroom Initiative Journal is truly an amazing work. As a result I have learned so much about IP and the associated problems, especially in Belize. This is really a wonderful opportunity for students to be able to see for themselves the differences in the music industry between the U.S. and Belize. It balances both the theory and practical application of the course material leading students through a deep experiential learning process. It is evident that the author has given the students some excellent prompts in order to get the kind of quality reflections provided in the book, and she has also woven them together in a way that makes perfect sense.”
Carol Swayze
Director, Experiential Learning, EXL Scholars Program
Middle Tennessee State University