Pacific Lutheran University

February 15, 2007

The Wang Center for International Programs at Pacific Lutheran University is sponsoring a two-day event featuring the scholarship of students and faculty based on their travels abroad.

The event, called “World Conversations: Voices from Around the Globe,” is slated for Thursday and Friday, Feb. 22-23. It will also feature several special guests, including author, journalist and photographer Ann Jones; former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale; and musicians and dancers from Trinidad and Tobago.

The event breaks down as follows:

• Thursday, Feb. 22 – 7 p.m.
  Ann Jones, author, journalist and photographer, will talk about the lives of women in Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion in 2001 and the fall of the Taliban. Jones traveled to Kabul to help female teachers instruct young girls in English, and wrote a book called “Kabul in Winter” based on her experience. She has authored several books based on her social activism in the United States and abroad, and will also address issues of vocation.
• Friday, Feb. 23 – 8 a.m.-4p.m.
  Throughout the day, students and faculty will facilitate discussions on global issues, most of which are based on recent study-away scholarship. The sessions are designed to fit with the day’s class schedule, so students should be able to attend sessions between classes; some faculty members are also bringing their classes to World Conversations sessions that day. Multiple sessions will be held in each time block at various locations around campus. To view a full schedule, click here or stop by the UC on Friday morning, Feb. 23 to pick up a full program.
• Friday, Feb. 23 – 10:30-11 a.m.
  Friday’s chapel service in Lagerquist Concert Hall will feature a blessing by Connie McCloud, Cedar Moon Woman and Puyallup Nation tribal elder.
• Friday, Feb. 23 – 5:30-7 p.m.
  Friday’s regular dinner service for students will be expanded to the PLU community and beyond, and will feature dishes from around the world. The “Global Café” dinner will be followed by a dessert buffet featuring items from PLU’s five gateway nations, including Norway, Namibia, Trinidad & Tobago, China and Mexico. Tickets are free but required for those who don’t have a PLU meal card. Tickets are available through the Campus Concierge in the University Center.
• Friday, Feb. 23 – 7:30 p.m.
  After dinner ends at 7 p.m., join a lively parade from the UC to Lagerquist Concert Hall for a world music event featuring dancers, performers and musicians from Trinidad and Tobago. This performance troupe will land at PLU just days after capping off the Carnival season in Trinidad and Tobago, where the tradition of Carnival and the music and dance associated with it reflect vibrant cultural diversity and sense of fun and celebration.

For more information about World Conversations, visit the Wang Center online at www.plu.edu/wangcenter or call them at ext. 7577. Read the blog from J-Term 2007 for a preview of student and faculty scholarship at a href="http://studyaway.plu.edu">http://studyaway.plu.edu.