Vanderbilt University kicks off its International Education Week events Sunday, Nov. 11. The week – officially celebrated this year Nov. 12-16 – is an annual initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to recognize the global exchange environment between the United States and other countries. All events are free and open to the public.
Sunday, Nov. 11
5-7 p.m. – Film: On Each Side
A fictional film by documentary filmmaker Hugo Grosso, On Each Side is set around the building of the Rosario-Victoria Bridge over the Parana River, which linked two Argentinean cities and provinces. The film is part of Global Film Initiative’s touring Global Lens 2007 series.
Vanderbilt Law School, Hyatt Room
Monday, Nov. 12
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. – TARAB Middle Eastern Musical Experience
Rand Hall Terrace
4-5 p.m. – Country Spotlight: Argentina
Hear from Argentinean international students and study abroad students about their experiences in Argentina.
Sarratt Student Center, Room 189
6-8 p.m. – Film: A Dream in Doubt
This documentary explores a hate crime perpetrator’s motivation and one man’s journey from persecution in India to his struggle to create America as his new home. A Dream in Doubt follows the story of Rana whose brother was the first victim of the flurry of post-9/11 hate crimes. A discussion with producer/director will follow the film screening.
Wilson Hall, Room 103
Tuesday, Nov. 13
Noon-1 p.m. – Panel discussion: God Versus Law
Panelists are Vanderbilt Law students George Kun, Frederick Landry and Supriya Routh
Vanderbilt Law School, Hyatt Room
Noon-1 p.m. – Experiencing the taste of Turkish culture
Sarratt Student Center, Room 189
4-5 p.m. – Country Spotlight: South Africa
Hear from South African international students and study abroad students about their experiences in South Africa.
Sarratt Student Center, Room 189
4-5:30 p.m. – Film: Failing Haiti
Failing Haiti examines the impact or lack of impact international efforts have had on rebuilding the country, as well as Haiti’s internal failings. The film includes interviews with key political players in Haitian and U.S.-Haitian politics and archival footage of key events interspersed with recent footage of political demonstrations, U.N. activities, urban and rural daily life and Vodou festivals. The film also explores the end of Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s presidency, and the role of the U.S. in his February 2004 ouster. A discussion will follow the film.
Furman Hall, Room 114
5:30-6:30 p.m. – Presentation: Project Pyramid India
Presenters: Owen Graduate School of Management students Mark Shuster, Erin Hofmann, Asif Shah Mohammed and Sharran Srivatsaa – Project Pyramid is one of the first classes of its kind in the country combining students from the Owen Graduate School of Management with divinity students. The program uses the teachings of Nobel Peace Prize winner and Vanderbilt graduate Muhammad Yunus to inspire students as they design ways to invest in the poor.
Owen Graduate School of Management, Averbuch Auditorium
7-9 p.m. – Film: Dam Street
In the early 1980s, Xiao Yun, a 16-year-old girl living in a small riverside town in China, discovers she is pregnant. The local community is stunned, her family loses face and she and her boyfriend are expelled from school. In the aftermath, her boyfriend leaves her, and she gives birth and is then forced to put her child up for adoption. Ten years later, her relationship with her family strained and ostracized by residents of the town, Xiao Yun is reduced to working as a singer in a local song and dance troupe. Her only real companion is Xiao Yong, a fiercely affectionate boy who protects her from the critical eyes of the community until a marriage proposal discovers the limits of their friendship, and the depth of her unresolved past.
The Commons, Room 235 (Multi-purpose Room)
Wednesday, Nov. 14
12:10-1 p.m. – World on Wednesday: Building Friendships in your Community
and Across Borders
Tracy Kane, Vanderbilt Law Student
Vanderbilt Law School, Hyatt Room
4-5 p.m., Country Spotlight: Japan
Hear from Japanese international students and study abroad students about their experiences in Japan.
Sarratt Student Center, Room 116
7-9 p.m. – Film: Another Man’s Garden (Mozambique)
Introduction by Dr. Alfredo Vergara, Deputy Director, Institute
for Global Health
For a young girl who wants to study medicine in Mozambique, the obstacles extend far beyond the distractions of her boyfriend and her family. A moment of weakness or an error in judgment can cost her a place at the university, an irretrievable loss in a country with so few opportunities for women. Director João Luis Sol de Carvalho dedicates this film to the courage of young women who continue to strive against the odds, proving that educating a girl is not a waste of time in a land where it is perceived that “sending a girl to school is like watering another man’s garden.”
Owen Graduate School of Management, Averbuch Auditorium
Thursday, Nov. 15
Noon-1 p.m. – Roots, Rhythm & Religion: World Music & Dance at Vanderbilt
Classical Indian Music demonstrated by: Professor Sankaran Mahadevan
Dance Presenters: Monica Cooley, Nomi Eniafe and Reischa Feuerbacher
Schulman Center, Multi-purpose Room
4-5 p.m. – Country Spotlight: Germany
Hear from German international students and study abroad students about their experiences in Germany.
Sarratt Student Center, Room 189
6-7 p.m. – Film: The Armenian Genocide (a reception will follow)
Wilson Hall, Room 126
7:35 p.m. – Lecture: The Transmission of Trauma Across Generations
Wilson Hall, Room 126
Media Contact: Princine Lewis, 615-322-2706
princine.lewis@vanderbilt.edu