Global conflicts, climate change, and unequal development challenge both societal and personal resilience by causing displacement, restricting resources, and counteracting efforts for a renewable world. Whether in urban or rural areas, people across the world grapple with creating sustainable livelihoods, ecosystems, social infrastructures, and economies. If resilience can be defined as the competence to reduce precarity during a crisis and build a more thriving society after, how can we best encourage students to learn about and become agents for global resilience?
The 2024 Summer Institute offers a free, week-long professional development opportunity for K-12 educators, combining joint sessions with self-selected tracks that balance interactive activities with time for individual research while prioritizing support for the design of high-quality curricular materials. All sessions will be held virtually. Educators from Title I and Title III schools are particularly encouraged to apply.
Sunday, March 3rd, 2024
Thursday, February 29th, 2024
The International Night at Lincoln School was a lively gathering, with around 200-250 people attending, including 81 students who signed up via Google form. People from various countries, like Mexico, Japan, and Italy, brought delicious food to share. The event showed how diverse the community is. Also, we learned that 20.3% of Lincoln students qualify for free/reduced lunch, the highest in the district.
The International Night at Lincoln School was lively, with around 200-250 people attending, including 81 students who signed up via Google form. People from various countries, like Mexico, Japan, and Italy, brought delicious food to share. There was even a map where attendees could mark where they were from. It showed how diverse our community is. Also, we learned that 20.3% of Lincoln students qualify for free/reduced lunch, the highest in the district. Teachers at the Lincoln Elementary School thanked the University of Pittsburgh for its support. They hope to work together again in the future.
In this meeting we will consider whether and to what extent the rhetoric and practice of the European Union resembles the rhetoric and practices associated with the historical European
international society and its expansion that led to the creation of the contemporary global international society. To this end, two comparisons will be made: first, between the historical
standard of 'civilization’ and EU’s conditionality; and second, between how Russia and the Ottoman Empire were perceived and treated in previous centuries with the way that the EU has treated the cases of Russia and Turkey in recent years.
Yannis A. Stivachtis is Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair at Virginia Tech where he serves as Director of the Center for European Union, Transatlantic and Trans-European Space Studies (CEUTTSS) - A Jean Monnet Center of Excellence. He is the editor of Routledge’ Critical European Studies book series and co-editor of the Athens Journal of Mediterranean Studies. He currently serves as Senior Advisor of the Center for European and Mediterranean Affairs (CEMA) of the Athens Institute for
Education & Research (ATINER) (Greece) and Senior Advisor of the Research Institute for European & American Studies (RIEAS, Greece). His research and teaching interests include international relations theory (with particular emphasis on the English School of International Relations and the study of regional international system/society in
Europe, Eurasia, and the Middle East), European Studies (including EU’s strategy, CFSP/CSDP, Enlargement, and ENP), European Security (including arms control and disarmament), and international organizations in Europe (NATO, OSCE, CoE, CSTO and EAEU). He previously taught at The American College of Switzerland, the Geneva School of Diplomacy;
International Relations, the European Institute of the University of Geneva, and the Vienna Diplomatic Academy and served as Research Fellow at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), the Institute for Strategic Studies- of the Austrian Ministry of Defense, the Austrian Institute of European & Security Policy (AIES); and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). He has authored and edited several books and has published numerous journal articles and book chapters.
Moderator: Randall Halle--Director, European Studies Center
Seats are limited to allow for good conversation.
A Digital Portfolio (ePortfolio) is required for all students completing area or global studies certificates. The ePortfolio will help you synthesize your experiences inside and outside the classroom to demonstrate your understanding of world regions and global issues. You will also learn how to use the ePortfolio in future job and graduate school applications!
Moderator/s:
Gabriella Lukacs, University of Pittsburgh
Erica Edwards, University of Pittsburgh
Panelists:
Zsuzsanna Szelényi, Founding Director, CEU Democracy Institute Leadership Academy
Ms. Szelényi is a former politician from Hungary, foreign policy specialist, author and Founding Director at the CEU Democracy Institute Leadership Academy. She is conducting research on how autocratic politics is influencing and shaping the future of the European Union. In the framework of the Democracy Institute Leadership Academy, her team develops a curriculum supporting pro-democracy activists in Central and Eastern Europe. Her book, Tainted Democracy, Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of Hungary, was listed among the best books in 2023 by Foreign Affairs.
Stefano Bottoni, Università degli Studi di Firenze (UNIFI)
Dr. Bottoni, PhD in Modern and Contemporary History (University of Bologna, 2005), is an Associate Professor at the SAGAS Department of the University of Florence. Between 2009 and 2019, he was a senior research fellow at the Research Center for the Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He was visiting fellow at the Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung (Potsdam, 2012), and Fellow of Imre Kertész Kolleg (Jena, 2015). His current research focuses on the historical legacies of illiberal rule in contemporary Hungary. He is the author of Orbán, Un despota in Europa (Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2019) and Obsessed with Power: Orbán's Hungary, published in Hungarian by Magyar Hang Könyvek in 2023.
Hosted by the Humanities Center and faculty fellow, Bridget Keown. Respondents include Alexander Tough (Hispanic Languages and Literatures) & Susan Grayzel (History, Utah State University). This event will be hybrid, so you can attend it either in person in 602 CL or via Zoom as you prefer.
The “shell-shocked soldier” remains one of the most enduring images of the First World War, and often serves as a symbol for the anguish of combatant soldiers across time and space. Even now, scholars and writers liken “shell shock” with “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)”, often describing them as the same condition with different names and political meaning (Vance & Howell, 2020). While there is value in noting that war has always harmed those it touches, this lack of specificity also deters analysis into the construction of “shell shock” during the First World War, and the biases that continue to inform trauma research and diagnoses to the present day. My paper argues that, in professional discourse around “shell shock”, both doctors and military officials focused on combatant men, and relied on pre-war theories of gendered behavior, emotions, and self-control to define their condition, only developing new tactics and theories where necessary for victory. As a result, many groups of people, including women, did not receive consideration as patients. I analyze medical journals, conference reports, and popular media of the First World War, showing how doctors justified their choices in constructing “shell shock,” and discussing the implications such choices would have on those who were excluded, specifically women. I argue that the limits of “shell shock,” as a diagnosis and as a symbol, continue to inhibit discussions of war trauma in the past and the present.
Tuesday, February 27th, 2024
The history of Poland seems to be one of ancient glory and tolerance, lost uprisings, and an endless struggle for independence. Based on his scholarly work, Brian Porter-Szücs questions this very narrative, discussing new approaches, and how they have changed our idea of Polish history
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!
Ambassador Shear is a Senior Fellow at the Reischauer Center at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In 2022 the Government of Japan awarded him the The Order of the Rising Sun, the highest ordinarily given award for service to Japan. From 2017-2020 he was a Senior Advisor at McClarty Associates, a global strategic advisory firm. He performed the duties of Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from June 2016 to January 2017. He was the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs from September 2014 to June 2016.
Monday, February 26th, 2024
Are you an undergraduate Pitt student planning to embark on a summer global experience? Join the Spring 2024 3-part UCIS Digital Narrative Workshop Series and create a short video to document your experience, which will be displayed on the big screen in the Global Hub!
3-part Workshop Series:
Workshop #1: Monday, February 26 | 5-8 pm | Posvar 4217
Workshop #2: Tuesday, March 5 | 5-8 pm | Posvar 4217
Workshop #3: Tuesday, March 19 | 5-7 pm | Global Hub (1st floor, Posvar Hall)
Note: Students should attend all 3 workshops. If you have class or other pressing conflicts, special exceptions might be made, although you are strongly encouraged to join as much as you can to get the most out of the experience!
Registration deadline: February 23
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 :)
Join five professionals from around the Globe to learn more about the exciting field of Global Health. They will chat about their individual career paths, give advice for getting into the field, and discuss the work happening in Global Health today. There will be a Q&A following the panel.
Panelists:
Evelyn Bigini: Clinical Research Coordinator, The University of California
Chris Hegadorn: CEO of Hegadorn Global Consulting & Professor of Global Food Politics, Sciences Po
Ruba Idris: Senior Associate Program Management, Chemonics International
Neha Mehta: Clinical Research Coordinator, Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Megan Swanson: Epidemiologist, Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Moderated by Elaine Linn, Global Studies Center Advisor at Pitt.
Sunday, February 25th, 2024
The Romanian Room Committee invites you to celebrate Mărțișor. Mărțișor is an old Romanian tradition of giftinga red and white string attached to a small piece of jewelry or a flower. Learn the history of Mărțișor and join the members of the Romanian Room committee to make your own and for your friends. Learn more about this Romanian tradition which falls on March 1 of every year during which the gifting of a red and white string attached to a small piece of jewelry, or a flower is believed to bring health and luck to the wearer.
Come enjoy Romanian snacks!
Tuesday, February 20th, 2024
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!
Monday, February 19th, 2024
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 :)
Tuesday, February 13th, 2024
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!
Moderator:
Erica Edwards, Unversity of Pittsburgh
Panelists:
Ralitsa Kovacheva, Sofia University
Julia Partheymuller, University of Vienna
Elena Bruni, LUISS Gudio Carli, Italy, Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer
Not to be confused with misinformation, meaning inaccurate information, disinformation is false material meant to intentionally mislead or misinform individuals. Brought to the fore in 2016 with Brexit and the election of Donald Trump, disinformation threatens to erode trust in democratic systems, weaken individual freedoms, and increasingly undermine governments around the world. While the U.S. has yet to make meaningful progress in addressing disinformation, Europe has moved forward with new legislation and initiatives. Join us for this session of Conversation on Europe in which we ask what steps Europe is taking to shore up EU values and counter disinformation.
About our guest speakers:
Ralitsa Kovacheva, Sofia University
Dr Ralitsa Kovacheva is an Associate Professor in International Journalism at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, Sofia University“St. Kliment Ohridski.” Her research interests include international politics, media coverage of the EU, and EU-related issues focusing on disinformation and propaganda. In 2020, she created a special course, “Fake News and Disinformation”, for the Faculty`s Master programmes. Ralitsa Kovacheva has many years of journalistic experience. Since May 2021, she has been
the editor-in-chief of the only platform in Bulgaria dedicated solely to factchecking- Factcheck.bg. She has published three books and a number of scientific articles.s:
Julia Partheymuller, University of Vienna
Dr. Julia Partheymüller is Senior Scientist at the Department of Government at the University of Vienna and a member of the Vienna Center for Electoral Research (VieCER). Previously, she held a position as DAAD lecturer at the University of Essex and worked as a researcher at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES). She holds a doctoral degree in the Social Sciences from the University of Mannheim and has studied Political Science at the Free University Berlin and the University of Hamburg. She is part of the project team of the Austrian National Election Study (AUTNES) and has contributed to various other projects involving large-scale survey data collection, including the Austrian Corona Panel Project (ACPP), Reconciling Europe with its Citizens through Democracy and Rule of Law (RECONNECT), and the German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES). Her research focuses on the nature and origins of public opinion and political behavior in European democracies. Additionally, she has undertaken interdisciplinary work, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. She has published in peer-reviewed journals such as the British Journal of Political Science, West European Politics, Electoral Studies, the Journal of Common Market Studies, Nature Medicine and Frontiers in Public Health.
Elena Bruni, LUISS Gudio Carli, Italy, Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer, University of Pittsburgh
Elena Bruni is an Assistant Professor at LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome, Italy, and a former Marie Curie Skłodowska researcher at the Institute for Organization Studies at WU Vienna. She obtained her PhD in Management and Business from the University of Venice. Her research focuses on the linguistic and rhetorical processes that stimulate institutional change. In particular, she examines the mechanisms in which metaphors and other figures of speech are used to ascribe legitimacy and how different modes of communication (e.g., visual and written) may trigger or stifle collective action. Her work has been published recently in the Academy of Management Review and The Oxford Handbook of Metaphor in Organization Studies (2024), including two chapters written by her and her colleague Claudio Biscaro. She was awarded an additional European Commission Grant (2022-2025) to continue researching science denial and institutional trust. She is currently a Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer at University of Pittsburgh teaching “The Rhetoric of Science Denial.”
Monday, February 12th, 2024
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 :)
Program:
1:00 PM: INTRODUCTION & WELCOME REMARKS
Nancy Condee, REEES & Randall Halle, ESC
1:15 PM: PROVOCATION
As geopolitical actor Europe aspires to empire/ has fallen into insignificance.
Nancy Condee, REEES and Slavic
Mohammed Bamyeh, Sociology
Allyson Delnore, UCIS and History
2:30 PM BREAK
3:15 PM: PROVOCATION
The strength of Euroscepticism, of illiberal parties and governments, is growing across
the entire EU and is justified/unreasonable.
Sean Guillory, REEES and History
Donna Harsch, History (Carnegie Mellon University)
Randall Halle, ESC and German
4:45 PM: BREAK
5:00 PM: KEYNOTE CONVERSATION
America, Soviet Russia, Europe: Three Attempts at Shaping the 20th Century
Moderated by: Nancy Condee, REEES and Slavic
Gregor Thum, History
What is a Provocation: Three formal presenters will have 7-10 minutes to present a pointed response, a set of theses, a brief case study responding to a statement designed to provoke
(30 mins). After the formal presentations, we will turn to an open discussion. All in attendance will be invited to pose questions, offer responses, and present their own provocations (60 mins).
If you have questions, concerns, requests for clarification or interest in presenting provocations, please contact Randall Halle, rhalle@pitt.edu.
Friday, February 9th, 2024 to Saturday, February 10th, 2024
The Undergraduate Model European Union is an annual event that gives students a chance to learn about the workings of the European Union through preparation for and participation in a hands-on two-day simulation of a meeting of the European Council. Model EU enhances students’ understanding of the issues and challenges facing the 27 member nations of the EU. Awards will be given to the most effective delegations and best individual position papers.
Thursday, February 8th, 2024
Professor Abdou Seck is a decolonial scholar and activist from Senegal (West Africa). In this seminar, we will learn more about his work and what decolonial activism looks like from a West-African and Senegalese perspective! This chat will be facilitated by Dr. Pernille Røge and Dr. Oronde Sharif. Reception to follow!
More about the speaker:
Professor Abdou Seck founded and currently leads the Group for Action and Critical Study of Africa (GAEC – Africa), a decolonial group of activist scholars. Prof. Seck’s work centers on making theory accessible to people outside of academia and he engages with artists, musicians, indigenous communities, and boots-on-the-ground activists to bridge the gap between academia/theory to the populations living those lives that theory comes from. He brings critical knowledge of race and racial formation from a West African and Pan-Africanist perspective. This is all part of a larger conversation about the globalization of Africa and the Africanization of the globe – it is of critical importance to center African knowledge and uplift education about Africa in our communities and beyond.
Discussions of “crisis at the border” fill the news on both sides of the Atlantic. Focusing on one of the primary European receiving countries in the current migration waves, this seminar will put forward a consideration of flexicuritization as a departure from the securitization of migration.
As preparation for the discussion with Prof. Dimari, participants in the seminar will read three brief articles of hers available upon registration.
Limited Seating Available
Last day for Registration: February 6, 2024
Only Graduates and Faculty.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Georgia Dimari is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Political Science of the University of Crete, where she has taught security and securitization issues. Currently, she is exploring the transformation of the Greek Migration Policy the post-2015 period. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Crete, an MA in American Studies
from the University of Turin, and a BA in International and European Studies from the University of Piraeus. She researches security, securitization of migration, desecuritization and migration policy, and the securitization of Covid- 19 in Greece. She participated in the research program (CA 10076) “Impact and categorization of the prospects of integration of
refugees into the Greek productive system.” co-funded by the European Social Fund and national funds, and currently in the program “Management of Migration in Greece: Construction of a Pilot Model (Start-up) for Forecasting Migration Flows and Development of Policy Scenario.
Tuesday, February 6th, 2024
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!
Monday, February 5th, 2024
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 :)
Wednesday, January 31st, 2024
International Education is an exciting and growing professional field to pursue regardless of your area of study! Join our panelists to discuss their unique career paths, the diverse opportunities available in International Education, and the work happening in the field. There will be a Q&A following the panel.
Panelists:
Tiffany Martin: Events & Travel Manager, Duolingo
Leslie Ann Smedley: Senior Advisor & Program Manager, Pitt’s Global Experience Office
Vanessa Sterling: Director of Health & Safety, CET Academic Programs
Jeff Whitehead: Executive Director of Global Engagement, Pitt’s University Center for International Studies
Molly McSweeney, moderator, Assistant Director for Student and Community Engagement, Pitt's Global Hub.
Tuesday, January 30th, 2024
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.
Monday, January 29th, 2024
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 :)
Friday, January 26th, 2024
Join Addverse Poesia, an international and multilingual poetry group that discusses, reads and translates poems in at least 4 languages, for their weekly meetings!
Thursday, January 25th, 2024
COUNTRY: Poland
DIRECTOR: Agnieszka Holland
A Syrian family leaves the violence of their country behind, hoping to cross from Belarus into Poland and then onto the safe haven of Sweden. But, like so many lost souls, they end up caught in a political maelstrom, demonized by the Polish government, and press and used as pawns in an inhumane, deadly border game. 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.
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.
This seminar will explore the realm of European emerging technologies governance, with a specific emphasis on the European Union. Furthermore, the session will consider the EU's policies regarding civilian and military AI through precise case studies. As preparation for the discussion with Mahmoud Javadi, participants in the seminar will read two articles available upon registration.
About the Speaker/Presenter:
Mahmoud Javadi holds the position of AI Governance Researcher at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), The Netherlands, where he contributes to an EU-funded research project focused on reigniting multilateralism via emerging technologies. Prior to his current role, Mahmoud was affiliated with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he conducted research on EU external relations.
He also represents EUR at the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium. Educational credentials encompass a Doctorate in European external politics and a Master of Arts in transnational security governance from the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy. His upcoming book on the defense artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem in Europe is scheduled for release by Springer in August 2024.
Limited seating is available.
Open to Faculty and Graduate Students
Last day to register: Jan 23, 2024
For more information, please contact us at europeanstudies@pitt.edu.
Join us for an informal panel discussion on decolonizing global education as we collectively examine the question, "Is the world yours to explore?" During this discussion, we will highlight the crucial role of students in the University Center for International Studies’ mission to embrace the word and prepare global-ready graduates. Refreshments will be provided.
Moderator:
César Briones, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Manager, University Center for International Studies (UCIS)
Panelists:
Molly McSweeney, Assistant Director for Student and Community Engagement, Global Hub, UCIS
Oksana Stalczynski, Assistant Director of Study Abroad, Pitt Global Experiences Office, UCIS
Meg Williams, Associate Director, Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs, UCIS
A Digital Portfolio (ePortfolio) is required for all students completing area or global studies certificates. The ePortfolio will help you synthesize your experiences inside and outside the classroom to demonstrate your understanding of world regions and global issues. You will also learn how to use the ePortfolio in future job and graduate school applications!
Wednesday, January 24th, 2024
COUNTRY: Spain
DIRECTOR: Andrea Bagney
Andrea Bagney’s sparkling debut feature, largely shot in black and white in a stylistic nod to the French New Wave of the 1960s, is a romantic comedy with a difference. After living abroad for several years, Ramona and her boyfriend Nico return to Madrid where she hopes to restart her film acting career. Anxious on the evening before her first audition, Ramona walks the streets of Madrid where she encounters a charismatic older man named Bruno. They walk together and head to a bar where, over a few drinks, they talk about the state of the planet, climate change, and where the world is headed. Certainly fast friends, could they also be falling in love? It’s entirely possible, but what will really complicate the answer is Ramona’s discovery that Bruno is directing the very same film for which she’ll be auditioning.
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.
COUNTRY: Czech Republic
Director: Adam Rybanský
Director and Screenwriter Adam Rybanský’s debut film points to a fantastic career ahead. This humorous parody about misinformation, fear and prejudices screened in the Panorama section of the 72nd Berlin Film Festival. Rybanský says about his film, "This is a story about good people being victims of conspiracy theories and their own fears." Clumsy Standa and recently widowed Bronya are volunteer firefighters in a small village where they enjoy a quiet and peaceful life. Things begin to change when a van crashes into a crowd of people during the Easter Fair. Before anyone notices, the driver runs away from the car crash. People believe it is a terrorist attack and the festive mood is replaced by an atmosphere of fear, hatred, and misinformation. Soon the fire brigade becomes a militia.
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.
Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024
COUNTRY: Italy
DIRECTORS: Orso Miyakawa and Peter Miyakawa
In their debut film, brothers Orso and Peter Miyakawa tell us an engaging tale about a small seaside town on the border between France and Italy. Born in Monaco and raised in Italy, the directors know this region and its class and culture differences well. The story focuses on Don, an oddball American tennis teacher who dreams of being a painter, Camilla, a college student who smuggles medicines, alcohol, and cigarettes across the border, and Brando her 14yo brother. Their lives take a turn when they meet Elvis, an undocumented immigrant trying to sneak across the border to catch up with his wife in Paris. Will the border stand against their friendship? A comedy, a drama, a human story.
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.
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.
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.
UPDATE: THE LECTURE DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO Jan 23rd at 12:30 ET.
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.
Panelist:
Simona Kukovič, School of Advanced Social Studies
Miro Haček, University of Ljubljana
Monday, January 22nd, 2024
COUNTRY: Netherlands
DIRECTOR: Kaweh Modiri
Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri hits it home with his second feature film. This thriller is an adaptation of his novel by the same name. Is it her? Scientist Haleh isn’t certain. Still suffering from the trauma of her daughter’s execution in Iran 37 years ago, Haleh has never actually seen Leyla, the woman who betrayed her daughter, but that voice... Opportunity arises for Haleh to avenge her daughter’s execution. How reliable are memories of traumatic events? And how sweet or useful is revenge? Modiri sows doubt in viewers while stubborn Haleh is convinced, she is right. Played by the acclaimed actress Jasmin Tabatabai, will Haleh find the truth and resolution? Mitra is based on Mordiri’s own life: his sister Mitra was executed before he was born.
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.
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
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 :)
Sunday, January 21st, 2024
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.
COUNTRY: Spain
DIRECTOR: Andrea Bagney
Andrea Bagney’s sparkling debut feature, largely shot in black and white in a stylistic nod to the French New Wave of the 1960s, is a romantic comedy with a difference. After living abroad for several years, Ramona and her boyfriend Nico return to Madrid where she hopes to restart her film acting career. Anxious on the evening before her first audition, Ramona walks the streets of Madrid where she encounters a charismatic older man named Bruno. They walk together and head to a bar where, over a few drinks, they talk about the state of the planet, climate change, and where the world is headed. Certainly, fast friends, could they also be falling in love? It’s entirely possible, but what will really complicate the answer is Ramona’s discovery that Bruno is directing the very same film for which she’ll be auditioning.
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.
COUNTRY: Italy
DIRECTORS: Orso Miyakawa and Peter Miyakawa
In their debut film brothers Orso and Peter Miyakawa tell us an engaging tale about a small seaside town on the border between France and Italy. Born in Monaco and raised in Italy, the directors know this region and its class and culture differences well. The story focuses on Don, an oddball American tennis teacher who dreams of being a painter, Camilla, a college student who smuggles medicines, alcohol, and cigarettes across the border, and Brando her 14yo brother. Their lives take a turn when they meet Elvis, an undocumented immigrant trying to sneak across the border to catch up with his wife in Paris. Will the border stand against their friendship? A comedy, a drama, a human story.
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.
Saturday, January 20th, 2024
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.
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.
COUNTRY: Netherlands
DIRECTOR: Kaweh Modiri
Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri hits it home with his second feature film. This thriller is an adaptation of his novel by the same name. Is it her? Scientist Haleh isn’t certain. Still suffering from the trauma of her daughter’s execution in Iran 37 years ago, Haleh has never actually seen Leyla, the woman who betrayed her daughter, but that voice... Opportunity arises for Haleh to avenge her daughter’s execution. How reliable are memories of traumatic events? And how sweet or useful is revenge? Modiri sows doubt in viewers while stubborn Haleh is convinced, she is right. Played by the acclaimed actress Jasmin Tabatabai, will Haleh find the truth and resolution? Mitra is based on Mordiri’s own life: his sister Mitra was executed before he was born.
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.
Friday, January 19th, 2024
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.
COUNTRY: Czech Republic
Director: Adam Rybanský
Director and Screenwriter Adam Rybanský’s debut film points to a fantastic career ahead. This humorous parody about misinformation, fear, and prejudices was screened in the Panorama section of the 72nd Berlin Film Festival. Rybanský says about his film, "This is a story about good people being victims of conspiracy theories and their own fears." Clumsy Standa and recently widowed Bronya are volunteer firefighters in a small village where they enjoy a quiet and peaceful life. Things begin to change when a van crashes into a crowd of people during the Easter Fair. Before anyone notices, the driver runs away from the car crash. People believe it is a terrorist attack, and the festive mood is replaced by an atmosphere of fear, hatred, and misinformation. Soon, the fire brigade becomes a militia.
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.
Thursday, January 18th, 2024
Pitt TRIO SSS and the Global Experiences Office present a global trivia game to welcome students back to the spring term!
Wednesday, January 17th, 2024
The Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship program is a prestigious and competitive federal award from the U.S. Department of Education that allows select Pitt undergraduate and graduate students to devote full time attention to their chosen modern foreign language and area studies specialty. There are separate competitions for the Academic Year FLAS Fellowship and the Summer FLAS Fellowship. Advanced doctoral students conducting field or archival research in a supported world language may also be eligible.
Fellowships available to support study of Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Chinese, Czech, Farsi, French*, Irish (Gaelic), German*, Greek (Modern), Haitian Creole, Hebrew (Modern), Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Quechua, Russian, Slovak, Spanish*, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, and more! *with certain restrictions
Stop by to learn more! Pizza and refreshments will be served.
Tuesday, January 16th, 2024
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.
Thursday, January 11th, 2024
Considering the war in Gaza, this seminar will explore other possibilities for regional engagement than those being pursued by the United States. The session will be led by Prof. Khaled Al Hroub who has spent the last two decades studying Hamas. As preparation for the discussion with Prof. Al Hroub, participants in the seminar will read an article available upon registration.
About the Speaker:
Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Arab Media Studies at Northwestern University in Qatar; former fellow of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge, where he lectured on the history and politics of the contemporary Middle East, and was the founder and director of the Cambridge Arab Media Project between 2003 and 2012. He published numerous books and studies on Palestinian, Arab and international affairs in including Gaza Tunnels: Dying for life, dicing with death (forthcoming, 2024); Hamas: Political Thought and Practice (2000); Political Islam: Context versus Ideology (2011); and Religious Broadcasting in the Middle East (2012). In Arabic he published In Praise of Revolution (2012); The Anxious Intellectual versus the Certain Intellectual (2018); and Soft Critique of Zionism in Ruhi Khaldi’s Book “Le Sionisme” (2021). Hroub holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Cambridge.
Limited seating is available.
Last day to register: Jan 9, 2024
For more information, please contact us at europeanstudies@pitt.edu
Tuesday, January 9th, 2024
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.
Moderator:
Randall Halle, University of Pittsburgh
Panelist: TBD
Sunday, January 7th, 2024
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 Central Eurasia.
After the initial submission of papers, selected participants are grouped into panels according to their research topics. The participants then give 10- to 15-minute presentations based on their research to a panel of faculty and graduate students. The presentations are open to the public.
Applications are due by January 07, 2024. Limited travel grants are available to help defray travel expenses for accepted participants located outside the Pittsburgh region.
Symposium: Friday, March 22, 2024.
Questions? Contact: Zita Tóth-Shawgo at zita.toth-shawgo@pitt.edu.
Thursday, December 14th, 2023
You've worked hard this semester -- now it's time to celebrate! Come take a break from finals to enjoy some refreshments with faculty, advisors from UCIS, and other FLAS Fellows.
Tuesday, December 12th, 2023
Are you looking to gain experience that will help prepare you for a globally-connected job market? Stop by Drop-In Hours to learn more about getting the Global Distinction added to your academic transcript, receiving special recognition at graduation, and standing out to prospective employers!
Thursday, December 7th, 2023
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.
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 :)
Tuesday, December 5th, 2023
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
Information Session: Please come join us to discuss the 2024 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's 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: TimCraford@pitt.edu
Steve Lund, European Studies Center: slund@pitt.edu
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.
Moderators:
Randall Halle, European Studies Center, University of Pittsburgh
Nancy Condee, Center for Russia East European and Eurasian Studies, University of Pittsburgh
Panelist:
Agnieszka Holland, European Film Academy
Agnieszka Holland, President of the European Film Academy, graduated from the Prague film school FAMU in 1971. She made her directorial debut with the television film “An Evening at Abdon's” (1975). Her first cinematic film was "Provincial Actors" (1978) - one of the flagship films of the so-called "cinema of moral anxiety," awarded in Cannes with the FIPRESCI prize in 1980. She has made many films in international co-productions, including "Europa, Europa" (1990), nominated for an Oscar for the best screenplay. She also received Oscar nominations in 1985 and 2012, both for Best Foreign Language Film, for Bitter Harvest and In Darkness.
In addition to many other feature films, she has produced individual episodes of major TV series in the USA (including The Wire, Treme, The Killing, and House of Cards). She directed the miniseries Burning Bush for HBO Europe and Rosemary's Baby, made for NBC. She is one of the directors of the first Polish series for Netflix - "1983".
Agnieszka Holland's last film, "Green Border," will have its premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.
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 High School Model European Union is an annual event for area high school students. The goal of the Model EU is to give high school students a chance to learn about the workings of the European Union through a hands-on simulation. Playing the roles of presidents and prime ministers, students spend a day engaged in intense negotiations over conflicting issues about the EU. The objective is to simulate a specific European Council meeting that focuses on recent current events impacting the EU. Model EU enhances students’ understanding of classroom learning and gives them a real sense of the challenges involved in the decision-making process of the European Union.
Monday, December 4th, 2023
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 :)
Thursday, November 30th, 2023
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).
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 :)
Tuesday, November 28th, 2023
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.
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 :)
Monday, November 27th, 2023
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 :)