Online Event  11:30 AM New York l 5:30 PM Vienna

Open Society Hub for the Politics of the Anthropocene at CEU presents a hybrid discussion with Stephen Milder, an environmental historian at the Rachel Carson Center in Munich, on "Petra Kelly and the Making of the Global Green Movement." 

Green parties have frequently been studied as distinct national cases.  Petra Kelly, co-founder of the West German Greens, understood Green politics differently.  A globetrotting activist, she supported grassroots struggles everywhere she went and played a part in the formation of Green parties in many parts of the world.  Following Kelly on her travels within Western Europe, East Germany, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia, as well as the United States, Australia, Japan, and India, Milder's talk shows how a global green movement emerged in the 1980s, and positions Kelly and the West German Greens within that development.  In showing Kelly’s seminal role in the making of a “Global Green Movement,” the paper also raises questions about how her ideas influence the Greens in the present.

Milder received his PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012, and has worked at Duke University, Rutgers University, and the University of Groningen before coming to Munich.  He is the author of Greening Democracy:  The Antinuclear Movement and Political Environmentalism in West Germany and Beyond, 1968-1983 (2017).  Currently, he is writing a history of the emergence of climate politics at the end of the Cold War and editing a source edition of documents related to Petra Kelly’s international travels.

Register to attend via Zoom

Online Event  7:00 am – 12:00 pm EST/GMT-5
7 AM New York l 1 PM Vienna

In today’s rapidly evolving world, the practical application of research is more crucial than ever. Yet, we often undervalue student potential as a driving force in bridging academic knowledge and real-world practice.  Organized by Tian Shan Policy Center and Social Sciences Division, American University of Central Asia, with the Graduate Geneva Institute, this hybrid seminar is dedicated to exploring applied research practices under joint mentorship, aiming to strengthen the connections between the university, students, applied research, and stakeholders. The goal of the event is to reimagine the role of students—not just as learners, but as partners, innovators, and catalysts for change.

Key Themes Include:
• Students as Innovators in Applied Research: Highlighting how students contribute significantly to research that addresses real-world challenges.
• Joint Mentorship in Applied Research: Exploring how collaborative mentorship enhances student development and research outcomes.
• Internships and Practical Experiences: Providing opportunities for students to engage directly with stakeholders through meaningful internships.
• Sustainable Collaboration Systems: Building long-term partnerships involving students, universities, and stakeholders in ongoing applied research projects.

Who Should Attend:
• University faculty and researchers
• Students interested in applied research and internships
• Industry professionals and community stakeholders
• Anyone passionate about enhancing the practical impact of research and student engagement

Register to attend

Deadline to register to attend is December 17

Online Event  6:00 pm – 7:30 pm EST/GMT-5
6 PM New York l 12 AM Vienna

AltLiberalArts presents a webinar with PEN America’s Madison Markham, who will discuss PEN America’s book ban research from the 2023-2024 school year, and what lies ahead.

Since the 2021 “parental rights” movement began as a backlash to progress made after the 2020 racial justice uprisings, book banning in public schools in the United States has skyrocketed. From over 3,000 school book bans in the 2022-2023 school year, to over 10,000 in the 2023-2024 school year, book banning is a crisis in the United States, particularly targeting books featuring diverse characters or certain subjects.

Madison Markham (she/they), is the Program Assistant for the Freedom to Read Program at PEN America, where they support PEN America’s work researching book bans and aiding grassroots advocates across the country. She has testified to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in defense of free expression and inclusivity within higher education in Florida and facilitated a roundtable on book bans with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education. They have a Bachelor’s in Sociology/Gender Studies from New College of Florida, where they helped lead student organizing efforts to protect free expression and inclusivity at the college, including co-hosting the [NEW] Commencement alternative graduation.

Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  The International Conference and Forum EMERGE 2024: Ethics of AI Alignment will be held in Belgrade from December 11th
to 13th, 2024. Over 100 participants, including leading international experts, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, will attend to address the ethical challenges of aligning AI systems with human values and societal norms. The working language of the Conference is English and it is a hybrid event.

Conference Topics Include: 
Media, Freedom of Expression, and Democracy
Art & AI 
AI Ethics, Environmental Technology, and More-Than-Human Ecologies 
Health Tech & Health Literacy
Education 
Paradigms of AI  
Recommendation and Ranking Algorithms   
Religion & AI    

All scholars and students are welcome, regardless of their level of study or their philosophical and scientific disciplines.
The event is organized by DigiLab, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research and Development of Serbia.

Learn about EMERGE2024

Register to attend online

Online Event  8:30 am – 10:00 am EST/GMT-5
8:30 AM New York l 2:30 PM Vienna

The students and faculty of the Visual Storytelling for Civic Engagement course invite the OSUN community to join in a celebratory end-of-semester student film festival. Hosted on Zoom, the event will feature selected samples from dozens of student-made documentary films.
Come see what students across the OSUN network have been working on!

Join via Zoom

Online Event  8:30 am – 11:30 am EST/GMT-5
Tuesday, December 10｜8:30 - 11:00 AM New York l 2:30 - 5 PM Vienna
Thursday, December 12｜8:30 to 11:30 AM New York l  2:30 - 5:30 PM Vienna

OSUN community members are invited to join the IWT CLASP Fellows Cohort '24 as they offer insights into writing-rich, student-centered, liberal arts and sciences pedagogies as they share the research conducted through their capstone projects. Beginning in the fall 2022, this cohort of Fellows met monthly online, as well as in person for four, week-long intensive workshops, all focused on best practices in liberal arts and sciences pedagogies. The workshops emphasized increasing student engagement and transfer of knowledge beyond disciplinary and institutional boundaries. This two-day celebratory event will take the form of a conference, with panels of Fellows who will share excerpts from their research in the company of others working on similar topics. There will also be plenty of time for discussion.

Tuesday, 10 December

Panel 1: Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy Across Institutions
8:30 to 9:30 AM (NY) / 2:30 - 3:30 PM (Vienna)

Panel 2: Writing and Feedback in Community l 
9:30–11:00 AM (NY) 3:30 - 5 PM (Vienna)

Thursday, 12 December

Panel 3: Experiments in Writing and Course Design
8:30 to 9:30 AM (NY) / 2:30 -3:30 PM (Vienna)

Panel 4: Writing and Feedback in Community II
9:30 to 10:30 AM  (NY) / 3:30 - 4:30 PM (Vienna)

Panel 5: Reflection and Storytelling
10:30 to 11:30 AM (NY) / 4:30 - 5:30 PM (Vienna)

Questions? Write to [email protected]

Register and receive a Zoom link to join

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EST/GMT-5
Get Engaged alumna Umma Maimuna Alam will lead this storytelling workshop designed to empower youth through sharing their unique narratives. Participants will explore various storytelling methods, from traditional techniques to modern digital formats. Through interactive exercises, attendees will develop practical skills to craft compelling stories that resonate with their audience. Whether through writing, spoken word, or visual storytelling, this workshop aims to boost confidence, foster creativity, and encourage self-expression.

Register to join via zoom

Umma Maimuna Alam is a recent graduate in English and Humanities from BRAC University, Bangladesh. Connected with various OSUN initiatives since 2022, she has served as Content Editor and later Managing Editor at OSUN Global Commons, a student-led online publication. She has participated in the 2022 and 2023 Get Engaged Conferences in Kyrgyzstan and Hungary. Earlier this year, she produced "Breaking Barriers," a powerful documentary highlighting the challenges faced by higher education students with disabilities in Bangladesh. Currently, she works as a Teaching Assistant at BRAC University while focusing on community projects.

Online Event  4:00 pm – 5:30 pm EST/GMT-5
4 PM New York l 10 PM Vienna

AltLiberalArts presents a webinar with Uzi Baram, exploring how teaching on the history of race facilitates addressing social ills of our times including antisemitism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia.

Race and racism continue to haunt our world, with social divides reflecting and accelerating inequalities and inequities. Teaching on race and racism is part of a liberal arts education but has been mocked as woke in current political discourse.

Baram will reflect on a quarter century of teaching a course on race and ethnicity at New College of Florida, where he has taught archaeology and cultural anthropology courses, supervised nearly one hundred theses, created the New College Public Archaeology Lab with its commitment to radical openness and community engagement, and published on the archaeology of the Ottoman Empire, the southern route of the Underground Railroad, and on heritage.

Uzi Baram, born in Haifa, Israel and raised on Long Island, New York, obtained a BA in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Binghamton and MA and PhD from the University of Massachusetts focused on the archaeology of the recent past.

Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  11:30 am EST/GMT-5
11:30 AM New York l 5:30 PM Vienna

David M. Rabban will present his recent book on Academic Freedom: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right. He will compare the concept of academic freedom as a professional norm in the United States with the treatment of academic freedom as a constitutional right by American courts and discuss the controversial relationship between academic freedom and general rights of free speech in both professional and judicial interpretations.  After analyzing the case law about academic freedom as a constitutional right of both professors and universities, he will present a theory of academic freedom as a distinctive constitutional right designed to promote the production and dissemination of expert knowledge.

There will be an introduction by Shalini Randeria, CEU President and Rector and discussion with Michael Ignatieff, CEU President and Rector (2016-2021) and Professor, CEU Department of Historical Studies.

Rabban served as counsel to the American Association of University Professors for several years before joining the Texas faculty in 1983. His teaching and research focus on free speech, higher education and the law, and American legal history. He is the author of Free Speech in Its Forgotten Years, 1870-1920, which received the Forkosch Prize from the Journal of the History of Ideas for "the best book in intellectual history published in 1997." 

Join via Zoom link

Online Event  8:30 am – 11:30 am EST/GMT-5
8:30 AM New York l 2:30 PM Vienna

The Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy invites all OSUN faculty to attend a free-of-charge workshop on "Real-Life Languaging: Approaches to Teaching English Language Learners." This workshop is targeted at faculty teaching OSUN Online and Network Connected Courses, but the content in the module is broadly applicable. All faculty are welcome to attend.

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), uses authentic language material, such as newspaper articles, radio broadcasts and everyday communication situations. These help learners to feel immersed in real life social contexts where they engage with native speakers. At the same time, the everyday reality of second-language English speakers is that translanguaging (the ability to move between languages) is quite common.

The aim of this workshop is to identify the ways in which CLT and translanguaging in ESL complement, support and inspire each other. This workshop invites lecturers and ESL/ELL instructors to join writing exercises where we will experiment with questions such as: How can translanguaging become a real-life element of everyday communicative situations in the classroom? How do we activate the instructors’/facilitators’ own multilingual backgrounds to access second language teaching? How do bridging/scaffolding devices in second language teaching give permission for playfulness in freewriting and dialogical notebook writing exercises? 

Register to attend

Online Event  11:30 am – 1:00 pm EST/GMT-5
11:30 AM New York l 5:30 PM Vienna

The OSUN Hub for the Politics of the Anthropocene (OHPA) presents a discussion with Jeff D. Colgan, Richard Holbrooke Professor in the Department of Political Science and Watson Institute for Public and International Affairs at Brown University. His research focuses on international order and security, especially as related to energy and the environment.

Did firms shift resources to decarbonization in the wake of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, especially in industries where technology permits relatively cheap low-carbon options? The Paris Agreement marked a key moment in climate cooperation, uniting countries towards a common goal. However, achieving this target is largely dependent on the behavior of nonstate actors because companies are responsible for the lion’s share of greenhouse gas emissions. Existing research on the effects of international organizations on nonstate actors is mixed, and little focuses on climate agreements.

Colgan will examine whether the Paris Agreement changed corporate behavior among “convertible” industries, focusing on automobile manufacturers.  Using five types of primary source materials such as earnings call transcripts and production reports, we find quite limited evidence that the Paris Agreement shifted business strategy in the automotive sector. Overall, the evidence should lead dispassionate analysts to revise downward their beliefs about Paris impact. Still, the Paris Agreement might have created an enabling environment for more ambitious domestic policy in the long run.

Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  8:30 am – 10:00 am EST/GMT-5
8:30 AM New York l 2:30 PM Vienna

The Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy invites all OSUN faculty to attend a free-of-charge workshop on “The Reflective Educator”: Writing to Support Ongoing Professional Development." This workshop is targeted at faculty teaching OSUN Online and Network Connected Courses, but the content in the module is broadly applicable. All faculty are welcome to attend.

Professional development is an increasingly important part of the tenure and promotion processes for faculty across disciplines and institutions. However, creating time for ongoing professional growth can be challenging–faculty are often stretched thin, juggling teaching responsibilities and research work. This workshop focuses on ways to use reflective writing as a tool for professional growth as well as a pedagogical innovation in and of itself. Through interactive and collaborative activities, participants will learn to integrate these writing-rich techniques authentically into their professional routine, thus promoting continuous improvement in their educational work. 

Register to attend

Online Event  5:00 pm – 6:30 pm EST/GMT-5
5 PM New York l 11 PM Vienna

The Economic Democracy Initiative presents its Fall 2024 Keynote, by Lord Robert Skidelsky, focused on his new book, The Machine Age: An Idea, a History, a Warning, an ambitious survey of the impact of machines on humanity in its various aspects, peaceful and warlike, democratic and Orwellian, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

Join via livestream

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EST/GMT-5
OSUN is offering faculty a series of online webinars focused on various aspects of the Brightspace LMS. These sessions will be led by Katarina Raznatovic, an instructor from D2L (the company behind Brightspace LMS). The series consists of six sessions, each covering specific Brightspace tools.

The webinars are no charge and will focus on Brightspace's internal tools only. While tools like Padlet, Perusall, Zoom, or Panopto won't be covered, the internal tools offer significant benefits, such as full integration within the LMS, enhanced analytics, and overall efficiency.

Session 5: Assessing Using Quizzes
Tuesday, November 19
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna Creating and Assessing Quizzes Building questions in the Question Library Student View Join via Zoom
Session: Evaluate Grades
Tuesday, December 3
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna Setting up the Gradebook using the Setup Wizard Building Categories and Grade Items in the Gradebook Managing the Gradebook Join via Zoom

Online Event  3:00 pm – 4:30 pm EST/GMT-5
3 PM New York l 9 PM Vienna

The Bard Center for the Study of Hate welcomes Simon Cullen and Nicholas DiBella of Carnegie Mellon University, who will discuss and demonstrate their AI-scaffolded group chat platform for students called Sway, which was recently covered in Inside Higher Ed. Attendees will get hands-on experience with Sway and learn how they can use it.

This AI-facilitated chat marks a significant advancement in the technology available to support human-to-human dialogue. It features a sophisticated AI facilitator that guides discussion in a productive direction, probing the reasons behind students’ beliefs, and steering conversations back to core issues when they get sidetracked as it provides relevant information to ground discussions. 
 
Register to join the webinar

Online Event  8:30 am – 11:30 am EST/GMT-5
8:30 AM New York l 2:30 PM Vienna

The Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy invites all OSUN faculty to attend a free-of-charge workshop on "Writing to Read Difficult Texts."
This workshop is targeted at faculty teaching OSUN Online and Network Connected Courses, but the content in the module is broadly applicable. All faculty are welcome to attend.

Creative, generative, or low stakes writing assignments are less common in more technical disciplines (such as Law, Economics or Public Policy) that often require students to work with difficult, complex, theoretical texts. This three-hour long workshop offers participants writing-rich strategies to use in order to demystify difficult readings through the use of techniques that invite students to engage through writing as part of their reading process. Working together experientially, participants will explore the potential of practices such as focused free writing, text rendering, loop writing, writing from sight & scents, and performance, within their own classes.

Register to attend

Online Event  11:30 am – 1:00 pm EST/GMT-5
11:30 AM New York l 5:30 Vienna

It becomes more and more obvious that our fossilized civilization has no sustainable future. It is an ecological Ponzi scheme stealing away the lives of countless species and the wellbeing of future generations in exchange for contemporary conveniences and the luxuries of a small subset of the human population. Yet a civilization wholly beyond fossils still seems difficult to grasp. 

In this discussion presented by the Open Society Hub for the Politics of the Anthropocene (OHPA), Dominic Boyer of Rice University tells the story of the rise of fossil civilization through successive phases of sucropolitics (plantation sugar), carbopolitics (industrial coal), and petropolitics (oil automobility and plasticity), showing what tethers us to the ecocidal trajectory of petroculture today and what it will take to overcome the forces that mire us in place. He also looks ahead toward the world that the rapid electrification of vehicles, buildings, and power is creating. What can we do to make electroculture more just and sustainable than the petroculture we are leaving behind?

Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  8:30 am – 11:30 am EST/GMT-5
8:30 AM New York l 2:30 PM Vienna

The Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy invites all OSUN faculty to attend a free-of-charge workshop on "Interviewing Portraits: Engaging with Difficult Conversations in the Classroom." This workshop is targeted at faculty teaching OSUN Online and Network Connected Courses, but the content in the module is broadly applicable. All faculty are welcome to attend.

It can be challenging for us, as educators, to discuss tragic events such as wars, hunger, migration, violence, and poverty with our students. Many of us teach in classrooms where students face societal, political, or economic crises. That is why, in practice, our role often extends beyond teaching. In many instances, we must find ways to address these challenging circumstances without suppressing the associated emotions, instead integrating them into the learning process and creating a safe space where that learning can happen. This workshop will explore the application of IWT practices in observing, understanding, discussing, and writing about political, economic, and societal crises. More specifically, it will explore how IWT’s writing-based teaching practices can support processing, understanding, and coping with tragic moments through individual and collaborative working habits for students. 

Register to attend

Online Event  12:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST/GMT-5
12 PM New York l 6 PM Vienna

The Center for Human Rights and the Arts presents a discussion with Brenna Bhandar, Associate Professor of Law at the University of British Columbia, moderated by Adam HajYahia.

Land dispossession in settler colonies was rooted in the assertion of colonial sovereignty, which empowered settlers to re-territorialize Indigenous lands and create a regime of private ownership. This talk explores the land law doctrine of pre-emption, which was a key modality of Indigenous land dispossession in British Columbia and throughout North America. It examines the nature of power that the state bestowed upon individual settlers to perform property even before they were bona fide owners. This particular land law doctrine elucidates the relationships between legality and illegality, and law and violence, in the making of racial regimes of ownership.

Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:30 am EST/GMT-5
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

The Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy invites all OSUN faculty to attend a free-of-charge workshop on "Managing Feedback and Silence in the Classroom" This workshop is targeted at faculty teaching OSUN Online and Network Connected Courses, but the content in the module is broadly applicable. All faculty are welcome to attend.

For an educator, the silent classroom can be a source of great anxiety and concern. Traditional approaches to effective classroom pedagogies often construct a binary between the silent classroom as an instance of passive/zero learning and the “voiced” classroom as an indicator of active learning. This workshop employs the IWT Dialectical Notebook, often referred to as a “written conversation,” as a way to begin to examine and harness students’ engagement and productivity. Participants will have the opportunity to work with and through the Dialectical Notebook first as learners themselves and then as instructors, designing activities that suit their own classrooms. Faculty from diverse disciplines and professional backgrounds are welcome to participate.

Register to attend

Online Event  5:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST/GMT-5
On Monday, November 4, Bard College will host a screening and discussion for the public premiere of the new OSUN documentary film, "A Poll to Call Our Own: The Bard Voting Story." 

The screening will be followed by a discussion that will be broadcast as a webinar with key actors, including Bard alumni/ae Sarah deVeer ’17, Jonian Rafti ’15, Seamus Heady ’22 (producer/director), lawyer Yael Bromberg, Bard Vice President for Civic Engagement Erin Cannan, and Bard Vice President for Academic Affairs Jonathan Becker.

Register in advance to attend the webinar

Online Event  10:00 am – 1:30 pm EST/GMT-5
10 AM New York l 4 PM Vienna

Are the current policies of the European Union adequate to the challenges of the Anthropocene? Will the ambitious reforms proposed by the Draghi Report be sufficient for mitigating the ongoing crisis? The Open Society Hub for the Politics of the Anthropocene (OHPA) presents a discussion of these reforms at a workshop focusing on their climate and human implications. 

Featured academics include:
Alexander Etkind
Anton Shekhovstov
Johanna Gautier Morin
Wester van Gaal
Anders Aslund

Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  10:00 am – 11:00 am EDT/GMT-4
10 AM New York l 4 PM Vienna

This workshop featuring Get Engaged Alumna Bisan Safi explores practical tips on how to integrate global environmental issues into projects from different fields, while also covering some foundational strategies for coming up with creative, interactive events that get people excited and help deliver ideas more effectively. From brainstorming fun activities to designing events that engage different audiences, this workshop focuses on making projects not only impactful but also memorable.

Bisan Safi is a senior Molecular Genetics student at Al-Quds Bard College. She is a Get Engaged 2022 alumna and an alumna of the OSUN Leadership Fellows program for the year 2023-2024. As co-leader of EcoAQB, the environmental sustainability club at AQB, for the past three years, Bisan founded Baseeta: Little Big Steps,  a project aimed at reconnecting people with the land and transcending traditional methods of delivering environmental knowledge in Palestine. Through her work, Bisan has developed her skills in leading environmental projects and connecting them to diverse areas of interest. She has also been a member of the MENA Youth Climate Change Negotiators program for two years and recently joined the newly founded Palestinian Youth Climate Change Negotiators program.

Join via Zoom link 

Online Event  10:30 am – 2:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
10:30 AM New York l 3:30 PM Vienna

Center for Human Rights and the Arts presents a panel on "One Year On: War, Genocide, and the Transformation of Palestinian, Israeli, and Regional Politics" with Tareq Baconi, Aslı Ü. Bâli, and Shay Hazkani; moderated by Ziad Abu-Rish.  

Panelists will explore how the Hamas-led attack on October 7 and the Israeli war on Gaza have changed and intensified specific dynamics shaping Palestinian, Israeli, and regional/international politics. Taking seriously that history did not begin on October 7, and that the level of death, displacement, and destruction in Gaza caused by the Israeli military has raised the specter of genocide, this panel moves beyond adjudicating the nature of the war to interrogate its reverberations, reflections, and consequences for Palestinian, Israeli, and regional politics.

Where does Hamas stand strategically vis-a-vis its objectives, other Palestinian factions, and the Palestinian people? What social, demographic, and institutional transformations are taking place within the Israeli state and society? In what ways is the regional and international order fundamentally different or affected by the past year? Examining strategic, institutional, and discursive elements, this panel features some of the leading scholars and critical analysts on these and many other questions.

Tareq Baconi is the author of Hamas Contained: A History of Palestinian Resistance. He is president of the board of Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network and is currently a research fellow at the Centre for Humanities Research, University of the Western Cape.

Aslı Ü. Bâli is a Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Her research interests include public international law — particularly human rights law and the law of the international security order — and comparative constitutional law, with a focus on the Middle East. She has written on the nuclear non-proliferation regime, humanitarian intervention, the roles of race and empire in the interpretation and enforcement of international law, the role of judicial independence in constitutional transitions, federalism and decentralization in the Middle East, and constitutional design in religiously divided societies. Bâli received her doctorate in Politics from Princeton University in 2010 and her law degree from Yale. Before joining Yale she was Professor of Law at UCLA, Director of the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies, and Founding Faculty Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights. She currently serves as President of the Middle East Studies Association of North America. 

Shay Hazkani is an Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. He specializes in the social and cultural history of Palestine/Israel. His first book, Dear Palestine: A Social History of the 1948 War (Stanford University Press, 2021), received the Korenblat and Azrieli-Concordia book awards and was longlisted for the Cundill History Prize. The book was also published in Hebrew and is forthcoming in Arabic in 2025. Shay is the co-creator of The Soldier’s Opinion, a documentary based on his research, which won the 2023 American Historical Association John E. O’Connor Film Award. He earned his PhD in History and Judaic Studies from New York University and holds a Master’s in Arab Studies from Georgetown University. Before his academic career, Shay worked as a journalist in Israel, covering the occupied Palestinian territories and the Israeli military.

Ziad Abu-Rish (Moderator) is Associate Professor of Human Rights and Middle East Studies at Bard College, where he also directs the MA Program at the Center for Human Rights and the Arts. A historian by training, healso serves as co-editor of the online platform Jadaliyya and the peer-reviewed Arab Studies Journal.

Join via Zoom

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
Any organization can rise up, but building an organization that lasts takes mission focus, strong systems, and an understanding of how to assess institutional health. This workshop with André Santana explores best practices for chartering your organization, having a strong mission statement, recruiting and retention, retaining institutional knowledge, and planning for the future. 

André Santana works as an audiobook narrator and loves storytelling in all forms. As a Get Engaged Alumni, he ran an annual teach-in at Bard College at Simon's Rock, worked in Human Resources for four years, and serves as a board member in the nonprofit sector. He is excited to share what he's learned across industries and bring new perspectives to workshop participants.  

Register to join

Online Event  3:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
3 AM New York l 9 AM Vienna

The Open Society Hub for the Politics of the Anthropocene (OHPA) in partnership with the American University of Central Asia invites the OSUN community to its workshop on "Climate Crisis and Carbon Societies" held online and at the Central European University in Vienna.

Speakers:
Alexander Etkind (OHPA-CEU). Decarbonization and the Petrostate
Peter Wagner (UCA). Societies with and without Carbon: Central Asia in Global Context
Gustavo Andreao (OHPA-CEBRAP Sao Paolo). Petrostate and Carbon Society in Venezuela
Sina Ayanlade (OHPA-CEU). Oil, Climate, and Gender in Central Africa
Stefan C. Aykut (U. Hamburg). The Geopolitical Boomerang: The Return of Politics in Global Climate governance
Giuliano Garavini (U. Rome). The Creation of OPEC and the Question of Resource Conservation
Johanna Gautier (OHPA-CEU). The Emission Market and the EU Politics
Georg-Henri Kaup (EUI Florence). Socialist Mercantilism: The Latter Days of the Soviet Petrostate

Register to attend via Zoom

Deadline to register is Wednesday, October 23

Online Event  8:30 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
8:30 AM New York l 2:30 PM Vienna

The Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy invites all OSUN faculty to attend a free-of-charge workshop on "Developing Student Media Literacy?" This workshop is targeted at faculty teaching OSUN Online and Network Connected Courses, but the content in the module is broadly applicable. All faculty are welcome to attend.

How do we prepare students to navigate their own digital media landscapes? Students in a virtual classroom may come from a dozen media environments – all of which are quite different from one another, and often from our own. Ensuring that all students are media literate means giving them the power to understand the spread of information, assess credibility, and consume critically. The open access OSUN Media Literacy Module aims to do just that. In this workshop, we will walk through the tools in the Media Literacy Module, experiment with them ourselves, and think together about how to adapt the module to our own classroom contexts. 

Register to attend

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
This workshop by Ibaad Ullah Durrani highlights ways to inspire and mobilize young people, particularly in regions with limited resources. This workshop will focus on community-based initiatives, the role of education in youth empowerment, and practical ways to create lasting change. 

Ibaad Ullah Durrani is the founder and director of the Afghans for Afghans Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Afghan girls through education. With years of experience as an English instructor and content development specialist, Ibaad Ullah has worked on various educational projects that enhance learning for Afghan students, including those supported by the EU. His diverse expertise spans teaching English as a second language, curriculum development, and content creation.

Register to attend

Online Event  7:30 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
7:30 AM New York l 1:30 PM Vienna

The Open Society Hub for the Politics of the Anthropocene (OHPA) and the CEU Department of International Relations are hosting a seminar on "The Unequal Anthropocene: Power and Resource Exploitation" with speakers Ayansina Ayanlade and Johanna Gautier Morin.

Co-chairs: Alexander Etkind, Erin Kristin Jenne and Patryk Labuda

Ayansina Ayanlade will discuss "Nigeria's Petrostate: Oil Dependency vs. Sustainable Development," focusing on the country's long-standing links between oil exports, dictatorship, and securitization issues and the decline in non-oil sectors, environmental degradation, and neglect of human capital. 

Johanna Gautier Morin will discuss "Markets, Knowledge and the Politics of the Anthropocene: A Research Program on the Measurement of the Economic and the Environmental," focusing on the idea that accounting for carbon emissions and environmental destruction is simultaneously a political act, a scientific endeavor, a response to the needs of financial markets, and a tool for reducing our environmental footprint. International economic indicators have long ignored the interaction between the economy and the environment in national accounts. 

Learn more and register to join online

Online Event  8:00 am – 9:00 am EDT/GMT-4
8 AM New York l 2 PM Vienna

OSUN and the Talloires Network of Engaged Universities invite the community to celebrate and learn from this year's winners of the MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship.

Network partner Al-Quds Bard Civic Engagement Program is the First Place Winner. Despite the difficulty of the political developments in Palestine, the College was determined to maintain a lively Civic Engagement Program, and after several pilot activities, took steps to respond to the crisis by developing a Student Network for Civic Engagement.

The Invisible University for Ukraine (IUFU) at Central European University (Austria) is the Second-Place Prize winner.  IUFU is a student-led hybrid academic program in response to the invasion of Ukraine. 

Awardees will participate in a virtual panel discussion about their programs, student leadership, and community partnerships. This event is free and open to the public. Learn more about each winner and honorable mention here.

Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

This workshop conducted by Get Engaged Alumna Jun Weng will focus on developing interdisciplinary projects that merge the fields of art and science. Participants will gain insights into brainstorming ideas, drafting proposals, capturing community interest, managing timelines, securing partnerships, and successfully hosting events. This workshop is open to anyone interested in exploring new ways to create impactful, cross-disciplinary projects.

Jun Weng is an alumna of the 2021 Get Engaged Online Conference, the 2022 Get Engaged Conference in Kyrgyzstan, the Global Commons Authors initiative, and the 2024 CEU Summer Courses in Budapest. She recently graduated from National Sun Yat-Sen University in Taiwan with a major in Oceanography. While her academic focus is marine science, Weng is also deeply passionate about contemporary art, curation, and arts management. Earlier this year, she successfully curated an art exhibition that integrated marine science with art and she is currently interning at Treasure Hill Artist Village.

Register to join

Online Event  11:30 am – 12:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
11:30 AM New York l 5:30 PM Vienna

The Open Society Hub for the Politics of the Anthropocene (OHPA) at CEU presents Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy in the Department of Politics and International Studies at Cambridge University, leading OHPA's first academic seminar of the semester on "The Geopolitics of a Finite Earth: From the Middle East Oil Wars to Mineral-Rich Ukraine." 

Also, on 9/20 OHPA will conduct its first workshop about “Climate trauma” with multiple scholars from CEU, Zürich University and more. Join us online for a discussion on the political, psychological and cultural aspect of climate trauma.

Learn more and register to join online

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:15 am EDT/GMT-4
This panel takes stock of the current situation facing higher education in Palestine. In addition to a broad overview of the context of higher education in Palestine, panelists will address specific institutions (e.g., Al-Quds University) and highlight initiatives responding to the total destruction of higher education in the Gaza Strip.

Sponsored by Bard's Center for Civic Engagement, Bard Human Rights Program, and Open Society University Network.

While the webinar is free and open to the public, registration in advance is required.
 
Register to join

Presenters:

Ahmad Abu Shaban, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine at Al Azhar University Gaza; Visiting Professor in Environmental Sociology at York University. 

Miriam Lowi, Professor of Comparative & Middle East Politics & International Studies at The College of New Jersey; Chair of the MENA wing of the Middle East Studies Association's Committee on Academic Freedom.

Munir Nuseibah, Assistant Professor at Al-Quds University’s Faculty of Law; Director and Co-Founder of Al-Quds Human Rights Clinic.

Moderator:
Rana Hajjaj, Director of Middle East Development at Bard College; Ph.D. Candidate, Global Governance and Human Security Program,
University of Massachusetts Boston

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

This workshop, led by distinguished 2024 Get Engaged Alumna Nafira Nayeem Ahmad, explores the fundamental values that guide successful non-profit leadership, with an emphasis on equality, anti-discrimination, and breaking societal taboos. Participants will learn how young leaders can inspire their teams, foster inclusivity, and drive impactful change while remaining aligned with their core principles.

Nafira Nayeem Ahmad is a sophomore at BRAC University pursuing a double major in Media & Cultural Studies and English Literature. As the Founder and President of Amplitude, a youth-driven non-profit organization, she leads efforts in Bangladesh to dismantle societal taboos and eradicate discrimination through sustainable education and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Her advocacy work includes collaborating with schools and government bodies to incorporate sex education, mental health awareness, menstrual hygiene, and cultural diversity into curricula. Her leadership has earned her global recognition, including the prestigious Legacy Award from HRH Prince William (2024) and the Diana Award (2022). Ahmad is a UN Millennium Fellow and an OSUN Global Engagement Fellow.

Register to attend

Online Event  3:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
3 PM New York l 9 PM Vienna

The Bard Center for the Study of Hate (BCSH) will host a webinar with Julie Ingersoll, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Florida and Peter Montgomery, Research Director at People for the American Way, experts on the religious movements known as dominionism and the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR).  The Southern Poverty Law Center has described the both social phenomena as authoritarian, Christian supremacy movements attempting to transform culture and politics in the US and countries across the globe. 

Register to join online

Online Event  10:00 am – 11:00 am EDT/GMT-4
10 AM New York l 4 PM Vienna

2024 Get Engaged Alumni Vishal Parkash leads the next Get Engaged Alumni talk, focusing on enhancing pitching skills. Participants will learn how to craft and deliver pitches that captivate and persuade. He will cover essential techniques such as structuring pitches for maximum impact, highlighting key messages effectively, using storytelling methods, and creating pitches that leave a lasting impression.

Vishal Parkash is a rising sophomore at Bard College Berlin pursuing a BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought. He leads the Emprende Berlin initiative, which builds financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills within various communities and also works as a research analyst at Fraunhofer HHI x Silicon Allee. With a wealth of experience in pitching, he has worked with numerous incubators, NGOs, and spearheaded innovative financial and entrepreneurial projects, including Pakistan's first student-run e-wallet.

Register to join

Online Event  10:00 am – 11:00 am EDT/GMT-4
8 PM Dhaka l 10 AM New York l 4 PM Vienna

BRAC University, Bard College, the Review of Democracy at Central European University's Democracy Institute, and OSUN are presenting a special panel discussion on Bangladesh's "July Revolution," which was launched by a series of youth and student-led, anti-government protests criticizing the government's unfair public service hiring quotas.

Anchored in universities, the student protests soon turned into a national mobilization against the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian attitude towards the student leaders, leading to her resignation and fleeing the country. This panel will bring together some of the frontline voices from the movement as well as provide perspective on what comes next for Bangladesh. 

As BRAC's Dean for General Education Samia Huq reflected in a recent article, "How will the country recoup, regroup and rebuild?"

"Witnessing Revolution: The 2024 Student Uprisings in Bangladesh"

Moderator: Samia Huq, Dean of General Education at BRAC University, Professor of Anthropology
Organizer: Anubha Anushree, Editor, The Review of Democracy, Central European University

Faculty Panelists:  
Shafiul Aziz, Lecturer, School of General Education, BRAC University
Nirnoy H. Islam, Lecturer, School of General Education, BRAC University
Mir Rifat us Saleheen, Lecturer, School of General Education, BRAC University

Student Panelists:
Sabah Anjim Farabi
Antara Farnaz Khan
Sadman Sakib


Samia Huq is Dean of the School of General Education and Professor of Anthropology at Brac University, Bangladesh. She obtained her PhD from Brandeis University, USA, studying women’s religious discussion groups in urban Bangladesh. As Dean of the core curriculum, her task in to build and consolidate the liberal arts and sciences in general education and interdepartmental offerings through the creation and curation of courses, embedding a liberal arts teaching and learning and building co-curricular pathways for civic engagement and leadership as essential ingredients of the Brac U student experience. Dr. Huq is also Research Fellow at the Center for Peace and Justice (CPJ) at Brac University where she runs the project on Faith and Development in collaboration with the World Faiths Development Dialogue at Georgetown University. As part of the project, Dr Huq is exploring the intersection of faith and development around questions of education, gender equality and aspirations of youth, facilitating dialogues between faith inspired and secular development actors on these issues.  Dr. Huq has been involved in research on the impact of secondary secular and madrasa education on gendered norms and practices, as part of the Initiative on Education, Gender and Growth in Asia. Dr. Huq is the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) representing Brac University at the Open Society University Network (OSUN)  Dr. Huq also sits on the board of several national NGOs and think tanks. She is author of several peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters and currently working on her monograph on women, Islam and modernity in Bangladesh.

Shafiul Aziz is a lecturer at the School of General Education, Brac University, where he has been teaching since 2022. He holds a BSS in Anthropology with a minor in Sociology from Brac University and an Interdisciplinary MA from the Centre for Modern Indian Studies at the University of Goettingen, Germany. His academic focus is on the colonial and post-colonial Indian subcontinent, with research interests including Bengali muslim identity, Dalit politics, history of liberalism, and intellectual history. 

Nirnoy H. Islam is a multidisciplinary scholar interested in coalition building and learning across theory and practice.  He is currently teaching the Ethics and Culture course in the School of General Education. Until recently he was teaching Cultural Studies in the Media Studies Journalism Department of University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. Before that he was working as a Research Fellow for Center for Bangladesh studies, a people’s think tank. In 2017 he received an MA in South Asian Studies from SOAS, University of London with a major in Contemporary Politics of South Asia. In 2015 he completed a BA with a double major in Philosophy and Physics from Colby College, USA. He has been involved in participatory research around gender justice and social issues both in the US and in Bangladesh from 2013. His current research interests include themes of: social movements, gender and sexuality in the Global South, feminist ethics, surveillance and social media.  

Sabah Anjim Farabi is an undergraduate student of Brac university majoring in CSE. He is currently in his 7th semester. He strives to build a world where justice prevails and everybody gets their due. He wishes for a society without discrimination.

Mir Rifat us Saleheen is a Lecturer in the School of General Education at BRAC University, Dhaka. His research focuses on the role of radical media, political mobilization, and transnational solidarity movements. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and Journalism from the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh and a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (specializing in political history) from the University of British Columbia, Canada. He is working with UCLA’s Endangered Archive Project to preserve and digitalize rare archives in Bangladesh. He is also interested in visual media and documentary filmmaking.

Antara Farnaz Khan is a student of Anthropology and Economics at Brac University and has been working in a feminist organization in Bangladesh for a few years. She's interested in social movements, structural reform, and political anthropology. 

Sadman Sakib is a passionate Computer Science student at BRAC University. He has demonstrated exceptional leadership as the founder and president of his high school’s Science and Debate Clubs, revitalizing student engagement and promoting critical thinking. Sadman now contributes to the Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad academic team. He is also dedicated to educational outreach, empowering marginalized students.

Online Event  8:00 am – 9:00 am EDT/GMT-4
8 AM New York l 2 PM Vienna

OSUN is hosting a drop-in orientation session for students enrolled in OSUN Online Courses (OOCs). The virtual session will help students understand what to expect from an OOC and students can ask any questions they have.

Join via Zoom link

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
In this workshop, 2022 Get Engaged Alum Muhammad Faraz Sadiq will focus on learning about the essential techniques to create a positive feedback culture. Using constructive criticism to foster growth and enhance communication skills in professional and personal settings will also be discussed. 

Muhammad Faraz Sadiq is a rising senior at Bard College Berlin, studying Economics, Politics, and Social Thought. He has led two student-run civic engagement projects aimed at improving access to continued learning. 

Register to join online

Online Event  LASC's public gathering series of short events is ongoing through August and features authors presenting their completed LAS research or guide. 
Research Articles  are quantitative or qualitative work that furthers the collective understanding of LAS education and Strengthening Guides are technical documents that engage with best practices and lessons learned in LAS administration, curriculum, or pedagogy.

Please register for each individual event below:
 Public Conversation: What is the Future of LAS Education?
Thursday, August 22; 9:00 - 10:00 AM EDT (UTC-04:00)

The final public conversation looks back on what we have learned during our time with LAS Collab, from a range of practitioners over the last 18 months, and consider what the future(s) of liberal arts and sciences education might hold.
Register to join online

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

This workshop is career-focused and provides practical steps that will assist students in using photography effectively, regardless of whether they are pursuing careers in the arts or leading civic engagement projects.

GE alum '22 Yana Kandratsyeva will share techniques for creating better portraits and overcoming creative blocks. The aim is to enhance one's ability to document and share impactful stories in whatever field you pursue.

Register to join online

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
Wednesday, July 17
9-10 AM New York l 3-4 PM Vienna

Each month the Liberal Arts and Sciences Collaborative hosts a 60-minute in-depth discussion around a topic/concern of relevance to the state of LAS education globally. In July, LASC explores the role and design of a core curriculum in LAS education, looking at different examples of core curricula and their intended purposes.
Register to join online

Online Event  7:00 am – 8:30 am EDT/GMT-4
OSUN is sponsoring a series of talks featuring experts discussing critical issues related to human rights, women's rights, and gender equality. These discussions are a part of the Women’s Rights, Human Rights, and International Law OSUN Online Course.

Dorothy Estrada-Tanck is the Chair of the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls. She is known for being an expert on human rights law and gender equality. She has worked all her life to fight discrimination and protect the rights of women and girls worldwide. She has a strong background in international law, holding key positions with lobbying groups, universities, and foreign NGO’s. She focuses her work on making and carrying out plans to stop gender-based abuse against women and girls and ensuring they can access the justice system.

Join via Zoom

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

The second workshop in the Global Engagement Student Fellows' Get Engaged Alumni Speaker Series is hosted by Lexi Parra and is titled "Collaboration and Creativity in Crises." 

Lexi Parra, a 2016 Get Engaged Alum, is a Venezuelan-American photographer and educator based in Caracas and New York. Her personal work focuses on youth culture, migration, the personal effects of inequality and violence, and themes of resilience. She has worked with international publications like The New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post, and others.

Parra is the community manager at Women Photograph and the founder of Project MiRA, a photo education initiative that fosters visual literacy and empowerment among young women in the barrios of Caracas. She holds a degree in Photography and Human Rights from Bard College. 

Register to join the workshop via Zoom

Online Event  7:00 am – 8:30 am EDT/GMT-4
Join us for a series of talks featuring experts discussing critical issues related to human rights, women's rights, and gender equality. These discussions are a part of the Women’s Rights, Human Rights, and International Law OSUN Online Course.

Sara Elizabeth Dill is a well-known international attorney and activist for human rights. She has spent her career addressing the world’s most pressing issues on a daily basis where she’s helped asylum seekers receive status, defended individuals accused of war crimes, and developed policies for national and international justice systems.  She has a special interest in women's rights, immigration, and trafficking in persons. In addition to being a lawyer, Dill is committed to guiding and teaching.

Join via Zoom

Online Event  7:00 am – 8:30 am EDT/GMT-4
Join us for a series of talks featuring experts discussing critical issues related to human rights, women's rights, and gender equality. These discussions are a part of the Women’s Rights, Human Rights, and International Law OSUN Online Course.

Richard Bennett is the UN Special Rapporteur on the state of human rights in Afghanistan. He has worked in international human rights for more than thirty years, holding key positions at the UN, including Chief of the UN Human Rights Office in Afghanistan and Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in many countries. Bennett current work allows him to be an international supporter for all Afghans by watching for, and writing and speaking about, breaches of human rights in Afghanistan.
Join via Zoom

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

Each month the Liberal Arts and Sciences Collaborative will be facilitating a 60-minute in-depth discussion around a topic/concern of relevance to the state of LAS education globally. In June, we will share and explore administrative, curricular, and pedagogic innovations that are occurring in LAS education around the world, as well as innovations that we might want to see started in our own institutions. 

Register to join online

Online Event  The Second Elkana Symposium is a forum for faculty and others engaged in teaching and learning across the network to share innovative and successful practices and to develop their own teaching through workshops and training sessions, keynote talks, and panels with peers.

This year’s theme, "Impactful Teaching in Turbulent Times," calls attention to the ways in which technological transformations, political debates, conflict, and stubborn socioeconomic inequalities present challenges to communities of learners and to educators who seek to facilitate classrooms and curricula that are engaged with the important issues of our time.

Highlights include:

Tom Sperlinger: Is My Story in the Room?
Tuesday, June 18, 8 AM New York l 2 PM Vienna

Interactive workshop on What Curriculum Do Graduate Students Need? with Irene Lubbe
Thursday, June 20, 3:15 – 8 AM New York l 9: 15 - 11 AM

Paul Ashwin: What Are We Educating Students For?
Thursday, June 20, 5: 20 - 6:20 AM New York l 11:20 AM – 12:20 PM Vienna

Nikos Basbas: Save Time and Enhance Your Teaching with AI
Thursday, June 20, 7:15 - 8:15 AM New York l 1:15 – 2:15 PM Vienna


Register for all events here

Online Event  1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
1 PM New York | 7 PM Vienna

Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating art, solidarity, and freedom! We have been working hard at work planning our final event, and we are thrilled to invite you to participate!

In the honor of Audre Lorde, Claudia Jones, and Una Marson, we are coming together to honor their legacies and power of self-reflexive solidarity. From the shorelines of cultural crossing and border crossing, we are exploring how can unite diverse communities for liberation and freedom.

Register here to join online

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:30 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

Bryan Penprase and Noah Pickus will discuss their recent book, The New Global Universities, which tells the stories of educational leaders who have reimagined higher education in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. These new institutions have been designed from the ground up and exhibit a commitment to high-quality, transformative liberal arts education that challenges assumptions about higher education in their respective country contexts. 

The authors will highlight administrative, curricular, and pedagogical innovations they observed while researching their book, offering inspiring examples of intellectual courage, entrepreneurial audacity, and adaptive leadership while also unpacking tensions found globally in higher education. They will explore how university leaders focused on the deep needs of students and constructed institutional cultures sensitive to the needs of the university’s location. In many ways, these new institutions ask us to reconsider outmoded assumptions and structures within undergraduate education by demonstrating success with novel, alternative models for delivering impactful and accessible higher education.

Bryan Penprase is vice president for sponsored research and external academic relations at Soka University of America. 
Noah Pickus is associate provost at Duke University and dean for academic strategy at Duke Kunshan University.

Register to join online

Online Event  3:30 AM New York l 9:30 AM Vienna

The Open Society Hub for the Politics of the Anthropocene invites OSUN community members to a hybrid workshop being held at Central European University on “Reluctant Decarbonization and Militant Petrostates."
 
Political scientists call it the oil curse, economists call it the Dutch disease, and anthropologists call it extractivism. Hundreds of studies ­­have proven that the petrostate is related to dictatorship, corruption, and aggression. And thousands of studies demonstrate that using oil leads to a climate crisis. Central for our survival, these two stories have been rarely told together.

While European leaders think about decarbonization as a common cause, petrostates see it as a zero-sum game or, even worse, a conspiracy aimed at depriving them of their essential profits. Some wars of this century, probably most of them, would not have happened if the invaders had no petrodollars in their sovereign funds. From Niger to Norway and from Russia to Iran, oil emissions and oil profits are jointly destroying the planet.

This workshop seeks to launch global and interdisciplinary research into the double-edged problem of decarbonization and the petrostate in comparative case studies. 

Featuring:
Alexander Etkind (OHPA-CEU). The oil curse and the state curse
Naosuke Mukoyama (University of Tokyo). Colonial oil and the origins of petrostates
Aleh Cherp (CEU) Do petrostates slow decarbonization? And if so, how?
Andreas Folkers (Frankfurt Institute for Social Research). Carbon Bombs
Per Högselius (Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm). The future of Russia-EU energy relations
Sergii Glebov (Odessa National I.I. Mechnykov University). Oil-for-(in)security: the Kremlin's energy weapon as a peacebreaker in times of hybrid warfare
Anastasia Pavlenko (CEU).  European energy transition in the time of crisis
Henri Kaup (EUI). Re-carbonizing Kaliningrad: Putinist Geopolitics and the role of LNG
Bohdan Shumylovych (UCU Lviv), Artem Kharchenko (NUA Kharkiv). A tale of two cities: Lviv and Kharkiv at war
Ayansina Ayanladе (OHPA-CEU). Nigeria's Petrostate Dilemma: Challenges and Opportunities
Dirk Moses (CUNY). Military vs. genocidal violence as a problematic distinction
 
Register to join via livestream

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:30 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

In higher education, experiencing failure is often observed as an unavoidable event when mastering new concepts; yet failure is an element of learning that many students dread and that many faculty may overlook.  While educators might communicate messages about their acceptance of failure, all too often in practice there is a disconnect between such messaging and the actual design of courses and assignments to allow for failure in constructive ways.

This interactive 90-minute event aims to guide educators in practices to support students in taking risks and learning from their mistakes, without jeopardizing their grades. Led by Lydia Eckstein, Amelia Finaret, and Lisa Whitenack of Allegheny College, and inspired by their 2023 piece "Teaching the Inevitable: Embracing a Pedagogy of Failure," attendees will explore a range of strategies for incorporating a pedagogy of failure in ways to acknowledge and constructively address students' potential fear of failure and related concerns about academic aptitude. 

Lydia Eckstein is an Associate Professor of Psychology, Amelia Finaret is an Associate Professor of Global Health, and Lisa Whitenack is an Associate professor of Biology.

Register to join online

Campus Center, Weis Cinema  11:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
11 AM New York l 5 PM Vienna

The Center for Human Rights and the Arts, the Center for Experimental Humanities, the Human Rights Program, and the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard College are hosting a hybrid screening and discussion of The Bridge, a fictional film about the daily life of humanitarian interpreters, who are also refugees, in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. It aims to advocate for changes in their working conditions. 

Individuals at Bard College can attend the screening in-person at Weiss Cinema in the Campus Center in Annandale on Hudson, New York and others throughout the network can attend online via the Zoom link posted below.

The film is based on research that Bard College Professor of Anthropology Laura Kunreuther did with interpreters at the camp. The interpreters, who are also the filmmakers who made the piece—Mulki Mohamed Ali, Adam Mohamed Bashar, and Kamoso Jean Bertrand—will be on hand for a Q&A after the screening. 


Join via Zoom

Online Event  10:00 am – 11:30 am EDT/GMT-4
10 AM New York l 4 PM Vienna

The Network Collaborative course on "Freedom of Expression" is making available to the public a series of online lectures. On April 17, Emily Dische-Becker, writer, organizer and curator living in Berlin will discuss "On Conflation and Comparison: The politics and policing of memory in Germany." 

Dische-Becker is the Germany director of Diaspora Alliance, as well as a researcher for Forensis/Forensic Architecture, and is on the steering committee of the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism. From 2005 to 2013, Emily lived in Beirut where she worked as a journalist and researcher. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A session.
Viewers can address questions to Emily Dische-Becker in advance by sending an email to Kseniya Shtalenkova at [email protected], indicating "Lecture with Emily Dische-Becker" as the email subject.Join via zoom 

Online Event  11:00 am – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
11 AM New York l 5 PM Vienna

CEU, the Civic Engagement Initiative, and the Experimental Humanities Collaborative Network present a hybrid discussion with Atifete Jahjaga, the esteemed former President of the Republic of Kosovo, as she delves into the intricacies of constructing a narrative of peace. This event will offer a comprehensive understanding of Jahjaga's remarkable journey, ascending to the presidential post at the age of 36. Jahjaga will expound upon her strategic approach towards post-war inter-ethnic reconciliation, elucidating the methodologies she employed in narrative construction to navigate this complex terrain.

The event will be moderated by Michael Ignatieff, Rector Emeritus, Professor of History, CEU and registration is mandatory.

Register here

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

Each month the Liberal Arts and Sciences Collaborative hosts an in-depth discussion around a topic/concern of relevance to the state of LAS education globally. In April, LASC explores how LAS education is communicated to different stakeholders (including governments, prospective students, and communities), how this communication might be affected by contextual factors (such as socio-religious influences), and the ways in which this communication is received and understood.

Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:30 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

The Liberal Arts and Sciences Collaborative presents Allison Stanger in a public event where she will facilitate an overview of digital humanism and explore the ways in which digital humanism intersects with liberal arts and sciences education, including in relation to fostering a well-rounded, ethical, and socially responsible approach to knowledge and technology. Stanger will examine how digital humanism and LAS education prepare individuals to navigate the complexities of the digital age with wisdom, empathy, and a commitment to the greater good. 

Digital humanism is an emerging approach that addresses the critical role of human values, ethics, and interests in the development and application of digital technologies. It advocates for technology to be designed and deployed in a way that respects human dignity, freedom, and democracy, rather than serving economic or technical efficiency. 

This perspective is a response to the growing impact of digital technologies on all aspects of human life, including work, privacy, communication, and governance. Digital humanism calls for a more inclusive and participatory approach to technology development, where the needs and rights of individuals and communities are prioritized. It recognizes the potential of digital technology to enhance human capabilities and address global challenges, and is also critically aware of the risks of surveillance, manipulation, and inequality that can arise from unchecked technological advancement.  

Allison Stanger is the Russell Leng ‘60 Professor of International Politics and Economics at Middlebury College, a Co-Director and Principal Investigator at the GETTING-Plurality Research Network (Harvard University), an External Professor and Science Board member at the Santa Fe Institute, and a Senior Advisor to the Hannah Arendt Humanities Network. Recently, Allison was a Research Scholar at the Human-Centered AI Institute (Stanford University). 

Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  10:10 am – 11:30 am EDT/GMT-4
Online lectures from Krista Caballero's OSUN Online Course on "Technology, Humanity, & the Future" are open to the public. This course is offered by the Experimental Humanities Collaborative Network.

All lectures will be held from 10:10–11:30 am New York.
Attendees should RSVP to [email protected] for the Zoom link.


Lectures:
Tuesday, April 2: Panel on Deep Fakes with Joel McKim, Birkbeck, University of London; Josh Glick, Bard College, New York; and Mihaela Mihailova, San Francisco State University
Tuesday, April 9: Artist talk with Aarati Akkapeddi, EHCN
All at 10:10am-11:30am EDT
Tuesday, April 23:
Guest Lecture on Energy Futures with Jennifer Richter from Arizona State University
Tuesday, April 30:
Virtual Performance with Rosalind Murray, a multi-modal artist, curator, educator and advocate.

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 2 PM Vienna

Each month the Liberal Arts and Sciences Collaborative facilitates a 60-minute in-depth discussion around a topic/concern of relevance to the state of LAS education globally. In March, LAS Collab will explore whether a decolonizing project might be needed for LAS education, what this might entail, and how LAS institutions from outside the West might already be engaging in decolonizing practices.

Register to join

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 2 PM Vienna

A rise in authoritarianism, often associated with growing populism and nationalism, has created conditions for a new wave of opposition to liberal education. This vital event brings together students studying in liberal education programs in which higher education has come under attack: Hungary and the US. Both places have seen significant shifts in their political and educational climates, and in many instances, debates over academic freedom and the role of education in democracy have taken center stage.

Through personal anecdotes, insightful discussions, and a Q&A session, our panelists will explore the nuances of being liberal arts and sciences students in environments that may not always embrace the open-mindedness and critical thinking these disciplines advocate. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the global landscape of liberal education in diverse political climates and will be invited to engage with firsthand accounts of the unyielding pursuit of intellectual growth against the backdrop of illiberalism.

Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:30 am EDT/GMT-4
9 AM New York l 2 PM Vienna

Amplifying the Voices of Engaged Researchers Around the World, an initiative created by OSUN and the Talloires Network of Engaged Universities, supports the development of long-term, sustainable community partnerships as a central component of research. This community of practice (COP) meets regularly to share ideas and strategies for engaged scholarship across geo-political boundaries, while creating new knowledge and lasting ties among engaged researchers. Now the COP is presenting a series of global webinars spolighting issues that arise during presenters' experiences with community engagement. 

This workshop provides an opportunity to reflect on the pedagogical, epistemological, methodological, and political implications of working with communities to improve or develop professional skills in engaged research processes. The six presenters are developing projects which involve training members of the community to apply certain techniques.
 
They will discuss how their projects address the following dilemmas: How can we develop professional skills in ways that preserve and nurture Indigenous / endogenous wisdom? How do we deal with moral, practical or technical discrepancies about professional work between academic researchers and local practitioners? In what way is the introduction of methods or techniques in local communities colonialist, and what cautions should we take to prevent epistemological colonialism?
 
After the presentations, audience members are invited to join the discussion so they can reference their own engaged research work.

Panelists:
Félix Díaz
Catalina Muñoz
Miguel Angel Castañeda
Patricio Belloy
Martina Jordaan
Mónica Lucía Espinosa Arango


Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  12:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST/GMT-5
12 PM New York l 6 PM Vienna

The OSUN Center for Human Rights and the Arts presents Molemo Moiloa, discussing the notion of becoming ungovernable in an effort to tap into our capacities to form new worlds in times of collapse. She shares her interdisciplinary contemporary practice, which centers on land justice and heritage restitution, anchored in South Africa’s histories of resistance and world-building. The talk discusses developing strategies for collective and collaborative processes and forms of knowledge. Building from localized and Indigenous understandings, Moiloa draws on the deep connection with and guidance from other parts of the African continent.

Molemo Moiloa lives in Johannesburg and works in various capacities at the intersection of creative practice and community organizing. Her current research focuses on notions of ungovernability, social infrastructures of cultural organizing, and relationships with nature. She is one half of the artist collaboration MADEYOULOOK, which explores everyday popular imaginaries and their modalities for knowledge production. Moiloa also co-leads the Open Restitution Africa project, a research platform for the restitution of African heritage under the auspices of Andani.Africa. She also co-leads ungovernable, an experiment in community practice and ungovernability. 

Moderated by José Luis Falconi, University of Connecticut.

Register to join via Zoom 

Online Event  11:00 am – 12:00 pm EST/GMT-5
Stephane Ipert, instructor at American University of Afghanistan, invites the public to observe seven meetings of his OSUN Online Course on "Fundamentals of Combating the Illicit Circulation and Trafficking of Antiquities with a Focus on Central Asia."


The course meets on Mondays and Thursdays during March, April, and May at 11 AM New York l 5 PM Vienna.
Please check times for your local time zone.

The public may be interested in the course as it focuses on the protection of human rights and cultures, the harmonization of the international rule of law, and combating international crime gangs.

Prominent leaders in international organizations will share their insights, providing students valuable connections to stakeholders in the field. Addtional observers can enrich their understanding and awareness of this complex and critical issue.

Course description:
It is crucial to understand the illegal networks facilitating the trafficking of antiquities and old manuscripts. Equally important is a comprehensive grasp of the legal frameworks, including national laws and international conventions, on this topic. The course will spotlight the roles of law enforcement agencies and professional organizations. Special focus will be given to studying the provenance of collections in western museums to trace both historical and recent illicit circulations and acquisitions, crucial for the restitution process.

Remaining class meetings:
Thursday, 4/4    Role of ALIPH in the protection of heritage.
Guest speaker: BASTIEN VAROUTSIKOS, Director of Strategic Development, International alliance for protection of heritage in conflict areas, ALIPH.
Monday, 4/8   Heritage and combatting trafficking in Russia (Tatarstan) and post conflict rehabilitation of heritage in Afghanistan.
Guest speaker: MOUNIR BOUCHNAKI, special adviser of UNESCO Director-General and adviser for Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage.
Thursday, 4/18  Restitutions of cultural properties and the UNIDROIT convention 1995.
Guest speaker: MARINA SCHNEIDER, Principal Legal Officer and Treaty Depositary UNIDROIT.
Monday, 4/22   Protection of heritage and combating of trafficking in Central Asia. 
Guest speaker: LAURA TEDESCO, Cultural Heritage Program Manager at U.S. Department of State 
Monday, 5/6    Ethical and postcolonial restitutions.
Guest speaker: ALEXANDER HERMAN, director of Institute of Art Law Institute.

Join via GoogleMeet

10:00 am – 11:10 am EST/GMT-5
10 AM New York l 4 PM Vienna

The Network Collaborative course on "Freedom of Expression" announces a series of online guest lectures that are available for the public to observe online.

The first lecture will be delivered on March 6 by Jalal Abukhater, a Palestinian rights advocate based in Jerusalem. Abukhater is the Advocacy Manager at 7amleh, the Arab Center for the Advancement for the Advancement of Social Media, a digital rights organization that fights for a free, fair, and safe digital space for all Palestinians. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A session.

Viewers can address questions to Abukhater in advance by sending an email to Kseniya Shtalenkova at [email protected].
Please indicate "Lecture with Jalal Abukhater" as the email subject.

Join via Zoom

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:30 am EST/GMT-5
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

Amplifying the Voices of Engaged Researchers Around the World, an initiative created by OSUN and the Talloires Network of Engaged Universities, supports the development of long-term, sustainable community partnerships as a central component of research. This community of practice (COP) meets regularly to share ideas and strategies for engaged scholarship across geo-political boundaries, while creating new knowledge and lasting ties among engaged researchers. Now the COP is presenting a series of global webinars spolighting issues that arise during presenters' experiences with community engagement. 

This webinar, led by Sameh Hallaq, Al-Quds Bard College, Al-Quds University, focuses on the well-being of vulnerable groups such as women, children, and refugees and explores the impact of formal and informal educational intervention programs in mitigating the adverse effects of challenging living conditions on these groups. The webinar will be organized as an academic presentation followed by an open discussion with the participants.

The webinar will cover topics related to individual well-being in different parts of the world, including how exposure to conflict-related events affects children's behavior in Palestine, the impact of non-physical disciplinary methods on primary school dropout rates in Afghanistan, a community-based model of collective filmmaking pedagogy that familiarizes local youth with accessible animation techniques in South Africa, and bridging gaps in fragile contexts through online courses to further education opportunities in Myanmar.

Moderator
Sameh Hallaq, Al-Quds Bard College, Al-Quds University

Panelists:
Belal Fallah, Associate Professor of Economics, Palestine Polytechnic University, Hebron, Palestine
Yousuf Daas, Graduate Student, Kobe University, Japan
Mocke Jansen Van Veuren, University of the Witwatersrand
Mia Sasaki, Parami University


Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  8:30 am – 10:00 am EST/GMT-5
8:30 AM New York l 2:30 PM Vienna

The Language, Culture, and Justice Hub is an online platform that seeks to promote inquiry and share knowledge about the full complexity of justice and its processes by acting as a clearinghouse for scholarship and practitioner-based commentary about how language and culture impact justice, broadly defined.

The Hub is affiliated with the Experimental Humanities Collaborative Network, and the Center for Human Rights and the Arts, both supported by OSUN. 

This webinar is the Hub’s first program of 2024, exploring the experiences of scholars associated with several OSUN institutions, including Ahmed Ayaad (Al Quds University), Aizhana Dzhumalieva (AUCA), Joseph Farquharson (University of the West Indies), and Joseph Oduro-Frimpong (Ashesi University).  It will be moderated by the coordinator of the Hub and CHRA/EHCN Fellow of Research and Practice, Leigh Swigart.

This webinar is open to all OSUN students and will explore the English-language experiences of academics from diverse regions of the world, all of whom work in institutions that are part of OSUN. Through a facilitated conversation, these scholars will address questions such as the following: What challenges and opportunities does the increasing pressure to publish academic work in English create for these scholars, and what impact does it have on their fields of study?

Write to [email protected] to join the mailing list.

Register to join online

Online Event  11:00 am – 12:00 pm EST/GMT-5
11 AM New York l 5 PM Vienna

Bard College and Black Mountains College invite the OSUN community to attend an online cross-national dialogue concerning the political backlash against climate education.

2023 marked a perilous year for climate-concerned educators around the world. According to PEN America, the U.S. has seen the spread of state-level legislation that has a chilling effect on public education. The chief aim of such legislation is to shape classroom discussions on race, gender, and increasingly, climate change. These efforts have both mirrored and differed from disputes in Europe, where governments have criminalized and censored climate protest and more radical forms of climate advocacy on university campuses.

In this context, the question of how we approach educating students on the climate crisis becomes urgent. As climate-concerned educators, we have a duty to prepare our students for the world that they’re inheriting, but we must also ask ourselves this: how do we navigate this work during a time when climate education is increasingly politicized and censored in our schools? And what strategies can we learn from science educators on the forefront of this issue in the U.S. and Europe?

Speakers for the webinar include:

James Dyke (Associate Professor in Earth Systems Science, the University of Exeter), who has navigated these questions and conducted crucial research on the role of the university during climate crisis. 

Blake Touchet (Science Education Specialist, National Center for Science Education), who has taught middle school, high school, and undergraduate biology and environmental sciences in Louisiana, most recently serving as Science Master Teacher for Lafayette Parish School District. He has worked on state and district committees for developing curricula, providing assessments, and mentoring science teachers. With NCSE, Touchet helps further NCSE’s mission of helping educators teach accurately on climate and evolution. In addition, he supports NCSE's mission to block threats to science education in the U.S.

For any questions, please email Tobias Hess a [email protected].

Register to join online

Online Event  2:30 pm – 3:45 pm EST/GMT-5
2:30 PM New York l 8:30 PM Vienna

Since 2021, legislation that restricts instruction on race, gender, American history and LGBTQ+ identities continues to be introduced and passed in various U.S. states with more and more frequency. In higher education especially, legislators have introduced bills that attack the traditional support networks that protect academic freedom—things like proposed restrictions on curricula, faculty tenure, and DEI offices and initiatives. And students are feeling the effects.

In such an environment, is there any room to push back? How can students advocate for themselves and their peers on college campuses in a way that is both effective and safe?

PEN America, in conjunction with AltLiberalArts, is proud to host this advocacy event for students, educators and activists. Attendees will receive an overview of what are known as educational gag orders and how they are shaping the political and legal environment in Florida, and engage in a discussion on how they can mobilize and organize around these issues on their own campuses anywhere.

Panelists:
Nicholas Perez, Free Expression and Education Program Manager at PEN America
Peris Tushabe, Free Expression and Education Program Coordinator at PEN America
Jacqueline Allain, Freedom to Learn Program Coordinator at PEN America

Introduced by:
Xandr Denner, student organizer and member of SAFE (Students Against Fascism in Education)

Register to join online

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:00 am EST/GMT-5
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

Each month OSUN's Liberal Arts and Sciences Collaborative (LASC) hosts a 60-minute in-depth discussion around a topic related to the state of LAS education globally. During this event, attendees will explore the ways in which the natural sciences fit into a liberal arts education (and vice versa), and what the implications for teaching and learning might be.

Register to join online

Online Event  9:00 am – 10:30 am EST/GMT-5
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna

Amplifying the Voices of Engaged Researchers Around the World, an initiative created by OSUN and the Talloires Network of Engaged Universities, supports the development of long-term, sustainable community partnerships as a central component of research. This community of practice (COP) meets regularly to share ideas and strategies for engaged scholarship across geo-political boundaries, while creating new knowledge and lasting ties among engaged researchers. Now the COP is presenting a series of global webinars spolighting issues that arise during presenters' experiences with community engagement. 

This webinar, led by Diana Ordóñez Castillo of Universidad de los Andes, discusses how museums and institutions that are dedicated to memory realize their potential as platforms for citizen engagement while also building bridges among themselves to strengthen their role as tools for the transformation of society. What unites such institutions? What is the extent of the diversity that makes them rich and what can they learn from each other?

Seeking to shape a strong collective of solidarity, the Colombian Alliance of Museums invites global researchers, museums, and initiatives in the service of memories and heritage to join this conversation and envision a collaborative path forward.

Moderator
Diana Ordóñez Castillo, Universidad de los Andes

Panelists:
William López Rosas, Director of National Museum of Colombia
Italia Samudio Reyes, Leader of the Research Area of Colectivo de Comunicaciones Montes de María and the Itinerant Museum of Memory
Camilo Murcia, Member of the Advocacy Committee of the Colombian Alliances of Museums

Discussants (Cohort colleagues):
Jennifer Baird, University of London, OSUN-TN colleague
Anne Chen, Bard University, OSUN-TN colleague


Register to join via Zoom

Online Event  8:00 am – 9:30 am EST/GMT-5
8 AM New York l 2 PM Vienna

The LAS Collaborative invites the OSUN community to an event with James Taylor Carson, speaking about his 2022 article “Rethinking a Bachelor of Arts for the 21st-Century Precariat." 

The article focuses on the emergence of the neoliberal university, rapid changes to the world of work, and the unravelling of the Western social contract. In an era of fake news and pandemic, this has created a set of circumstances that define emerging university graduates as members of a global precariat. Several projections of the future world of work suggest a need to shift the imperatives of a university education away from career preparation and disciplinary training and toward a set of skills and capacities that are similar to those that hold the core of a liberal arts education. Notwithstanding public doubt and neoliberal antipathy, with a bit of rethinking, the Bachelor of Arts can emerge as the essential degree for 21st-century-undergraduates.

This 90-minute event will be conducted as an interactive talk, welcoming frequent audience participation as we engage with the importance and promotion of undergraduate liberal arts education as both an intellectual and experiential preparation for a precarious world, enabling graduates to shape how the future unfolds. 

James Taylor Carson is a professor of history at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and editor of the Queen’s Quarterly, one of Canada’s leading journals of arts, letters and ideas. He has served as associate dean in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s and as head of the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. His most recent book, The Columbian Covenant: Race and the Writing of American History, explores how racial beliefs have informed American historiography from Columbus to the present.

Register to join via Zoom