Events in UCIS

Wednesday, April 3 until Thursday, April 3

12:00 pm Lecture
Yellow Peril in Vladivostok: The Chinese Diaspora in Russia and the Soviet Union
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Union Center of Excellence and European Union Studies Association along with Department of German
See Details

Dr. Urbansky discusses the challenges faced by Chinese immigrants during the late Tsarist Empire and early Soviet Union, highlighting the racial and cultural prejudices that fueled hostilities in urban settings. His analysis explores how these early interactions shaped the experiences and perceptions of Chinese communities in a rapidly changing socio-political landscape.

Wednesday, October 16 until Friday, October 18

8:30 am Conference
Scholars at Risk (SAR) Conference
Location:
Carnegie Mellon Univesrity, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, Global Studies Center and Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs along with Carnegie Mellon University
See Details

On October 16-17, scholars and advocates from the Scholars at Risk Network will gather to promote academic freedom locally, in the U.S., and around the world. The 2024 SAR United States General Assembly will provide a forum for us to discuss how we can best protect scholars and defend everyone’s freedom to think, question, and share ideas.

Please register today, and see the draft program below. We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please write to Brian Evans at be2219@nyu.edu.
Draft agenda: (Please note that this schedule is subject to change and additional sessions may be added.)

Tuesday, October 15 @ 4:30-6:00 pm – Informal ticketed reception at City of Asylum (optional).

Wednesday, October 16:

8:30 am-3:00 pm – Conference check-in

8:30-9:30 am – Coffee and tea

9:15-10:45 am – Opening plenary: Academic freedom in the global context (Eve Darian-Smith & Abdullahi An-Na’im)

11:00 am-12:15 pm – Breakout sessions:

Session 1 – Introduction to hosting scholars: Administrative models for building out a SAR program
Session 2 – Student engagement: Advocacy seminars and legal clinics
Session 3 – Scholar connections

12:15-1:30 pm – Lunch provided and guided tours of the exhibition “What We Brought With Us”

1:30-2:45 pm – Breakout sessions:

Session 1 – SAR’s “Free to Think” report: Advocating for academic freedom
Session 2 – Sharing the Platform: Making the most of scholar placements

3:00-4:15 pm – Town hall meeting on promoting academic freedom in the USA and the role of the SAR USA section

5:00-7:00 pm – Evening reception @ University of Pittsburgh, featuring tours of the Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning

7:30-9:30 pm – Dessert and a movie

Thursday, October 17:

8:30-9:30 am – Scholar conversations on navigating threats to academic freedom (continental breakfast provided)

9:30-10:45 am

Session 1 – Post-placement planning for scholars

11:00 am-12:00 pm – Closing plenary

Creating community with at-risk artists and scholars (City of Asylum)

Scholars at Risk USA into the Future

Wednesday, October 16

11:00 am Student Club Activity
Swahili Conversational Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies along with Less Commonly Taught Languages Center
See Details

Looking to brush up on your Swahili? Join Swahili TA and students every Wednesday and Thursday in the Global Hub.

11:00 am Language Table
Swahili Conversational Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies and Global Hub along with Less Commonly Taught Languages Center
See Details

Looking to brush up on your Swahili? Join Swahili TA and students every Wednesday and Thursday in the Global Hub.

11:00 am Student Club Activity
Swahili Conversational Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies along with Less Commonly Taught Languages Center
See Details

Looking to brush up on your Swahili? Join Swahili TA and students every Wednesday and Thursday in the Global Hub.

5:00 pm Cultural Event
African Languages Conversation Hour
Location:
Global Hub, Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies and Global Hub along with Less-Commonly-Taught Languages Center
See Details

This is an informal time to meet fellow speakers of African languages and practice your skills with a seasoned facilitator! All levels are welcome.

Monthly schedule -

1st Wednesday: Arabic & Wolof
2nd Wednesday: Swahili & Amharic
3rd Wednesday: Yoruba & Akan/Twi
4th Wednesday: Haitian Creole

5:00 pm Language Table
Russian Conversation Table
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies and Global Hub
See Details

Come practice your conversational Russian with your peers at the Russian conversation table!

5:30 pm Language Table
French Club at Pitt
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Global Hub along with French Club
See Details

Join the French Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during Fall semester for conversational meetings and to practice French speaking and listening skills and create a francophone community on campus!

French Club at Pitt will meet twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, during Fall 2024, EXCEPT on October 1, October 15, and November 6.

6:00 pm Lecture
Pop-Up Course
Location:
4217
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies
See Details

Introduction to contemporary race/ethnicity debates in Brazil and its role in the region’s politics.
Interdisciplinary approach to understand the intersections between race, ethnicity and politics

7:00 pm Cultural Event
Trivia Conversamos en español
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies and Global Hub along with The Department of Spanish and Portuguese
See Details

Join students from the four sections of SPAN 0120 for trivia and to get to know each other! Put your knowledge to the test and come celebrate as part of our Hispanic Community at Pitt. ¡Practicarás tu español jugando!

7:30 pm Film
Syrian Dessert & a Movie: The Day I Lost My Shadow
Location:
William Pitt Union Assembly Room
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center along with Carnegie Mellon University
See Details

"Syrian Dessert and a Movie" is presented in conjunction with the Scholars at Risk (SAR) United States 2d General Assembly, which is convening in Pittsburgh Oct. 16 & 17, 2024. This event is free and open to the public.

Plot: As winter hits hard in Syria, all Sana wants is to cook a hot meal for her son. When a seemingly simple errand – a search for gas – goes awry, Sana is dragged deeper into the war, where people lose their shadows.

About: The Day I Lost My Shadow premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2018 and won the Lion of the Future Award for Best Debut Film. It made history for being the first Syrian fiction film to win in Venice, and was screened at many festivals including TIFF, BFI London, Busan and IFFR. The film has garnered many other awards, including the World Fiction Special Jury Prize for Best Direction at the LA Film Festival (2018), Official Selection at the Valencia Film Festival (2019), Best Feature Fiction Award at the Karama Human Rights Film Festival (2018), Best Feature at the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival (2019), and Best Film at the Joburg Film Festival (2018).

Co-sponsorship and support for this event have been provided by The Humanities Scholars Program Diane and Bradford Smith Family Fund, The Humanities Center, The Sustainability Initiative, The Center for Black European Studies and the Atlantic, the Artists and Scholars at Risk Program, and the University of Pittsburgh's Global Studies Center.