The Square, Directed by Jehane Noujaim

Panel discussion with Mohammed Bamyeh, Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh, and Amani Attia, Professor of Arabic at the University of Pittsburgh. Moderated by Roger Rouse, Global Studies professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Plus a reception featuring an assortment of hummus, cheeses, bread, and pastries will be generously provided by Allegro Hearth Bakery

Michael Slackman helps to oversee all global coverage at The New York Times, with an emphasis on coordinating the Middle East report. Before returning to New York in May of 2011, Mr. Slackman was a foreign correspondent for The Times.

Speaking the Culture of the Middle East: Experiential Learning Program for Future Secondary Education Teachers, is a unique learning experience designed for twelve teachers to learn about the Middle East as a nexus of humanity both influencing and reacting to geopolitical paradigms past and present and to learn the language spoken in the region, Levantine colloquial Arabic, at an intermediate-low level.

The European Union Center of Excellence/European Studies Center, in cooperation with the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, would like to invite you to a special brownbag lunch with visiting scholar Dr. Maxim Romanov.

Join us for an informal lunch and conversation about current events in Egypt. The lunch will be held in the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh, in Room 1228 on the 12th floor. We will begin at noon. The meal and discussion will last about an hour. The lunch is open to public.

Our speakers will be:

Dr. Fatma El-Hamidi, Pitt Dept. of Economics
Sheikh Atef Mahgoub, Islamic Center of Pittsburgh
Ms. Elaine Linn, Pitt Global Studies Center
and Mr. Ibrahim Al-Ebedy, an Egyptian Social Activist and Visiting Scholar at Pitt

Medieval Arabic sources are replete with stories about Muslims traveling far and wide. The abundance of such examples tempts one to believe that these traveling individuals created and maintained the pan-Islamic cultural commonwealth. Yet the Islamic written legacy is so vast that drawing decisive conclusions that traveling was indeed as widespread as our sources suggest is hardly possible.

This event will take place on Friday, February 14th from 1:00 to 4:00 PM in the William Pitt Union Assembly Room, Ball Room, and Kurtzman Rooms. It is designed to provide students with an opportunity to learn about the variety of language courses, programs, scholarships, and student organizations available to them at Pitt. Last year's language fair was a major success with over 400 students in attendance. We hope to build on this success in 2014.

This conference features keynote speaker Ambassador Peter Tomsen (GSPIA ’64), Former U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Author of "The Wars of Afghanistan". An R.S.V.P. is required. To attend, please email Beverly Brizzi by Monday, December 2nd, to confirm your registration.

The presentation will focus on:
• How can conflicts be resolved in states where extremist organizations seek their own territory?
• What does the Arab Spring mean for North and West Africa and what are the prospects of developing democracy in these regions?
• What are the challenges for weak states in trying to combat terrorism and revolution from the grassroot level?
• What makes this region different for analysts to understand?

Dr. I. William Zartman is the Jacob Blaustein Professor Emeritus of International Organizations and Conflict

Asef Baat is Professor of Global and Transnational studies at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He previously taught at Leiden University in the Netherlands and the American University in Cairo. Among his books are: Street Politics; Poor People’s Movement in Iran; Making Islam Democratic; Social Movements and Past-Islamist Turn; and Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East.