One fine fall afternoon in 2019, I set my eyes on a poster advertising a panel discussion about the country of Thailand. With my feeble understanding  of Asian politics, I was curious to find out more. So, I went to the panel, it was hosted by the Patti McGill Peterson Center for International and Intercultural Studies (CIIS) through their ongoing World Topic Series. I was greatly pleased by the conduct and insight of the host and the panelists. Needless to say, I went back to more panel discussions to feed my curiosity about world events. 

The CIIS is zoom-hosting another run of the World Topic Series this fall. On September 9th, the CIIS hosted an all student panel discussion on the topics : COVID 19 in the World and International Student Experiences. In the discussion, students from China, Lesotho, Costa Rica, Pakistan, Denmark and India informed the audience about the implications of Covid 19 in different economic and political climates. They also discussed at length, the implications of sudden departure from campus as well as personal experiences living under a lockdown in different countries. 

The World Topic Series is a brainchild of Dr. Marina Llorente, as she explains, “The series are meant to give international students and all students a platform to share their personal experiences in different countries alongside professors and experienced alumni, to educate the community to make global issues visible.” In 2018, Dr. Llorente in consultation with international students created a forum to speak about the human rights abuses in Nicaragua, which was at the height of government crackdown on protesters. That forum was the beginning of the series which has now covered sociopolitical issues ranging from persecution of Rohingya muslims in Burma to the legacy of capitalism in Chile. 

One frequent attendee and panelist on the World Topic Series, Avana Mohandesi ‘21 recalled the first World Topic Series panel discussion she went to for extra credit. “The room was crowded, with no place to sit!” The series panel’s popularity usually has a room teaming with people, at least that was the case before the pandemic. In the pandemic era, attendees can watch the discussion as well as ask questions online. On the recent panel discussion she was part of, Avana believes that it was a good avenue for students to talk about their covid-19 experience, even though there was a limited time to address the complexities of the subject. 

Topics that will be discussed for the remainder of the semester include: The Situation in Lebanon(9/30), Black Lives Matter as a Global Movement (10/7), Hong Kong Protests (11/4),Global Economies in Times of the Pandemic (12/2). All the panels feature current students with direct ties to the issues, professors and alumni. “We have a wonderful program,” Dr. Llorente explained. 

“We will have a professor from Denmark talk about the Black Lives Matter movement in Europe, an alumni in China will talk about the BLM in china.” The audience may also be interested to find out why the protests in Hong Kong have been going on for so long.

All discussions are available to anyone anywhere in the world through zoom. See the CIIS website for links to each panel.