Fall 2017  |  Nov 13 - Nov 17  | e-Weekly Archive

What is the power of study abroad for forging new identities? For this installment of our monthly Conversations on Europe series, we will look at the EU’s billion-dollar student and scholar exchange program called ERASMUS, which has reshaped higher education in Europe. With what results? How successful has the program been for the Europeanization of Europe’s college-aged youth? And what impact will Brexit have on the program?

Speakers: 
Sabina Von Dike, German, U. of Pittsburgh
Theresa Kuhn, Political Science, U. of Amsterdam
Christof Van Mol, Sociology, U. of Antwerp
Florian Stoeckel, Politics, U. of Exeter
Moderator: Jae Jae Spoon, Political Science & European Studies Center, U. of Pittsburgh

The Conversations on Europe Videoconference series is sponsored by European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh, along with Center for European Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, European Union Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Jean Monnet Center of Excellence at Florida International University.

Thurs, Nov 16  |  4pm
101 International Studies Building
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Speaker: Emilia Zankina, Assoc. Professor in Political Science and Provost of the American University in Bulgaria

The growing success of populist parties from across the political spectrum in Europe calls for an examination of the populist phenomenon in a comparative perspective. Despite different contexts and underlying causes, populism and populist parties appear to be equally successful in the East and West. Prof. Zankina offers a new theoretical approach to the study of populism that views the phenomenon as a political strategy that reduces the transaction costs of politics by increasing the use of informal political institutions, which have an association with “direct” and “immediate” action, and decreasing the use of formal political institutions, which have connotations of slowness or non-action.

Organized by the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEEC). Co-sponsored by the European Union Center, Department of Anthropology, Department of History, Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory.

Tues, Nov 28  |  12-1 pm
1080 Foreign Languages Building, Lucy Ellis Lounge
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Speaker: Avital Livny, Assistant Professof, Political Science, Univ. of Illinois

We examine the effects of historical inter-group contact on contemporary tolerance along two dimensions in modern Turkey. Ottoman Turkey was religiously diverse, with significant Armenian and Greek Orthodox populations. Modern Turkey, on the other hand, is religiously homogenous, a result of state-sponsored violence and population exchange during the early twentieth century. We show how a "culture of tolerance" appears to survive incidents of mass violence and decades of separation, without the support of inherited institutions, and despite official propaganda promoting ignorance of any shared history.

Organized by the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (CSAMES). Co-sponsored by the European Union Centerand the Department of Religion.

Applications are being accepted for Summer 2018 and Academic Year 2018-19*

Tues, Nov 28 | 4pm | 100 Gregory Hall
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Weds, Nov 29 | 4pm | 319 Gregory Hall
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Application Opens on November 16, 2017
Online application form for Academic Year 2018-19 and Summer 2018 will be available on the University of Illinois FLAS Fellowships website on November 16, 2017

Deadline: Friday, January 26, 2018 at 11:59pm

FLAS Fellowships support graduate and undergraduate study in modern foreign languages in combination with area studies, international studies, or international or area aspects of professional studies. Funding for these fellowships is provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI Program. FLAS Fellowships are administered by University of Illinois International and Area Studies Centers and are awarded competitively through an annual competition. Students from all departments and professional schools are encouraged to apply.

FLAS fellowships can be used to study abroad or on campus.

FLAS recipients must be U.S. Citizens or permanent residents and enrolled full-time. During the academic year, fellows must take a language course and an area studies course each semester. During the summer, fellows must complete the equivalent of one year of language study.

ELIGIBLE LANGAUGES for European Union Center FLAS Fellowships

EUC FLAS fellowships may be used for the study of many languages, including**: Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Czech, French (graduate students only), German (graduate students only), Modern Greek, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Serbian-Bosnian-Croatian, Spanish (graduate students only), Swedish, Turkish, or Ukrainian.

Undergraduate fellowships are NOT available for Spanish, French, or German. Undergraduate fellowships are only available for intermediate to advanced (2nd year +) study of less commonly taught European languages (LCTLs); i.e., any modern foreign language other than Spanish, German, or French. Applicants must be able to take the language courseat least at the 2nd year (intermediate) during the term of the fellowship.

Graduate students might apply to study any one of the languages listed above at the beginners level if they already have proficiency in another language listed above. Otherwise, graduate fellowships are only available for intermediate to advanced (2nd year +) study of the languages listed above and applicants must be able to take the language course at least at the 2nd year (intermediate) during the term of the fellowship.  

To see the list of Centers awarding FLAS fellowships and eligible languages through other Centers please visit the
University of Illinois Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship website.

FLAS ACADEMIC YEAR 2018-2019*

• Graduate students: may receive full tuition and fee waiver and a stipend of $15,000 payable over the academic year. Eligibility for tuition waiver varies by home department and school.
• Undergraduate students: may receive $10,000 towards tuition and fees to study at the University of Illinois and a stipend of $5,000.

FLAS SUMMER 2018

• Graduate and undergraduate students: The awards carry a stipend of $2,500 plus $5,000 that can be used for tuition and fees to study a language.

For more information and to apply for FLAS Fellowships, please visit the
University of Illinois Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship website.

For more information, also visit the European Union Center FLAS Fellowship webpage. 

QUESTIONS?
Contact EU Center Associate Director and FLAS Coordinator Dr. Sebnem Ozkan (217-244-0570 or asozkan@illinois.edu)

* The U.S. Department of Education, which underwrites the FLAS program, has not yet notified us, or any other college or university in the United States, about our allocation for the 2018-2022 FLAS funding cycle, which includes the coming academic year (2018-19). In anticipation of receiving this funding, the application will include all University of Illinois FLAS Fellowship-granting Centers that have applied for Title VI FLAS Fellowship allocations; however, a Center, including the European Union Center CANNOT guarantee an academic year fellowship without notification of their FLAS allocation. Summer 2018 funding is already granted for the European Union Center.

** Language availability may vary each year depending on what courses are offered by the University of Illinois and U.S. Department of Education approval.

Thurs, Nov 30  |  5:45 pm
1080 Foreign Languages Building, Lucy Ellis Lounge
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This event will feature a screening of the 2014 documentary "The Return," followed by a thoughtful discussion. Pizza will be provided. Free and open to the public!

Watch the trailer.

Visit the film website.

Sponsored by the Program in Jewish Culture and Society. Co-sponsored by various campus units including the European Union Center.

Fri, Dec 1  |  12-1 pm
1080 Foreign Languages Building, Lucy Ellis Lounge
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Speaker: Colleen Murphy, Professor in the College of Law and the Department of Philosophy and Political Science, Univ. of Illinois; Director, Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program; Affiliate Faculty of the Beckman Institute

Now until Dec 22  |  All day
Krannert Art Museum Main Level, Contemporary Gallery, 500 E Peabody Dr.

In these centuries, the refinement of printed images revolutionized the observational sciences. Increasingly sophisticated woodcuts and engravings superseded hand-drawn images, cruder prints, and strictly verbal descriptions, while also appealing to artists and art lovers. These images could be augmented with hand coloring and were made by professional printmakers as well as by author-illustrators who engraved the plates for their own publications. Illustrated botanical and entomological publications served a variety of purposes for contemporaries—they advanced scientific study, inspired religious contemplation, and served as models for artists including still life painters and embroiderers. Coveting Nature also explores the early and significant contributions of female artists and naturalists such as Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717) and Anna Ruysch (1666–1754) and their enduring legacy for contemporary artists.

The Summer Institute for Languages of the Muslim World (SILMW) is an annual intensive language program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We invite students to join the 9% of Americans who choose the unique and meaningful experience of learning a Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL).  We believe that learning these languages will allow students to gain new global perspectives and set them apart as highly qualified individuals for international work and engagement.  Many of these languages have been designated by the United States government as critical to U.S. National Security and can assist students in securing international positions in governmental, development, and academic sectors.    

This summer SILMW will take place from June 11 to August 4, 2018, and we will be offering Arabic, Persian, Swahili, Turkish and Wolof.  The program is 8 weeks and is divided into two, 4-week semesters.  This is an immersive experience, complete with instruction, cultural activities, opportunities for language practice, conversation tables, cooking classes, movie nights, and more!  

When you complete the program, not only will you be able to hold a conversation in a new language and have earned 10 credits (completing your language requirement), you will have had fun!   

The deadline to register is April 30, 2018.  For more information, visit our website at www.silmw.linguistics.illinois.edu.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at silmw@illinois.edu.  We hope to see you this summer! 

"Society, Environment, Transportation and Space: The Dutch Experience" (SETS) is a summer course offered each year in June by the Faculty of Spatial Sciences of the University of Groningen (The Netherlands) in cooperation with the Council on International Educational Exchanges (CIEE). The course is open for students from partner universities of the University of Groningen.

In 2018, the course runs from Sunday, June 3 (arrival date in Groningen) to Friday, June 29, 2018 (departure date from Groningen).

For more information: http://www.rug.nl/frw/education/international/foreignstudents/summerschoolsets

MA in EU Studies (MAEUS) Student, Rick Tuten, gives a great description and recap of the EUC Lecture by Prof. David Bullock in the latest EUC blog!

The video recording of the event and the story can be found here.

If you would like to announce an event through the EUC e-Weekly,  please send the information by no later than the prior Thursday of the event to: 

AnnaMarie Bliss, EUC Doctoral Research Assistant | arbliss2@illinois.edu