Past Events

In this meeting we will consider whether and to what extent the rhetoric and practice of the European Union resembles the rhetoric and practices associated with the historical European
international society and its expansion that led to the creation of the contemporary global international society. To this end, two comparisons will be made: first, between the historical
standard of 'civilization’ and EU’s conditionality; and second, between how Russia and the Ottoman Empire were perceived and treated in previous centuries with the way that the EU has treated the cases of Russia and Turkey in recent years. Yannis A. Stivachtis is Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair at Virginia Tech where he serves as Director of the Center for European Union, Transatlantic and Trans-European Space Studies (CEUTTSS) - A Jean Monnet Center of Excellence. He is the editor of Routledge’ Critical European Studies book series and co-editor of the Athens Journal of Mediterranean Studies. He currently serves as Senior Advisor of the Center for European and Mediterranean Affairs (CEMA) of the Athens Institute for
Education & Research (ATINER) (Greece) and Senior Advisor of the Research Institute for European & American Studies (RIEAS, Greece). His research and teaching interests include international relations theory (with particular emphasis on the English School of International Relations and the study of regional international system/society in
Europe, Eurasia, and the Middle East), European Studies (including EU’s strategy, CFSP/CSDP, Enlargement, and ENP), European Security (including arms control and disarmament), and international organizations in Europe (NATO, OSCE, CoE, CSTO and EAEU). He previously taught at The American College of Switzerland, the Geneva School of Diplomacy;
International Relations, the European Institute of the University of Geneva, and the Vienna Diplomatic Academy and served as Research Fellow at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), the Institute for Strategic Studies- of the Austrian Ministry of Defense, the Austrian Institute of European & Security Policy (AIES); and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). He has authored and edited several books and has published numerous journal articles and book chapters. Moderator: Randall Halle--Director, European Studies Center Seats are limited to allow for good conversation.

Moderator/s:
Gabriella Lukacs, University of Pittsburgh
Erica Edwards, University of Pittsburgh Panelists:
Zsuzsanna Szelényi, Founding Director, CEU Democracy Institute Leadership Academy
Ms. Szelényi is a former politician from Hungary, foreign policy specialist, author and Founding Director at the CEU Democracy Institute Leadership Academy. She is conducting research on how autocratic politics is influencing and shaping the future of the European Union. In the framework of the Democracy Institute Leadership Academy, her team develops a curriculum supporting pro-democracy activists in Central and Eastern Europe. Her book, Tainted Democracy, Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of Hungary, was listed among the best books in 2023 by Foreign Affairs. Stefano Bottoni, Università degli Studi di Firenze (UNIFI)
Dr. Bottoni, PhD in Modern and Contemporary History (University of Bologna, 2005), is an Associate Professor at the SAGAS Department of the University of Florence. Between 2009 and 2019, he was a senior research fellow at the Research Center for the Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He was visiting fellow at the Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung (Potsdam, 2012), and Fellow of Imre Kertész Kolleg (Jena, 2015). His current research focuses on the historical legacies of illiberal rule in contemporary Hungary. He is the author of Orbán, Un despota in Europa (Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2019) and Obsessed with Power: Orbán's Hungary, published in Hungarian by Magyar Hang Könyvek in 2023.

Are you looking to gain experience that will help prepare you for a globally-connected job market? Stop by Drop-In Hours to learn more about getting the Global Distinction added to your academic transcript, receiving special recognition at graduation, and standing out to prospective employers!

Are you an undergraduate Pitt student planning to embark on a summer global experience? Join the Spring 2024 3-part UCIS Digital Narrative Workshop Series and create a short video to document your experience, which will be displayed on the big screen in the Global Hub! 3-part Workshop Series:
Workshop #1: Monday, February 26 | 5-8 pm | Posvar 4217
Workshop #2: Tuesday, March 5 | 5-8 pm | Posvar 4217
Workshop #3: Tuesday, March 19 | 5-7 pm | Global Hub (1st floor, Posvar Hall) Note: Students should attend all 3 workshops. If you have class or other pressing conflicts, special exceptions might be made, although you are strongly encouraged to join as much as you can to get the most out of the experience! Registration deadline: February 23

Join five professionals from around the Globe to learn more about the exciting field of Global Health. They will chat about their individual career paths, give advice for getting into the field, and discuss the work happening in Global Health today. There will be a Q&A following the panel. Panelists: Evelyn Bigini: Clinical Research Coordinator, The University of California
Chris Hegadorn: CEO of Hegadorn Global Consulting & Professor of Global Food Politics, Sciences Po
Ruba Idris: Senior Associate Program Management, Chemonics International
Neha Mehta: Clinical Research Coordinator, Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Megan Swanson: Epidemiologist, Center for Disease Control and Prevention Moderated by Elaine Linn, Global Studies Center Advisor at Pitt.

To commemorate the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, REEES is hosting a screening of the Ukrainian film Povadyr (The Guide), directed by Oles Sanin (2014). The film is subtitled in English, discussion to follow. Early 1930s in Soviet Ukraine: US engineer Michael Shamrock arrives in Kharkiv with his son Peter to build socialism; Michael is mysteriously killed This blockbuster, released in the same year that Crimea was seized by Russian troops, was watched by Ukrainian audiences throughout the country and was chosen as the 2014 entry to the Academy Awards (Best Foreign Language Film). It is a historical drama in part about the persecution of Ukraine’s blind itinerant musicians; the cast features some of today’s leading Ukrainian musicians and writers, including Ukraine’s foremost contemporary poet and novelist, Serhii Zhadan.

The Graduate Organisation for the Study of Europe and Central Asia (GOSECA) at the University of Pittsburgh invites graduate students from various disciplines to participate in our annual conference. This year's theme aims to explore the multifaceted and dynamic nature of the East European and Eurasian region, a crossroads where East meets West. We encourage scholars to unravel the intricate web of cultures, politics, economies, and more that intersect in the region, fostering a deeper understanding of its complexity. We welcome proposals for individual paper presentations that examine the East European region from diverse disciplinary perspectives.