Wednesday, March 23, 2016

12:00 p.m. (Noon)-1:30 p.m.

Keynote Presentation - France: Territorial, Social and Ethnic  Apartheid

Presenter: Dr. Dominic Thomas, Professor, Author (Center for Near Eastern Studies and French and Francophone Studies, University of California Los Angeles)
Chair and Discussant: Professor Mladen Kozul (MCLL, U. of Montana)

2:00-3:30 p.m.

Panel Presentation - Critical Texts: Fatima Sadiqi on the Vitality of Publishing, Research and Writing Regarding Women in the Middle East and North Africa.

Presenter: Fatima Sadiqi
Chairs and Discussants: Professor Prageeta Sharma (Department of English/Creative Writing Program, U. of Montana) and Rachel Mindell (Montana Book Festival)

3:30-5:00 p.m.

Panel Presentation

Western Europe and Immigration Crisis -
De-Territorialization, Globalization and Emigration
Professor Michel Valentin: (Department of Modern & Classical Languages and Literatures, University of Montana)
Fortress Europe: Migration and Race
Professor Dominic Thomas Center for Near Eastern Studies and French and Francophone Studies, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
Professor Henriette Lowisch (School of Journalism, U. of Montana): The German Experiment: A Crumbling Welcome
Chair and Discussant: Professor Mladen Kozul (MCLL, U. of Montana)

Keynote Presentation: 7:00 p.m.

Women in the Middle East and North Africa: Agents of Change

• Welcome Remarks: Dr. Perry Brown (Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs),
• Dr. Nathan Lindsay (Associate Provost for Dynamic Learning),
• Dr. Abe Kim (Director, Maureen & Mike Mansfield Center) 
• Presenter: Dr. Fatima Sadiqi (Woodrow Wilson Center-Washington DC)
• Chair and Discussant: Representative Andrea Olsen, Montana State Legislature

Thursday, March 24, 2016

10:00-11:00 a.m.

Panel Presentation - The Golden Age of Central Asia

Presenter: Professor Ardi Kia (Dept. Anthropology, CSWA Center)
Chair & Discussant: Professor Samir Bitar (CSWA Center and Dept. of MCLL)

11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Panel Presentation - Struggle for Women’s Rights in Afghanistan & Iran

Chair and Presenter: Shaima Khinjani (Manager, Academic Programs- Defense Critical Language & Culture Program)
Discussant: Professor G.G. Weix, Dept. of Anthropology, U. of Montana

12:30-2:00 p.m.

Panel Presentation - Central & Southwest Asian Studies Student Panel

Chair and Discussant: Professor Ardi Kia (Dept. Anthropology, CSWA Center)

2:00-3:30 p.m.

Panel Presentation - China and the Middle East

• Delegation from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU)
• Professor Degang SUN, Deputy Director of the Middle East Studies Institute, Shanghai International Studies University, China
• Dr. Gafar Karar Ahmed, Honorary Research Fellow of the Middle East Studies Institute, Shanghai International Studies University, China;
• Ms. Jiani WANG, Doctoral Student of the Middle East Studies Institute, Shanghai International Studies University, China; Currently Academic Visitor to Chicago University.
• Chair: Professor Cao Zhen (MCLL, U. of Montana)
• Discussant: Professor Samir Bitar (CSWA Center and MCLL, U. of Montana)

7:00-9:00 p.m.

Keynote Presentation
Responsible Leadership: A Senator's Perspective on Foreign Policy

Presenter: Senator Jon Tester (D)

Friday, March 25, 2016

11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m.

Panel Presentation on Foreign Language Instruction and Cultural Training
Defense Critical Language & Culture Program, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center

Presenters: Owen Sirrs (Adjunct Professor - Culture and Regional Studies), Dr. Reza Samar (Associate Professor), Shaima Khinjani (Manager, Academic Programs- Defense Critical Language & Culture Program), Dr. Abdelilah Bouasria (Associate Professor - Arabic Language & Culture, Defense Critical Language & Culture Program)
Chair: Don Loranger (Major General (USAF, Ret.) Director, Defense Critical Language & Culture Program)

1:00-3:00 p.m.

Panel Presentation - Putin’s Russia and Its Policies in Ukraine, the Caucasus, and the Middle East

Presenters: Professor Robert Greene (Chair, Dept. of History, U. of Montana), Professor Michael Mayer (Dept. of History, U. of Montana), Milena Oganesyan (Visiting Scholar, CSWA Center, U. of Montana), Professor Mehrdad Kia (CSWA Center, U. of Montana)

7:00 p.m.

Keynote Presentation
The War in Syria and the Destruction of the Syrian Antiquity

Presenter: Dr. Amr Al-Azm, Former Professor at University of Damascus and the Director of Scientific and Conservation Laboratories of Antiquities and Museums of Syria, Presently, Professor of Middle East History at Shawnee State University-Ohio
Chair: Professor Samir Bitar (CSWA Center and MCLL)
Discussant: Tom Lee, Retired Professor, U. of Montana

Sponsored by: Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Central & Southwest Asian Studies Center, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center, Department of History, Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Russian Studies Program, Montana World Affairs Council