Conversations On Europe connects top experts from around the United States and Europe to discuss contemporary issues facing Europe and the Transatlantic relationship. Using both personal and institutional videoconference technology, panelists take questions and interact with audiences at Pitt and at remote sites in the US and Europe. Conversations On Europe is free and open to the public. All sessions will be held from 12-1:30 PM (EST) in Posvar Hall, Room 4217, unless otherwise stated.
Watch our archived Conversations on Europe:
Elections in Italy: A Next Wave for Populists?
Vi invitiamo a discutere con noi delle recenti elezioni in Italia, e delle loro possibili immediate conseguenze. Prenderemo in considerazione i risultati, e il modo in cui le varie coalizioni si sono sviluppate durante la campagna elettorale. Questa discussione a videoconferenza sarà condotta in italiano, e vi offrirà l’opportunità di fare esercizio di lingua. È possibile partecipare di persona o a distanza.
Date: 3/27/18
May 1968: Legacies of Protest in France
‘May 1968’ is synonymous with the unrest that unfolded in Paris and beyond between students, trade unions, the police and the government over four long weeks. The events culminated in parliamentary elections later that summer, in which the Gaullists won an even bigger majority than they had previously held, and the resignation of President De Gaulle the following year and his replacement by another Gaullist leader. Yet even though it seemed as though nothing had changed, politics, policy, and society in France were arguably never the same again.
Date: 3/14/18
European Cities in the 21st Century
How are European cities employing strategies for resiliency in the face of climate change? What are the considerations in governance of education and housing to promote social justice? How is technology being employed to create Smart cities with better transportation networks and energy grids? And how have European cities built networks within the European Union to share best practices and fund urban redevelopment?
Date: 2/21/18
Wind, Water, Sun: Clean Energy in Europe
Did you know that the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive sets rules for the EU to achieve a target of 20% renewables for final energy consumption by 2020? And that EU member states have already agreed on a new renewable energy target of at least 27% of final energy consumption in the EU as a whole by 2030? At the same time, the European Commission has set goals for a clean energy transition that mark a major step towards the creation of a European Energy Union.
Date: 1/24/18
Nationalism and Secessionism in Spain, Italy, and Beyond
Catalonia declares independence from Spain. Northern Italian regions vote on increasing autonomy from Rome. And these are just the latest secessionist and independence movements making news in Europe. Our panel of experts discussed nationalism and secessionism and potential implications for the European Union.
Date: 12/6/17
European Integration Through Study Abroad? 30 Years of the Erasmus Program
What is the power of study abroad for forging new identities? We looked at the EU’s billion-dollar student and scholar exchange program called ERASMUS, which has reshaped higher education in Europe. With what results? How successful has the program been for the Europeanization of Europe’s college-aged youth? And what impact will Brexit have on the program?
Date: 11/15/17
Religion in Europe: 500 Years Since the Protestant Reformation
On this 500th Anniversary of Luther's 95 Theses, this installment of Conversations on Europe looked back on the impact of the Protestant Reformation on European society, culture, and politics. Experts on early-modern Europe explored how the Reformation and attendant Counter-Reformation divided Europe, shaped European identities, and was felt in the lives of everyday Europeans.
Date: 10/18/17
Virtual Briefing: The Transatlantic Relationship After the First 100 Days
The Jean Monnet European Union Centers of Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh and Florida International University joined together with the European Union Studies association to assemble a panel of experts to explore the state of transatlantic relations after the first one hundred days of the Trump Presidency.
Date: 5/2/17
Portuguese Identity: Iberia, Europe, and the World
Portuguese speakers from a variety of disciplinary perspectives entered into a wide-ranging discussion of Portuguese identity today. From literature to material culture; from its imperial past to its present as a member state on the European periphery, our experts discussed em português the forces shaping Portuguese identity.
Date: 4/11/17
The Dutch Bellweather: What is the Forecast For a “Nexit” or “Frexit?”
After the Brexit referendum in the UK and Trump’s election in the U.S. in 2016, political observers wonder what is in store for 2017. Join us to discuss the results of the March 15, 2017 elections in the Netherlands and the forecast for next month’s elections in France. How is populism fairing in Europe? What does Geert Wilder’s showing in the Netherlands suggest for Marine Le Pen’s prospects to become the next French president? Given the Euroscepticism expressed by both candidates and their popularity in recent polls, how likely is a Netherlands or French exit from the EU?
Date: 3/21/17
Transgender Europe
Join the ESC for a moderated “virtual roundtable” on the issues facing transgender men and women in Western and Eastern Europe today. This event will be co-sponsored by the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program and moderated by the GSWS Director, Todd Reeser.
Date: 2/21/17
Calling Foul: Electoral Interference in the US and Europe
Have we entered a new age of cyber-sabotage? In this session of Conversations on Europe, our expert panel explored episodes of foreign state interference in electoral politics in Europe and the U.S. past and present. From state-sponsored hacking to Wikileaks, what do we know about who is calling the shots? How have disinformation campaigns been used to meddle in domestic politics in countries throughout eastern and western Europe, and to what effect?
Date: 1/17/17
Migrant Experience in Germany (in german)
What has been described in the media as a migration crisis in Europe is being characterized by many aid workers as a reception crisis. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has taken the lead among European heads of state in advocating for a safe and effective process of resettling migrants. Taking Germany as an example, a panel of experts discusses the migrant experience in that country. What are the legal processes for applying for asylum or settling as an economic migrant? What is the pathway to citizenship? What has been the public response? How does Germany's experience compare with other European countries? Randall Halle, Chair of the German Department, moderates the discussion, conducted entirely in German by native-level speakers.
Date: 12/6/16
Black Lives Matter: The Movement in Europe
In Europe, the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S. has struck a chord with some. Issues of procedural inequalities and police violence have been made more public in Black Lives Matter marches in cities throughout Europe. Howdoes the movement in Europe differ from its American inspiration? Howdo issues of ethnicity and religion inform understandings of race in Europe? And what has been the response of authorities? Join our panel of experts for an in-depth exploration of this timely topic.
Date: 11/15/16
An Uncertain Future: US Elections and Transatlantic Relations
In this installment of Conversations on Europe, a panel of experts from both sides of the Atlantic examines the potential impact of impending elections in both the U.S. and Europe and explores significant transnational trends in electoral politics, including the rise of populism and the polarization of the electorate as well as the increasing importance of issues related to immigration, the economy, and trade. How might the US elections in November 2016 impact European politics and the transatlantic relationship? What electoral contests in Europe are likely to have the greatest impact on the U.S.?
Date: 10/20/16
Free Trade or Protectionism? Isolationism amidst globalization
In this installment of the European Studies Center's award-winning series of virtual roundtables, a panel of experts discusses the mid-2016 political and popular debates over free trade and trade agreements in the US and Europe. Why have NAFTA and TPP become such political hot potatoes in the 2016 election cycle? What accounts for popular hostility to TTIP in Germany and other European nations? How did trade deals impact the Brexit vote and what impact will that vote have on on-going and future trade negotiations?
Date: 9/20/16
Virtual Briefing: Brexit Update
On June 23rd, voters in the UK went to the polls and voted by a slim margin to leave the EU. The political and economic repercussions were immediate. When will the dust settle? And what will Europe - and the UK - look like when it does?
Date: 7/14/16
The Continent is Cut Off! British Referendum on the EU
This June citizens in the United Kingdom will vote on that country’s place in Europe. At a time of rising Euroscepticism there and across Europe, Great Britain will decide if it is better off facing the range of challenges to the European project—economic growth, migration, terrorism, conflict on its borders—by itself or as part of the EU.
Date: 4/19/16
Virtual Briefing: EU-US Privacy Shield Update
“Safe Harbor” is gone, replaced by a new US-EU Privacy Shield agreement. What does this means for US businesses and protection of personal data?
Recording Date: Tue, 2016-04-12
Whose Legacy? Museums and National Heritage Debates
Our panel of experts discuss the ethical and legal questions museums in the Europe and North America face in the on-going debates over art repatriation, conservation, and national vs. universal heritage.
Date: 2/16/16
The Rise of the Right: Comparing the American and European Political Landscapes
Across much of Europe, in Scandinavia, Austria, the Netherlands and Poland, rightwing parties have surged in the polls, in elections and in some cases to governing power.
Date: 1/19/16
The Climate for Climate Change Negotiations
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP 21 / CMP 11) taking place in Paris November 30-December 11, 2015 seeks to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2⁰C.
Date: 12/11/15
Rescue & Prevent: Responses to Europe's Migration Crisis
As hundreds of thousands of migrants flee conflicts in their home countries, Europe has become their goal at any cost. The flood of migrants crossing Europe’s land and sea borders has left the EU member states with no consensus on how to handle the crisis.
Date: 11/19/15
Europe's Jews: Past, Present, Future?
By all accounts, the number of anti-Semitic incidences—including violent attacks on synagogues, businesses and individuals—has reached a postwar high across Europe. Official responses and those of community leaders have varied, as have explanations. Some point to the re-emergence of age-old European attitudes or populist political parties while others suggest a link to Europe’s changing demographic or a reflection of the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This Conversation will explore the current situation of Jewish communities in light of Europe’s past and with a view toward the future. Center Director Ron Linden will moderate.
Date: 10/20/15
Conversations Sur l’Europe: La Langue et l’Identité dans le Monde Francophone
Dans le monde francophone, quelles sont les relations entre l’identité linguistique, l’identité nationale, le sexe, et la sexualité? Dans cette séance de Conversations sur l'Europe, on discute cette question avec le panel d’experts suivant: -- Abdellah Taïa, écrivain marocain d’expression française -- Denis Provencher, professeur de français et de la communication interculturelle à l’Université de Maryland Baltimore County -- Nadia Fadil, professeur au Centre de recherches sociologiques, KU Leuven Animée par Jeanette Jouili, professeur d’études religieuses à l’Université de Pittsburgh Cette conversation est entièrement en français.
Date: 9/29/15
Back to School at What Cost? Comparing Higher Education Models in the US and Europe
In this installment of the University of Pittsburgh's European Studies Center's monthly virtual roundtables series, a panel of experts reflects upon some of the most significant differences between the US and European models of higher education. In particular, they look at the question of who pays for students to go to University, and how much it costs both the individual and society. The panel participants include: Dr. John Weidman (Professor of Higher and International Development Education, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh), Professor Liudvika Leisyte (Professor of Higher Education, Center for Higher Education at TU Dortmund, Germany), Dr. John Douglass (Senior Research Fellow in Public Policy and Higher Education at the University of California at Berkeley), and Goldie Blumenstyk (Senior Writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education). European Studies Center Director Ron Linden moderates.
Date: 9/18/15