This mini-course is part of a series organized by regions around world based on their role on the world stage, their importance within the Muslim world, and the critical influence they play in the global community, The series and course seeks to illuminate the various perspectives of the Muslim Community around the world. It is anticipated that many issues and complexities will be woven in the course discussion such as US involvement in various regions or the historical context of Israel and Palestine.

As a rising state in the world economy and with a rich history and culture, India’s status is shifting. India Today is a three day mini course, consisting of 14 hours of classes over a weekend. The course will open with two keynote lectures on Friday evening on an overview of the issues. This will be followed by instructional lectures on Saturday on the various themes by experts in the fields. Sunday morning will be a discussion of two case studies and a panel discussion by the speakers on future challenges, and some possible projections/ recommendations.

Chair: Professor Susan Z Andrade
Keynote: Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa
Discussants: Frederica Jansz, Arjuna Parakrama

In recent years, the area of the Black Sea region has seen several momentous changes, including: the emergence of several new states—some as a result of violent conflict; the appearance of a variety of governing systems, nominally based on democratic models but varying widely in terms of the practices of democracy; the end of the long-standing status quo of the Cold War with a resulting change of alliance patterns; and increasing prominence of a European, and Russian, energy highway.

A continuation of the conversation begun by PICT Theatre's production of Tadeusz Slobodzianek's play Our Class,/i>, and featuring noted Princeton historian Dr. Jan T. Gross, whose book Neighbors inspired the play. Join us for a compelling discussion.

Haven't seen the play? Our Class runs through May 4th. Use code PANEL55 for Buy-One-Get-One-Free tickets at picttheatre.org or call 412-561-6000.

RSVP requested: https://picttheatre.secure.force.com/ticket/

Abstract

We use the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 to show that personal relationships which
individuals maintain for non-economic reasons can be an important determinant of regional
economic growth. We show that West German households who have social ties to East
Germany in 1989 experience a persistent rise in their personal incomes after the fall of
the Berlin Wall. Moreover, the presence of these households significantly affects economic
performance at the regional level: it increases the returns to entrepreneurial activity, the

“Biography of Mary” (Meili Xiaozhuan), “Travel Overseas” (Haiwai Zhuangyou) and “Wonderland under the Sea” (Haidi Qijing) were three classical tales written in the mid-1880s by the pioneering thinker and reformer Wang Tao in Late Qing. While scholars have pointed out the tensions between the traditional narrative form and the author’s ever-globalizing sensibility, Wang Tao expresses his disillusionment of Chinese culture when other reformers were advocating only for technological and institutional changes. Shi looks into both the contexts and texts of the three tales.

*See the file below for abstracts*
**RSVP requested**

PROGRAM

First Session | 1:30 – 3:00
Welcome and Introduction
Drew Armstrong + Mrinalini Rajagopalan
Architectural Studies Program
University of Pittsburgh

Diego Rivera and the ‘Building’ of Mexican Identity
Patricia Morgado
North Carolina State University

Generalizing Away Uniqueness: James Stirling's Interrogation of the Oxbridge Courtyard
Amanda Reeser Lawrence
Northeastern University

Coffee Break

Second Session | 3:30-5:00