Week of March 28, 2021 in UCIS

Sunday, March 21 until Sunday, March 28

(All day) Festival
Festival of the Egg
Location:
Pitt Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies and Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs along with REES
See Details

The Festival of the Egg is a family-oriented event welcoming the coming of Spring in many ethnic traditions. Celebrate ethnic traditions from India, Romania, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. Celebrate with Easter Egg Decorating, Spring Traditions, Easter basket folklore, palm weaving, Easter customs, spring festival of colors, virtual market place and much more!

Monday, March 29

12:00 pm Panel Discussion
Freely/Speaking/Globally
Location:
Virtual - Register Online!
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center
See Details

Join Mai Khoi, Artist Protection Fund fellow in residence at Pitt, and Simten Coşar, Pitt Scholar at Risk visiting faculty member, as they talk about their experiences of political expression and censorship with GSC Director Michael Goodhart.

Register at bit.ly/2OFmuKg

4:00 pm Cultural Event
Something's Brewing
Location:
Register online via Zoom
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies
See Details

Tea pets, samovars, tea boxes and tins, and more: Learn about the different material items that make drinking tea an aesthetic and cultural as well as culinary experience.

REGISTER: https://pitt.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUrceirpj8uGNB-J1O7H4Rxs2J6IyYcZv57

Tuesday, March 30

9:40 am Lecture Series / Brown Bag
JMintheUS: European Union-China Relations
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center along with University of Miami Jean Monnet Chair/EU Center
See Details

Dina Moulioukova is a Lecturer of International Studies and Master of International Administration at the University of Miami where she teaches courses on security. Dina has completed her Ph.D. at the University of Miami with focus on innovative approaches to security studies. Prior to her studies at UM, Dina received her Master of Law degree law (LL.M.) at the University of Cambridge with focus on international law and J.D. from Kazan State University on Russian civil law and international law in Russia. Her current research concentrates on different aspects of Russian foreign policy and security, with special emphasis on Russia’s relations with the European Union, Russia’s energy security and geopolitical competition between the West and rising powers in Africa and Latin America. Dina has also widely published on the topics of her research and is currently working on finalizing her book. In addition to her academic interests, she has been engaged in a number of US Agency for International Development and Library of Congress’ projects on post-Soviet space and has served as an expert in roundtable discussions by Council on Foreign Relations and USSOUTHCOM.

#JMintheUS

11:00 am Lecture Series / Brown Bag
JMintheUS: Capitalist Transformations in East Central Europe since the Great Recession: What Do We Know? What Have We Missed?
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center along with Virginia Tech Center for European Union
See Details

On March 30, 2021, Dorothee Bohle will join us to discuss "Capitalist Transformations in East Central Europe Since the Great Recession: What do We Know? What Have We Missed?"

This presentation asks three related questions:

If neoliberalism has implied the retreat of the state from economic roles, does the recent return of the state in the economy herald the end of neoliberalism?
Is there a causal rather than incidental relationship between transforming capitalism and the turn to authoritarian politics?
How do we make sense of right-wing governments' double attack on liberalism as a force of eocnomic dispossession, and simultaneously, as an advocate of political emancipation of women, ethnic and sexual minorities, and migrants?

Bohle is Professor and Chair in Social and Political Change in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute, Florence.

Learn More and Register Here https://virginiatech.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_04FfAuMoQkKAdiMyoh5G6w

1:00 pm Lecture Series / Brown Bag
JMintheUS: Crisis Decision-Making: How COVID-19 Has Changed the Working Methods of the EU Institutions
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Center for European Studies at the University of Florida
See Details

UF Jean Monnet Chair Series - Pandemics in Europe: Political and Social Responses

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the dynamics of the EU institutions. Much attention has been paid to the functioning of the EU institutions at the highest political level, but less so at the working levels of the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament. What was the nature of EU action in this time and how well did the decision-making machinery work? This talk analyses all three main institutions by: a) describing how decisions are usually made; b) exploring how they are made in corona times; and c) assessing how well the individual institutions were equipped and able to adapt to these unusual circumstances.

#JMintheUS

1:00 pm Lecture Series / Brown Bag
JMintheUS: Politics as a Tool for Freedom and Education as a Commitment for Equality
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center along with University of Colorado-Boulder Colorado European Union Center for Excellence
See Details

The European Union is strongly committed to the idea of ​​equal rights and respect for diversity in all its dimensions. This talk will address the gender perspective and the importance of foreign policies to strengthen strategies and measures that promote education for equality and its implications in terms of health and personal, social, cultural and economic empowerment.
The vulnerability of girls and young women requires a specific focus on gender issues to ensure access to all levels of education. Thus, education is assumed as a commitment to equality that will require a broad education for behavioral changes in relation to gender violence, involving all men, women, boys, girls and communities. It is education for lucidity and freedom.
This type of education cannot be done without politics, as the place for the formal assumptions of rationality on topics such as freedom and equality. This first and theoretical dimension will not make sense without the practical execution of action plans that must necessarily have as an ally the research that analyzes, evaluates, remakes and builds solid bases of action.
The EU has ambitious Action Plans for Gender Equality. What is often lacking is the assessment of the activities put into practice. Of course, it is important to know if the proposed activities are implemented, but equally important is that the intended outcomes are realized. We need to know whether we are going in the right direction or if a change in strategy is in order. Constant and consistent evaluation is vital to maintain the intended trajectory, keeping in mind that these strategies will have to take into account the different contexts and priorities for each country or region.
We hope that you will join us. The Zoom meeting link will be emailed to you prior to the event.
#JMintheUS

6:00 pm Lecture
Déjà Coup: Power, Protest and the Language of Nationhood in Myanmar
Location:
Online via Zoom
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center
See Details

Mass protests have been seen across Myanmar since the military seized power on February 1. Dr. Will Womack of University of Alabama at Birmingham will provide historical background and context on the current situation unfolding in the country. Dr. Womack's lecture will focus on how the political coup and protests have effected the peace process in Myanmar, with particular focus on the issue of religious and ethnic minorities. Please join us on Tuesday March 30 at 6:00 pm EDT for a virtual lecture on Myanmar.

Will Womack studies the history of nationalism and social identity in Myanmar in the interaction between politics and literate practice. He teaches history at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and leads Asian Studies seminars for educators for the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia University of Pittsburgh National Coordinating Site.

Register here.

Wednesday, March 31

11:00 am Information Session
African Studies Program Virtual Office Hours
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies and Global Hub
See Details

Meet with African Studies Program Student Ambassador Emmanuel Ampofo to ask questions about the African Studies Certificate, upcoming events, and more.

Meet via Zoom: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/97841843639

5:00 pm Cultural Event
La Parlotte: French Conversation Club
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Global Hub along with Department of French & Italian
See Details

Chat with other French students, French faculty, and PhD students and practice your French language skills. Email PhD student Pat Nikiema at PAN32@pitt.edu for the Zoom link.

5:30 pm Presentation
Latin American & Caribbean Competency Virtual Series: So You Want to Work for the Federal Government?
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies
See Details

The Latin America and the Caribbean Competency Virtual Series is an opportunity for students to learn more about different topics related to this area and connect with the guest speakers outside of the classroom environment. The students will also have the chance of discussing and asking questions regarding the topic of the presentation. The fourth presentation will be by Kat Andrews, Policy Analyst at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She will talk about working in federal government. Getting a job in the federal government whether it be with the Department of State, Homeland Security or the Intelligence Community is hard to do. Half the battle is knowing the tips and tricks for getting hired and navigating the complicated process. In this presentation, we will discuss everything you need to know to make your way into government work and what opportunities are really out there. You can earn myPittGlobal and OCC credit and a certificate of participation by attending!

Registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/virtualseries4

6:30 pm Lecture
Asia Pop:Era of Videos
Location:
Online via Zoom
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center
See Details

In the virtual presentation, Dr. Yamada discusses the Vocaloid and DTM (desktop music) phenomena through the lenses of media and fan studies, looking at online social media platforms, the new technology for composing, and fans of the Vocaloid character. He provides a sense of how interactive new media and an empowered fan base combine to engage in the creation processes and enhance the circulation of Vocaloid works. The question of how today’s DTM culture expands in scale hinges upon such lively collaborations and interconnections, not just between individuals, but also among individuals, technologies, and distribution infrastructures. Join us on 3/31 at 6:30 pm EDT

Register here

Thursday, April 1

3:15 pm Cultural Event
Laber Rhabarber - German Conversation Hour
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Global Hub along with Department of German
See Details

Laber Rhabarber - More than a German conversation hour!

"... the most human thing we have is language, and we have it in order to talk." German author Theodor Fontane wrote in 1892. So, here's chance! Be human with us for an hour every week, albeit in German ;D

Everyone and every level of German welcome!

Zoom Meeting link: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/99661883076
German Dept. website: http://www.german.pitt.edu/
Follow us on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @UPittGerman

4:00 pm Film
Film Screening and Discussion: Ayka
Location:
Vimeo
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies
See Details

Award-winning actress Samal Yeslyamova (Tulpan) plays the role of Ayka, a Kyrgyz illegal migrant in Moscow. Ayka has no money, no home, and she just gave birth. She is never still, so we follow her through wintry Moscow streets on her reckless pursuit to find work. An aggressive soundtrack and visceral cinematography emphasize the vision of a huge megalopolis where anyone can get lost or disappear. It is Yeslyamova, however, who steals the camera; always moving forward in her unraveling as she enters her curtained den until the end, when she and the camera give us a chance to breathe. In 2010, 248 newborns were abandoned in Moscow's maternity wards, a statistic information director Sergey Dvortsevoy found in the newspapers and adapted for his film. He likes to make films from "real" life and values surprises and doubt, interested in what happens when families and relationships break down between people and their environment to the point when an individual is morally damaged. His film comes at a time of worldwide chaotic migration, and it is obvious that what happened to Ayka is happening to others. (Maryna Ajaja, SIFF)

Moderator: Nancy Condee, Director, Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Director of Graduate Studies, Slavic Languages and Literatures
Speakers: Colin Johnson, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Idaho State University
Heath Cabot, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh

View the trailer here: https://www.siff.net/festival/ayka

REGISTER TO ATTEND HERE: https://tinyurl.com/y5x6pwvy

5:00 pm Seminar
Cultura Negra no Atlantico (CULTNA) Discussion Series: Descolonizando imaginários e saberes
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies along with Laboratório de História Oral e Imagem
See Details

O seminário "Culturas Negras no Atlantico (CULTNA)" é uma iniciativa que congrega o Laboratório de História Oral e Imagem (LABHOI) da Universidade Federal Fluminense e da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, e o Center for Latin American Studies da University of Pittsburgh. Neste encontro, será discutido o texto "Propuesta de una epistemologia africana para descolonizar los imaginarios y los discursos latinoamericanos sobre las identidades", de Clément Animan Akassi, com o próprio autor. Evento em português.

Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/4f2akzf7

6:00 pm Reading Group
Four Evenings Discussion: Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other (Discussion)
Location:
Virtual - Register Online!
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Studies Center along with University Library Services
See Details

In Conjunction with the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures program's "Ten Evenings" series, GSC is hosting "Four Evenings" pre-lecture discussions that put prominent world authors and their work in global perspective. Open to series subscribers and the Pitt Community, these evening discussions, conducted by Pitt experts, provide additional insight on prominent writers and engaging issues.

With Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo became the first Black woman to win the Booker Prize for Fiction. The novel is a magnificent portrayal of the intersections of identity, across generations, in a group of Black British women. Girl, Woman, Other is a polyphonic and richly textured social novel that reminds us of all that connects us to our neighbors, even in times when we are encouraged to be split apart. The twelve central characters of this multi-voiced novel lead vastly different lives. From a nonbinary social media influencer to a 93-year-old woman living on a farm in Northern England, these unforgettable characters also intersect in shared aspects of their identities, from age to race to sexuality to class.

6:00 pm Film
CLAS Film Series Presents: Pelo Malo
Location:
Online
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies
See Details

Pelo Malo (Bad Hair)

Fiction / Venezuela / 2013

"A nine year old boy's preening obsession with straightening his hair elicits a tidal wave of homophobic panic in his hard-working mother, in this tender but clear-eyed coming of age tale. Junior is a beautiful boy, with big brown eyes, a delicate frame, and head of luxurious dark curls. But Junior aches to straighten those curls, to acquire a whole new look befitting his emerging fantasy image of himself as a long haired singer. As the opportunity approaches to have his photo taken for the new school year, that ache turns into a fiery longing. Junior's mother, Marta, is barely hanging on. The father of her children has died, she recently lost her job as a security guard, and she now struggles to put a few arepas on the table for Junior and his baby brother.

Junior doesn't even know yet what it means to be gay, but the very notion prompts Marta to set out to 'correct' Junior's condition before it truly takes hold. This is a story of people doing what they feel they have to, partly out of fear, but also out of love."

—Diana Vargas, Toronto International Film Festival

Language: Spanish with English subtitles

Registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/y5ws7urf

Please register by April 1, 2021 at 3 pm. Around 5:30 pm you will receive an email with the Zoom link and instructions on how to access the film

Friday, April 2

11:00 am Workshop
Aging Under Socialism: Europe and Beyond
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies
See Details

Within about twenty years, the United States will pass a monumental threshold: this country will have more citizens over 65 than it does under the age of 18. Part of a massive demographic transition that is taking place across the Global North, the aging of the boomer generation will present challenges for retirement financing, healthcare, and political economy. Medical research has already pivoted towards this new reality; humanities-centered scholarship has begun focusing on aging as well.

This workshop hopes to bring historical thinking to bear further on this problem. While the history of old age is a growing field in the discipline, scholars have mostly examined aging in the context of Western capitalist societies. This workshop will bring together a number of early career academics and graduate students to discuss their research on old age under socialism. There has been a great deal of interest, in recent years, in how socialist societies imagined gender, healthcare, and the family. This is granting us a much fuller picture of these societies than what was possible during the Cold War, when analysis focused squarely on themes of political oppression and resistance. And yet we know next to nothing about the socialist style of aging: the imagination of age and the policy apparatus focusing on the elderly.

Dates and times: March 26 and April 2, 11am-2pm.

12:00 pm Information Session
Alumni Meet 'n Greet - Locked Down, Locked Out, Left Behind: The Neglect of Health Services on Refugees, Asylum Seekers & Migration
Location:
Virtual - Register Online!
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center
See Details

Journalist Eric Reidy and Anthropology PhD Candidate Darius Bittle-Dockery will share insights and engage students and alumni in an informal discussion about the health, economic, and social toll of the COVID-19 pandemic and access to chronic health care on displaced people around the world. Eric Reidy is Migration Editor-at-large for the online news website The New Humanitarian, and Darius Bittle-Dockery is a Medical Anthropology PhD candidate at Pitt who has conducted extensive research on refugee health in Jordan. The discussion will be moderated by GSC's own Elaine Linn and Bethany Flage, PhD candidate in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the Graduate School of Public Health and current president of the Global Health Student Association.

1:00 pm Cultural Event
Russian Language Tutoring
Location:
Online
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies
See Details

Russian tutoring available for students by appointment.

Book your appointment here: https://calendly.com/katya-kovaleva/russian-language-tutoring

3:00 pm Student Club Activity
German Club Meeting
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Global Hub along with Pitt German Club
See Details

Join the Pitt German Club every Friday at 3PM to practice your German language skills and learn about different aspects of German culture!

Zoom ID: 950 0542 1812

3:00 pm Workshop
Transcultural Codicology on the Silk Road
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center and Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies along with Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies (CERIS) and Central Eurasian Studies Society
See Details

What was the nature of 'the book' on the Silk Road? How can we move beyond Eurocentric terminology toward an organically Eurasian codicology? This workshop introduces scholars to the study of manuscripts, posing fundamental questions about what we can learn from this field in a Eurasian context.

PLEASE NOTE that registrations are limited and will be confirmed on a first-come, first-serve basis for Ph.D. students and faculty who work on Eurasia and can meet the language prerequisites specific to each topic.

PREREQUISITE
Participants should have some facility in a relevant premodern language

INSTRUCTOR
Devin Fitzgerald
Curator of Rare Books and History of Printing
UCLA Library Special Collections

COLLABORATOR
Michelle McCoy
Assistant Professor
History of Art and Architecture
University of Pittsburgh

REGISTER HERE: https://pitt.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcsdO-oqDsoGdac39Koc2n55PhgEyCcJTnz

3:00 pm Workshop
FLAC: Exploring Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum: History, Pedagogy, and Practice
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies and European Studies Center
See Details

The University Center for International Studies (UCIS), with funding from Pitt?s Title VI National Resource Centers, has embarked on a four year initiative to increase the number of FLAC courses offered on campus. Dr. Deborah Reisinger?s presentation will help prospective instructors and students understand what FLAC is and why it is important. After the presentation, information about current FLAC courses at Pitt and successful strategies for developing new courses (including language ?trailers?) will be shared.

Dr. Deborah Reisinger
Associate Professor of the Practice in French, and Director of Language Outreach initiatives, Duke University
Deborah establishes connections between language proficiency and the disciplines. She is the author of numerous articles on language pedagogy, French for the Professions, and intercultural competence. She chairs the World Languages Advisory Committee to the College Board and is co-chair of the AP French Language and Culture Exam development committee.

4:15 pm Colloquium
Panoramas Round Table: The State of Puerto Rico: Context and Conversation on the Status of the Island
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies
See Details

Join Panoramas interns as they explore the history and current status of Puerto Rico's status in the United States. From pre-colonial history to current legislation, Abby, Bridget, Isabel, and Katie will cover independence, statehood, and economic development.

Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/pipr40221

6:00 pm Cultural Event
Global Ties x Global Hub Game Night
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Global Hub along with Global Ties
See Details

Join Global Ties and the Global Hub for casual dinner and game night on Friday, April 2nd from 6-7:30PM ET. This will be a chance for international and domestic students to chat and meet new friends at Pitt!

We will eat together and chat over Zoom from 6-6:30PM before moving into our games using Backyard.co. Students who are located in the U.S. will get a $15 Grubhub credit for dinner on us!

Register by 11:59PMET on Monday, March 29th.