Journalist Jennifer Lin examines the tumultuous past and present of Christianity in China through five generations of her family. A former Beijing correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Lin chronicles 150 years of family history in the recently published "Shanghai Faithful: Betrayal and Forgiveness in a Chinese Christian Family" (Rowman & Littlefield). The book includes a compelling cast: a doctor who treated opium addicts; a Penn-educated Chinese pastor; and the influential independent religious leader Watchman Nee, imprisoned after 1949 as a "counterrevolutionary."

Please join the International Week Committee and University Center for International Studies for the opening reception of the Displacement(s) film series. Refreshments will be provided prior to the first films in the series beginning at 6pm.

The keynote speaker for this year’s International Week, George Takei, was interred in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. This experience became a touchstone for his life and work. Takei rose to preeminence in the television series Star Trek and its first six feature films. However, that only scratches the surface of his storied career as an actor, author, and social media pioneer.

Everyone who attends will be eligible to win raffle prizes such as CDs signed by Mr. Thione and Mr. Tanabe, tickets to An Evening with George Takei, and 1 VIP seat to meet Mr. Takei after his address on Tuesday, October 17.

General Public $20, CMOA Members: $18, Students: $15.

Event Details:

Journalist Jennifer Lin examines the tumultuous past and present of Christianity in China through five generations of her family. A former Beijing correspondent for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Lin chronicles 150 years of family history in the recently published Shanghai Faithful: Betrayal and Forgiveness in a Chinese Christian Family (Rowman & Littlefield).

El Futuro Perfecto tells the story of a young Chinese woman named Xiaobin who emigrates to Argentina. Sharing her sense of displacement, we follow Xiaobin as she attends Spanish classes, works her day job at a butcher shop, and struggles to pass through the language barrier in a new culture. A subtle love story permits the surface of this quiet drama as Xiaobin's journey of self-identification leads her to a crossroads where she must find the courage to determine her own future, rather than the future her family intends for her.

Languages: Spanish and Mandarin

Old Stone follows the repercussions of a car accident in a society where life is cheap and compassion is ruinously expensive. Chinese taxi driver Lao Shi finds himself in a living nightmare after he reluctantly picks up a drunken passenger and must face the consequences of a car accident that permanently cripples a pedestrian. According to Chinese law, Lao Shi is required to assume financial responsibility for the injured pedestrian until the end of that individual's life.

Exploring Educators Preparedness to Discus Topics of Race in the Classroom
Presenter: Adam J. Alvarez
A Comparative Study of Ethnic Minority-Serving Higher Education Institutions in China & the United States
Presenter: Weiyan Xiong

Japanese garden is often regarded as the quintessential symbol of traditional culture in Japan, representing the purest form of Japaneseness. However, once we start to examine its history in detail, it becomes clear that in many cases the Japanese garden assumes a clearly transnational character. We will focus on the development of modern Japanese garden from mid-19th to mid-20th century in their transnational context and explore what all this means.

At the Summer Teacher Institute entitled War in the Pacific at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Michael-Ann Cerniglia of Sewickley Academy delved into the museum’s immense physical and digital collections. These resources are designed to be used as the definitive WWII educational resource in classrooms across the country. Now, she is able to share individual copies of this curriculum guide with teachers in the Pittsburgh area. This workshop is a unique opportunity for anyone teaching World War II. In this workshop, participants will: