Elizabeth Wood is Professor of Russian and Soviet History at MIT where she has taught since 1990. A specialist in Soviet and Russian gender relations and performance issues, she is the author of two monographs, From Baba to Comrade: Gender and Politics in Revolutionary Russia (Indiana University Press, 1997) and Performing Justice: Agitation Trials in Early Soviet Russia (Cornell University Press, 2005). Her current work centers on the performance of power under Vladimir Putin in Russia today.

Join us for a light dinner and discussion about the book In the Country of Men, by Hisham Matar. "This powerful novel about a 9-year-old boy and his absent father offers an unnerving portrait of life in the Libya of Muammar Qaddafi. “

The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Sami Hermez, Visiting Professor of Contemporary and International Issues, Global Studies Center. The CERIS faculty book discussion is open to all educators and graduate students. There will be a light dinner served at 5:30 PM with book discussion to begin at 6:00 PM.

Documentary spanning 5 years of the struggle of one Palestinian villager against the Israeli Separation Barrier threatening his village, from the point of view of the 5 cameras destroyed in the process of making the film (Emad Burnat & Guy Davidi, 2011, 94 min.)

A psychological drama set in a Palestinian household occupied by the Israeli army, focusing on the reactions of the 7 family members (Saverio Costanzo, 2004, 90 min.) English subtitles.

An epic narrative of the history of modern Syria from an autobiographical point of view (Muhammad Malas, 1993, 116 min.) English subtitles.

Abstract:

Why do governments provide bilateral bailouts to countries that experience
financial crises above and beyond what the IMF provides? We argue that
governments face a trade off. On one hand, they have incentives to rescue a crisis
country because they want to prevent the spread of the crisis to their own country.
On the other hand, governments experience pressures from domestic constituents
who are oftentimes opposed to financial rescues. Politicians aim to balance these
countervailing pressures. Whereas they are more likely to provide financial support

On British children's literature.

With responses by Karl Schafer (Philosophy) and Stuart Hammond (Psychology).

Faculty and graduate students in Pitt Humanities departments can access readings for colloquia by logging in to , clicking on the tab “My Resources,” clicking on “Humanities Center,” and then clicking on “Colloquium Series” where there is a link to the pdf files. Anyone else wishing to access the readings may request the reading at humctr@pitt.edu.

With responses by Barbara McCloskey (History of Art and Architecture) and David Pettersen (French).

Faculty and graduate students in Pitt Humanities departments can access readings for colloquia by logging in to , clicking on the tab “My Resources,” clicking on “Humanities Center,” and then clicking on “Colloquium Series” where there is a link to the pdf files. Anyone else wishing to access the readings may request the reading at humctr@pitt.edu.

Our work on this topic seeks to bridge the divide between medieval and early modern studies by taking a long view of three questions surrounding particular uses of vernacular languages and broader processes of vernacularization in this period: How did changes in technologies of communication, such as the rise of letterpress printing, intersect with the uses of vernacular languages? How were the structures of "vernacular theology" transfigured during the period leading up to and following the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation?