This event is free and open to public. Two presentations will be given on that day:
Challenging Car Culture: Shifting Bikes into the US Cultural Norm-- by SCAE Ph.D. student, Christopher Chirdon
A Qualitative Study on the Knowledge Structure of Front-Line Workers in Service Occupations-- by IISE Visiting Scholar, Zheng Li

Charles Dunbar is an anthropologist. He studies a lot of things, be it fandom, anime culture, the supernatural or mysterious men in blue boxes. He received his MA in Sociocultural Anthropology in 2011, after utilizing ancient Mayan techniques to hypnotize his department into believing that he was, in fact, the reincarnation of Victor Turner. His thesis, entitled “Pilgrimage, Pageantry and Fan Communities," was published soon after, and focused on anime convention participation, including stereotyping, spending habits, cosplay and con culture.

For 20 years, the University Gamelan has given audiences the opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich sounds of Indonesian Gamelan. Come celebrate with Pitt students, faculty, and special guest artists.

Tickets are available through the University of Pittsburgh Stages Box Office, by calling 412-624-7529, or visiting music.pitt.edu/tickets. Tickets in advance: general admission is $8.50; non-Pitt students and seniors are $5. At the door: general admission is $12; non-Pitt students and seniors are $8. Pitt students: free with valid ID.

MariNaomi is an award-winning Japanese American artist and author whose memoir, Turning Japanese, explores her identity and experiences of being a person of Asian descent in American and the experiences of being an Asian American in Japan.

She will be giving a reading from her memoir and sharing her experiences with heritage and representation in the media. The goal of this event is promote dialogue at Pitt about experiences with multiculturalism and intersectionality.

Once a month, Spectacles invites religious studies, cultural studies, and film studies enthusiasts to join together and watch a movie with religious themes. Afterwards, religious studies majors will lead an open discussion about the movie. And of course, there will be snacks! This month, we will be showing our final movie of the semester.

Roberta Strippoli is an associate professor of Japanese literature at Binghamton University (SUNY) and author of Dancer, Nun, Ghost, Goddess. The Legend of Gio and Hotoke in Japanese Literature, Theater, Visual Arts, and Cultural Heritage (Brill, 2017).

Introduced by Kuhu Tanvir, PhD student in Film and Media Studies.