Resilience in the Face of Global Challenges: 4th EMGS Alumni Conference

When: November 19-25, 2020
Where: Online

Our 4th EMGS Alumni Conference—and first ever virtual alumni gathering—will focus on global challenges and resilient responses to them. As suggested by our recently conducted alumni survey, EMGS alumni are paying close attention to developments around the world, taking note of their impact on both a local and a global scale. Through panel discussions and keynote lectures on a variety of pressing topics, we will explore how a Global Studies perspective can respond to these issues. Attendees will gain insights into the many ways that EMGS consortium scholars and alumni are actively working to explore and navigate these challenges, from climate change and health governance to populism and disinformation.

Moreover, this convention will devote considerable attention to a broad range of EMGS-related careers and life trajectories. We will hear from EMGS alumni currently involved in global governance organizations, academia, education, consulting, NGOs, activism, and more. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet and mingle with one another in “coffee break” sessions following panels, as well as through organized virtual networking opportunities.

Our online convention is made possible through funding from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (‘German Academic Exchange Service’), or DAAD.

We will publish a more concrete program, along with links to access the different online events, on a private landing page in the coming weeks. If you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to our Alumni Team at emgs.alumni[at]uni-leipzig.de. We look forward to seeing you at the convention!

Click here to see our full conference brochure, including the agenda, speaker bios, and panel descriptions!

Conference Agenda

(Note: Events are subject to change. All time indications correspond to Central European Time.)

Thursday, November 19:

 

10:30 am
A Warm welcome to our 4th Alumni Conference
Matthias Middell and the EMGS Alumni Conference Team

11:15 am – 12:30 pm
Roundtable: IOs and Regional/Global Governance Careers
Chair: Gilad Ben-Nun
Panelists: Daphne Heijdelberg, Camilla von Loeper, Wiebke Seemann, Denis Subbotnitskiy

Following this panel, the virtual room will remain open for a Zoom „coffee break.“

3:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Roundtable: Before, During, and After a PhD
Chair: Tirthankar Roy
Panelists: Ashley Hurst, Jacob Lisakafu, Yasmine Najm, Katia Vladimirova

5:30 pm
Keynote Lecture: „Understanding the Modern Day Consequences of Addressing Pandemics with Ancient Methods“
Robert Huish, Dalhousie University

 

Friday, November 20:

 

10:15 am – 11:45 am
Panel: Peace and Security in an Interconnected World
Chair: Ulf Engel
Panelists: Mickaël Daudin, Mercy Fekadu Mulugeta, Fana Gebresenbet, Francisco Moreno Rivera

3:00 pm
Lecture: „Expert Knowledge and Negotiated Choice – Stumbling Blocks to Transformative Knowledge in the Transformation to Sustainability“
Ariel Macaspac Hernández, German Development Institute/DIE

4:15 pm – 5:30 pm
Roundtable: Climate Action and Sustainable Development
Chair: Ariel Macaspac Hernández
Panelists: Aretha Black, Helena Heuckmann, Lea Kress

 

Saturday, November 21:

 

1:15 pm – 2:30 pm
Roundtable: EMGS Career Perspectives
Chair: Arushi Sen
Panelists: Ana Ribeiro, Tristan Schouten, Malwina Talik, Burak Ünveren

Following this panel, the virtual room will remain open for a Zoom „coffee break.“

4:00 pm – 4:45 pm
Speed Networking Session (separate event registration required)
Hosts: Stephan Kaschner and Therese Mager

 

Monday, November 23:

 

10:30 am
Lecture: „After the Pandemic: New Politics Challenges and Prospects in a Changing World“
Daniel Chavez, Transnational Institute

12:15 pm – 1:45 pm
Panel: New Research in Global Studies
Chair: Katarina Ristić
Panelists: Ross Cheung, Sebestyén Hompot, Maarten Koreman, Jana Misić

3:15 pm – 4:45 pm
Panel: Populism as a Research Problem in Global Studies
Chair: Matthias Middell
Panelists: Constanze Blum, Megan Maruschke, Gert Pickel

6:00 pm
Pub Quiz (separate event registration required)
Hosts: The EMGS Alumni Conference Team

 

Tuesday, November 24:

 

10:15 am – 11:30 am
Panel: Communications and Consulting
Chair: Wojciech Kazanecki
Panelists: Gacheri Ndumba, Bianca Santos, Ya Lin Su, Yina Wu

Following this panel, the virtual room will remain open for a Zoom „coffee break.“

12:30 pm – 1:15 pm
Speed Networking Session (separate event registration required)
Hosts: Wojciech Kazanecki and Milan Procyk

3:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Panel: Perspectives on Migration – Careers and Challenges
Chair: Magdalena Ratajczak
Panelists: Maegan Hendow, Mišo Kapetanović, Xenia Pilipenko

 

Wednesday, November 25:

 

11:00 am
Lecture: “Reflections on Decolonizing the University”
Gurminder Bhambra, University of Sussex

2:15 pm – 3:45 pm
Panel: Perspectives on Global Education
Chair: Eric Vanhaute
Panelists: Jülide Asci, Claudia Baumann, Syuzanna Galstyan, Ian Tay

4:15 pm
Presentation of Alumni Survey Results and Closing Remarks
Matthias Middell and the EMGS Alumni Conference Team

Join us! Please fill out the fields below to register:

Please note that we will be recording certain virtual lectures and panel discussions. We will also use the Zoom reporting feature to have an understanding of event attendance throughout the convention.

After your registration, further instructions about the conference will be sent to your email. If you don’t receive any mail from us, please contact our team at emgs.alumni[at]uni-leipzig.de.