WorldCanvass started its ninth season by teaming up with Hancher and its Embracing Complexity project for a multi-layered program exploring the beauty of Islamic art and the diversity within Islamic cultures. Joan Kjaer and guests discussed the great diversity that exists within Islamic cultures and traditions, ancient and modern, near and far.  They examined the many aesthetic, artistic, architectural, and other elements of Islamic expression that have made their way into the global consciousness and talked with a playwright who’s documenting the contemporary Muslim experience in Iowa. The show was closed out with a performance by musical group, Niyaz. They shared their musical vision, which is rooted in ancient poetry and Sufi mysticism, and their hopes to unite different peoples and traditions through a common humanity.

The first week abroad is filled with different emotions. Every person is going to feel different emotions at different times throughout the week. I remember reading an article about culture shock a week before I departed for Thessaloniki. I was surprised that it did not hit me right away! It took a while, but it did occur while in my first week of classes. 

Please join the UI Japanese Program for two evenings of bilingual readings with author Fujino Kaori!  Fujino Kaori, winner of the Akutagawa Prize and 2017 International Writing Program participant, will read from two of her short stories in the original Japanese, and members of the Workshop in Japanese Literary Translation will read from their English translations. Both events are free and open to the public. 

Madeleine Green is the third speaker in the Commitment to Internationalization lecture series. Her talk, "Are We There Yet?:  The Long (and Winding) Road to Global Learning for All," will be on Thursday, November 2, at 4:00 p.m. in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber. This lecture continues the conversation about the UI's vision and strategic themes for campus internationalization.

News. Fake news. Disinformation. Fact-checking. Sourced news. Unverified sources. Social media incursions by foreign nations. Cleverly disguised mass propaganda that masquerades as a heartfelt message from a friend…….who knows what to believe anymore when even undeniably true facts are in dispute? This question is at the heart of the upcoming WorldCanvass discussion, when the topic is “Journalism and a Free Press in the Age of Fake News.” The live event takes place from 5:30-7 p.m. on October 18 at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street, and is hosted for UI International Programs by Joan Kjaer. We invite you to come at 5 and join us for a pre-show catered reception!

Are you interested in learning about earning UI credit while spending eight weeks during the summer interning full-time in the field of your choice in Dublin? UI students are invited to attend an information session with IES Abroad, featuring guest speaker Stephen McMahon, faculty member at IES Internships.

Are you interested in learning about earning UI credit while spending eight weeks during the summer interning full-time in the field of your choice in Barcelona? UI students are invited to attend an information session with IES Abroad, featuring guest speaker Dr. Cèsar Alegre Alsina, center director at IES Internships. 

Wow sometimes it’s hard to believe how quickly time passes. I feel as though I’ve only just arrived and yet I’m already a quarter of the way through my exchange semester! I do attribute some of this feeling to the fact that I have yet to begin my actual classes. The semester officially began this week, but my first class isn’t until next Monday.

My daily loaf of bread and the cheese and shrimp empanadas are catching up to me. It seems I’m getting a nice little tummy. However, my legs have never been stronger. This is because I am lucky enough to live in Cerro (hill) Yungay, one of Valparaíso’s 42 cerros. It’s generally quiet, covered in art, and has a great view of that big blue thing over there we call the Pacific Ocean. Cerro Yungay is run by groups of friendly multi-colored cats and overweight happy pups who come and go from house to house as they please. For this post I want to show the short, but oh so steep climb from the base of my street to my house. I will do so with photos…

The African Studies Program invites you to attend their first event of the semester, "A Roundtable with the 2017 IWP Residents from Africa." This event will take place on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 from 12-1:30 p.m. in 2390 UCC (University Capitol Centre).