MY FRIEND THE POLISH GIRL borrows from cinema verite and video bloggers to create a rare naturalism in style and performance. Katie, a young, rich American, decides to make a documentary film about Alicja, an impulsive Polish actress living in London. During the making of the film, the interference of Katie in the life of her character proves to have serious consequences, both in their relationship and the film’s narrative. Set in a post-Brexit-vote London, Katie’s colonizing, disruptive presence in Alicja’s life mirrors the treatment of migrants in the UK: Welcomed, used, then discarded.

Tina is not an ordinary woman--both inside and out. With a bestial-looking face that provokes judgement from those around her and a mysterious scar on her tailbone, Tina has the ability to sense or smell how people feel. She is especially adept at detecting fear or unease, skills that make her an invaluable customs officer. When she catches a twitchy businessman carrying child pornography, law enforcement loops Tina and her unusual abilities into the investigation.

Fiona Eichinger (senior, Biological Sciences, BPHIL/IAS/global studies) will defend her thesis using comparative case studies of Bhutanese refugees in Pittsburgh and Syrian refugees in Berlin to illustrate how national responses to forced migration have differentially taken shape in light of global trends. This investigation prioritizes refugee voices to understand how national resettlement frameworks are structured to enforce expectations for a refugee's relation to the state (citizen figure), economy (laborer figure), and society (neighbor figure).

France has a long and complicated history with its Muslim population, rooted in its colonial history and currently tied to dominant French discourse surrounding French Republican ideals, including secularism or laïcité. Tabachnick's thesis explores how have French college students, who have grown up in a time of de-facto racial and religious pluralism, been shaped by contemporary French discourses and understandings of laïcité?

For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.
Every year on 25 March, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honor and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. The International Day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today.

This event is an open conversation with Paul A. Silverstein,Professor of Anthropology at Reed College and Jeanette Jouili, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Silverstein's current research focuses on the laboring and political experience of post-war North African immigrant coalminers as a a story of the fate of Europe"s cosmopolitan identity. Dr. Jouili's research and teaching interests include Islam in Europe, secularism, pluralism, popular culture, moral and aesthetic practices, and gender.

Keynote Address by Manduhai Buyandelger, Associate Professor of Anthropology at MIT, Author of Tragic Spirits: Shamanism, Gender and Memory in Contemporary Mongolia, "Self-Polishing and Electoral Selves: Elections and The New Economies of Democratization in Postsocialist Mongolia"

China's economic growth and urbanization have created new opportunities and roles for women, such as through education, migration, and employment. But with these changes, new challenges arise, especially as these impact on gender norms and relations. In this lecture, Dr. Arianne M.

This reading group for educators explores literary texts from a global perspective. Content specialists present the work and its context, and together we brainstorm innovative pedagogical practices for incorporating the text and its themes into the curriculum. Sessions usually take place in 4130 Posvar Hall (unless otherwise noted) from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Books, Act 48 credit, dinner, and parking are provided.

Urbanization is at the core of the global economy today. Yet, the crucial aspect of 21st century urban development is suburbanization - defined as an increase in non-central city population and economic activity, as well as urban spatial expansion. It includes all manner of peripheral growth: from the wealthy gated communities of Southern California, to the high rise-dominated suburbs of Europe and Canada, the exploding outskirts of Indian and Chinese cities, and the slums and squatter settlements in Africa and Latin America.