September 28, 2009
In this issue
- Coming up at the Mershon Center
- Other events
- Explore study abroad opportunities at Ohio State
- 2009 International Photography Competition open
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Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Mark Stewart
"Critical Infrastructure Protection: Are We Spending Too Much on Counter-Terrorism?"
Noon, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave.
Mark Stewart is director of the Centre for Infrastructure Performance and Reliability at University of Newcastle, Australia, and a visiting scholar at the Mershon Center. He has more than 25 years of experience in probabilistic risk assessment of infrastructure systems, subject to man-made and natural hazards. Stewart has received Australian Research Council grants in part to develop cost-benefit assessments of counter-terrorism protective measures for critical infrastructure. In his presentation, he will discuss cost-benefit assessments of counter-terrorism protective measures applied to critical infrastructure and key assets. One example he will consider is the cost-effectiveness of the Federal Air Marshal Service. He will demonstrate how the Federal Air Marshal Service is not cost-effective, whereas hardening of cockpit doors is a more effective solution. Read more and RSVP
Friday-Saturday, October 2-3, 2009
The Transformative Election of 2008
Organized by Herb Weisberg, Department of Political Science
Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave.
The 2008 U.S. Presidential Election will examine the 2008 presidential campaign and election, analyzing the foreign and military policy debates as well as the voting trends that remade the image of the United States abroad. The 2008 U.S. presidential election took place against the backdrop of the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a domestic financial crisis. The two major-party candidates secured their nominations in large part because of their stances on the wars. Discussion of foreign and military policies became paramount throughout the campaign. Few disputed that America's popularity abroad had declined during the George W. Bush years. This conference will examine how the change in the party controlling the White House, the accession of an opponent of the Iraq War, and the election of the first African-American President of the United States changed perceptions of the United States around the world. Read more
Friday, October 9, 2009
Susan Stokes
"Vote Buying in Democratic Systems"
3:30 p.m., Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave.
Susan Stokes is John S. Saden Professor of Political Science at Yale University. She is also director of the Yale Program on Democracy and chair of the Department of Political Science.
Her research interests include democratic theory and how democracy functions in developing societies, with a focus on Latin America. Stokes is co-author of Democracy and the Culture of Skepticism: Political Trust in Argentina and Mexico (Russell Sage Foundation, 2006). Her book, Mandates and Democracy: Neoliberalism by Surprise in Latin America (Cambridge, 2001), received prizes from the APSA Comparative Democratization section and the Society for Comparative Research. Read more and RSVP
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Lisa Stampnitzky
"Disciplining an Unruly Field: Terrorism Studies and the State, 1972-2001"
Noon, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave.
Lisa Stampnitzky is a post-doctoral fellow at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley in 2008. Her dissertation is titled "Disciplining an Unruly Field: Terrorism Studies and the State, 1972-2001." During her time at Mershon, she hopes to expand her dissertation into a book manuscript. Stampnitzky's work discusses the organization of expert knowledge on terrorism from the 1970s to the present day. It examines the first identification of terrorism as a state problem, the role of government in organizing the production of knowledge, and the ongoing efforts of academic and practical experts to define the field. Read more and RSVP
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Dadaab: A Somali Struggle
Film Screening and Discussion
1 p.m., Room 100-A, Hale Black Cultural Center, 153 W. 12th Ave.
Sponsored by the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has declared Somalia to be the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, and Dadaab, in northeastern Kenya, to be the largest refugee camp in the world. Designed to house 90,000 refugees, Dadaab is now home to 290,000 people, primarily Somalis. This 12-minute documentary examines the capability of humanitarian organizations to fulfill basic needs of the people it serves under these extreme conditions. The presentation will be moderated by Tariq Tarey, coordinator for the Refugee Employment Program of Jewish Family Services. Tarey, a socially-conscious artist who was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, has been an active member of the photographic community in Columbus since 2001. He is also involved in the Somali Documentary Project. The free presentation is open to the campus community. Read more
Friday, October 2, 2009
Andrew Carlson
"Culture Death?: A Case Study from Northern Ethiopia"
Noon, Room 423 Mendenhall Laboratory, 125 S. Oval Mall
Sponsored by the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
Andrew Carlson, Capital University professor, will explore why, although scholars have predicted the demise of Kemant culture since the 1960s, elements of the language and religion remain alive. Carlson has done extensive research among the Kemant people in Ethiopia. He is co-author of Health, Wealth, and Family in Rural Ethiopia: Kossoye, North Gondar Region, 1963-2007 (Red Sea Press, 2009). This presentation is part of the brown bag lecture series presented by The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. The campus community is welcome to attend and participants may bring their own brown bag lunch. Read more
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, President of Somalia
"Somalia: Prospects for Peace"
Registration/Coffee: 8 a.m. | Program: 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Terrace Ballroom 5, Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St. (NW corner near the Cap)
Sponsored by the Columbus Council on World Affairs
Head of state visit. Please plan on arriving early due to security screening.
Read more and register
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Edward T. Chang
"The L.A. Riots and other Korean American Experiences for Korea's Understanding of America"
5 p.m., Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave.
Sponsored by the Korean Studies Initiative
Edward T. Chang is professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Riverside. His research interests include Korean American-African American relations, Asian-Latino relations, immigration, and race relations theory. His past work has focused on the topics of Korean-African American relations and civil unrest in Los Angeles, as well as on the impact of the Los Angeles riots on the Korean American community.
Chang served as a field reporter and consultant for a PBS Frontline special program, "LA is Burning: Five Reports from a Divided City." He is author of several books including Ethnic Peace in the American City: Community Building in Los Angeles and Beyond (New York University Press, 1999) with Jeannette Diaz-Veizades. He has also written Following the Footsteps of Korean Americans and Who African Americans Are. He is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times, commenting on issues related to interethnic relations and the Korean American community. Read more and RSVP
Are you or your students interested in studying abroad, but not sure where to start? Students can explore all of their options during Study Abroad Week, October 5-9, 2009. Students can attend a Getting Started session to find out how to select the program that's right for them, learn about scholarship opportunities and financing their program, and visit one on one with the experts on Program Exploration Day from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Friday, October 9, in Page Hall. Students will discover the variety of programs available to meet their academic goals including, GEC requirements, language programs, service learning opportunities, internships, and much more. Visit http://oia.osu.edu for a complete schedule of events.
All current students, faculty, staff and visiting scholars at The Ohio State University are invited to submit their photos to the 2009 International Photography Competition. This is a wonderful opportunity to share your original photographs from around the world. All entries must have been taken outside the United States and should be creative, original, and of high quality. A "Best of Show" will be selected, as well as 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place awards in the following categories: People, Places, and Food. The winning photographs will be exhibited in Bricker Hall from November 16 through December 31, 2009. The deadline for entries is 5 p.m., Wednesday, October 16, 2009. Visit http://oia.osu.edu/photo-contest for the 2009 International Photography Competition Rules and Entry Form.
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