CLAS Weekly Update

Center for Latin American Studies

Upcoming Events

 

 

 

Amigos del Cine Latinoamericano Spring 2011 Film Series

"Globalization and Power through Latin America Cinema"

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Films will be presented on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium

As usual, we will give a short introduction of the film and after the presentation you are welcome to stay for a discussion.

Some films are adult in nature and may not be appropriate for young audiences.

Film Schedule:

      Thursday, January 27, 2011

             Film: Choropampa: The Price of Gold – Andean Documentary (Directed by Ernesto Cabellos and Stephanie Boyd)

On June 2, 2000, a truck from the Yanacocha gold mine spilled 151 kg of liquid elemental mercury along a 40 km stretch of highway passing through Choropampa and two neighboring towns. Villagers were not told the mercury was toxic. Assuming it was azogue, an ancient cure-all, they collected mercury in bottles and jars using their hands, sticks and brooms. Children were especially fascinated with the alluring silvery balls; they played with it, spilling mercury on dirt floors and beds, near gardens and animals and inside the local school. At least 900 people are poisoned; they do not receive adequate medical care and their health is deteriorating. But hope is not lost. The town elects a new mayor, Lot Saavedra, a dashing 22-year-old who promises to win health care and fair compensation for the spill victims. This simple farmer's son takes on corrupt politicians, slick company officials and shady medical experts. Months of tense and frustrated talks culminate in a dramatic highway blockade of mine vehicles. Using techniques of cinema verité and shocking archive material shot over a 2-year period, this epic film exposes the global mining trade's nasty underbelly. Choropampa's story is a poignant reminder of the real cost of gold.

For more information: amigoscinelatinoamericano@gmail.com or visit http://amigosdelcinelatinoamericano.blogspot.com/p/spring-series-2010_11.html

Sponsored by: the Center for Latin American Studies, Department of Hispanic Languages & Literatures, and Eduardo Lozano Latin American Library Collection

 

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Portuguese Language Workshops

 

Brazilian Portuguese Language and Culture Workshops

University of Pittsburgh language instructor Lilly Abreu is offering 3 levels of Brazilian Portuguese workshops (non-credit) this Spring, 2011. SEATS ARE LIMITED

 

Introduction to Portuguese Workshop (10 weeks)

Start date: Thursday, February 3, 2011

Time: 5:15 - 6:15 p.m.

Room: 209 Mervis Hall, University of Pittsburgh

Cost: Free (supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to CLAS, GSC and IBC)

 

Intermediate Portuguese Workshop (8 weeks)

Start date: Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Time: 6:15 - 7:45 p.m.

Room: 102 Mervis Hall, University of Pittsburgh

Cost: non-refundable $160 per person

 

Portuguese for KIDS (8 weeks)

Start date: Saturday, January 29, 2011

Time: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Room: 4130 Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh

Cost: non-refundable $200 per person

 

Please contact Lilly Abreu directly for more information at: lillyabreu1@gmail.com

Sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Latin American Studies, Global Studies Center and International Business Center

 

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Upcoming CLAS Lecture Series & Other University Lectures

 

"Familia y novela urbana en el contexto de la guerra interna en el Perú (1980-2000)," a lecture by Fernando Toledo (PhD student, Hispanic Languages & Literatures)

Fernando Toledo is a fifth-year PhD student in the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures. He earned a BA in Hispanic Linguistics and Literatures from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and an MA in Hispanic Languages and Literatures from the University of Pittsburgh. His current research is focused on the building of urban imaginaries and discourses in Peru –in the context of the war unleashed by Sendero Luminoso and the MRTA against the Peruvian Government—and how these are reflected in some novels set in the context of the internal war and the post-war years.

Date: Friday, January 28, 2011

Time: 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Location: 119 Cathedral of Learning (German classroom), University of Pittsburgh

Reception to follow - 13th Floor CL

Sponsored by the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures

 

"USAID Party Development Program," a lecture by Scott Morgenstern (Associate Professor, Political Sciences, University of Pittsburgh)

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) offers non-partisan aid to political parties throughout the developing world. Is such non-partisan aid viable? Where should the aid be targeted? How can we evaluate the effectiveness of the aid? This talk addresses these questions based on experience evaluating non-partisan aid programs in Peru and Indonesia.

Dr. Morgenstern's areas of expertise include comparative politics, political institutions, political parties, legislatures, and Latin American politics. He is the author of Patterns of Legislative Politics: Roll Call Voting in the Latin America and the United States (Cambridge University Press, 2004). He also co-edited: Pathways to Power: Political Recruitment and Candidate Selection in Latin America (with Peter M. Siavelis; Pennsylvania State University Press, 2008), and Legislative Politics in Latin America (with Benito Nacif; Cambridge University Press, 2002).

Date: Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Time: 12:00 p.m.

Location: 4130 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh

For more information: please contact clas@pitt.edu

Pizza and refreshments will be served

 

Brown Bag Lunch Lecture Series

"Sustainable Building in Brazil: Review and Update," a lecture by Dr. Vanessa Gomes (Professor, University of Campinas)

Date: Thursday, February 3, 2011

Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Location: 102 Benedum Hall, University of Pittsburgh

Sponsored by the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation

 

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Call for Papers

 

VII Undergraduate Research Symposium on Latin America and the Caribbean

Present your research with other undergraduate students on any topic related to Latin American Studies in literature, linguistics, art, or professional academic disciplines. Presentations will be made in Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

Submit a 150-200 word abstract to the following e-mail address: Latinundergrad@sru.edu

Deadline for submissions: February 25, 2011

Date: Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Location: Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock PA

For more information: contact Dr. Ana María Caula or Dr. Gisela González-Dieter at latinundergrad@sru.edu

Sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, Slippery Rock University, the Center for Latin American Studies, University of Pittsburgh and the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures, University of Pittsburgh

 

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NOTICE

The following list of events is provided as a service to the community by the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), University of Pittsburgh. CLAS neither recommends nor endorses these events and activities. Please address questions or comments about the events to the contact provided and not to the Center.

 

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Performance featuring Lilly Abreu (Brazilian Jazz Vocalist)

 

Mozart's Birthday Celebration

Chamber Music at Chatham

Featuring Yeeha Chiu (piano), Lilly Abreu (soprano), Pauline Rovkah (piano), PSO players are Dennis O'Boyle (violin), Marylene Gingras Roy (viola), Michael Lipman (cello)

Date: Thursday, January 27, 2011

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: James Laughlin Music Center, Chatham University

Registration Fee: $15; Free for Chatham faculty/staff/students

For more information: contact Pauline Rovkah, 412-365-1679, rovkah@chatham.edu or visit http://www.chatham.edu/events/details.cfm?eventID=5454

 

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Latin Aerobics with Gloria J. Rodriguez-Ransom

Dates: Every Tuesday & Thursday

Time: 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Location: Creamy Creations, Duff Office Center, 10 Duff Road, Suite 107, Penn Hills

Cost: $5.00 per class or $30.00 for 6 weeks (both classes), payment due at the beginning of your 6 weeks.

For more information, please visit: www.creamycreationsandmore.com

 

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If you have an announcement related to a Latin American/Caribbean activity taking place that you would like to share with others interested in the region, please send details

no later than Tuesday of each week to:

Center for Latin American Studies, University of Pittsburgh,

4200 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260;

Phone: 412 648 7392; Fax: 412 648 2199; e-mail: clas@ucis.pitt.edu

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