Events

Department of Global Studies and Modern Languages

The College of Arts and Sciences –often described as the 'heart and soul' of Drexel University– is a nexus for knowledge across the humanities and sciences. Events curated by the Department of Global Studies and Modern Languages at Drexel bring together and amplify diverse voices and perspectives from faculty, students, staff and community members.

Global Passport Series

Our popular Drexel Global Passport Series brings our university and Philadelphia communities together to communicate, collaborate and connect around international issues within the broader context of human rights.

Upcoming Events

There are currently no events scheduled.

Global Passport Series — Enter the World

From hip-hop as a soundtrack for liberation, to climate and the environment, and the rise of global extremism –plus every topic in between– the Drexel Global Passport Series (GPS) inspires individuals to better communicate, collaborate and connect with one another. For years, our popular GPS expert panel discussions and student-led research forums have encouraged critical dialogue around international issues within the broader context of human rights.

Past Events
Rethinking Gender and Development: A Global Conversation Tuesday, February 20, 2024 Two experts on gender studies, Dr. Nada Matta and Dr. Kristy Kelly, will give brief remarks on the topic based on their own research. The moderator, Dr. Jennifer Yusin, will pose some key questions, then the floor will be open to audience questions. Panelists Dr. Nada Matta is an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Departments of Global Studies and Sociology at Drexel University. She is also the director of the Middle East and North Africa Minor. Her work investigates questions of structural inequality and social change in the Middle East, with particular focus on gender and labor movements. Her research adopts a comparative-historical approach and examines interactions between state policies and social movements at a cross-national level. She is currently working on a book manuscript tilted ‘Class Forces in the Egyptian Uprising of 2011.’ She holds a PhD from New York University, an MA from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a BA from Tel Aviv University. She will speak on: Economic Development and Women’s Empowerment: Lessons from Female Labor Organizing in Egypt Dr. Kristy Kelly, School of Education, is a sociologist specializing in politics of knowledge, feminist theory, gender mainstreaming, and transnational feminisms in Southeast Asia. She is Associate Clinical Professor in the School of Education and affiliated with Global Studies and Modern Languages at Drexel University. She completed her MA and PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University. She is a founding member and past co-president of the Society of Gender Professionals. She will speak on: Chasing Shadows: Untangling the Gender-Corruption Nexus in Vietnam Moderated by Dr. Jennifer Yusin, Director of Gender and Sexuality Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is also a Professor in the Department of English and Philosophy and specializes in comparative race and empire studies, philosophies of race and gender, global modernisms, LGBTQ+ studies, trans studies, psychoanalytic studies, postcolonial and global anglophone literatures, transatlantic studies, and the global south.
AI and Global Data Governance November 15, 2023 In this panel discussion, we discuss the global impact of Artificial Intelligence and broad developments in emerging governance frameworks around the world. AI, Data Development and Computer Science underpins much of Drexel’s work and touches many disciplines, with expertise in areas such as Human-Centered Computing overlapping with Data Privacy and Human-Centered Design. Panelists Daniel Bahar is a Managing Director at Rock Creek Global Advisors, where he focuses on international trade and investment policy, including negotiations, market access, and regulatory matters. Rezvaneh (Shadi) Rezapour is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Science at Drexel's College of Computing & Informatics. Her research interests lie at the intersection of computational social science and natural language processing (NLP). Hilde Van den Bulck is a Professor and Head of the Department of Communication. She combines expertise in media structure and policies with expertise in media culture. Her work on media structures and policies focuses on the impact of technological, political, economic and cultural processes, especially how digitization and convergence affect legacy media. Moderated by Mary F.E. Ebeling, a Professor of Sociology and an affiliate faculty member in the Center for Science, Technology and Society, in the Culture, Communication and Media (CCM) and Center for Interdisciplinary Study, at Drexel University. Her research examines the intersections of gender, race, and digital technologies, data privacy, health marketing and medical capitalism.
Navigating Turbulent Times — The Workplace in a Time of COVID February 18, 2022 As we approach the two-year anniversary of a global pandemic, most organizations –if not all- have had to face countless adjustments, readjustments, and re-readjustments in their workplaces to meet the demands of ever-changing health guidelines as well as the needs of a weary and tired workforce. In this virtual panel discussion, we will be discussing the global impact COVID-19 has had on the workforce and what lessons we can learn in order to better our communications, collaborations and connections with each other internationally. Panelists Andrew Damron, Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor MacKenzie Grapes, Program Director, Putney Student Travel Arismita Guharay, Survey Scientist, Civis Analytics Moderated by: Anna Koulas, vice president, Drexel Solutions Institute
Immigration in the United States Today: A Land of Opportunity or Exclusion? November 12, 2021 Guests: Julia Rose Kraut, author of Threat of Dissent: A History of Ideological Exclusion and Deportation in the United States (Harvard UP, 2020) Amy Eusebio, executive director, Office of Immigrant Affairs, city of Philadelphia
DISASTER: The 14th Annual Student Conference on Global Challenges May 18, 2021 Drexel students present their research and engage in critical dialogue regarding societal perils ranging from climate and natural disasters to pandemic and economic threats.
How the Pandemic Made Us Even Less Equal: Challenges and Opportunities in Africa and the Americas February 26, 2021 Focus: Covid-19, global inequality Guests: Mausi Segun, Africa executive director, Human Rights Watch Jorge E. Cuéllar, PhD, scholar of Central America and Latinxs in the United States Moderator: Parfait Kouacou, PhD, Drexel assistant teaching professor of French
America’s Summer Uprisings and Drexel’s Reckoning October 20, 2020 Focus: Drexel’s anti-racism initiatives Guest: Amelia Hoover Green, PhD, associate dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the College of Arts and Sciences; associate professor of Politics
WASTE: The 13th Annual Student Conference on Global Challenges February 27, 2020 Drexel students from all disciplines share their research and engage in critical reflection and dialogue on sustainable solutions and creative technologies to reduce waste.
Activism and China Today October 29, 2019 Focus: Hong Kong protests, and Uyghur activism in diaspora Guests: Jacques deLisle, director, Center for the Study of Contemporary China, University of Pennsylvania Rushan Abbas, founder and executive director of Campaign for Uyghurs Moderator: Rebecca Clothey, PhD, director, Global Studies major and Asian Studies minor, Drexel University.
People Forced to Move: Sanctuary Cities, Human Rights & Religious Freedom May 3, 2018 Focus: U.S. policies in relation to refugees, internment, detention, and the role of sanctuary cities, current immigration policies and attitudes within the broader context of human rights and religious freedom Guests: Jaideep Singh, PhD, co-founder of SALDEF (Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund) Miriam Ticktin, PhD, department chair of anthropology, The New School for Social Research Moderator: Mimi Sheller, PhD, director, Center for Mobilities Research and Policy at Drexel University
Climate and The Environment: The 11th Annual Student Conference on Global Challenges March 1, 2018 Drexel students share their research and engage in critical dialogue about how the impact of climate change on the environment is shaping our global context across disciplines: health, education, science, human rights, medicine, law, media, economics, politics, development and history.
Migration, Incarceration and Sanctuary: Creative Responses to Injustice and Social Change November 16, 2017 Focus: Detention risks, profiling, potential deportation of immigrants in the United States, undocumented migrants and Dreamers Guests: Edgar Endress, George Mason University Courtney Bowles, People's Paper Co-Op Mark Strandquist, Performing Statistics Moderator: Mary Ebeling, PhD, Director, Women's and Gender Studies, associate professor of Sociology, Drexel University
The Rise of Global Extremism and the Rights of Religious Minorities May 11, 2017 Focus: The rise of global extremism and attacks on Muslim, Sikh, and Jewish persons and communities Guests: Simran Jeet Singh, PhD, Assistant Professor, Trinity College Sangay Mishra, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor, Drew University Moderator: Debjani Bhattacharyya, PhD, Assistant Professor, Drexel University
How Education is Targeted and Affected by Armed Conflict and Military Force April 11, 2017 Focus: Education in conflict zones Organized by: Drexel’s School of Education – Global Education Colloquium Guest: Jo Becker, advocacy director Human Rights Watch, of the Children’s Rights Division, and co-winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.
Hip-Hop. Islam. Gender. Activism. Race February 9, 2017 Focus: Black, Muslim and women activists, hip-hop as a soundtrack for liberation Guests: Su'ad Abdul Khabeer, PhD, associate professor and director of the Arab and Muslim American Studies Program at the University of Michigan Kyle (HPrizm) Austin, founding member of the Anti-Pop Consortium, Composer, Sound Artist
Civil Society Engagement between Israelis and Palestinians: Is There a Future? November 15, 2016 Focus: Engagement between Israelis and Palestinians Guest: Ned Lazarus, PhD, visiting professor of International Affairs, The George Washington University, and research director, Alliance for Middle East Peace Musical Guest: David’s Harp
Voting on the Brink: Gender, Race and Citizenship in a Divided America October 19, 2016 Focus: Voting, diverse American communities, presidential candidate’s platforms Guests: Aurora Camacho de Schmidt, PhD, professor of Spanish, Swarthmore Terrence L. Johnson, PhD, associate professor of religion and government, Georgetown Anna Perng, activist, former special assistant to Tom Perez, and former special assistant in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Moderator: Kevin Woodson, PhD, associate professor, Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Drexel

Past Events

Rethinking Gender and Development: A Global Conversation
Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Two experts on gender studies, Dr. Nada Matta and Dr. Kristy Kelly, will give brief remarks on the topic based on their own research. The moderator, Dr. Jennifer Yusin, will pose some key questions, then the floor will be open to audience questions.

Panelists

Dr. Nada Matta is an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Departments of Global Studies and Sociology at Drexel University. She is also the director of the Middle East and North Africa Minor. Her work investigates questions of structural inequality and social change in the Middle East, with particular focus on gender and labor movements. Her research adopts a comparative-historical approach and examines interactions between state policies and social movements at a cross-national level. She is currently working on a book manuscript tilted ‘Class Forces in the Egyptian Uprising of 2011.’ She holds a PhD from New York University, an MA from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a BA from Tel Aviv University.
She will speak on: Economic Development and Women’s Empowerment: Lessons from Female Labor Organizing in Egypt
Dr. Kristy Kelly, School of Education, is a sociologist specializing in politics of knowledge, feminist theory, gender mainstreaming, and transnational feminisms in Southeast Asia. She is Associate Clinical Professor in the School of Education and affiliated with Global Studies and Modern Languages at Drexel University. She completed her MA and PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University. She is a founding member and past co-president of the Society of Gender Professionals.
She will speak on: Chasing Shadows: Untangling the Gender-Corruption Nexus in Vietnam

Moderated by Dr. Jennifer Yusin, Director of Gender and Sexuality Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is also a Professor in the Department of English and Philosophy and specializes in comparative race and empire studies, philosophies of race and gender, global modernisms, LGBTQ+ studies, trans studies, psychoanalytic studies, postcolonial and global anglophone literatures, transatlantic studies, and the global south.

AI and Global Data Governance
November 15, 2023

In this panel discussion, we discuss the global impact of Artificial Intelligence and broad developments in emerging governance frameworks around the world. AI, Data Development and Computer Science underpins much of Drexel’s work and touches many disciplines, with expertise in areas such as Human-Centered Computing overlapping with Data Privacy and Human-Centered Design.

Panelists

Daniel Bahar is a Managing Director at Rock Creek Global Advisors, where he focuses on international trade and investment policy, including negotiations, market access, and regulatory matters.
Rezvaneh (Shadi) Rezapour is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Science at Drexel's College of Computing & Informatics. Her research interests lie at the intersection of computational social science and natural language processing (NLP).
Hilde Van den Bulck is a Professor and Head of the Department of Communication. She combines expertise in media structure and policies with expertise in media culture. Her work on media structures and policies focuses on the impact of technological, political, economic and cultural processes, especially how digitization and convergence affect legacy media.

Moderated by Mary F.E. Ebeling, a Professor of Sociology and an affiliate faculty member in the Center for Science, Technology and Society, in the Culture, Communication and Media (CCM) and Center for Interdisciplinary Study, at Drexel University. Her research examines the intersections of gender, race, and digital technologies, data privacy, health marketing and medical capitalism.

Navigating Turbulent Times — The Workplace in a Time of COVID
February 18, 2022

As we approach the two-year anniversary of a global pandemic, most organizations –if not all- have had to face countless adjustments, readjustments, and re-readjustments in their workplaces to meet the demands of ever-changing health guidelines as well as the needs of a weary and tired workforce. In this virtual panel discussion, we will be discussing the global impact COVID-19 has had on the workforce and what lessons we can learn in order to better our communications, collaborations and connections with each other internationally.

Panelists

Andrew Damron, Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor
MacKenzie Grapes, Program Director, Putney Student Travel
Arismita Guharay, Survey Scientist, Civis Analytics

Moderated by: Anna Koulas, vice president, Drexel Solutions Institute

Immigration in the United States Today: A Land of Opportunity or Exclusion?
November 12, 2021

Guests:

Julia Rose Kraut, author of Threat of Dissent: A History of Ideological Exclusion and Deportation in the United States (Harvard UP, 2020)
Amy Eusebio, executive director, Office of Immigrant Affairs, city of Philadelphia

DISASTER: The 14th Annual Student Conference on Global Challenges
May 18, 2021

Drexel students present their research and engage in critical dialogue regarding societal perils ranging from climate and natural disasters to pandemic and economic threats.

How the Pandemic Made Us Even Less Equal: Challenges and Opportunities in Africa and the Americas
February 26, 2021

Focus: Covid-19, global inequality

Guests:

Mausi Segun, Africa executive director, Human Rights Watch
Jorge E. Cuéllar, PhD, scholar of Central America and Latinxs in the United States

Moderator: Parfait Kouacou, PhD, Drexel assistant teaching professor of French

America’s Summer Uprisings and Drexel’s Reckoning
October 20, 2020

Focus: Drexel’s anti-racism initiatives

Guest: Amelia Hoover Green, PhD, associate dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the College of Arts and Sciences; associate professor of Politics

WASTE: The 13th Annual Student Conference on Global Challenges
February 27, 2020

Drexel students from all disciplines share their research and engage in critical reflection and dialogue on sustainable solutions and creative technologies to reduce waste.

Activism and China Today
October 29, 2019

Focus: Hong Kong protests, and Uyghur activism in diaspora

Guests:

Jacques deLisle, director, Center for the Study of Contemporary China, University of Pennsylvania
Rushan Abbas, founder and executive director of Campaign for Uyghurs

Moderator: Rebecca Clothey, PhD, director, Global Studies major and Asian Studies minor, Drexel University.

People Forced to Move: Sanctuary Cities, Human Rights & Religious Freedom
May 3, 2018

Focus: U.S. policies in relation to refugees, internment, detention, and the role of sanctuary cities, current immigration policies and attitudes within the broader context of human rights and religious freedom

Guests:

Jaideep Singh, PhD, co-founder of SALDEF (Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund)
Miriam Ticktin, PhD, department chair of anthropology, The New School for Social Research

Moderator: Mimi Sheller, PhD, director, Center for Mobilities Research and Policy at Drexel University

Climate and The Environment: The 11th Annual Student Conference on Global Challenges
March 1, 2018

Drexel students share their research and engage in critical dialogue about how the impact of climate change on the environment is shaping our global context across disciplines: health, education, science, human rights, medicine, law, media, economics, politics, development and history.

Migration, Incarceration and Sanctuary: Creative Responses to Injustice and Social Change
November 16, 2017

Focus: Detention risks, profiling, potential deportation of immigrants in the United States, undocumented migrants and Dreamers

Guests:

Edgar Endress, George Mason University
Courtney Bowles, People's Paper Co-Op
Mark Strandquist, Performing Statistics

Moderator: Mary Ebeling, PhD, Director, Women's and Gender Studies, associate professor of Sociology, Drexel University

The Rise of Global Extremism and the Rights of Religious Minorities
May 11, 2017

Focus: The rise of global extremism and attacks on Muslim, Sikh, and Jewish persons and communities

Guests:

Simran Jeet Singh, PhD, Assistant Professor, Trinity College
Sangay Mishra, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor, Drew University

Moderator: Debjani Bhattacharyya, PhD, Assistant Professor, Drexel University

How Education is Targeted and Affected by Armed Conflict and Military Force
April 11, 2017

Focus: Education in conflict zones

Organized by: Drexel’s School of Education – Global Education Colloquium

Guest: Jo Becker, advocacy director Human Rights Watch, of the Children’s Rights Division, and co-winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.

Hip-Hop. Islam. Gender. Activism. Race
February 9, 2017

Focus: Black, Muslim and women activists, hip-hop as a soundtrack for liberation

Guests:

Su'ad Abdul Khabeer, PhD, associate professor and director of the Arab and Muslim American Studies Program at the University of Michigan
Kyle (HPrizm) Austin, founding member of the Anti-Pop Consortium, Composer, Sound Artist

Civil Society Engagement between Israelis and Palestinians: Is There a Future?
November 15, 2016

Focus: Engagement between Israelis and Palestinians

Guest: Ned Lazarus, PhD, visiting professor of International Affairs, The George Washington University, and research director, Alliance for Middle East Peace

Musical Guest: David’s Harp

Voting on the Brink: Gender, Race and Citizenship in a Divided America
October 19, 2016

Focus: Voting, diverse American communities, presidential candidate’s platforms

Guests:

Aurora Camacho de Schmidt, PhD, professor of Spanish, Swarthmore
Terrence L. Johnson, PhD, associate professor of religion and government, Georgetown
Anna Perng, activist, former special assistant to Tom Perez, and former special assistant in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Moderator: Kevin Woodson, PhD, associate professor, Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Drexel