2017 Global Awareness Festival Feb. 13-17 Focuses on Europe

European Union

MCC’s 18th Annual Global Awareness Festival on Feb. 13-17, 2017 will focus on Europe with a series of activities, lectures and other events to bring awareness to that region’s population, culture, cuisine and political issues.

Each year, the Global Awareness Festival highlights a different geographic area of the world. All Global Awareness Festival events are free. For more information, contact Papa N’jai, the international coordinator at MCC, at (231) 777-0693 or by e-mail at papa.njai@muskegoncc.edu

“We have a responsibility to provide our students, staff and community with a greater understanding of what’s happening in other parts of the world,” explained N’jai. “In an era of globalization, we have to think globally. If we better understand other cultures and other people, then we are better able to resolve cultural misunderstandings.”

Throughout the week between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., visitors will be able to watch international news coverage on screens located in Collegiate Hall. Also, the MCC Campus Dining Services will be featuring special European-inspired menu items throughout the week. The flags of more than 200 nations, along with informational placards about each country, will line the MCC hallways. In Gerber Lounge, international artifacts collected from the community will be on display.

Here’s the schedule of events for the 2017 Global Awareness Festival:

MONDAY, FEB. 13

  • 10-11:30 a.m. Film: “The Glass Ceiling” (2004). The French documentary presents a series of sometimes very emotional first-hand accounts of discrimination against full-fledged French citizens who mostly black and North African Arab and are trying to find jobs. Film and discussion. Blue and Gold Room
  • 12:30-1:30 p.m. Global Topic: “Living and Working in Europe.” Jennifer Jones, Instructor and German Exchange Coordinator at MCC, and Robyn DeYoung, former MCC Student who spent a semester in Sweden. Blue and Gold Room
  • 2:30-3:30 p.m. Film: “Terror in Europe” (2016). This film tells the inside story of the missteps and systemic breakdowns that allowed known terrorists to strike in the heart of Europe, the problems that persist today, and the unprecedented threat the continent now faces. Film and discussion. Blue and Gold Room
  • 4-5 p.m. Film: “No Colors: Racism and Prejudice in Modern Europe” (2007) part of the Crossroads: Inside the European Union series.  This program looks at the racism and xenophobia brought to the surface by a massive influx of foreign workers and job-seekers into Western Europe and describes the search for equitable solutions by moderate EU leaders and citizens. Film and discussion. Blue and Gold Room
  • 6-7 p.m. Global Topic: “Vanishing Countries of Eastern Europe: USSR, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia.” Nicholas Budimir, MCC Social Sciences instructor. Blue and Gold Room

TUESDAY, FEB. 14

  • 10-11:30 a.m. Global Topic: “What Is Your Nation If I May Ask? The Construction of Irish National Identity from Ulysses to the European Union.” Conor Roddy, MCC Philosophy Instructor. Blue and Gold Room
  • 12:30-1:30 p.m. Keynote Speaker: “The European Union in 2017: How Deep the Abyss?” John Constantelos, Professor of Political Science, Grand Valley State University. Blue and Gold Room
  • 2-3 p.m. Global Topic: “Global Warming, Local Cooling: A European Example.” Amber Kumpf, MCC Geology instructor. Blue and Gold Room
  • 3-4 p.m. Cooking Demonstration: Sample Authentic European Cuisine with MCC Chefs Vonny and Nick. Collegiate Hall
  • 5:30-6:30 p.m. Film: “The U.P. Recalls the War” (2007). People living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan recall World War II, sharing images and stories from the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific, to the iron ore mines back home. Combined with vintage newsreels and film footage, these personal memories paint a vivid image of victory and loss. Produced by WNMU-TV. Blue and Gold Room
  • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Global Topic: “European Women of Achievement: The Arts, Education and Activism,” Gretchen Cline, MCC Women’s Studies Program. Blue and Gold Room
Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany

Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15

  • 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Information Fair: The popular event features booths highlighting international opportunities for students to study and work abroad as well as cultural differences around the world. Collegiate Hall
  • 12:30-1:30 p.m. Global Topic: “East Germany: Before and after the Unification,” William Waltz, MCC adjunct German instructor. Blue and Gold Room
  • 2:30-3:30 p.m. Global Topic: “Games through the Ages in Europe.” Lisa Anderson, MCC Adjunct Reference Librarian. Blue and Gold Room
  • 4-6 p.m. Film: “When the Moors Ruled in Europe” (2005). Join British historian Bettany Hughes as she examines a long-buried chapter of European history–the rise and fall of Islamic culture in what is now Spain and Portugal. This fascinating documentary explodes old stereotypes and offers shocking new insights. You’ll discover the ingenious mathematics behind Granada’s dazzling Alhambra Palace, trace El Cid’s lineage to his Moorish roots, and learn how the Iberian population willingly converted to Islam in droves. Through interviews with noted scholars, you’ll see how Moorish advances in mathematics, astronomy, art, and agriculture helped propel the West out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance. Blue and Gold Room
  • 5-7 p.m. Film: “Shakespeare in Love” (1998). The Academy Award-winning romantic comedy depicts an imaginary love affair involving Viola de Lesseps and playwright William Shakespeare while he was writing Romeo and Juliet. Several characters are based on historical figures, and many of the characters, lines, and plot devices allude to Shakespeare’s plays. Pre-film discussion by Mary Tyler, MCC English Instructor. Stevenson Center Room 1100
  • 7:30-8:30 p.m. Play: The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. Overbrook Theater
Baths under the Alcazar in Cordoba, Andalucia, Spain.

Baths under the Alcazar in Cordoba, Andalucia, Spain.

THURSDAY, FEB. 16

  • 9:30-11:30 a.m. Folktales and Fun: Shared by students in MCC’s Early Childhood class. Collegiate Hall
  • 10:30-11:30 a.m. Film: “No Colors: Racism and Prejudice in Modern Europe” (2007) part of the Crossroads: Inside the European Union series.  This program looks at the racism and xenophobia brought to the surface by a massive influx of foreign workers and job-seekers into Western Europe and describes the search for equitable solutions by moderate EU leaders and citizens. Film and discussion. Blue and Gold Room
  • 12:30-1:30 p.m. Global Topic: “My Time in Europe.” Edward Breitenbach, MCC Dean of Instruction and Assessment, and Timothy Lehman, retired artist who has visited 77 countries worldwide. Blue and Gold Room
  • 2:30-3:30 p.m. Film: “The Glass Ceiling” (2004). The French documentary presents a series of sometimes very emotional first-hand accounts of discrimination against full-fledged French citizens who mostly black and North African Arab and are trying to find jobs. Film and discussion. Blue and Gold Room
  • 4:30-5:30 p.m. Film: “Frozen World: The Story of the Ice Age” (2012). Film and discussion hosted by MCC Geo Club, Blue and Gold Room
  • 6-7:30 p.m. Global Topic: “Germany as a Country of Migration: Past and Present.” Hermann Kurthen, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Grand Valley State University, Blue and Gold Room