Week of November 13, 2022 in UCIS

Friday, November 11 until Sunday, November 27

8:30 am Festival
HOMELANDS: The Romanian Film Festival Seattle, 9th Edition
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies
See Details

The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies is proud to sponsor the 9th edition of the RFF titled Homelands. This year's festival reflects on current events, while celebrating the power of film to map out new meanings into a world where people have been displaced by wars, economic crises, political instability, and natural disasters. Internationally acclaimed movies featured in a carefully curated selection, covering all forms and genres, as well as film-related events with special guests, will redefine the sense of homeland and belonging, in relation to our families, neighbors, countries of origin, and, by extension, to our planet itself.

Films will be screened online with free tickets provided to Pitt faculty and students. More information to be announced.

Sunday, November 13

12:00 pm Festival
Polishfest 2022
Location:
Cathedral of Learning Commons
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies and Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs along with UCIS, Global Hub, Polish Nationality Room Committee; Lithuanian Nationality Room Committee; Romanian Nationality Room Committee, Graduate Organisation for the Study of Europe and Central Asia, Polish Falcons of America and Carpatho-Rusyn Cultural Center & Community
See Details

The Polishfest Festival is designed to give the festival guests, families, and students an opportunity to experience the living cultures of the Polish, Lithuanian and Carpatho-Rusyn Peoples that throughout history were joined, separated and independently are connected. A living legacy presented to teach, to experience, to taste, to try and to have fun. This family-oriented event is FREE to everyone and will include many activities such as Polish name writing; Lithuanian angel papercutting demonstration; pierogi / pirohy cooking demonstrations and samples; and Carpatho-Rusyn spinning and lace making; and a pierogi toss. Every display, demonstration, and activity will offer an explanation of the cultural history of the tradition. Entertainment will include Polish folk songs with a violinist; a Lithuanian choir with Bocjai folk songs; Polish Karazula folk songs and folk dancing by the “Lajkoniki” Ensemble; Polka dancing; and contemporary Polish music.

Monday, November 14

3:00 pm Panel Discussion
Charlemos: "Public Responses to Undemocratic Incumbents"
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies along with Latin American Political Institutions Section LASA
See Details

Hosted by: Andres Mejia Acosta, Universidad San Francisco de Quito

4:00 pm Student Club Activity
Bate-Papo: Portuguese Language Hour
Location:
Global Hub
Announced by:
Center for Latin American Studies and Global Hub on behalf of
6:00 pm Information Session
Model African Union Club Interest Meeting
Location:
Posvar Hall 4138
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies
See Details

Learn what the Model African Union Club is all about! Information will be provided about the African Union and club participation in the Model African Union simulation conference. No previous experience necessary!

Tuesday, November 15

12:00 pm Lecture Series / Brown Bag
Speaker Series: Mental Health on the Frontline in Ukraine
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies
See Details

A LIVE INTERVIEW WITH Alex Dombrovski, University of Pittsburgh AND Carmen Andreescu, University of Pittsburgh

REEES Fall 2022 series, The Specter in the Present: Trauma and its Legacies in Eurasia, will explore the place of trauma in Eurasia society in four interviews that pair scholars to discuss social and clinical trauma, victimhood, historical memory, and the politics of history in the region.

This event is part of a larger series

12:00 pm Lecture Series / Brown Bag
Applying to Law School Information Session
Location:
4130 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for African Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, Global Studies Center, UCIS Engagement and International Week along with University of Pittsburgh School of Law and UCIS International Career Toolkit Series
See Details

Thinking about law school? Have questions about the LSAT? Join us and the School of Law for an information session on how to make your law school application stand out!

4:00 pm Exhibit
Opening Exhibition of the Undocumented Migration Project
Location:
Global Hub, 1st Floor Posvar
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center and Global Hub
See Details

Join Hostile Terrain 94 Pittsburgh for the opening exhibition of the Undocumented Migration Project installation. The installation is a participatory art exhibition to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis occurring at the US/Mexico border. The event will feature opening remarks from Dr. Darlène Dubuisson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, and food and beverages will be provided.

5:00 pm Student Club Activity
Hungarian Conversation Table
Location:
Cathedral of Learning 329
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies
See Details

Come and practice your Hungarian and meet others interested in the language! All levels welcome.

5:30 pm Student Club Activity
German Club Conversation Hour
Location:
Global Hub Conversation Table
Sponsored by:
Global Hub along with German Club
6:00 pm Reading Group
CLAS Clube do Livro
Location:
4200 Posvar Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies
See Details

Monthly book club hosted by the Center for Latin American Studies. Discussions are in Portuguese. All are welcome! This month we will be discussing "A Gorda" by Isabela Figueiredo.

Wednesday, November 16

1:00 pm Lecture
Afghanistan One Year Later: The Economics of a Collapsed State
Location:
Posvar 3911
Announced by:
Global Studies Center on behalf of
See Details

Join scholars and affiliates of the Center for Governance and Markets for the fall 2022 series "Voices from Afghanistan," featuring panels, seminars, and lectures discussing important topics surrounding the state of economics, civil society, and governance in Afghanistan more than a year after the collapse of Kabul in 2021.

2:00 pm Panel Discussion
Insights into European Elections: Sweden, Italy and Denmark
Location:
Zoom
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Indiana University Bloomington
See Details

The European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh, along with the Institute for European Studies at Indiana University – Bloomington, is happy to invite you to a virtual roundtable titled: Insights into European Elections: Sweden, Italy, and Denmark.

In this discussion, four experts and political scientists from Denmark, Italy, Sweden, and the United States will shed light on the results of the recent elections in Europe. This will include discussions on the transformations of European social democratic parties, the rise of right-wing populism, and how these impact European Union politics. This discussion will provide insights into the current European political developments in EU member-states and the possible directions of their futures.

Moderator:

Jae-Jae Spoon, University of Pittsburgh

Prof. Jae-Jae Spoon, Department of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh (Moderator) (spoonj@pitt.edu)
Jae-Jae Spoon is Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Political Science Department and a former director of the European Studies Center. She is co-editor Research & Politics (R&P). Her research focuses on comparative electoral behavior primarily in Europe. She is interested in understanding political party strategies and their outcomes for the party, its elected officials, and voters, and how party type and size, institutions, and context influence parties’ decision‐making at both the domestic and European levels. She has a particular interest in the behavior of new and small political parties. Professor Spoon received her PhD from the University of Michigan. Before coming to Pittsburgh, she taught at the University of Iowa and the University of North Texas and was a visiting researcher at the University of Mannheim.

Speakers:

Prof. Rune Stubager, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University (stubager@ps.au.dk)
Rune Stubager is professor of Political Science at Aarhus University, Denmark. His research interest is political behaviour with a particular emphasis on electoral behaviour. He is one of the principal investigators in the Danish National Election Study. He is the author (with Kasper Møller Hansen, Michael Lewis-Beck and Richard Nadeau) of The Danish Voter. Democratic Ideals and Challenges (2021 University of Michigan Press). His work investigates also the continuinuos social and political importance of social class to citizens of advanced democracies. For more information, please visit http://person.au.dk/en/stubager@ps.au.dk.

Prof. Andrea Ceron, Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan (andrea.ceron@unimi.it)
Andrea Ceron is associate professor at the University of Milan, where he teaches Italian Political System, Polimetrics and Multivariate Analysis.
He has been visiting scholar at Harvard University, co-founder and board member of Voices from the Blogs Srl, an academic spinoff in the field of sentiment analysis.
He is currently principal investigator of the PRIN project "DEMOPE: Democracy under Pressure" and editor of the Encyclopedia of Technology and Politics.
He has published 8 books and 50 articles in international peer-reviewed journals.

Prof. Timothy Hellwig, Department of Political Science, Indiana University – Bloomington (thellwig@indiana.edu)
Professor of Political Science and Academic Director of the Europe Gateway at Indiana University. My interests include comparative and international political economy, mass political behavior, and research methods. I am a team member on the Executive Approval Project. I am author of Democracy Under Siege? Parties, Voters, and Elections after the Great Recession (with Yesola Kweon and Jack Vowles, 2020 Oxford) and Globalization and Mass Politics: Retaining the Room to Maneuver (2014 Cambridge). I teach courses on comparative elections, political economy, European politics, the EU, world politics, and quantitative methods.
Professor of Political Science and Academic Director of the Europe Gateway at Indiana University. My interests include comparative and international political economy, mass political behavior, and research methods. I am a team member on the Executive Approval Project. I am author of Democracy Under Siege? Parties, Voters, and Elections after the Great Recession (with Yesola Kweon and Jack Vowles, 2020 Oxford) and Globalization and Mass Politics: Retaining the Room to Maneuver (2014 Cambridge). I teach courses on comparative elections, political economy, European politics, the EU, world politics, and quantitative methods.
Timothy Hellwig is a professor of Political Science and Academic Director of the Europe Gateway at Indiana University. His interests include comparative and international political economy, mass political behavior, and reaserch methods. He is a team member on the Executive Approval Project and an author of Democracy Under Siege? Parties, Voters, and Elections after the Great Recession (with Yesola Kweon and Jack Vowles, 2020 Oxford) and Globalization and Mass Politics: Retaining the Room to Maneuver (2014 Cambridge). He teaches courses on comparative elections, political economy, European politics, the EU, world politics, and quantitative methods.

Prof. Maria Solevid, Department of Political Science, Gothenburg University (maria.solevid@pol.gu.se)
Maria Solevid, Ph.D. and Associate Professor in Political Science, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg. Solevid conducts research within the Swedish National Election Studies Program (SNES), and the Gothenburg Research Group on Elections, Public Opinion and Political Behavior (GEPOP).

5:00 pm Student Club Activity
Polish Conversation Table
Location:
1219 Cathedral of Learning
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies
5:45 pm Lecture
China Town Hall with Matthew D. Johnson
Location:
via Zoom
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center along with National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
See Details

Join us for a discussion about current issues and the recent successes and challenges of China's Belt and Road initiative with AltaSilva VP and Director of Research, Matthew D. Johnson, along with a national webcast to follow at 7 pm ET with former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, China, and Singapore, Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. To register for this event, please click here.

6:00 pm Film
Mars One
Location:
5904 Bryant St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies along with Center for African American Poetry & Poetics, Center for Creativity, Office of the Provost, University Library System (ULS), Diversity & Inclusion David C. Frederick Honors College, Nordenberg Chair and School of Law Institute for International Studies in Education, Department of French & Italian, Center for Urban Education and Pitt Arts
See Details

Casa Brasil & Addverse present a free screening of Mars One, a film by Gabriel Martins.

Synopsis: "The Martins family are optimistic dreamers, quietly leading their lives in the margins of a major Brazilian city following the disappointing inauguration of a far-right extremist president. A lower-middle-class Black family, they feel the strain of their new reality as the political dust settles" (letterboxd.com).

7:00 pm Cultural Event
Arabic Language Conversation Hour
Sponsored by:
Global Hub

Thursday, November 17

12:30 pm Lecture Series / Brown Bag
CLAS Speaker Series: “Americanophilia in the Empire of Brazil - D. Pedro II and his New England friends”
Location:
4217 Posvar/Zoom
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies
See Details

Adriano Mafra holds a PhD in Translation Studies from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (2015) and translation science from Universiteit Antwerpen (2015), a Master's degree in Translation Studies from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (2010), Specialization in Language Teaching Methodology (FACISA-2008) and graduated in letras from the University of Vale do Itajaí (2005). He is a member of the Creative Process Study Center (NUPROC) and the Educational Processes Research Group (IFC). He is currently visiting professor at the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh and Professor of Basic, Technical and Technological Education at the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFC).

12:30 pm Cultural Event
Tovala Italiana
Sponsored by:
Global Hub
5:00 pm Student Club Activity
French Club Conversation Hour
Location:
Global Hub, Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
Global Hub along with French Club
5:00 pm Teacher Training
All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa
Location:
Hybrid - 4217 Posvar Hall and Zoom
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies and Global Studies Center along with Howard University Center for African Studies
See Details

In this second installment of the 2022 Global Issues Through Literature Series (GILS), educators will convene to discuss Richard Conyngham's All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa, a graphic anthology telling six true stories of resistance by marginalized South Africans against the country's colonial government in the years leading up to Apartheid.

GILS is a reading group for K-16 educators to literary texts from a global perspective. Content specialists present the work and its context, and participants brainstorm innovative pedagogical practices for incorporating the text and its themes into the curriculum. This year’s theme is Graphic Novels in Global Context: Social Justice Through Illustration and Text. See registration for more information!

6:00 pm Film
CLAS Cinema: Life and Debt (2001)
Location:
Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (125)
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies
See Details

Using Jamaica as its focus this award-winning documentary examines the impact of the International Monetary Fund's global economic policies on a developing nation's economy. It takes an unapologetic look at the new world order from the point of view of Jamaican workers, farmers and government officials.

6:00 pm Lecture
The Future of Europe
Location:
538 WPU
Announced by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies on behalf of National Security Students Organization
See Details

On Thursday, November 17th, from 6:00pm-7:00pm, the National Security Students Organization will be hosting a Q&A event with Dr. Dalibor Rohac from the American Enterprise Institute! This event is in-person, in room 538 of the William Pitt Union. Our conversation will be centered on the Future of Europe, spanning from politics, sovereignty, energy, and more, in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Dalibor Rohac is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies European political and economic trends, specifically Central and Eastern Europe, the European Union (EU) and the eurozone, US-EU relations, and the post-Communist transitions and backsliding of countries in the former Soviet bloc.

Dr. Rohac is the author of “In Defense of Globalism” (Rowman and Littlefield, 2019). His previous book, “Towards an Imperfect Union: A Conservative Case for the EU” (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016), was included on Foreign Affairs magazine’s list of best books of 2016. His commentary has been published widely in the popular media, including in the Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

7:00 pm Information Session
FLAS Fellowship Information Session
Location:
Pitt Global Hub (1st floor, Posvar Hall)
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for African Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, Director's Office, European Studies Center, Global Studies Center, Global Hub, Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs and Global Experiences Office
See Details

The Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship program is a prestigious and competitive award that allows select Pitt undergraduate and graduate students to devote full-time attention to their chosen modern foreign language and area studies specialty. There are separate competitions for the Academic Year FLAS Fellowship and the Summer FLAS Fellowship.

Attend this info session with representatives from the Asian Studies Center, Center for African Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Global Studies Center, European Studies Center, and the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Center to learn more about the requirements and how to submit a strong application.

8:00 pm Cultural Event
Persian Table Hour
Sponsored by:
Global Hub

Friday, November 18

12:00 pm Lecture
Using the Human Rights Framework for Racial Justice: A Conversation with Justin Hansford
Location:
Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
Announced by:
Global Studies Center on behalf of Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), World History Center, School of Education, Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice, Office of Diversity, Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Department of Africana Studies, Department of English, Department of Political Science, Department of Sociology, Center for Race and Social Problems and 1Hood Media
See Details

Join the Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice, 1Hood Media for a conversation that brings together Black community leaders, advocates, and educators to discuss and understand how Professor Hansford views social movements and the law means of social transformation after Michael Brown's murder in Ferguson, Missouri.

Justin Hansford helped Brown family members bring their appeal for justice to the United Nations (Ferguson to Geneva: Using the Human Rights Framework to Push Forward a Vision for Racial Justice in the United States). He is a Professor of Law at Howard University, Executive Director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, and representative to the new United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent (UNPFPAD). Hansford is a co-author of the forthcoming Seventh Edition of Race, Racism and American Law, and his legal scholarship informs his work to win a posthumous pardon for Marcus Garvey ("Black History Matters: Why President Obama Should Pardon Marcus Garvey," The Root). Professor Hansford’s visit to Pittsburgh is part of a “listening tour” he is making in preparation for the inaugural meeting of the UNPFPAD in early December.

3:30 pm Information Session
Coffee and Conversation with Justin Hansford and Pitt faculty
Location:
First Floor Commons, Graduate School of Public Health
Announced by:
Global Studies Center on behalf of Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), World History Center, School of Education, Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice, Office of Diversity, Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Department of Africana Studies, Department of English, Department of Political Science, Department of Sociology and Center for Race and Social Problems
See Details

Professor Hansford will meet with Pitt faculty to discuss how we can lift up the work of the Permanent Forum and integrate it into the academy (curriculum, programming development). and the community (outreach and engagement). We hope to activate the network of scholars engaged last month by VP John Wallace as well as any interested faculty.

In addition, we will discuss with Hansford a Pittsburgh-focused report using the SDG framework as a lens to analyze racial disparities and injustices in Pittsburgh and southwestern PA. We’ll be seeking data and partners for this project, in support of Hansford’s visit to Geneva in December.

5:30 pm Cultural Event
Black November
Location:
Cathedral of Learning, Room B50
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies along with Center for African American Poetry & Poetics, Center for Creativity, Office of the Provost, University Library System (ULS), Diversity & Inclusion David C. Frederick Honors College, Nordenberg Chair and School of Law Institute for International Studies in Education, Department of French & Italian, Center for Urban Education and Pitt Arts
See Details

Join Addverse Poesia and Casa Brasil in celebrating Blackness in tandem with Brazil's Black Consciousness Day, a national holiday celebrated on November 20. It is a day to honor Zumbi dos Palmares, one of the great leaders of the Quilombo dos Palmares, and the legacy of all quilombo communities.

Saturday, November 19

11:00 am Reception
Taking Back our Human Rights: Shaping Black Pittsburgh’s Appeal to the World
Location:
Obama Academy 6-12, 515 North Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Announced by:
Global Studies Center on behalf of Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), World History Center, School of Education, Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice, Office of Diversity, Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Department of Africana Studies, Department of English, Department of Political Science, Department of Sociology and Center for Race and Social Problems
See Details

Members of the Black communities from across Southwestern Pennsylvania are invited to join this networking lunch with Justin Hansford (Howard University Law Professor, Director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, and the Representative on the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent). The purpose of the discussion will be to develop solutions advancing human rights for People of African Descent in Pittsburgh. We’ll build a plan of action for this region and a future that prioritizes the concerns of Black people.

Schedule of Events

11:15a | Registration & Networking Lunch
12:00p | Introductions & Charge
12:15p | Working Group Sessions
01:45p | Reconvening