News & Events
GSI Newsletters
In this issue, we share more opportunities, showcase recent events, and highlight projects and accomplishments from the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU).
See previous GSI Newsletters >>
UO Events
5:00–7:30 p.m.
Meet director Shiori Ito in person on the UO campus! https://www.shioriito.com/en/films
- Woman who sparked Japan’s #MeToo movement
- Peabody Award winner
- Oscar-nominated filmmaker
This event will feature a screening of the widely acclaimed memoir documentary film, Black Box Diaries, followed by an in-person conversation with director Shiori Ito.
Ito is the first Japanese documentary filmmaker to be nominated for an Academy Award. The film chronicles Ito’s investigation and pursuit for justice following a sexual assault she suffered in 2015 as a young journalist. It follows her attempt to prosecute the high-profile offender, a senior figure in the Japanese media. Her challenge to Japan’s patriarchal, judicial, political, and media systems has made this a landmark case of gender-based violence in Japan.
Content warning: This film contains accounts of sexual violence. We encourage viewers to practice self care and take breaks from the film as needed.
The event is sponsored by:
- Yoko McClain Lecture Series in Japanese Studies
- Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures
- Oregon Humanities Center Endowment for Public Outreach in the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities
- Center for Asian and Pacific Studies
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Join us for an interactive conversation about student identities in a global context. A panel of study abroad alumni will reflect on their experiences navigating and expressing intersecting identities while abroad.
4:00–5:20 p.m.
This workshop will provide guidance on the Fulbright US Student program, which offers funding for the following international opportunities (1) teaching English, (2) conducting independent research, or (3) pursuing graduate school abroad. The workshop will help students put together competitive applications for Fulbright.
3:30–8:00 p.m.
This conference examines the future of higher education in an increasingly authoritarian global environment marked by democratic backsliding, political polarization, and intensifying state efforts to control knowledge production. Across regions, universities face intersecting pressures: geopolitical instability, new technologies, shifting patterns of mobility, growing demands for measurable “impact,” and deepening contests over truth, history, and public trust.
A central concern of this convening is systemic autonomy in higher education: the capacity of teaching and research to be guided by scholarly standards rather than direct political instruction. Universities are never separate from politics, law, the economy, or media. The question is which institutional arrangements allow these relationships to support, rather than undermine, free inquiry.
The Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages invites all to attend and engage!
✒️Register here *Attendance is free
5:30–7:30 p.m.
We are excited to celebrate the 9th Asian Studies Research Event and the Asian Studies Award. This will be an in-person event with catering; details will be announced in May. This event is sponsored by the Asian Studies Program in partnership with the 2026 UO Undergraduate Research Symposium. Registration deadline to participate: April 1. Undergraduate Student Registration: Current UO undergraduate students from any major are welcome to participate in this event (you don’t need to be an Asian Studies major or minor). You can present independent research (e.g., honors theses, term projects, translations, flagship projects, etc.) and creative work focused on a topic in the broad, interdisciplinary field of Asian Studies. Presentations will be 10-12 minutes; detailed instructions and preparation advice will be provided. If you have any questions, or you are not sure your project fits this event, we welcome you to email Alisa Freedman at alisaf@uoregon.edu. You can also see the participants and project titles of recent events here: https://asianstudies.uoregon.edu/asian-studies-research-event/
- Register by April 1. Go to https://urds.uoregon.edu/symposium/registration-preview for instructions, then click on “Registration Form” to sign up.
- When you reach the Academic area of research project section on the form, select the Asian Studies Event. This will automatically opt you in.
Graduate Student Registration: Current UO graduate students from any department or program are welcome to participate, and we welcome students who completed graduate degrees in 2025 but did not present at last year’s event. You can present research focused on a topic in the broad, interdisciplinary field of Asian Studies. Presentations could be on MA theses, seminar papers, and PhD dissertations, creative work and translations. Presentations will be limited to three minutes in the style of “3-Minute Theses” and detailed instructions and advice will be provided. Register by April 1. If you have any questions, or you are not sure your project fits this event, please email Dan Buck (danielb@uoregon.edu). In your registration email please include your name, department, graduation date, academic advisor, and a provisional presentation title (you can finalize it later). Asian Studies Awards, Undergraduate and Graduate: These awards recognize oral, poster, and creative work presentations focused on a topic in the broad, interdisciplinary field of Asian Studies and characterized by excellence in research and clarity of delivery:
- Undergraduate Awards: One $400 award, and two $150 honorable mention awards.
- Graduate Awards: One $400 award, and two $150 honorable mention awards.
- Sponsorship: Asian Studies Program and the Division of Undergraduate Education and Student Success.
8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
This conference examines the future of higher education in an increasingly authoritarian global environment marked by democratic backsliding, political polarization, and intensifying state efforts to control knowledge production. Across regions, universities face intersecting pressures: geopolitical instability, new technologies, shifting patterns of mobility, growing demands for measurable “impact,” and deepening contests over truth, history, and public trust.
A central concern of this convening is systemic autonomy in higher education: the capacity of teaching and research to be guided by scholarly standards rather than direct political instruction. Universities are never separate from politics, law, the economy, or media. The question is which institutional arrangements allow these relationships to support, rather than undermine, free inquiry.
The Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages invites all to attend and engage!
✒️Register here *Attendance is free
8:30 a.m.–2:45 p.m.
This conference examines the future of higher education in an increasingly authoritarian global environment marked by democratic backsliding, political polarization, and intensifying state efforts to control knowledge production. Across regions, universities face intersecting pressures: geopolitical instability, new technologies, shifting patterns of mobility, growing demands for measurable “impact,” and deepening contests over truth, history, and public trust.
A central concern of this convening is systemic autonomy in higher education: the capacity of teaching and research to be guided by scholarly standards rather than direct political instruction. Universities are never separate from politics, law, the economy, or media. The question is which institutional arrangements allow these relationships to support, rather than undermine, free inquiry.
The Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages invites all to attend and engage!
✒️Register here *Attendance is free
5:00–8:30 p.m.
The Women Amplify the Voice of Electroacoustic (WAVE) Festival is an electroacoustic music festival founded to showcase the creative and brilliant contributions of women to the field. In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, the theme of this year’s festival is the diversity of Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures.
6:00–8:30 p.m.
Yoisho Hai Yoi Yoi!🦆🐁 Ahiru Daiko, the UO's Japanese drumming ensemble, will be holding "Yoisho!", our 2026 spring concert! We will be showcasing both old and new repertoire. Doors open at 5:30pm and entry is FREE so feel free to pull up and bring your friends. We are excited to see you there‼️ Event will be streamed on our YouTube.
noon
What does navigating the Tokyo subway, sipping espresso in a Roman piazza, and landing a global internship all have in common? They are all experiences to be had during study abroad, an experience that needs to be fueled by a smart financial strategy.
While international travel can be a major expense if left unplanned, studying abroad is an incredible investment in your future that is well within your reach when you know how to manage the costs. Join us to learn how to budget for "hidden" expenses, unlock specialized scholarships, and avoid common currency exchange blunders that can drain your bank account.
Make your global dreams a reality without breaking, in the Financial Wellness Center.
noon
Looking for a part-time job this summer in Eugene? Looking ahead for fall job opportunities on campus? Or want to learn more about future work-study opportunities during your time at UO? Stop by the UO Part-Time Job & Work-Study Fair, Wednesday, May 13, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Tykeson Hall 1st Floor Commons area to meet local and on-campus employers hiring for seasonal employees! Bring your resume and apply on the spot, or just look around and learn more about the great ways you can get work experience and build career readiness skills during your time at the UO.
FYI: Work-Study is a specific type of part-time job available to students based on financial need. If a job says it requires Work-Study, you must have accepted an award on Duckweb. To learn more about the program and how to find your award, check out https://career.uoregon.edu/jobs-and-internships/work-study
There will still be LOTS of jobs at this event that do not require work-study in order to apply--something for everyone!
Register in Handshake to keep up to date on which employers are coming to the fair and what jobs you can be applying for!
Special thanks to Chick-Fil-A
12:30–1:30 p.m.
Join Global Education Oregon for a workshop to learn all about the basics of studying abroad. We'll discuss different types of programs, application deadlines, and have an opportunity to talk with our peer advisors, who can help answer any questions you might have!
This workshop is not required to apply for our programs, but can be a helpful tool if you'd like to plan for your future study abroad experience.
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Use your experience studying or interning abroad to boost your career! In this interactive workshop, you'll learn how to identify and articulate the valuable skills you gain while abroad — from cross-cultural communication to problem-solving. Discover how to effectively showcase these experiences on your resume and confidently discuss them in job interviews.
4:00–5:00 p.m.
Join us for a talk by Mellissa Withers exploring the critical intersection of geography and maternal mental health. Titled “Geographies of Maternal Mental Health: Screening for Perinatal Depression in the Global South,” this presentation will examine how location and access to care shape the experience and treatment of perinatal depression (PD).
Perinatal depression occurring during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth is a significant yet often underrecognized public health issue, particularly in low- and middle-income regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Withers will discuss the far-reaching impacts of PD on both mothers and infants, including challenges in maternal well-being, early bonding, and child development.
The talk will also highlight the lack of standardized screening and the broader structural barriers that limit access to maternal health care. By addressing these geographic and systemic inequities, this presentation underscores the urgent need for improved screening practices and expanded care to better support mothers and families worldwide.
Withers is a professor of clinical population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California.
1:00–2:30 p.m.
Xan Holt, Assistant Professor of German in the Department of German and Scandinavian Studies presents:
Transnational Trashscapes: Enframing Global Waste Management in Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s Documentary Matter Out of Place (2022).
Join us for the spring installment of the Ring Lecture where Professor Holt will discuss the images of waste disposal sites from across the globe in Austrian filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s documentary Matter Out of Place. The film confronts the viewer with the unfamiliar scales and impacts of contemporary waste through its employment of three experimental techniques: 1) a discontinuous organization that disrupts traditional understandings of ‘waste flow’; 2) a single-point perspective that decenters the human gaze; and 3) a jarring editing practice that reveals the entanglement of manmade waste and the ‘natural’ world.
This presentation is part of Professor Holt’s book project that analyzes contemporary German-language texts and films laboring to depict newer forms of waste (e.g., micro- and nanoplastics, endocrine disrupting chemicals, and e-waste).
4:00–6:00 p.m.
Mark your calendars for the 2026 Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies and Latinx Studies Celebration and Mixer!
CLLAS and Latinx Studies invite you to a vibrant celebration honoring exceptional seniors and other undergraduate students who have completed outstanding coursework that sheds light on Latinx and Latin American issues around the world.
This is a free event. Enjoy music, delicious food, and drinks while learning about their remarkable work. This free event is open to everyone – we look forward to celebrating with you!
5:30–7:30 p.m.
Join us for a workshop with Tibetan Master Jamyong Singye to learn about the preparatory iconometry of traditional Thangka paintings.
Learn how to develop a perfect grid (tik-khang) and how to draw a Buddha face and his full figure in a meditation pose with precise measurements and proportions.
Templates and supplies will be provided.
Click the link below to pre-register now — space is limited to 50 guests only!
https://jsma.uoregon.edu/form/studio-workshop-rsvp
Event sponsors: Department of the History of Art and Architecture, Asian Studies Program, Oregon Humanities Center, Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Get ready to set out on your own international adventure with "OUT and About: Navigating LGBTQ+ Experiences Abroad"! Whether you're dreaming of your next international escapade or gearing up for your own study abroad adventure, this lively discussion promises to inspire, inform, and celebrate the diverse experiences of LGBTQ+ students exploring the world.
4:30–5:45 p.m.
Prof. Carolyn Nadeau (Illiniois Wesleyan University) will deliver a public lecture titled “Food Fit for a King: What the 1611 Cookbook Teaches Us about Early Modern Spanish Foodways.” Her lecture is one of two keynote presentations of the Mediterranean Seminar Spring Workshop and Conference, hosted by the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages.
The lecture is free and open to the public.
This event was made possible through the generous support of the Schnitzer School for Global Studies and Languages, the Oregon Humanities Center, the Department of Romance Languages, the Italian Program, the Global Justice Program, the Rutherford Middle East Initiative, the Global Studies Institute, the Department of Religious Studies, the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies, the Food Studies Program, the European Studies Program, the Department of History of Art and Architecture, the Department of History, and the Department of Comparative Literature.
11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Prof. Anny Gaul (University of Maryland, College Park) will deliver a public lecture titled “A Mediterranean Nightshade: Tomatoes, Trade, and Travel over the Longue Durée.“ Her lecture is one of two keynote presentations of the Mediterranean Seminar Spring Workshop and Conference, hosted by the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages.
The lecture is free and open to the public.
This event was made possible through the generous support of the Schnitzer School for Global Studies and Languages, the Oregon Humanities Center, the Department of Romance Languages, the Italian Program, the Global Justice Program, the Rutherford Middle East Initiative, the Global Studies Institute, the Department of Religious Studies, the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies, the Food Studies Program, the European Studies Program, the Department of History of Art and Architecture, the Department of History, and the Department of Comparative Literature.