Thursday, February 12th, 2015

Teaching English Abroad
International Career Toolkit Series
Time:
3:00 pm
Presenter:
Matthew Eppley, Thea Berthodd, and Dr. Katherine Carlitz
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies, Asian Studies Center, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence, Global Studies Center, International Business Center and Global Experiences Office
Contact:
Sarah Angel Markwardt
Contact Email:
saa133@pitt.edu

Do you love traveling and experiencing new cultures? Have you considered teaching English abroad? Join Pitt alumni Thea Berthoff (TAPIF, France), Matthew Eppley (Peace Corps, Ukraine) and Dr. Carlitz (Asian Studies Center) as they discuss their international experience and share tips on how to prepare yourself to teach English in a foreign country.

Public Policy Discussion and Luncheon: Can the Eurozone Survive? A Greek Perspective
Time:
12:00 pm
Presenter:
Pavlos Yeroulanos, President of Kefalonia Fisheries SA and Former Cabinet Member in the Government of Prime Minister Papandreou
Location:
Fairmont Pittsburgh
Announced by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence on behalf of World Affairs Council, Highmark and Visit Pittsburgh

A timely discussion of the latest European financial crisis with a Greek business leader and former politician, who served in the Cabinet during the early years of the 2009 euro crisis.

Tuesday, February 10th, 2015

Pious Practices and Secular Constraints: Muslim Women and the Dilemmas of Citizenship in France
Time:
2:30 pm
Presenter:
Jeanette S. Jouili, Visiting Assistant Professor of International & Cultural Studies, College of Charleston
Location:
602 Cathedral of Learning
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence and Global Studies Center along with Department of Religious Studies and Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences
Contact:
Linda Penkower
Contact Email:
penkower@pitt.edu

The visible increase in religious practice among young European-born Muslims has provoked public anxiety. New government regulations seek not only to restrict Islamic practices within the public sphere, but also to shape Muslims’, and especially women’s, personal conduct. This presentation, based on Dr. Jouili’s forthcoming book, Pious Practice and Secular Constraints (Stanford, 2015), chronicles the everyday ethical struggles of women active in orthodox and socially conservative Islamic revival circles as they are torn between their quest for pious lifestyle and their aspirations to counter negative representations of Muslims within the mainstream society.

Wednesday, February 4th, 2015

The GMO Question in TTIP Negotiations
Time:
12:00 pm
Presenter:
Patricia Stapleton, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

In 2013, governments across the European Union (EU) gave the European Commission a mandate to negotiate the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the United States. Since July 2013, the two sides have held seven rounds of negotiations, but they have not yet reached an agreement. A motivating factor of TTIP is “regulatory convergence”, bringing American and European standards closer together to facilitate trade. One potential obstacle is the subject of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the context of food safety regulation. Approximately 70 percent of all processed food in American supermarkets contain GM ingredients, in contrast to the EU where GM food is severely restricted. This talk will review the regulatory differences between the two sides and how different approaches to GMO risk assessment create an obstacle to a TTIP agreement.

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015

The Greek Elections: Implications for Greece and for Europe
Time:
12:00 pm
Presenter:
Dr. Despina Alexiadou
Location:
4130 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence

In light of Greece’s parliament elections on January 25th, Political Science Professor, Dr. Despina Alexiadou, will introduce the actors and issues involved, and will weigh in on what the results of the victory of the leftist Syriza party mean for Greece, for other possible austerity programs, and for Europe’s changing landscape.

Friday, January 23rd, 2015

Global Gap Year
International Career Toolkit Series
Time:
3:00 pm
Presenter:
Jessa Darwin, Jenna Baron, Holly Hickling, and Abraham Kim
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies, Asian Studies Center, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence, Global Studies Center, International Business Center, Global Experiences Office and University of Pittsburgh Peace Corps Recruiter
Cost:
N/A
Contact:
Sarah Angel Markwardt
Contact Email:
saa133@pitt.edu

Are you looking for travel opportunities and a chance to get “real world experience” before facing the job market? Join us at the Global Gap Year Panel, where representatives from the Peace Corps, Hekima Place, PULSE Pittsburgh, Fulbright Fellowship Program, and others will talk about what they gained from their “Gap Year”.

Panelists include:
Abraham Kim, Peace Corps (Zambia)
Jessa Darwin, Hekima Place (Kenya)
Jenna Baron, PULSE, United Way, Fulbright Scholar (Pittsburgh, PA & Kenya)
Holly Hickling, FORGE (Paris & Zambia)

Roundtable: “Terror in France: Origins, Response, Implications”
Time:
3:00 pm
Location:
4130 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence

This panel will lead a discussion on the recent terror attacks in Paris, France. Professor Michael Kenney of GSPIA, Visiting Professor Luke Peterson of Global Studies and EUCE/ESC Associate Director Allyson Delnore will offer perspectives on the social, political and historical aspects of these events. Public, faculty and class participation is welcome.

Tuesday, January 20th, 2015

Conversations on Europe: “Dear Madam High Representative: Tasks for EU Foreign Policy”
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Presenter:
Stefan Lehne (Carnegie Europe); Sir Michael Leigh (German Marshall Fund); Ulrich Speck (Carnegie Europe); Nathalie Tocci (Insituto Affari Internazionali), Kostas Kourtikakis (University of Illinois)
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence

In our first Conversation on Europe for 2015, panelists will consider the demands on and capabilities of the European Union as a major global actor. Panelists will use a Carnegie Europe “Memo to the European Union Foreign Policy Chief” as a starting point. The panel will include: Sir Michael Leigh of the German Marshall Fund (and former European Commission Director General for Enlargement); Stefan Lehne, Carnegie Europe (and former Director General for political affairs at the Austrian Ministry for European and International Affairs); Ulrich Speck, Carnegie Europe (and Editor of the weekly Global Europe Brief newsletter); Nathalie Tocci, Deputy Director of the Instituto Affari Internazionali (and advisor to EU Foreign Policy Chief, Frederica Mogherini); and Kostas Kourtikakis, who earned his Ph.D. at Pitt and is affiliated with the University of Illinois’s European Union Center.
Panelists will be linked to audiences at Pitt and elsewhere and faculty and class participation is welcome.

Tuesday, January 13th, 2015

The Euro Crisis: How Did Europe Get There, and Will It Ever Get Over It?
Time:
12:30 pm
Presenter:
Mark De Vos, Visiting Professor of Law, Center for International Legal Education
Location:
Room 111, Barco Law Building
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Center for International Legal Education

Mark De Vos holds a Licentiate and Doctorate in Law (Universiteit Gent), a Master in Social Law (Université Libre de Bruxelles), and a Master of Laws (Harvard University). He teaches employment and labor law, EU-law, and the rule of law at Ghent University and the University of Brussels. He is the director of the Itinera Institute, an independent policy think-tank based in Brussels. He frequently publishes, lectures, and debates on issues of labor and employment law, European integration, globalization, labor market reform, pensions, ageing, healthcare, and welfare state, both nationally and internationally, and both academic, professional and policy circles, as well as in the media.

Tuesday, December 9th, 2014

Voter Polarization and Party Responsiveness: Why Parties Emphasize Divided Issues, but Remain Silent on Unified Issues
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Presenter:
Professor Jae Jae Spoon, University of North Texas
Location:
4500 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Studies Association along with Department of Political Science

Professor Spoon’s presentation is based on work (with Heike Klüver) on how voter polarization affects party responsiveness. The authors analyze party responsiveness across nine West European countries and argue that party responsiveness increases with the polarization of issues among voters. Professor Spoon is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at North Texas and a candidate for the position in European politics in the Department of Political Science.

Monday, December 8th, 2014

The Politics of Parliamentary Debate: Parties, Rebels and Representation
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Presenter:
Professor Jonathan Slapin, University of Houston
Location:
4500 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Department of Political Science

This paper is based on Professor Slapins’ forthcoming Cambridge University Press book (with Sven-Oliver Proksch) of the same title. Professor Slapin is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Houston and a candidate for the position in European politics in the Department of Political Science.

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014

The Evolution of EU Citizenship in the European ‘Federalizing’ Process
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Presenter:
Gabriella Saputelli, EUCE/ESC Center Associate; Researcher of Public law, Institute for the Study of Regionalism and Self Government (ISSiRFA) of the National Research Council (CNR) in Rome; and Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Teramo
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center
Cost:
Free, but please register for lunch in advance by emailing euce@pitt.edu.
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

Center Associate Dr. Gabriella Saputelli will explore the characteristics and the evolution of EU citizenship 20+ years after the Maastricht Treaty. She will consider EU citizenship in light of the finding by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that it “…is intended to be the fundamental status of nationals of the Member States”. In fact, the way in which EU citizenship and ECJ case law function raises questions about its future development. In a multilevel system, the federalizing process influences aspects of citizenship, and a comparison with the US experience might allow us to better understand the special path of EU citizenship construction. Lunch will be served. To register, please email euce@pitt.edu.

High School Model EU
Time:
8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
Contact Email:
kal68@pitt.edu

The EUCE/ESC will be hosting the 2014 High School Model EU, which allows students the opportunity to participate in a simulation of a recent European Council meeting. For more information, please contact EUCE/ESC Assistant Director for External Affairs, Kate Bowersox, at kal68@pitt.edu.

Monday, December 1st, 2014

Transnational Voters & New Media, or How to Win a Romanian Election
Time:
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Presenter:
Prof. Marius Lazăr, Babes-Bolyai University, Romania
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Department of German and Romanian Studies
Contact:
Veronica Szabo
Contact Email:
veronika@pitt.edu

On November 16, 2014 the second round in the Romanian presidential elections ended with the upset victory of an ethnic German candidate from the provinces. These surprising results defied nationalist mobilization and the current government’s administrative control of the electoral process. In spite of pollsters’ and analysts’ predictions, Klaus Iohannis, the candidate with fewer votes in the first round came from behind and succeeded in taking the presidency over the leading candidate, the sitting Social Democratic Prime Minister, Victor Ponta. A new electoral pattern emerged around two related phenomena: the Romanian diaspora mobilized and transformed an ordinary election into a transnational event, while new media and online social networks played an important role in mobilizing these voters.

Marius Lazăr is Fulbright Visiting Scholar at CREES and Associate Professor of Sociology at „Babes-Bolyai” University of Cluj, Romania. He is a cultural sociologist and author of Paradoxes of Modernity: Elements for a sociology of cultural elites (Paradoxuri ale modernizării. Elemente pentru o sociologie a elitelor culturale, 2002). His current research is in the sociology of literature and of ethnic relations.

Monday, December 1st, 2014 to Sunday, March 1st, 2015

Library Special Collections Exhibit: “Berlin 1945-1989: From the End of World War II in Europe to the Fall of the Wall”
Time:
(All day)
Location:
2nd Floor, Hillman Library (outside Administrative Suites)
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Department of German, Special Collections Department, University Library System and World History Center

A part of the 25 Years – Fall of the Berlin Wall Series, this exhibit is free and open to the public. It was curated by the Special Collections Department, with grateful assistance from the Archives Service Center, the Digital Research Library, Web Services, and the Hillman Library Journal and General Map collections.

Tuesday, November 25th, 2014

The Best from the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen 2014
Time:
6:30 pm
Location:
1218 Cathedral of Learning
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of Film Studies Program

Come and enjoy selections from the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival. This event will feature the best selections from the 2014 German Program as well as the 2014 Music Video Program

Friday, November 21st, 2014

Alumni & Professionals Panel: Careers in International Law
International Career Toolkit Series
Time:
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Presenter:
Michael Zuck, Kimberly Bennett
Location:
Posvar Hall 4217
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies, Asian Studies Center, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence, Global Studies Center, International Business Center and Global Experiences Office
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Sarah Angel Markwardt
Contact Email:
saa133@gmail.com

Interested in global issues? Join us for an Alumni & Professionals Panel on Careers in International Law. Discover career opportunities for all fields of study and network with alumni and professionals working globally. Our diverse panel will discuss a variety of career options and share insights about how to make yourself more competitive in the job market.

Thursday, November 20th, 2014

Adventures in Digital Humanities
Time:
2:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Location:
602 Cathedral of Learning
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of Eighteenth-Century Studies at Pitt

Faculty and graduate students are warmly invited to join us later today for an afternoon focusing on Digital Humanities in research and teaching, hosted by Eighteenth-Century Studies at Pitt, with co-sponsorship from the Department of French and Italian.

Event Details
Humanities Center, Cathedral of Learning, Room 602
November 20, 2014
2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Professor Edelstein (PhD University of Pennsylvania, 2004) is Professor of French and, by courtesy, of History, at Stanford University. He is a leading figure in the large-scale, NEH-funded digital humanities project, Mapping the Republic of Letters: http://republicofletters.stanford.edu/

Dan will offer a two-part event at our Humanities Center. First, he will give a lecture on Stanford’s Mapping project, with a demonstration of their visualization tools. Following a break (we hope to offer coffee, juice, cookies), Dan will lead a general discussion on the potential and perils of Digital Humanities in research and teaching. We expect to be joined by Pitt faculty experts in Digital Humanities as further interlocutors. We hope for a lively, interdisciplinary audience in eighteenth-century studies and indeed well beyond.

All Humanities and Social Science faculty and graduate students are welcome to join us for all or part of the afternoon.

Military Perspectives on NATO and the Transatlantic Relationship
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Presenter:
Major General Gronski, Commanding General of the 28th Infantry Division
Location:
4130 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

Major General Gronski has commanded troops in Iraq, Europe and, as Commanding General of the 28th Infantry Division, oversees the men and woman who serve in Pennsylvania's National Guard. Major General Gronski also deployed the 28th Infantry Division headquarters in support of Exercise Rochambeau in France during the summer of 2014. Joined by his Army colleagues Colonel Michael Wawrzyniak and Lieutenant Colonel Judah Whitney, both of whom have worked with NATO in various capacities, Major General Gronski will discuss his perspectives on NATO, the state of the Transatlantic Relationship, various security and defense issues, and the important role that Pennsylvania's own National Guard has played.

Major General Gronski and his colleagues will also be visiting with students informally at a luncheon after the lecture. If you would like to attend this luncheon, which will be paid for by the EUCE/ESC, please register in advance by writing to Steve Lund at slund@pitt.edu to RSVP.

Tuesday, November 18th, 2014

Conversations on Europe: Displaced: The Refugee Crisis in the Mediterranean Basin
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Presenter:
Suzanna Crage (Sociology, Pitt); Franck Duvelle (University of Oxford); M. Murat Erdogan (Hacettepe University); Ayselin Yildiz (Yasar University)
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

The number of refugees entering the EU and Turkey has risen dramatically as a result of conflicts and crises in North Africa and the Middle East. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHRC) reported that European countries recorded 264,000 asylum applications during the first six months of 2014, an increase of 24 per cent from the same period the year before. The largest increase – 73 per cent – in asylum seekers was reported by countries in Southern Europe, in particular Italy and Turkey. Refugees originated primarily from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Serbia/Kosovo and North Africa. With conflict and destabilization in these regions continuing, European policy makers seek solutions that respond to both humanitarian concerns and an increasingly radicalized voting public. Join us for the next session of Conversations on Europe for a discussion of EU and Turkish responses to this growing crisis. Audience participation is welcome. For more information, please visit our webpage on our Conversations on Europe.

Monday, November 17th, 2014 to Friday, November 21st, 2014

International Week!
Time:
8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies, Asian Studies Center, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, Confucius Institute, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence, Global Studies Center, International Week, Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs and Global Experiences Office

Over the course of the week, Pitt campus will be alive with international activities, global events and the buzz of the International Week Contest, which will grant 1 free Summer 2015 Study Abroad Panther Program (tuition scholarship) to a country of your choice, a Sony NEX-F3 camera, or an apple ipad. For a full list of events, please review the International Week Website to learn more about how to add an international focus to your academic experience.

Thursday, November 13th, 2014

2014 Society for Ethnomusicology's 59th Annual Meeting: Irish Dance Workshop Program
Time:
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
Presenter:
Organizer: Meng Ren, PhD Candidate, Department of Music
Location:
Ballroom Foyer, Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown Hotel
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center along with Department of Music, Pittsburgh Ceili Club, Children’s Literature Program, Irish Nationality Room, Mullaney's Harp and Fiddle Irish Pub, Mr. David Hartnett and Mr. Hanping Ren and Mrs. Weiming Yang
Cost:
Free.
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

Free and open to the public, the Society for Ethnomusicology is offering a free workshop to those interested in learning the basics of Irish dance. Registration is not necessary for this portion of the conference's program.

Welcome and Brief Introduction: Meng Ren, PhD Candidate, Department of Music

Dance Menu:
Two Hand Reel
Walls of Limerick
Waves of Tory
Gay Gordon

Dance Performance by Children of the Shovlin Academy of Irish Dance

Haymaker's Jig
Two Hand Honpipe
Rakes of mallow
Keel Row

Musicians: Vince Burns (fiddle), Richard Withers (Flute and accordion), Bruce Molyneaux (Tenor banjo and mandolin), caller (Liz Shovlin Grinko)

Tuesday, November 11th, 2014

25th Anniversary of the Fall of the Wall Panel
Time:
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Location:
4130 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with World History Center, Film Studies Program, Department of German and Dean of Undergraduate Studies
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

On November 9, 1989 Americans tuned into the nightly news to watch anchorman Tom Brokaw’s reports from West Germany. The Berlin Wall was coming down after 28 years as a symbol of the Cold War between East and West. On November 11, 2014, in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, the European Union Center of Excellence and European Studies Center will host a roundtable panel of Pittsburghers who witnessed this momentous event. Audience participation is welcome.

Colorblind Cats and Local Nationalists: Tourism and Two Kinds of Homeland in Austria and Hungary, 1930-1938
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Presenter:
Andrew Behrendt, PhD Student, Department of History
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Department of History

Hungarian tourism promoters in the 1930s gnashed their teeth in frustration at a sluggish domestic travel market. In their minds, Hungarians were disloyal and ungrateful tourists, ignorant of their country and therefore unwilling to spend their vacations "at home" rather than abroad. The solution, these promoters decided, was to appeal to Hungarians' sense of patriotism and guilt them into traveling. But in neighboring Austria, another post-imperial country with its own struggles to stimulate tourism, such arguments were nowhere to be found. Austrians, it seems, did not need to be goaded into "seeing Austria first." What explains this disparity? In part, it has to do with two different visions of "homeland," one which defined the nation as an expression of local identity (and vice versa), and another that saw the state belonging to a single, fixed nation awaiting "discovery." This talk, adapted from a chapter of Mr. Behrendt's dissertation-in-progress, proposes that a comparison of these cases helps us to a better understanding of how societies adapting to the end of empire have (re-)imagined the idea of "home" as the national and regional boundaries changed around them.

Monday, November 10th, 2014

Model United Nations
Time:
8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies, Asian Studies Center, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence and Global Studies Center

Model United Nations provides students the opportunity to learn about and discuss today's most relevant issues of international diplomacy through participation in an academic simulation.

Sunday, November 9th, 2014

Polish Festival 2014
Time:
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Presenter:
Nationality Rooms Program
Location:
Cathedral of Learning Commons Room
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs along with Polish Nationality Room Committee
Cost:
free
Contact Phone:
4126246150

Polishfest is an annual event featuring Polish folk music and dance, food, and arts and crafts. Funds raised help to support the Polish Nationality Room Scholarship fund.

Saturday, November 8th, 2014

Last Year Titanic (Letztes Jahr Titanic) (1991): Politics and Popcorn Series
Time:
5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Presenter:
Andreas Voigt, Film Director
Location:
324 Cathedral of Learning
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with World History Center, Film Studies Program, Department of German and Dean of Undergraduate Studies
Cost:
Free.
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

*Director Andreas Voigt will attend the screenings of his films November 7-8. A discussion with the director will directly follow the screening. Popcorn and drinks provided.

Voigt’s next film follows a journalist, a worker, a left-wing skinhead, a teenager, and a pub owner between December 1989 and 1990, the last year of the GDR and the first one in a reunified Germany. The film centers not on political opinions, but on actual situations, developments, and personal feelings. Of course, at the beginning fo the shoot, reunification could not have been predicted, so the film is an important document about the time of change, the social and economic insecurity, but it also has some ironic and even absurd moments and uses the metaphor of the last dance (from the Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film, 2013).

http://www.andreas-voigtfilm.de/?testvariable=englisch&testvariable2=lei...

Friday, November 7th, 2014

Leipzig in the Fall (Leipzig im Herbst) (1989): Politics and Popcorn Series
Time:
5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Presenter:
Andreas Voigt, Film Director
Location:
G-24 Cathedral of Learning
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with World History Center, Film Studies Program, Department of German and Dean of Undergraduate Studies
Cost:
Free.
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

Considered to be the most comprehensive documentation of events surrounding the 1989 Monday demonstrations in Leipzig, this film highlights the centerpiece of the citizens' movement that led to the fall of the Wall. As the only professional team able to film in Leipzig at the time, demonstrators were interviewed, as well as members of the citizens’ rights movement, officials and bystanders in East Germany’s peaceful revolution. Film Director Andreas Voigt will attend the screenings of his films November 7-8. A discussion with the director will directly follow the screening.

Thursday, November 6th, 2014

The Annual Commemoration of Kristallnacht
Time:
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Location:
Cathedral of Learning G13
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of Jewish Studies Program and Department of German

The Annual Commemoration of Kristallnacht

Testimonies of Kristallnacht read by Pitt Students, video excerpts from eyewitnesses and survivors, Music by Susanne Ortner-Roberts, clarinetist

The New Ukraine and the War with Russia
Time:
3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Presenter:
Dominique Arel, Chair of Ukrainian Studies, University of Ottawa
Location:
Alcoa Room, Barco Law Building
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence

In the past year, Ukraine has experienced tectonic changes in its internal and external orientation, with the fall of the fall of the authoritarian regime of Viktor Yanukovych, a de facto war with Russia leading to the loss of the most heavily ethnic Russian areas (Crimea and the heart of Donbas) and a new anti-Russian and pro-Europe constitutional majority in parliament. The lecture will address the political, economic, and regional constraints that the Ukrainian government is facing in seeking to reestablish legitimacy, recover territory, and implement cardinal changes.

Friday, October 31st, 2014

Greek, Sanskrit and Marriage: Past and Future Reflections
Time:
3:00 pm
Presenter:
Joshua Katz
Location:
125 Frick Fine Arts
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of Department of Classics

Widely published in the languages, literatures, and cultures of the ancient world, Dr. Katz is interested above all in the reconstruction of Proto-Indo-European and in etymology, which he views as part of the history of ideas.
Among the organizations from which he has received awards and fellowships are the American Council of Learned Societies, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Institute for Advanced Study, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Science Foundation; he is especially pleased to have won, at Princeton, both the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award.

Thursday, October 30th, 2014

Afropean: Narratives of the 21st Century
Time:
12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
Presenter:
Alain Mabanckou (UCLA) and Dominic Thomas (UCLA)
Location:
602 Cathedral of Learning
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence and Global Studies Center along with Humanities Center, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and Department of French and Italian
Contact Email:
frit@pitt.edu

The colloquium aims to draw out the multiple meanings of "Afropean" at the intersection of aesthetic and political forms of expression of the African diaspora. Responses will be given by John Walsh, Department of French and Italian.

Political Competence & Voting Behavior in Elections to the European Parliament
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Presenter:
Professor Nick Clark, Susquehanna University
Location:
4130 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence

Dr. Clark’s research focuses on European politics, the European Union, and comparative political behavior. More specifically, his research agenda seeks to empirically assess theoretical claims about the quality of democratic citizenship and governance in multi-level political systems such as the European Union. His lecture will highlight the state of the public’s knowledge about the European Union and how that knowledge influences voting behavior in European elections.

Tuesday, October 28th, 2014

The Triumph of Morality: A Tribute to the Righteous of Greece
Time:
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Presenter:
Dr. Yolanda Avram-Willis with special guest, Dr. Michael Naragon
Location:
McConomy Auditorium | University Center, Carnegie Mellon University Campus
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies and European Studies Center

Dr. Avram-Willis is a survivor of the Holocaust in Greece.
A light reception and mini-exhibit will follow the lecture.

On October 28, 1940, the cry “OHI” (No!) resounded across all of Greece as the beginning of the Greek people’s bold resistance to the Axis ultimatum to join or be destroyed. The ensuing Nazi occupation of Greece between 1941-1944 ravaged the country and disemboweled entire villages and towns. Even though most of Greece’s Jews were murdered in the Nazi “Final Solution”, Hitler’s savagery was dealt a humiliation as Greek Christians hid, transferred, and otherwise protected as many Greek Jews as possible. From the National Resistance to Archbishop Damaskinos, regional bishops, clergy, civic leaders, and simple families, nowhere else in Nazi-occupied Southern Europe was there so much effort in protecting and saving Jews from the inhumanity of the Nazi regime and its philosophy.

On October 28th, 2014, the Greek-American and Jewish Communities of Western Pennsylvania will come together to remember and to offer a tribute to the Righteous of Greece. The story of Greek Christians protecting and saving Greek Jews remains a largely unexplored aspect of the period’s history and stands in sharp contrast to the darkness of that epoch. It is a story of morality, love, respect, sacrifice, and ultimately an expression of the humanity that binds people together.

For more information, contact info@pahellenicfoundation.org.

Friday, October 24th, 2014

Sustainability Policies in the US and Europe: A Comparison of Sources and Outcomes
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Presenter:
Professor Michaël Aklin, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Studies Association along with Department of Political Science, Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation and Office of the Provost
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

Is Germany the new California? Is Texas the new Denmark? Historically, the political leadership on sustainable development has shifted back and forth between the U.S. and Europe. Nowhere is this as evident as in the promotion of renewable energy. Where do we stand now? Dr. Aklin will explore the sources of renewable energy policies both across continents and vertically within the European Union and the U.S.

Tuesday, October 21st, 2014

'Conversations On Europe' Videoconference: 1914 Revisited? The EU-US Russian Triangle
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

The centenary anniversary of the Great War has invited numerous commentators to make comparisons between the events leading up to the outbreak of war in 1914 and the current Ukrainian Crisis. This session of the EUCE’s virtual roundtable series asks experts to comment on these comparisons. Can we learn anything about effective conflict prevention from that earlier period? Or are such comparisons too facile, and deceptive? Public participation is welcome.

Panelists will include:
Mark Steinberg, Historian of 19th century Russia at the University of Illinois and co-editor of a new book series at Yale University Press, "Eurasia Past and Present"
Carol Saivetz, Research associate at Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and a research affiliate at the Security Studies Program at MIT
Gregor Thum, Historian of Central and Eastern Europe at the University of Pittsburgh and author of "Uprooted: How Breslau Became Wrocław during the Century of Expulsions"
Frank Furedi, Sociologist and author of "First World War: Still No End in Sight"
Andrew Konitzer, Acting Director at the Center for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pittsburgh

Thursday, October 16th, 2014

Barbara
Time:
5:30 pm
Location:
324 Cathedral of Learning
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of Department of German

October 16th
Director: Christian Petzold, 2013
Popcorn and drinks provided

Winner of the Best Director prize at this year's Berlin Film Festival, the latest film from Christian Petzold (Yella, Jerichow) is a simmering, impeccably crafted Cold War thriller, starring the gifted Nina Hoss-in her fifth lead role for the director-as a Berlin doctor banished to a rural East German hospital as punishment for applying for an exit visa. As her lover from the West carefully plots her escape, Barbara waits patiently and avoids friendships with her colleagues-except for Andre (Ronald Zehrfeld) the hospital's head physician, who is warmly attentive to her. But even as she finds herself falling for him, Barbara still cannot be sure that Andre is not a spy. As her defensive wall slowly starts to crumble, she is eventually forced to make a profound decision about her future. A film of glancing moments and dangerous secrets, BARBARA paints a haunting picture of a woman being slowly crushed between the irreconcilable needs of desire and survival. Germany's official Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film.

Wednesday, October 15th, 2014

Inside the Brussels Complex: Pizza and Politics
Time:
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Presenter:
EU and the World Organization Representatives
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and EU and the World
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

In this first 2014 installment of our Pizza and Politics Graduate Lecture Series, GSPIA's EU and the World Organization executive members talk about their experience interviewing policy-makers, EU civil servants, and visiting major institutions in Brussels and Luxembourg as participants in the EU in Brussels Program, co-sponsored by Pitt's EUCE/ESC & Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Also learn about getting involved in the EU and the World Organization and about other opportunities for EU Studies at Pitt! PIZZA WILL BE SERVED!

Saturday, October 11th, 2014

French Immersion Institute
Time:
9:00 am
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence

Thursday, October 9th, 2014 to Friday, October 10th, 2014

(Re)Imagining and (Re)Interpreting Spaces, Symbols and Sites The Baltic Region from the 19th to the 21st Century
Time:
5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Location:
Thursday night: Alcoa Room, Barco Law Building; Friday day: Humanities Center
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with World History Center and the Humanities Center and the European Colloquium of the History Department
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

For centuries the area of today’s Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania has been shaped by different national and ethnic groups. This symposium will examine the (re)imagining and (re)interpreting of spaces, symbols and sites in the of Baltic region from the 19th to the 21st century. Presenters will address historical difficulties with “mapping” this multi-ethnic region as well as current issues connected with the region’s recent history after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Thursday, October 9, 2014 (Alcoa Room, Pitt School of Law, 2nd floor)
Introduction: Ron Linden (EUCE/ESC of the University of Pittsburgh)
Keynote 5.30pm Jeffrey Sommers (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee): Baltic Tiger or Paper Tiger? Unraveling of Europe’s Social Model in Latvia

Friday, October 10, 2014 (Humanities Center, 602 Cathedral of Learning)
Panel 1, 8.45–10.15am
Between the Russian and the German Empire: National Borders and Imaginations
Gregor Thum (University of Pittsburgh): German Culture and Russian Citizenship in Russia’s Baltic Provinces
Jörg Hackmann (University of Szczecin): Mapping the Baltic Region, 1850-1940

Panel 2, 10.30am–12.00pm
The Baltic Region after World War I: the Impact of Nationalism(s)
Adam Brode (University of Pittsburgh): Pride of Place: Symbolic Capital in Riga’s Churches
Andrejs Plakans (Iowa State University): Nationalizing Public Spaces: The WWI Latvian Riflemen in Latvian Memory

Jean-Monnet Symposium
1989 and Beyond: Contested Sites of Memory in Post-Communist Space
Panel 3, 3.00–4.30pm
Daina Stukuls Eglitis (George Washington University): The Baltic Way 1989–2014: Revolution, Remembrance, and Regret in Post-Communist Latvia
Jennie Schulze (Duquesne University): Estonia’s Bronze Soldier Crisis: Kin-state Activism and Minority Policies

Panel 4, 4.45–6.15pm
Neringa Klumbyte (Miami University): Affective Histories in Post-Soviet Lithuania
Katja Wezel (University of Pittsburgh): Riga’s “Corner House” – From a Soviet Place of Terror to a Latvian Site of Remembrance?

The symposium is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, October 7th, 2014

A Conflict of Interests: Croatia and the Balkans after EU Membership
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Presenter:
Andrew Konitzer, Department of Political Science/CREES
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Department of Political Science

Croatia’s official government policy towards enlargement into the Western Balkans is shaped by a number of different, sometimes complimentary, sometimes conflicting factors. When it joined the EU as the Union’s 28th member in July 1, 2013, this country of 4.3 million inhabitants ranked 21st in terms of both population size and GDP making it one of the smallest countries in the organization. In foreign policy terms, such small states face the task of either quietly tending to their affairs, oftentimes under the wing of some larger power, or of attempting to capitalize on certain key issues of specific characteristics which would allow them to occupy a niche in the international system. The current Croatian government has opted for the latter strategy, attempting to capitalize on the country’s shared historical, political and cultural legacies with other non-member states in the region to position Croatia as a champion for enlargement. At the same time, Croatia’s legacies with neighboring states and its historical drive to leave the Balkans complicates its role as an advocate for EU expansion into the region. These competing legacies interact with domestic political cleavages in ways that create different pressures on political actors representing various political options. While this project focuses primarily on Croatian foreign policy, it contains many important lessons for other small current and future EU member states.

Friday, October 3rd, 2014

Conversations on Europe: 25 Years of the Berlin Republic
Time:
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Presenter:
Georg Menz, University of Pittsburgh Visiting Professor; Ruprecht Polenz, a German politician; Margaret Littler, University of Manchester; Jack Janes, American Institute for Contemporary German Studies
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

Join us for a special session of Conversations on Europe to commemorate German Unity Day on October 3rd. Co-sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, the EUCE has organized a virtual roundtable discussion reflecting on Germany since 1989. The expert panel will include Visiting Professor Georg Menz, Department of Political Science; Ruprecht Polenz, a German politician and former Chairman of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Foreign Affairs; Margaret Littler, University of Manchester; and Jack Janes, American Institute for Contemporary German Studies. Steven Sokol, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh will moderate the discussion. Audience participation is welcome.
For more information, please visit our webpage on our Conversations on Europe.

Thursday, October 2nd, 2014

Wings of Desire (Himmel über Berlin)
Time:
5:30 pm
Location:
324 Cathedral of Learning
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of Department of German

Wings of Desire (Himmel über Berlin)

October 2nd
Director: Wim Wenders, 1987
Popcorn and drinks provided

“Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander) are angels who watch over the city of Berlin. They don't have harps or wings (well, they usually don't have wings) and they prefer overcoats to gossamer gowns. But they can travel unseen through the city, listening to people's thoughts, watching their actions and studying their lives. … Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire is a remarkable modern fairy tale about the nature of being alive. The angels witness the gamut of human emotions, and they experience the luxury of simple pleasures (even a cup of coffee and a cigarette) as ones who've never known them. From the angels' viewpoint, Berlin is seen in gorgeous black-and-white -- strikingly beautiful but unreal; when they join the humans, the image shifts to rough but natural-looking color, and the waltz-like grace of the angels' drift through the city changes to a harsher rhythm. Peter Falk appears as himself, revealing a secret that we may not have known about the man who played Columbo, and there's also a brief but powerful appearance by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. Wings of Desire hinges on the intangible and elusive, and it builds something beautiful from those qualities.

The Diplomat, the Dealer, and the Digger
Writing the History of the Antiquities trade in 19th Century Greece
Time:
4:30 pm
Presenter:
Yannis Galanakis
Location:
125 Frick Fine Arts
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center along with Department of Classics

From tomb robbers to diplomats the lucrative trade in antiquities during the 1800s involved much more than individual treasure hunters and travelers seeking souvenirs. During this period, the field of archaeology was forming as a structured discipline, grand-scale excavations were conceived and undertaken, national and imperial museums were founded, the art market became sophisticated and professional, and private collectors vied to be the owners of precious and impressive artifacts. Out of their competing interests, antiquities became commodities, symbols of power, indicators of wealth, proof of education and taste, and the focus of debates on the rights of ownership, the duties of stewardship, and the role of the archeologist. This lecture will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the antiquities trade in Greece in the 1800s starting from the ground up.

Dr. Galanakis is a lecturer in Greek Prehistory in the Faculty of Classics, and Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University. He has participated in excavations, surveys and study seasons in Crete, the Peloponnese and Central Greece. His current publications include The Aegean World, A Guide to the Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean Collections in the Ashmolean Museum

This lectured is sponsored by the Department of Classics and the Archaeological Institute of America

How to Prepare for Graduate School
A Workshop of the International Career Toolkit Series
Time:
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Presenter:
Jonathan Harris, Anna-Maria Wallis Karnes, Patrick Cornell
Location:
WWPH 4217
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies, Asian Studies Center, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence, Global Studies Center, International Business Center and Global Experiences Office
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Sarah Angel Markwardt
Contact Email:
saa133@pitt.edu

Are you considering graduate school?

Join us at the workshop:
How to Prepare for Graduate School
Thursday, Oct. 2nd / 3pm / WWPH 4217

This workshop will cover the ins and outs of choosing a good program, completing an impressive application, establishing communication with an advisor, as well as advice from Professor Jonathan Harris and current PhD and Master's candidates.

Tuesday, September 30th, 2014

Improvisation and the Orphic Revival in Quattrocento Florence
Time:
5:30 pm
Presenter:
James Coleman
Location:
602 Cathedral of Learning
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of Humanities Center

James Coleman holds a Ph.D. in Italian from Yale University, and a B.A. in
Classics, also from Yale. He has published research on Italian literature from
the Trecento to the Settecento. His published work includes essays on
Giovanni Boccaccio's De Canaria, Angelo Poliziano and Quattrocento
Florentine humanism, Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, and the thought of
Giambattista Vico. He has forthcoming work on the humanist forger Laudivio
Zacchia, the first vernacular commentary on Lucretius's De rerum natura,
and the Renaissance reception of Boccaccio's Genealogia. He is currently
completing a book manuscript entitled Orphic Poetry in Renaissance Italy.

From All Walks of Life: Revisiting the German-Speaking Presence in Yucátan (1865-1914)
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Presenter:
Dr. Alma Durán-Merk, Author and Journalist
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Studies Association along with University of Augsburg and Germany
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

Dr. Durán-Merk comes to us as a result of Pitt’s long-standing researcher exchange agreement with Universität Augsburg in Germany, where she is a research associate at the Institute for European Ethnology and Folklore. Her primary areas of interest include migration research, visual anthropology, the anthropology of consumption, and media studies, particularly regarding relations between German and Latin American cultures. Before moving to Germany, Dr. Durán-Merk worked for several years as a television producer and writer in Monterrey, Mexico and the U.S.

Monday, September 29th, 2014

Securitizing Energy in Turkey and the EU: Cheap Talk or New Policies?”
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Presenter:
Dr. Basak Alpan, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Administration/Centre for European Studies, Middle East Technical University, Turkey
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Studies Association
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

Dr. Alpan, a visiting scholar in the Center’s International Research Scholar Exchange Scheme, will discuss how energy emerges as a practical security concept and is represented in policy discourses in Europe and Turkey. Ever since the end of Cold War and since 9/11 in particular, the concept of ‘security’ has experienced a profound conceptual change. This talk will examine the securitization of ‘energy’ within the EU and Turkey and its impact on from a comparative perspective.

Friday, September 26th, 2014

International Business: Alumni and Professionals Panel
International Career Toolkit Series
Time:
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Presenter:
David Brand, Melissa Amler, Timothy Kraus
Location:
WWPH 4217
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies, Asian Studies Center, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence, Global Studies Center and International Business Center
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Sarah Angel Markwardt
Contact Phone:
724-562-6466
Contact Email:
saa133@pitt.edu

University of Pittsburgh Alumni and local international business professionals will present about employment options and important skill development for those interested in careers in international business.

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

Berlin Now: The City in the Years since 1989
Time:
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Presenter:
Mr. Peter Schneider, Author and Journalist
Location:
3431 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence and Global Studies Center along with Department of German, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences and Film Studies Program and the World History Center
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the EUCE/ESC and the Department of German are pleased to present a group of events to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall. Author of the book “Berlin Now: The City After the Wall”, Peter Schneider, who moved to Berlin in 1962 and witnessed the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, visits the University of Pittsburgh to share his experiences as keen observer of Berlin. His novel Der Mauerspringer (The Wall Jumper) was first published in 1983, and has become a classic. In it he describes life in the shadow of the Wall. His new book, Berlin Now: The City after the Wall (translated by Sophie Schlondorff) is a collection of perceptive and witty essays about modern Berlin.

Wednesday, September 24th, 2014

The evolution of Albanian foreign policy since the end of Communism and prospects for the future
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Presenter:
Agata Biernat, PhD Student, University of Nicolaus Copernicus, Poland
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence

For many decades Albania remained a little known country not only for ordinary people in Europe or in the United States but also for different political analysts. One of the reason was that after World War II, it became a Stalinist state under Enver Hoxha, a communist dictator, and remained staunchly isolationist until its transition to democracy after 1990. With the collapse of communism Albania found itself facing a new security environment, including changing geopolitical situation in the Balkan region, so came with a new idea for international relations and began seeking closer ties and diplomatic relations with the West. That kind of diplomacy, oriented towards western countries, was supposed to be a solution to problems inherited from the past. At the same time this small Balkan country has striven to normalize ties especially with its neighbors. Regional cooperation was defined by Albanian government as an element that will boost and strengthen regional security. During these last two decades the main goal of Albanian foreign policy remains the same, which is the Euro-Atlantic integration, close relations with the United States and full membership in the European Union. However, Albania already reached the goal of the NATO membership on 1 April 2009 and also become an official candidate to join the European Union (June 2014).

The main aim of this lecture is to analyze the Albanian foreign policy since 1991 and show how it has evolved over time. To achieve this, I will focus on both domestic and international factors that influence Albanian foreign policy. The crucial part of the presentation will be an examination of current Albanian diplomacy under new government lead by Prime Minister Edi Rama, the leader of the Socialist Party.

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014

Conversations on Europe: The Scottish Referendum: Results & Implications
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Presenter:
Ailsa Henderson (University of Edinburgh), Guy Peters (University of Pittsburgh), and André Lecours (University of Ottawa)
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence

“Should Scotland be an independent country?” In a referendum scheduled for September 18th, voters in that country will have an opportunity to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on that very question. On Tuesday, Sepetember 23rd, the EUCE at Pitt will devote the first session of its award-winning Conversations on Europe virtual roundtable series to a discussion of the results of the referendum. What is the future of the Scottish National Party? How will this effect UK politics? What are the implications of the results for other nationalist movements in Europe and North America? Are there useful comparisons to be drawn between the 2014 Scottish Referendum and the 1995 Québeqois referendum? Please join us at noon in 4217 Posvar Hall for what promises to be a lively discussion. Ron Linden, Director of the EUCE and Professor of Political Science, will moderate.

Thursday, September 18th, 2014

Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching towards Somme
Time:
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Presenter:
Written by Mr. Frank McGuinness and directed by Mr. Matt Torney
Location:
Stephen Foster Memorial (4301 Forbes Avenue)
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center along with Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre
Cost:
All adult tickets are $25 ($11 discount off of regular adult ticket), Pitt student tickets are $18.
Contact Phone:
(412) 561-6000

How strong is the bond between men united by the call to arms? Eight young Irishmen, thrown together for army training during the Great War, must move beyond the troubles between Protestant and Catholic as they prepare for the Battle of the Somme. Frank McGuinness' lyrical play captures the fierce friendship and loyalty among men who must face the wickedness and wastefulness of war. The effects of WWI, launched almost 100 years ago to the day, still haunt our headlines. This is a timeless story, appropriate for ages 12+.

The EUCE/ESC is pleased to announce that PICT has a special ticket offer: EUCE night is Thursday, September 18 at 8pm. All adult tickets are $25 ($11 discount off of regular adult ticket). You can make your purchase online and enter code UNION25 to receive your $25 price for September 18, or you can call the PICT Classic Theatre at (412) 561-6000 to secure your seats. Just mention the UNION25 discount when calling. If you are a Pitt student, you always receive the $18 student price for any PICT show.

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014

Covering a Changing Europe: Reflections on the New Journalism
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Presenter:
Laurent Sierro, Journalist with the Swiss National New Agency & Transatlantic Media Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

Mr. Laurent Sierro has covered events in East and West Europe and the Middle East for ten years, most recently for the Swiss National News Agency. He will lead a discussion on the how changes in Europe and the nature of reporting have affected modern journalism.

Monday, September 15th, 2014

DAAD Information Session
Time:
4:00 pm
Presenter:
Dr. Katja Wezel, DAAD Visiting Assistant Professor
Location:
4130 Posvar
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence

Dr. Katja Wezel, DAAD Visiting Assistant Professor

Students interested in study, research, or an internship experience in Germany will have the opportunity to begin investigating the numerous funding opportunities through the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). These grants are available to all US or Canadian citizens or permanent residents AND Foreign nationals if they have been full-time students at an accredited US or Canadian University for more than one year at the time of application. German language prerequisites vary--from none to proficient--depending on the DAAD award, applicant’s field, and plan in Germany. Grants range from Graduate Study Scholarships to Research Grants for Doctoral Candidates, Young Academics, and Scientists; and from Undergraduate Scholarships for research or internships to Science and Engineering-based internships. For more information, please direct questions re: graduate DAAD awards to Stephen Lund, slund@pitt.edu, and re: undergraduate DAAD awards to Shannon Mischler, sjm130@pitt.edu. Additional information can be found on the DAAD WEBSITE.

Sunday, September 14th, 2014

Yiddish Art Songs and Poems
Time:
2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Presenter:
Alexei Belousov and Ruth Levin
Location:
Bellefield Auditorium
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Department of Music, Jewish Studies Program, Department of German and International Research Network City for the Cultures of Peace

Ruth Levin's concert is devoted to Yiddish art songs and poems written by Jewish poets from the Bukowina, Poland, Romania, and Russia. For the past ten years, Levin worked together with Alexei Belousov, a Russian-Jewish classical guitar concert artist in order to create a special program.

Saturday, September 13th, 2014

Neotolia Concert
Time:
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Location:
Frick Fine Arts Museum
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence and Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs
Cost:
$25 per person, $10 for students
Contact:
Kyle Marc Bishop
Contact Phone:
412-624-6150
Contact Email:
KMB247@pitt.edu

The Turkish Nationality Room Committee is hosting a concert featuring the group NEOTOLIA, which will begin with a meet and greet reception with refreshments at 6 pm, followed by the concert at 6:30 pm. The proceeds of the concert will help fund the Turkish Room Summer Study Abroad Scholarship. Tickets are $25 per person, $10 for students, and additional donations to the scholarship fund will be accepted. To reserve seats, please send a check made payable to the University of Pittsburgh to the following address: Nationality Rooms Program/ ATTN: Turkish Room Committee/ 1209 Cathedral of Learning/ Pittsburgh, PA 15260. There will be seats available the night of the performance, but please consider making your reservations before the concert. For more information, please visit the Turkish Nationality Room facebook page.

Thursday, September 11th, 2014

Der Geteilte Himmel/Divided Heaven
Time:
5:30 pm
Location:
324 Cathedral of Learning
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Department of German

In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the German Department and the EUCE have organized a film and lecture series.

The first film, Der Geteilte Himmel/Divided Heaven (1963), will be held on September 11th at 5:30pm in room 324 of the Cathedral of Learning. The film will be introduced by Prof. Halle

Pizza will be provided at the film events.

The Divided Heaven
(Der geteilte Himmel)
Director: Konrad Wolf, b/w, 113 min., 1963/64

East Germany in 1961, just before the construction of the Berlin Wall. After suffering a nervous breakdown, Rita Seidel returns to her village from the city of Halle to find peace and quiet. She recalls the past years, her love for chemist Manfred Herrfurth, her work in a railway car factory and her studies to become a teacher. There were problems with political opportunists and ideological hardliners in the factory and at university. Rita’s love affair came to an end after Manfred, bitter that uncompromising supervisors had rejected his new chemical process, fled the city for West Berlin without Rita, who chose not to join him. THE DIVIDED HEAVEN, created just a few years after the Wall was constructed, is one of the bravest movies ever to be made in the GDR – not only because of its unusual dramaturgy, but also because it seeks responsibility for conflicts in one’s own country and not with the “class enemy”.

THE EU’S NORMATIVE POWER: HUMAN RIGHTS IN KAZAKHSTAN
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Presenter:
Dr. Işık Kuşçu, Assistant Professor of International Relations, Middle East Technical University, and Visiting Scholar through the International Research Scholar Exchange Scheme
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence and Global Studies Center
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

For the last decade there has been wide debate on European Union (EU) as a normative power actor in international politics. Visiting scholar Işık Kuşçu contributes to this debate by analyzing the impact of the EU in Kazakhstan in the field of human rights. As one of the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, Kazakhstan has emerged as an actor with a desire to win the recognition of the West as a modern, progressive power in the region. While the EU`s engagement in Central Asia does not have a long history, it considers Kazakhstan an important partner in the region. EU-Kazakhstan relations evolved around different issue areas, the promotion of human rights in Kazakhstan being one of them. This talk will examine EU policy towards Kazakhstan on human rights, as reflected in official documents, discourse used by representatives of civil society organizations, and Kazakhstani media with a focus on the impact of such policies on the country`s human rights record.

Monday, September 8th, 2014

Career Perspectives: International Risk Management
Time:
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Presenter:
Jason Dury, International Security and Crisis Management Leader
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies, Asian Studies Center, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence and Global Studies Center

Jason Dury is an International Security and Crisis Management leader with experience in counterterrorism, counterintelligence, Insider Threat and Corporate Espionage awareness among other areas. With over 20 years of experience, he has served in the US Intelligence Community, worked for Fortune 500® companies, and as a consultant to corporations and individuals around the world. He has successfully developed key security programs for employee travel safety, investigations, and corporate information protection to enable success in the complex international business arena. This includes kidnap and ransom management, anti-abduction and personal protection training, country risk briefs, business intelligence and due diligence, and merger and acquisition support.

Friday, September 5th, 2014

EUCE/ESC Fall Welcome Reception
Time:
3:00 pm
Location:
4130 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

Mark your calendars! The EUCE/ESC invites students, faculty, and friends of the Center to join us at our opening reception in 4130 Posvar Hall. Learn about this year’s full schedule of events, new courses, faculty and students, and meet this year’s visitors while enjoying some light refreshments.

Friday, May 16th, 2014

Jean Monnet Symposium. At the Nexus of Geopolitics: Turkey Today and in the Future
Time:
8:00 am to 9:30 am
Presenter:
Dr. Yakup Atila Eralp, Director of the EU Center, Middle East Technical University, Turkey
Location:
Rivers Club | 301 Grant Street | Pittsburgh
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh
Cost:
WAC members: $25 | Non-members: $50
Contact Phone:
412-281-7970

Dr. Yakup Atila Eralp is the Director of the EU Center, Middle East Technical University, and is visiting the University of Pittsburgh as a part of the International Research Exchange Scheme. This talk is sponsored by the EUCE/ESC as the 2014 Jean Monnet Symposium with thanks to the World Affairs Council for co-sponsorship.

Please advise in advance of any dietary restrictions.
To register, visit www.worldpittsburgh.org or call 412-281-7970. No-shows and cancellations after May 12, 2014 will be charged.

Monday, May 12th, 2014

Europe's Watershed Moment: What the conflict in Ukraine Means for Europe, the U.S., and Relations with Russia
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:45 pm
Presenter:
Constanze Stelzenmüller, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the U.S.
Location:
Rivers Club, 301 Grant Street
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and American Council on Germany
Cost:
Free, with EUCE sponsorship (must confirm availability in advance)
Contact:
Kate Bowersox
Contact Email:
kal68@pitt.edu

The EUCE will host a table for faculty interested in learning more about how the conflict in Ukraine impacts European and American relations with Russia. The event should provide information useful for future research and teaching about transatlantic relations. To participate, please contact Kate Bowersox at kal68@pitt.edu.

Monday, April 28th, 2014

European Presidential Debate
Time:
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Presenter:
European Candidates
Location:
4209 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.eu

Join the EUCE/ESC for a live/virtual viewing party as candidates Jean-Claude Juncker (European People's Party), Martin Schulz (Party of European Socialists), Guy Verhofstadt (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party), and Ska Keller (European Green Party) debate key issues for the presidency of the European Commission. Topics will include unemployment, education, and youth engagement in politics. The event will be held in front of an audience of 700 young people from across Europe and broadcasted live worldwide in 13 languages. American students can submit questions in advance at www.youngvoters.eu.

You too can be a part of the action at the premier U.S.-based virtual viewing party.
We’ll be live tweeting, so if you can’t join in person, join us on-line!

Join us in 4209 Posvar Hall for snacks and to watch the debate.
Or, watch online: www.eudebate2014.eu & www.euronews.com
Follow us on Twitter @EuceEsc
Tweet with us: #EUdeb8watch

Saturday, April 26th, 2014

French Immersion
Time:
(All day)
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center

Thursday, April 17th, 2014

“Weak Nationalism—Is it a Useful Category?”
Time:
5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Presenter:
Maria Todorova, Professor of History, University of Illinois
Location:
501 Cathedral of Learning
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Department of Sociology, Cultural Studies Program; Humanities Center; and the Departments of Communication, English, Department of German, History and Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures
Contact Email:
cultural@pitt.edu

This lecture will close the Cultural Studies Common Seminar Colloquium on “Cultural Dis/Union” and will be presented by Maria Todorova, Professor of History at the University of Illinois. An introduction will be provided by Professor Rajani Sudan, Associate Professor of English, Southern Methodist University; responses will be offered by Professor B. Venkat Mani, Associate Professor of German, University of Wisconsin and Professor Robert Hayden, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Russian and East European Studies. The discussion will be led by Nancy Condee, Professor of Slavic and Film Studies and Director of the Global Studies Center.

A Parliament Against Itself? The Far Right in the Upcoming European Parliament Elections
Time:
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
Contact Email:
euce@pitt.edu

From May 22 to May 25, voters in 28 members countries of the European Union will elect some 751 members of a newly empowered European Parliament. Since the Treaty of Lisbon came into effect, the EP has gained “co-decision” rights in many policy areas, including agriculture, energy policy, immigration and EU funds. The EP must approve the budget and most visibly, the European Parliament has gained the right to endorse (or not) the members states’ nominee to be President of the European Commission. The Parliament also must give its approval to the Commission as a whole.
But it is the European Parliament’s role as a sounding board of public opinion—on the EU as well as on national governments—that will get the most attention this time. Across Europe—most recently in France—populist, nationalist and Eurosceptic parties have gained in elections, within mainstream parties and in public favor. If this trend is reflected in these “European” elections, the European Parliament may find itself with a significant number of members who are hostile to the goals and aims of the European project.

Audience participation is encouraged. Presenters include Catherine De Vries, University of Oxford; Kostantinos Kourtikakis, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne; Will Daniel, Francis Marion University; Borbala Goncz, Corvinus University of Budapest.

Thursday, April 17th, 2014 to Friday, May 16th, 2014

Finding Europe in Pittsburgh
Time:
12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
Contact:
Mr. Steve Lund
Contact Email:
slund@pitt.edu

Pittsburgh is a city with deep cultural and historical ties to Europe, and those connections have contributed to the dynamic city culture and style that residents enjoy today. The European Union Center of Excellence/European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh is sponsoring a photo contest, “Finding Europe in Pittsburgh,” that showcases the many European influences in our city.

Students (both graduates and undergraduates) are invited to submit photos that showcase some aspect of Europe in the city of Pittsburgh. Possible subjects include food, architecture, festivals, sports, art, people, or anything that speaks of Europe. Feel free to get creative! Winning photos will be announced on Facebook and published in our newsletter. Submit photos to Steve Lund at slund@pitt.edu, along with your name, the photo’s title, and a brief description of the photo’s subject. First prize is $250.00, second prize is $150.00, and third prize is $100.00.

Wednesday, April 16th, 2014

Videoconference about the State and Prospects of the Eurozone
Time:
3:00 pm to 3:45 pm
Presenter:
Mr. Ben Carliner, Senior Economist at the Delegation of the European Union to the USA
Location:
3431 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence, Global Studies Center and International Business Center along with The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs

Mr. Carliner, an American economist working for the EU Delegation in Washington, D.C., will join the Pitt community via videoconference from the EU Delegation in Washington to offer a talk focused on the E.U. and the future of economic regionalism. He will also answer questions about the nature of the Eurozone crisis, its resolution and its implications for the future of the EU.

Monday, April 14th, 2014

How Europe went to War in 1914
Time:
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Presenter:
Christopher Clark, Professor in Modern European History at the University of Cambridge and Author of The Sleepwalkers (2013)
Location:
Alcoa Room, Barco Law Building
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with European Colloquium of the Department of History
Cost:
Free, but registration appreciated.
Contact:
Kathy Gibson
Contact Email:
kag36@pitt.edu

Christopher Clark will talk about his most recent, prize-winning book The Sleepwalkers and explain the fascinating story of how political mismanagement in Europe led to the outbreak of World War I. A reception with light refreshments will follow the talk. Please RSVP to Kathy Gibson at kag36@pitt.edu if you are planning to attend the lecture.

Saturday, April 12th, 2014

Italian Film Festival - Long Live Freedom (Viva la Libertà)
Time:
7:00 pm
Location:
Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of Department of French and Italian

Join the Department of French and Italian and Italian Film Festival USA for the closing night of the Italian Film Festival. Then join us for a complimentary Closing Night reception afterwards in the FFA cloisters! Free and open to the public!

Long Live Freedom (Viva la Libertà), 7 p.m. April 12, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium, 650 Schenley Drive. The leader of the most notorious political opposition party mysteriously disappears. His wife and assistant turn to his identical twin brother, who has recently been released from a psychiatric hospital. Will anyone notice the switch?

Friday, April 11th, 2014

Italian Film Festival - The Venice Syndrome (Teorema Venezia)
Time:
9:00 pm
Location:
Posvar Hall 1700
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of Department of French and Italian

Join the Department of French and Italian and Italian Film Festival USA for a Pittsburgh film premiere!

The Venice Syndrome (Teorema Venezia), 9 p.m. April 11, 1700 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, 230 S. Bouquet St. Venice, the world’s most beautiful city, is invaded every day by 50,000 tourists. There are only 48,000 residents, and there are fewer every year as the city becomes nearly uninhabitable. The film shows what remains of Venetian life in a requiem for a grand city.

Europe: East and West; Undergraduate Research Symposium
Time:
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Presenter:
Selected undergraduate students
Location:
William Pitt Union, Rooms 548, 527 and 837
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence and International Business Center
Contact:
Gina Peirce
Contact Phone:
412-648-2290
Contact Email:
gbpeirce@pitt.edu

The Undergraduate Research Symposium is an annual event since 2002 designed to provide undergraduate students, from the University of Pittsburgh and other colleges and universities, with advanced research experiences and opportunities to develop presentation skills. The event is open to undergraduates from all majors and institutions who have written a research paper from a social science, humanities, or business perspective focusing on the study of Eastern, Western, or Central Europe, the European Union, Russia, or other countries of the former Soviet Union. The Symposium is held on the University of Pittsburgh-Oakland campus.

After the initial submission of papers, selected participants were grouped into panels according to their research topics. At the symposium, participants give a 10- to 15-minute presentations based on their research to a panel of faculty and graduate students. The presentations are open to the public.

Thursday, April 10th, 2014

Italian Film Festival - The Women Workers’ War
Time:
7:00 pm
Location:
Cathedral of Learning G-24
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of Department of French and Italian

Join the Department of French and Italian and Italian Film Festival USA for our exciting next installment of our annual film festival!

The Women Workers’ War, 7 p.m. April 10, Room 24, Ground Floor, Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Ave. A documentary recounting the story of two women: one who leads the longest factory sit-in by women in Italy and another who operates a factory that encourages cultural growth among the workers. This screening will feature a special appearance by director Massimo Ferrari.

Wednesday, April 9th, 2014

Celtic Interactions with Indigenous People and Slaves in the British Empire: “Critics” or “Agents” of Imperialism?
Time:
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Presenter:
Peter Karsten
Location:
Posvar 3703 - History Department Lounge
Announced by:
European Studies Center on behalf of Department of History

The History Department Work-in-Progress Seminar presents Peter Karsten, University of Pittsburgh. Lead discussants Van Beck Hall and Bernie Hagerty.

NOTE: Text will be circulated three weeks before event. All attending are urged to prepare to take full part in discussion.

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