Global Awareness Lecture Series
The Global Awareness Lecture Series is a program of guest speakers on international relations topics that has been conducted at St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict since 1982. Since the beginning it has been organized and administrated by Gary Prevost in the Political Science Department. Funding for the program has come primarily from the Office of Academic Affairs with additional monies from the student-led International Affairs Club and The Minnesota Humanities Commission. On some occasions programs are co-sponsored by other academic departments and programs. Professor Manju Parikh from the Political Science Department has been a primary consultant of the program and in Professor Prevost's absence, its director.
The topics covered and the regions of the world explored are multiple. The programs are often integrated directly into the curriculum of political science and other courses. The speakers come from a wide range of backgrounds including academics, political activism, journalism, and consulting. Listed below are some of the topics and speakers that have been featured in the last five years. All speakers give public lecture open to all and in some cases the visitors speak in classes and meet informally with students.
Spring 2013 Lectures:
March 7, 2013. Professor Noburo Noguchi, "Palestine and UNESCO: The Success & Consequences of Palestinian Membership in UNESCO." Professor Noguchi is currently serving as the Director-General of the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan, and was the Vice-President and a Professor at the Bunkyo Gakuin University.
April 9, 2013. Jordan Ash, from the Jewish Voice for Peace on the Global Movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.
Fall 2012 Lectures:
September 18, 2012. Jason Lindsey, chair of the Political Science Department at St. Cloud State University spoke on "Putinism and Russia's Political Dead End" highlighting the ramifications of the recent concentration of political power in Russia in the hands of Vladimir Putin and his One Russia Party. Professor Lindsey received his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University and a certificate in Russian Area Studies from the Harriman Institute. He is the author of several articles on Russian affairs and a book, The Concealment of the State: Exposing and Challenging the Postmodern State. In spring semester 2013 he was a Fullbright Scholar at the National Law Academy in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Video of this lecture.
October 9, 2012. Professor Ragui Assaad, Professor of Public Affairs at the Humphrey Institute "Making Sense of Developments in Post-Revolution Egypt". Professor Assaad holds a Ph.D. degree in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University and a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. He is a non-resident senior fellow at the Global Economic and Development Program of the Brookings Institution (U.S.A.) and a Research Fellow of the Economic Research Forum (Egypt). He served as Regional Director for West Asia and North Africa for the Population Council, based in Cairo, Egypt, from 2005 to 2008. Video of this lecture.
Spring 2012 Lectures:
March 14, 2012. Prof. Masako Tanaka presented on "Reconstruction efforts after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan." Professor Masako Tanaka is from Bunkyo Gakuin University, our partner institution in Tokyo, Japan. She is an expert on development assistance and has spent many years working in the development field in South Asia.
April 2, 2012. Drs. Anuradha Chenoy and Kamal Mitra Chenoy presented on "India's Challenges: Kashmir and Maoist Insurgency." Video of this lecture.
Fall 2011 Lectures:
9/21/11: Martin Loken, Canada's Consel General in Minneapolis, "Friends, Partners, Allies: The Canada-U.S. Partnership." Wednesday, September 21, 2011,7:30pm, Quad 264, SJU. Mr. Loken is Canada's senior representative for the Upper Midwest states of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Video of 9/21/11 presentation
10/4/11: Dr. Mary West, Professor of Literature at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, "Welcome to South Africa: A Road Map to 'Race' in Words and Images." Tuesday, October 4, 7:30pm, Quad 264, SJU.
Video of 10/4/11 presentation
10/19/11: Nancy Garcia, Center for the Orientation of Migrants (COMI), Oaxaca, Mexico presented "Railroaded by NAFTA/CAFTA: The Perilous Journey from Central America to the States" Wednesday, October 19 at 7:30pm in Quad 264, SJU. Co-sponsored with the Latino/Latin American Studies Program. Video of 10/19/11 presentation.
Fall 2010 Lectures:
Dr. Rodney Cunningham, United States Foreign Service Officer and former Professor of Political Science at CSB/SJU "Understanding U.S. Foreign Policy: The African Context" September 22, 2010
Rubina Feroze Bhatti, Pakistani Human Rights and Peace Advocate "The Struggle for Peace, Environmental Justice, and Women's Rights in Pakistan" October 4, 2010
Padre Jesus Alberto Franco, Executive Secretary, Colombian Inter-Church Commission for Peace & Justice "U.S. Foreign Policy and Human Rights in Colombia" October 26, 2010
Dr. A. K. Pasha, Fulbright Scholar and Professor School of International Studies, Jawaharal Nehre University, New Delhi "India's Emergence as a Regional and World Power" November 17, 2010