Monday, April 1, 2019

Plenary Lecture: China-U.S. Relations Today: Economics, Politics, and Law  
10:20 – 11:20 a.m. | Winnet Student Life Building, Room S2-3 

Jacques deLisle, Director of the Center for East Asian Studies and Stephen A. Cozen Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania, will bring up-to-date insights into current Chinese-U.S. relations and how they are affected by legal, economic and political change in China, and by U.S. actions. This lecture is made possible by the generous support of Penn’s Center for East Asian Studies, a National Resource Center.

Lindback Award Lecture: "The Student with a Thousand Faces: Joseph Campbell's Hero's Quest Applied to Teaching"
2:30 – 4 p.m. | Winnet Student Life Building, Room S2-3 

Join us for a lecture by the 2018 Lindback Teaching Award winner, Joseph Kenyon, Associate Professor of English. 

Diane C. Freedman Memorial Lecture: “Understanding Iran Present and Past: Today’s U.S.-Iran Relationships and a View of Iran’s Persian History”  
9:40 – 11:10 a.m. | Winnet Student Life Building, Great Hall, Room S2-19 

Dr. Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania, and Director of the University of Pennsylvania Middle East Center, will share her views on how U.S. and Iran’s actions affect international relations. She will also discuss one aspect of Iran’s world famous Persian history. We thank University of Pennsylvania’s generous support for twenty years of the Community College of Philadelphia’s international initiatives.

Film on Global Warming: “The Human Element”
1:00 – 2:30 p.m. | Bonnell Building, Large Auditorium, Room BG-20

This documentary by the environmental photographer James Balog depicts how human activities are altering the basic elements of life - earth, air, water, and fire - and the implications for quality of life for all. Organized by Professors Joseph Noyes, Biology Department and Margaret Stephens, Social Science Department. 

Friday, April 5, 2019

Talk by Liliana Velásquez, Author and Immigrant Activist
12:40 – 1:40 p.m. | Bonnell Building, Large Auditorium, Room BG-20 

Liliana Velásquez will share her memoir, Dreams and Nightmares / Sueños y Pesadillas, in which she tells about fleeing unspeakable violence and poverty in Guatemala when she was fourteen and traveling alone through Mexico to seek safety and opportunity in the United States. She was captured by U.S. immigration in the Arizona desert, spent months in detention, and finally gained asylum. She currently is a college student, and her dream is to become a nurse.

The Work of La Puerta Abierta and Ways to Improve Immigrants’ Lives
1:50 – 2:50 p.m. | Bonnell Building, Large Auditorium, Room BG-20

Join us for this discussion led by community organizers who support Ms. Velásquez and can talk about the work in the Philadelphia area of such organizations as La Puerta Abierta. Layla de Luria, a Clinical Supervisor and the foster mother of Liliana Velásquez, will talk about the work of La Puerta Abierta (LPA) which reaches out to Latinx immigrant communities, does family reunification work, and provides psychological evaluations. Founded in 20I0, LPA offers bilingual counseling and seeks to promote understanding of the stressors immigrant families now face.

Monday, April 15, 2019

International Festival Luncheon
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  | Winnet Student Life Building, Great Hall, Room S2-19

Professor Sethbhakdi will present this year’s Pairat Sethbhakdi Friend of the Festival Awards to three winners who have significantly contributed to international initiatives and the Festival. The event will also feature presentations of the essay and poetry contest winners to students and faculty. 

Complete the online RSVP to reserve your seat.

Rethinking the 'Long Nineteenth Century' Through the Prism of Meiji Japan
1:50 – 2:50 p.m.  | CBI Building, Room C2-05

Lecture provided by Professor Frederick Dickinson, University of Pennsylvania.

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Student Panel on Religious Studies Majors
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.  | CBI Building, Room C2-05

Student panel of Religious Studies Majors speaking on why they decided to study religion, and on transfer and career opportunities.

Third Annual Religious Studies Spring Colloquium: "Sounding Out Idols: Friedrich Nietzsche's Account of Why Nihilism Followed the Decline in Religious Faith"
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.  | CBI Building, Room C2-05

Lecture provided by Dr. Amena Coronado, Community College of Philadelphia

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

International Festival Culture and Fashion Show
12:40 – 1:40 p.m. | Bonnell Building, Large Auditorium, Room BG-20

The annual Culture and Fashion show, demonstrating appreciation for the varied traditions of our students, will once again be presented by Dr. Pairat Sethbakdi, who created our first international festival 35 years ago. International students from a CIS class of Joanne Patti will share their national backgrounds.

1:50 – 2:50 p.m. | Bonnell Building, Large Auditorium, Room BG-20

Student singers, musicians, and performances from around the world. Prof. Akiko Mori and students will perform the Fisherman’s dance. Prof. Mak Khan will introduce the talents of international students.

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Film Screening & Discussion: “Under African Skies”
9:40 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. | Bonnell Building, Large Auditorium, Room BG-20 

“Under African Skies” is a documentary of “the story behind the incredible journey, history and evolution of Paul Simon’s Graceland and an exploration of the cultural and political climate of South Africa 25 years ago. With the compelling perceptions of anti-apartheid activists and music legends, this film is a profound rumination on the role of the artist in society.” CCP faculty will lead a brief discussion.

Presentation by Bakithi Kumalo: Performance and Remarks on a Personal Experience with South African Apartheid
1:00 – 2:40 p.m. | Bonnell Building, Large Auditorium, Room BG-20

Bakithi Kumalo contines to have ties to his birthplace in the Soweto township of Johannesburg. Kumalo worked as a session musician in South Africa during the 1970s and early 1980s, eventually becoming a top session bassist. In 1985, Kumalo was introduced to Paul Simon during the sessions for Simon's Graceland album. Kumalo traveled with Simon to New York on the accompanying concert tour. He has also released several solo records, and continued to perform as a session musician with artists such as Joan Baez, Cyndi Lauper, Herbie Hancock, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Randy Brecker, Grover Washington Jr., and Mickey Hart. Supported by the generosity of Howard University’s Center for African Studies, a National Resource Center.

Student Study Abroad Alumni/ae Gathering
3:00 – 4:15 p.m. | Bonnell Building, Room BG-07B

Past student participants of the College’s study abroad programs are invited to join faculty and staff to share reflections. Interested members of the College community are also welcome. This is an informal opportunity for students who have traveled to Tanzania, Japan, Mexico, Cuba and perhaps other study abroad destinations from earlier years such as Italy, Cambodia and Peru, to meet and talk with one another. A portion of the time may be organized as a Question and Answer Session about the longer impact of these short-term study abroad experiences! Organized by Lucia Gbaya-Kanga, Study Abroad Coordinator.

Sponsored by: Office of Student Engagement, Division of Student Development, Center for International Understanding, and Women’s Outreach and Advocacy Center

Supported by: International Festival Planning Committee, University of Pennsylvania's Center for East Asian Studies and Middle East Center, and Howard University’s Center for African Studies