Panel Discussion: Syria and the United States After Assad
Thursday, December 11th, 11:00 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Zoom Webinar - Register Here
For over 13 years, the Syrian civil war raged on until Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia over the weekend. By 2018, the Assad regime appeared to have secured its survival.
In a stunning turn of events, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, advanced from its stronghold in Idlib to seize Damascus. Although HTS is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Jawlani claims to embrace modern governance and reject extremism. Many Syrians are celebrating the end of Assad’s brutal rule, but the future remains uncertain.
How will the U.S. engage with the new Syrian leadership? What will happen to the growing captagon drug trade? What are the implications for Israel, Iran, and Hezbollah? What will be the fate of the roughly 900 U.S. troops and their Kurdish partners in northeastern Syria?
Join us for a panel that discusses what the end of Assad’s rule means for Syrians and the United States featuring Joshua Landis, Quincy Institute non-resident fellow and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Steven Simon, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute, and Caroline Rose, director of the Strategic Blind Spots Portfolio at the New Lines Institute. Adam Weinstein, deputy director of the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute, will moderate.
CIS Career Fair, Hosted by the CIS Center for Student Success
Wednesday, November 20th, 10:00 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Farzaneh Hall, 1st Floor
The College of International Studies’ Center for Student Success is pleased to announce that we will have a Career Fair on Wednesday, November 20th from 10am – 4pm for students interested in international careers.
The Career Fair is open to all students! We will have representatives from both public and private organizations, nonprofits and U.S. government organizations, and more. There will be representatives from the OU Career Center to advise about resumes and cover letters.
AND, there will be an opportunity to join the U.S. Department of State for a lunch to discuss future careers. (The lunch event will be in Farzaneh Hall, room 145.)
*Note - The lunch with the U.S. Department of State has limited spots. RSVP by November 18th to reserve your spot!
Climate Shocks and Education: Building a Pilot Student and a Research/Action Platform for Brazil/Rio Grande do Sul
December 4-6, 2024
Contact Fabio de Sa e Silva at fabio@desaesilva@ou.edu for more information.
Transforming Lives: Empowering Marginalized Women in Nepal
Tuesday, November 19th, 2 p.m.
Zoom
The Center for Peace and Development at the OU College of International Studies is pleased to invite you to learn more about the collaborative efforts that have been used to foster social charge and rebuild resilience and hope for the future by empowering marginalized women in Nepal.
The Center will host Dr. Bishnu Maya Pariyar on Tuesday, November 19th at 2pm on Zoom. Co-hosts for the event will be Dr. Venera Bekteshi and Dr. Zermaire Deacon.
Join us online at :
https://oklahoma.zoom.us/j/98460278572
Meeting ID: 984 6027 8572
CIS Friendsgiving Potluck
Tuesday, November 19th, 6:30 pm
International Student Lounge, Farzaneh Hall
Join the CIS Ambassadors and the College of International Studies for a CIS community potluck TOMORROW, November 19th at 6:30pm in the International Student Lounge in Farzaneh Hall. This is a great opportunity for students and faculty to celebrate the community within the College.
All are welcome!
Lunch, Film Screening and Discussion of "Love in the Time of Migration"
Wednesday, November 20th, 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication Auditorium
Join us this Wednesday, November 10th at 11:30am lunch and a screening of “Love in the Time of Migration”, a film by Erin Semine Kökdil, Assistant Professor in OU’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The lunch and screening will be Wednesday, November 20th at 11:30 a.m. in the reception area just south of the Gaylord Auditorium.
Please RSVP for lunch by 5pm today, November 18th -https://ousurvey.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_diDiyIf2WjNFH7M.
*Please note that no food allowed inside the actual auditorium. Lunch will be at 11:30 a.m. in the reception area next to the auditorium, and the screening will begin at 12:00 p.m. in the auditorium.
Persian Circle
Every Thursday, 2-3 p.m.
Kaufman Hall 230
Join us every Thursday to learn Persian!
We will enjoy Baklava cake and chai, practice conversation, prepare for upcoming exams and learn about Persian culture.
Persian Tutoring
Wednesdays & Fridays 10-11 a.m.
Farzaneh 319
Improve your Persian language skills with our free tutoring! Meet with tutor Proshat Haghighi to practice conversation, seek help on your homework, or get ready for an upcoming test. Persian tutoring is available to all students, even if not enrolled in Persian classes.
John J. Sullivan, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, recently visited the University of Oklahoma to discuss his newly published book, Midnight in Moscow, a Memoir from the Front Lines of Russia’s War Against the West.
Four University of Oklahoma faculty members have been selected as 2024-25 Fellows of the Southeastern Conference’s Academic Leadership Development Program, which develops the next generation of academic leaders to meet future challenges in higher education.
Distinguished combat veterans bring decades of hard-won defense experience to OADII
The University of Oklahoma will establish the nation’s first Center for Creativity and Authenticity in AI Cultural Production thanks to a nearly $500,000 three-year grant from the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities. Center leaders hope to contribute humanities expertise to the growing discussion about the role of artificial intelligence in society.
A study co-authored by Michelle Morais, Ph.D., an associate professor in the David L. Boren College of International Studies at the University of Oklahoma, has been awarded the best article of 2023 by the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice.
OADII - Oklahoma Aerospace & Defense Innovation Institute and OU International Security Student Association Present (Ret.) Colonel Drew Allen and (Ret.) General Robin Rand. "Lessons Learned From over 65 Years of Air Force Service" Wednesday, April 10, 2024 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the OU Armory located at 440 W. Brooks St.
Two student delegations from the University of Oklahoma placed in the top eight at the Midwest Model United Nations 64 conference. The conference included over 100 delegations from 29 different institutions. OU’s Model UN student organization brought three delegations, 16 students.
Two CIS faculty members are among the recipients of OU's "Big Idea Challenge 2.0," a program facilitated by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships and designed to foster cross-disciplinary research projects. The projects selected for this year's challenge are focused on solving major worldwide challenges and are expected to attract substantial external funding in the future. The project involving CIS faculty is titled “Climate Information and Actionable Timescales for Climate Security in Latin America." It is led by Kathy Pegion, an associate professor and Williams Chair in the OU School of Meteorology, with co-principal investigators Fabio de Sa e Silva, Associate Professor of International Studies and Wick Cary Professor of Brazilian Studies in CIS, and Rachel Schwartz, Assistant Professor of International & Area Studies in CIS.
CIS Board of Visitors member Steve Dolman passed away on February 16, 2024. CIS Interim Dean Jonathan Stalling has shared the below message reflecting on Dolman's legacy at the College of International Studies: Many CIS students, faculty and staff who call Farzaneh Hall their campus home enter the building each day through the double doors that open from the Marjorie Buchner Dolman Courtyard, and many of us take a moment every week to talk with colleagues, students or friends at one of several tables near the water fountain. Yet this space became all the more meaningful to us last week with the passing of Steve Dolman, a long-term advocate of OU Study Abroad and a longtime member of the CIS Board. His gift made in honor of his mother Marjorie has left a lasting legacy for our college by providing us with a lovely commons on our college grounds to meet and discuss global affairs, plan our next study abroad adventure, catch up on the news of the day, or simply sit alone to study for the next exam. A world traveler, international businessman, and Sooner through and through, I know seeing this shared space getting used daily is something that Steve would be proud of.
Hannah Chapman, who is an assistant professor of International & Area Studies as well as the Theodore Romanoff Assistant Professor of Russian Studies, has just published a new book with Cambridge University Press, Dialogue with the Dictator: Authoritarian Legitimation and Information Management in Putin's Russia. The book examines how non-democracies use quasi-democratic participation opportunities to shore up their regimes – and the potential costs of such strategies.
An article by Rachel Schwartz, Assistant Professor of International & Area Studies, was named among the top 10 most-read Hopkins Press journal articles of 2023. "How Guatemala Defied the Odds," which Schwartz co-authored with Anita Isaacs, was published in the October 2023 issue of the Journal of Democracy.
The University of Oklahoma announced today the students named to its fall 2023 honor roll, a distinction given to those who achieve the highest academic standards. A total of 9,859 students were named to the fall 2023 honor roll. Of these students, 4,290 were named to the President’s Honor Roll for earning an “A” grade in all their courses.
In the interest of promoting African studies and supporting student research at the University of Oklahoma, the African Studies Institute will provide a Student Research Grant of up to $1,000 to support independent student research or creative activity related to African studies. The competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at the University of Oklahoma.
Early in her undergraduate career, Jackie Gibson set a goal: to one day work as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service. The Tulsa native earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies with three minors –Chinese, international security studies, and global energy, environment and resources – and then continued at CIS for her master’s in international studies (MAIS). Now in her final year of graduate school, Gibson is drawing closer to her goal: last fall, she began a Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) internship with the U.S. Department of State.
IAS Assistant Professor Rachel Schwartz's recently published book was included in Democracy Paradox's list of "5 Absolute Must Read Books About Democracy from 2023." The book, Undermining the State from Within: The Institutional Legacies of Civil War in Central America (Cambridge University Press), "pulls back the curtain on the counterinsurgent state to better understand how conflict dynamics affect state institutions and continue to shape political and economic development in the postwar period." Democracy Paradox writer Justin Kempf explained that the book was selected because "Schwartz dives into the weeds with her case studies...[she] has written a book that will serve as a foundational text for a wide range of future scholars."
For older stories, visit our blog, CIS Snapshot, which ran from 2016-2023 and featured student and faculty profiles, study abroad stories, international events and organizations and more.
