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Past International Mondays

Spring 2009 Schedule:

February 23

Life in Mariakani, Kenya
Patricia Gillette, Retired Healthcare Industry Executive and Return Peace Corps Volunteer

March 2

The Archaeology of Social Collapse
Professor Katina Lillios, UI Department of Archaeology
Co-sponsored by the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies

March 9

Many Spiders; One World Wide Web: Towards a Taxonomy of Internet Law and Regulation.
Professor Lyombe Eko, UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Co-sponsored by the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies

March 23

Back from Cuba: Current Trends in Salsa
Modei Aykea, UI Department of Dance

March 30

The Iraq Education Initiative: An Opportunity for Academic Leadership
Scott King, Director of the UI Office of International Students & Scholars
Co-sponsored by the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council

April 6

Black Television After Broadcasting: Globalization, Digitalization, and Portrayals of African American Life on Television
Professor Timothy Havens, UI Department of Communication Studies and African American Studies Program

April 13

How to cross the street in Belo Horizonte and other tales from the heart of Brazil
Brett Johnson, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship Recipient

Fall 2008 Schedule:

September 22

From Back Channels to The Colbert Report: The Changing Face of Translantic Diplomacy in the 21st Century

Zoltán Fehr, Chief Creative Officer, Press and Media Attaché
Embassy of Hungary
Co-sponsored by Iowa City Foreign Relations Council and the International Writing Program

September 29

Back from the Beijing Olympics

Lini Gi and Jane Hanson, UI Beijing Olympic Ambassadors

October 6

International Terrorism

Roger Cressey, Former Director for Transnational Threats at the National Security Council; President, Good Harbor Consulting
Co-sponsored by the National Security Network

October 13

Postmodern conquistadors: the role of multinational corporations and U.S. foreign policy in the perpetuation of human rights violations in Colombia

David Goodner and Megan Felt, UI students

October 20

Brazil Rising

Kristin McHugh, senior radio producer for the Stanley Foundation, and Keith Porter, executive radio producer for the Stanley Foundation
Co-sponsored by The Stanley Foundation

November 17

International Education Week

A Panel Discussion on Education Systems: Oman, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil and India

In recognition of International Education Week, Foreign Language Teaching Assistants at the University of Iowa will discuss the education systems in Oman, Indonesia and India, as well as explain the similarities and differences between their country’s education system and the US’ education system. The discussion will be moderated by Professor Scott McNabb.

Spring 2008 Schedule:

Feb. 11

Peruvian Footbridge Design (Incorporating a Participative Approach)

Irund A-Wan, undergraduate student in the UI Civil and Environmental Engineering program.

Feb. 25

Leaving My Comforts Behind Made Me a Better Person: How International Mobility Changes Lives and Your World

Éva Tessza Udvarhelyi holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology and is completing her Master’s thesis in American Studies at ELTE University, Budapest, Hungary, while currently being a doctoral student at the Environmental Psychology Program of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Ms. Udvarhelyi is author of Travelers Across Cultures: A Guide to Intercultural Learning for Young Adults Traveling Abroad (Budapest, 2007).

March 3

Creating A Secure, Stable Middle East: Is There An American Role?

Amb. Wendy J. Chamberlin, former US Ambassador to Pakistan (2001-2002). Ambassador Chamberlin is currently President of the Middle East Institute. During her tenure in Islamabad, she played a key role in Pakistan’s cooperation for the US-led campaign against al Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan following the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

March 10

Coping with Natural Disasters in Bangladesh

Luke Juran, Masters student in the UI International Studies program and Ph.D. student in UI’s Geography program.

March 24

Sold Into Adoption: The Hunan Baby Trafficking Scandal Exposes Vulnerabilities in Chinese Adoptions to the United States

Patricia Meier and Xiaole Zhang, students in the UI College of Law.

March 31

The Crisis in Kenya: An Historical Perspective

Dr. James Giblin, UI Professor of African History

Fall 2007 Schedule:

Sept. 24

The Mess We're In: How U.S. Leaders Have Failed Us in the Middle East and What You Can Do

James J. Zogby, Founder and president of the Arab American Institute

Oct. 1 

Imperial Everst

Susan Birrell, UI Professor in the Dept of Exercise Science, Women's Studies, and American Studies, and recipient of a 2007 International Programs summer research grant

Oct. 8

Peace and Conflict in the Lake Victoria Region: Analyzing Uganda and Rwanda

Zachary Rogers, UI undergraduate student

Oct. 15

Globalization and Food: The Role of Technology in Expanded World Food Trade

Philip Nelson, 2007 World Food Prize Laureate, co-sponsored by the UI Center for Human Rights

Oct. 22 

Photo of International Mondays presenter, Michel Gobat standing at a podium.

International Mondays presenter Michel Gobat, UI Associate Professor, Department of History

The Forgotten U.S. Empire in Central America, 1855-57

Michel Gobat, UI Associate Professor, Department of History, and recipient of a 2007 International Programs summer research grant

Oct. 29

The Hemisphere

Robert Pastor, Center for North American Studies at American University in Washington, D.C., and former National Security Council staff
* Englert Theater- 11 to 11:50 a.m. and 12 to 1:20 p.m.

Nov. 5

Local Economy and Global Economy

Arvind Dandekar, Fastek
* Englert Theater- 11 to 11:50 a.m. and 12 to 1:20 p.m.

Nov. 12

Energy and the Environment as Foreign Policy

Frank Cownie, mayor of Des Moines,
Peter W. Soverel, Wild Salmon Center and former White House and NATO staff member
* Englert Theater- 11 to 11:50 a.m. and 12 to 1:20 p.m.

Nov. 26

Public Health as Foreign Policy

Mary Gilchrist, Massachusetts State Laboratory Institute and former director of the UI Hygienic Lab
Michael Schoenbaum, National Institute of Health and former RAND Palestine Project.
* Englert Theater- 11 to 11:50 a.m. and 12 to 1:20 p.m.

Spring 2007 Schedule:

Jan. 29

A Conversation on U.S. National Security in the 21st Century: A Grand Strategy for the Princeton Project

Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

Feb. 5

Delaying the Real World

Colleen Kinder, author and graduate student in the UI Nonfiction Writing Program

Feb. 12

The Peace Corp Experience

Amie Meade and Becky Bowman, UI graduate students and UI Peace Corp representatives

Feb. 19

Microfinance in India

Rangaswamy Rajagopal and Ed Brands, UI Professors of Geography

Feb. 26

The Soviet-American Peace Walk: A Journey to My Roots

Kathleen Staley, UI Psychologist

March 5

Landmine Work in Cambodia: Problems in the Field - A Talk on work at the Cambodian Mine Action Center through the Cmiel Funded Internship

Alexis Bushnell, graduate student; Program Associate at the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights

March 19

Graduate Student Presentation

Gyorgy Toth, UI graduate student in American Studies

March 26

A Panel Discussion: So what do we really mean when we say "International Studies"?

Panelists: Dr. P. Barry Butler, Dean, UI College of Engineering; Dr. Diana Davies, UI Director of International Programs; and Martha Greer, UI International Studies coordinator

Discussant: Mark Salisbury, doctoral student in Student Affairs Administration and Research and an investigator for the ACE Internationalization Lab

Moderator: Hilary Anne Frost-Kumpf, UI graduate student in International Studies

April 2

Autonomous Language Learning Network (ALLNet)

Elena Osinsky, Director, UI ALLNet Program