COUNTRY: Germany
DIRECTORS: Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl, Jens Mühlhoff

A documentary highlighting success in the fight against climate change. The film, based on 360-camera footage by journalist Steffen Meyn, follows the struggle to save the ancient Hambach Forest from big coal's bulldozers. It begins with tragedy but culminates in triumph. The setting is an activist community thirty meters above the ground in the treetops of the Hambach Forest. Meyn documented these activists in their successful struggle against the destruction of nature over a period of two years. When he fell from a tree during a police eviction and died Meyn’s friends Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl and Jens Mühlhoff took up his footage. The film is a testimony that also includes interviews with activists who talk about how the experiences in “Hambi” have left their mark. How far, they ask, does activism need to go? And how far should it go? Questions we need to ask for our future.

HARRIS THEATER
809 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
https://trustarts.org/pct_home/visit/facilities/harris-theater

Faculty, staff, and students of the University of Pittsburgh may attend for free by showing a Pitt University ID at the door.

Attendance
Public: 5
University Affiliates: 2

COUNTRY: Poland
DIRECTOR: Agnieszka Holland

Acclaimed director Agnieszka Holland's latest documentary follows a family of Syrian refugees, an English teacher from Afghanistan, and a border guard, all converging on the Polish-Belarusian border amidst a humanitarian crisis. The film's release in Poland is said to have impacted the recent elections. This harrowing, urgent drama from the veteran Polish director Agnieszka Holland constructs an intricate account of the contemporary global humanitarian crisis, expanding out to encompass the interconnected lives of security patrol officers, activist lawyers, and civilians who put themselves on the line for strangers. With the sobering and sometimes shocking Green Border, Holland reaffirms both her unyielding commitment to political filmmaking and the ability of immersive storytelling to illuminate the darkest corners of the world.

HARRIS THEATER
809 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
https://trustarts.org/pct_home/visit/facilities/harris-theater

Faculty, staff, and students of the University of Pittsburgh may attend for free by showing a Pitt University ID at the door.

Attendance
Public: 5
University Affiliates: 6

COUNTRY: German
DIRECTOR: Cristian Mungiu

The latest film by Cristian Mungiu is another fantastic example of the much-celebrated Romanian New Wave. In this drama set in a multi-ethnic Transylvanian village, Mungiu proves himself again a world class director able to entertain with humor that spares no one. Romania’s region of Transylvania is historically an ethnically diverse community but now it is hard to keep the village life going because everyone who can is working as migrants in Western Europe. When the local bakery hires migrant workers from Sri Lanka to stay open, the village is gripped by anti-migrant protest. R.M.N. is Romanian for M.R.I., the medical procedure that one of the figures needs. But R.M.N. clearly stands in for Romania itself as well as a diagnosis of social conditions all too familiar outside the Carpathians.

HARRIS THEATER
809 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
https://trustarts.org/pct_home/visit/facilities/harris-theater

Faculty, staff, and students of the University of Pittsburgh may attend for free by showing a Pitt University ID at the door.

Attendance
Public: 16
University Affiliates: 21

COUNTRY: France
DIRECTOR: Bruno Dumont

France de Meurs, played by the amazing Léa Seydoux, is a seemingly unflappable superstar TV journalist. She is a newscasting influencer loved by all but then her career, home life, and psychological stability are shaken after she carelessly drives into a young delivery man on a busy Paris Street. The film’s biting humor takes on the state of news and the state of the state right from her first over-the-top interaction with President Emanual Macron. Her name symbolizes it all; her first name, of course, stands in for France, the country, but in a play on words, her last name suggests both home and death. Is it reality TV, ego performance, or sincere reportage? What is the role of the established media in France? Dumont’s close-ups of beautiful France, the person, and the place invite us to do a long take.

HARRIS THEATER
809 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
https://trustarts.org/pct_home/visit/facilities/harris-theater

Faculty, Staff, and students of the University of Pittsburgh may attend for free by showing a Pitt University ID at the door.

Attendance
Public: 12
University Affiliates: 8

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!

Spring 2024 Global Distinction Drop-In Hours: Tuesdays at 3:30-4:30 pm.

EU ENLARGEMENT LECTURE SERIES: 20th Anniversary of the EU Enlargement

As part of our continued efforts to bring together experts with diverse perspectives to discuss contemporary issues facing Europe, the European Studies Center/European Union Center of Excellence (ESC/EUCE) along with the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES) offers a new lecture series to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the EU Enlargement. This virtual lecture series will be held on the last Thursday of each month. 

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the biggest enlargement of the European Union in its history. Ten countries, mainly former socialist Eastern European states, almost doubled the EU from 15 to 25 member states. May 1, 2004, was the triumphal return to the European Family for many. But for some, it initiated a process of disenchantment with the EU and the West.

Each month, the ESC/EUCE, together with REEES at the University of Pittsburgh, will focus our attention on a specific country or a group of countries in the EU by inviting experts and eyewitnesses to discuss the hopes and realities of the EU integration before and after expansion to address what hopes were fulfilled and what new hopes exist for the Union in the present.

Each session is recorded and later posted on the internet with suggested additional readings and further resources. Please check out our webpage for more details and mark the last Thursday of the month to attend this event.

Moderator: Randall Halle

Panelists:
Deunis Auers, University of Latvia

Daunis Auers is a Professor of European Studies and Jean Monnet Chair at the University of Latvia. He studied at the London School of Economics and defended his PhD at University College London. He has been a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California-Berkeley (2005-2006) and a Baltic-American Freedom Foundation Scholar at Wayne State University in Detroit (2014). His book on The Comparative Government and Politics of the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the 21st Century – was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2015. He is currently working on a monograph analyzing Nordic-Baltic integration and is a Fulbright program Visiting Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle during the fall and winter of 2023/2024.

Ivars Ijabs, PhD, Member of the European Parliament
Dr. Ijabs is a Member of the European Parliament, elected in 2019 from the electoral alliance “Attīstībai/Par!”. Before entering politics, he was a widely known political scientist, publicist, associated professor at the University of Latvia and a researcher at the Advanced Social and Political Research Institute of the University of Latvia. In the European Parliament, Dr. Ijabs is active in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON), the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), and the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA), representing the “Renew Europe” group. His priorities are with legislative proposals that would bring more EU funding for science, research, and innovation in Latvia.

Info Session: Washington, DC & Brussels
PS 1349 Transatlantic Governance and Policy - 3 Credits
MAY 5-23, 2024

Students will be introduced to the history and primary policy areas of the United States’
relationship with Europe while participating in site visits to think tanks and government
organizations in both Washington, DC and Brussels, Belgium. Site visits will include the US
Department of State, the European Parliament, the US Dept of Defense, and NATO.

For more information:
Tim Crawford, Study Abroad Office: TimCrawfford@pitt.edu
Steve Lund, European Studies Center: slund@pitt.edu

EU ENLARGEMENT LECTURE SERIES: 20th Anniversary of the EU Enlargement

As part of our continued efforts to bring together experts with diverse perspectives to discuss contemporary issues facing Europe, the European Studies Center/European Union Center of Excellence (ESC/EUCE) along with the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES) offers a new lecture series to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the EU Enlargement. This virtual lecture series will be held on the last Thursday of each month. 

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the biggest enlargement of the European Union in its history. Ten countries, mainly former socialist Eastern European states, almost doubled the EU from 15 to 25 member states. May 1, 2004, was the triumphal return to the European Family for many. But for some, it initiated a process of disenchantment with the EU and the West.

Each month, the ESC/EUCE, together with REEES at the University of Pittsburgh, will focus our attention on a specific country or a group of countries in the EU by inviting experts and eyewitnesses to discuss the hopes and realities of the EU integration before and after expansion to address what hopes were fulfilled and what new hopes exist for the Union in the present.

Each session is recorded and later posted on the internet with suggested additional readings and further resources. Please check out our webpage for more details and mark the last Thursday of the month to attend this event.

Moderator:
Gregor Thum, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh Department of History

Panelists:
Michal Vašečka, PhD, Bratislava Policy Institute. He is sociologist by background and focuses his interests on issues of ethnicity, race, antisemitism, and migration studies. As an Associate Professor he operates at the Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts (BISLA) since 2015, he is a program director of Bratislava Policy Institute. Since 2012 Michal Vašečka serves as a representative of Slovakia in the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) of the Council of Europe. He operated at the Faculty of Social Studies of Masaryk University in Brno in 2002-2017 and at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of the Comenius University in 2006-2009.

Miloslav Bahna, PhD., Slovak Academy of Science. He is a senior researcher at the Institute for Sociology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, where he currently serves as the director. His research focuses on international migration, quantitative comparative sociology and quantitative survey methodology. He is a long term representative of Slovakia in the International Social Survey Programme and the CESSDA ERIC pan-European infrastructure. His first book focuses on post-2004 EU enlargement migration from Slovakia (VEDA, the publishing house of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, 2011).

Peter Haslinger is Director of the Herder Institute for Research on East Central Europe. He is a distinguished professor in history at the University of Giessen. His main areas of interest are security and conflict studies; minorities, multilingualism and intersectionality; nationalism, regionalism and historical memory; spatial turn and historical cartography. He has published widely on gaps in theory and model building that are related to theories of secularization and their spatial and cultural aspects. Peter Haslinger has been co-investigator in the LOEWE research cluster "Regions of Conflict in Eastern Europe" (2017-2021), the Jean Monnet Network SecurEU, as well as Principal Investigator in the collaborative research center (SFB) "Dynamics of security" (since 2014), where he was also the speaker of the concept group "Spaces of Security."

Agenda
Session I: New Trends in Security and Conflict Studies--Introductions, background, and statement of interests. Questions and discussions.

Session II: Critical Perspectives on Security and Conflict--Securitization Theory and/vs. Conflict studies. What is the added value of perspectives from humanities and cultural studies.

Session III: The War of Russia against Ukraine, as an example--Open Thesis: Putin's regime, history of Russian-Ukrainian relationship, novel character of the war (cyber aspects), the significance of war for Europe, and on the global level (China, Africa, grain supply and migration crisis). What can we learn from the war for security and conflict studies?

Session IV: Final Discussion and Wrap Up.

Facilitated by Randall Halle, Director, European Studies Center.

In the second installment of the Global Issues Through Literature Series (GILS), educators will convene to discuss The Roads of the Roma: A PEN Anthology of Gypsy Writers.

This year's theme is: Marginalized Voices in Global Context: Centering Overlooked Narratives in Literature

This reading group for K-16 educators explores literary texts from a global perspective. Content specialists present the work and its context, and participants brainstorm innovative pedagogical practices for incorporating the text and its themes into the curriculum. Sessions this year will take place in a hybrid format, with virtual and in-person discussions taking place on Thursday evenings from 5-8 PM (EST). A copy of the book and 3 Act 48 credit hours are provided for each session.

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!

Fall 2023 Global Distinction Drop-In Hours: Tuesdays at 3:30-4:30 pm, except on November 21.

Come meet international students, make friends, practice conversational English, and have fun together, during these weekly discussion groups coordinated by the English Language Institute. Feel free to bring your lunch :)

The award-winning Green & Blue explores the painful and humorous realities faced by the individuals who patrolled the border during the height of the conflict.

An officer from the Royal Ulster Constabulary in his green uniform and Eddie from An Garda Síochána, resplendent in blue, communicate via crackly radios until an explosive incident forces them to meet across a field only farmers know the location of. Focusing on what it’s like to be hunted when you’re protecting a man-made line on the ground, the play looks at the societal and human cost of borders.

‘Green & Blue’ is based on real-life interviews with former serving officers. Winner of The Lustrum Award for Best Theatrical Moment at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe

The award-winning Green & Blue explores the painful and humorous realities faced by the individuals who patrolled the border during the height of the conflict.

An officer from the Royal Ulster Constabulary in his green uniform and Eddie from An Garda Síochána, resplendent in blue, communicate via crackly radios until an explosive incident forces them to meet across a field only farmers know the location of. Focusing on what it’s like to be hunted when you’re protecting a man-made line on the ground, the play looks at the societal and human cost of borders.

‘Green & Blue’ is based on real-life interviews with former serving officers. Winner of The Lustrum Award for Best Theatrical Moment at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe

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!

NOTE: Fall 2023 Global Distinction Drop-In Hours: Tuesdays at 3:30-4:30 pm, except on November 21. On November 7, Global Distinction Drop-in Hours will take place at 3-4 pm.

WHAT ARE KINGS MADE OF?
RETHINKING THE ROYAL BODY
IN EARLY MODERN FRANCE

Dr. Anna Rosensweig
University of Rochester

Anna Rosensweig is Associate Professor of French and the Director of the Graduate Program in Visual & Cultural Studies at the University of Rochester. Rosensweig’s scholarship and teaching focus on early modern literature and culture, the intersections of literature and political theory, and performance studies.

Dr. Rosensweig's lecture will address civic endurance in France through fountains, statues, coins, and royal bodies.

Join us for this FREE online K-12 educator workshop that will examine the history, current status, and future of Africa and China's relationship through a global lens and offer strategies and resources for classroom use. We will explore not only Chinese investments in infrastructure in Africa, but provide examples from other regions such as Europe, as well. This workshop will offer teaching strategies and resources for K-12 classroom use, and Act 48 hours and FREE classroom materials will be provided for all participants. This workshop is being conducted in conjunction with the day-long conference, "Africa-China Relationship and Its Global Impact," which will take place on Friday, November 10 from 9 am-4 pm ET via Zoom. Workshop participants are invited (but not required) to register for and attend parts, or all, of the November 10 conference, if interested. To register for this workshop, please click here.

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!

Fall 2023 Global Distinction Drop-In Hours: Tuesdays at 3:30-4:30 pm, except on November 21.

EU ENLARGEMENT LECTURE SERIES: 20th Anniversary of the EU Enlargement

As part of our continued efforts to bring together experts with diverse perspectives to discuss contemporary issues facing Europe, the European Studies Center/European Union Center of Excellence (ESC/EUCE) along with the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES) offers a new lecture series to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the EU Enlargement. This virtual lecture series will be held on the last Thursday of each month. 

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the biggest enlargement of the European Union in its history. Ten countries, mainly former socialist Eastern European states, almost doubled the EU from 15 to 25 member states. May 1, 2004, was the triumphal return to the European Family for many. But for some, it initiated a process of disenchantment with the EU and the West.

Each month, the ESC/EUCE, together with REEES at the University of Pittsburgh, will focus our attention on a specific country or a group of countries in the EU by inviting experts and eyewitnesses to discuss the hopes and realities of the EU integration before and after expansion to address what hopes were fulfilled and what new hopes exist for the Union in the present.

Each session is recorded and later posted on the internet with suggested additional readings and further resources. Please check out our webpage for more details and mark the last Thursday of the month to attend this event.

Moderator: Pawel Lewicki

Panelist:
Pavel Telicka, Czech Diplomat, Politician and Businessman
A former negotiator of Czech access to the EU and a former member of the EU Parliament (2014-2019), he contributed to the country’s integration into the EU throughout his career. He was elected as a Member of the European Parliament. Pavel Telicka was the 2nd Vice-Chair of the ALDE Group and, in the second part of his mandate, Vice-President of the European Parliament and coordinator of ALDE MEPs in the Committee on Transport and Tourism. Additionally, Pavel engaged in the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy, where he was responsible for several pieces of legislation, especially on circular economy, cybersecurity, and energy policy. His other political interests and activities included the digital economy, better EU regulation, foreign policy, human rights, and democracy worldwide.

Carol Leff, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Carol Leff is Professor Emeritus from the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she was a long-term executive and former director of the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Center. Her research and publications focus on Czech and Slovak politics, including EU relations and the post-communist transition. Additionally, she was the Editor (1991-1998), Board Member (2005) and President (2004-2008) of the Slovak Studies Association of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies. Her publications include Interwar Czechoslovakia - A National State for a Multiethnic Population, Interwar East Central Europe, 1918-1941: The Failure of Democracy-Building, the Fate of Minorities (2020); Building Democratic Values in the Czech Republic since 1989, Central and Southeast European Politics since 1989 (2019); Slovakia and the Making of Czechoslovakia: Controversies and Legacies, Kosmas: Czechoslovak & Central European Journal, New Series 2 (2019).

How did Jewish children conceal their presence during the Holocaust and what effect did hiding have on child survivors? This talk will expand the story of Krakow Jews as told in the film "Schindler's List" by zooming in on Jewish children's experiences and what that conveys about the German occupation of Krakow, Poland.

Human Rights Amid Violent Conflict: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Events in Israel and Gaza is a panel discussion that will try to provide an academic space and context for those seeking to think and learn, as we are all witnessing heart-breaking violence and response in Israel and Gaza. Our goal is to offer academic contexts and input for thinking about the current moment, asking each forum participant to speak about: What sets of academic knowledge and frameworks are you drawing on as you follow the news from afar? What scholarly expertise can help us understand better the complexity of actors, institutions, interests, and international structures shaping events on the ground and what happens next?
Panelists include: Julia Santucci, Senior Lecturer in Intelligence Studies, Director of the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership and Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum at Pitt's Graduate School for Public and International Affairs (security and human rights and the challenges policymakers face);
Michal Friedman, Assistant Teaching Professor & Jack Buncher Professor of Jewish Studies, History at Carnegie Mellon University (human rights activism within Israel);
Mohammed Bamyeh, Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh (Gaza, & its diverse actors and challenges & human experience );
Catherine Koverola, Director of the Center for African Studies (trauma and the course of violent conflict)

Come meet international students, make friends, practice conversational English, and have fun together, during these weekly discussion groups coordinated by the English Language Institute. Feel free to bring your lunch :)