Events in MUW’s fall Forum Series hosted by the Gordy Honors College will focus on global travel and cross-cultural awareness.
On Thursday, Sept. 14, the series will feature Dr. Mona Tajali, professor of International Relations and Women’s Studies at Agnes Scott College. A native of Tehran, Tajali studies women’s political representation in Muslim contexts and will speak on women’s rights as a chief source of contention between Iran’s secularizing and Islamizing forces in the revolution. She will also discuss women’s organizing efforts to shape their political and social realities in Iran today.
This event is in conjunction with The W’s Common Reading Initiative focus on the award-winning book “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi’s graphic autobiography about coming of age in Tehran during the revolution.
On Sept. 29, the series will screen the award-winning documentary “Gringo Trails,” which charts the damaging impacts of tourism in South America, Africa and Asia and explores sustainable alternatives. Conde Nast Traveler says the film is “required viewing for all thoughtful travelers.”
L. Patricia Ice, the featured speaker on Nov. 2, will discuss her years living abroad for service. After two years as a Peace Corps English teacher in Benin, she taught English in the Philippines, Haiti and Honduras before returning to the U.S. to begin her career as an immigration lawyer. She is currently legal director for the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance.
On Nov. 16, Dr. Seetha Srinivasan, director emeritus of the University Press of Mississippi, will present “Fault Lines: Living in Two Cultures,” discussing the challenges, frustrations and rewards of becoming part of the American mainstream while retaining one’s ethnic identity. A native of India, Srinivasan has lived in the U.S. since 1967.
All presentations are free and open to the community and begin at 6 p.m. in Nissan Auditorium. For more information, contact Kim Whitehead, director of the Honors College, at [email protected], 662-241-6850, or visit muw.edu/honors/forum.
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