Evanston, NU-Q students to tackle global issues via virtual talks

Northwestern University students in Qatar and Evanston are invited come together via video conferencing to discuss the plight of Syrian refugees, storytelling and the lived experience of politics.

Part of a series of discussions co-hosted by the Northwestern-Evanston political science and Northwestern-Qatar liberal arts departments, the first of three “Cross Campus Conversations” will take place from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. CT, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Scott Hall Room 201.

Together, students from NU-Q and Northwestern in Evanston will listen as professor Wendy Pearlman talks about her forthcoming book, “We Crossed a Bridge and it Trembled: Voices from Syria,” which is based on interviews with 300 Syrian refugees in six different countries. A discussion moderated by NU-Q assistant professor in residence Jocelyn Sage Mitchell about narratives of politics in Syria and beyond will follow.  

“Students on our two campuses often come from different backgrounds that shape different perspectives,” said Pearlman, the Martin and Patricia Koldyke Outstanding Teaching Professor. “A huge part of college is exposure and engagement with such diversity. Our Qatar campus multiplies opportunities for global and cross-cultural education.”

Northwestern students, faculty and staff are invited, but seating is limited to 25 people in both the Evanston and NU-Q venues and will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis.