Preliminary Program
The scheduled program is subject to change.
Friday 2 October, 2015
KU Leuven University Library
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Registration
Optional Tours (on a first-come-first-served basis)
2:00–4:30 p.m.
Chocolate making workshop followed by a walking tour of Leuven and a visit to the KU Leuven University Library and tower.
Cost: 25 euro per person
2:00–4:30 p.m.
An interlude in Brussels: A walk from Brussels Central station to the Grand Place, Manneken Pis, and Gallerie de La Reine. Includes a waffle and a beer – a typical Brussels experience!
Cost: To be confirmed
2:00–4:30 p.m.
Stella Artois Draught Experience in Leuven: A one hour-long tour through the stages of the brewing process, plus an exclusive draught course in the brewer’s cozy bar.
Cost: 25 euro per person
Leuven City Hall
6:00–7:00 p.m.
Festive reception hosted by Mayor Louis Tobback
Welcome by the European Symposium’s organizing committee and the chair of the European Alumnae Council. Musical interlude provided by the “BachWerk” choir ensemble – with Laila Buligina ’08.
Restaurant Mykene
7:30-10:00 p.m.
Traditional Belgian Dinner
Saturday, 3 October 2015
KU Leuven University Library
All Saturday daytime events will take place at the KU Leuven University Library
9:20 a.m.
Opening Remarks
By Erica Lutes ’02, Mount Holyoke Benelux Organizing Committee
9:30 a.m.
Introduction to the Morning Sessions
By Vincent Ferraro, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics, Mount Holyoke College
9:35 a.m.
Centripetal v. Centrifugal Forces in Belgium and the EU
This session will examine the Belgium case as an exemplar of the political and economic forces and factors that have shaped and defined the European Union – simultaneously holding it together and pulling it apart.
Speaker and Presenter: Jerome Sheridan, director of Brussels Center and adjunct professor of international relations, American University
10:00 a.m.
Panel Discussion I: Europe in a Changing World
Europe remains the largest trading bloc in the world, but it faces challenges and challengers as the world economy reshapes and redefines itself. The EU promises prosperity for its collective citizens and opportunity for its member countries, but can it navigate the seismic shifts of the last decade or so and overcome the financial and fiscal crises that plague many of the member states? The panel will examine the current state of Europe’s economy and attempt to position it in the broader global economy; asking, inter alia, who sets economic policy, is governmental power being supplanted by corporate power and the influence of NGOs, what are the tradeoffs, and who are the winners and losers?
Moderated by: Vincent Ferraro, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics, Mount Holyoke College
Featuring: (additional speaker names are forthcoming)
- Burçak Inel Martenczuk ’93, former deputy director general at Federation of European Securities Exchanges
- Jerome Sheridan, director of Brussels Center and adjunct professor of international relations, American University
11:00–11:30 a.m.
Coffee Break
11:30 a.m.
Panel Discussion II: The Geopolitics of Power: wars, the cold war, and Putin
A battlefield for much of the first half the twentieth century, Belgium took on special significance in the cold war, and beyond, as home to the collective defense of Europe, courtesy of NATO, and the political integrity and economic integration of Europe, through the European Union. This panel will examine the roots of European geopolitical conflict, the seeming resolution of that conflict, and the current geopolitical challenges that face Europe.
Moderated by: Vincent Ferraro, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics, Mount Holyoke College
Featuring: (additional speaker names are forthcoming)
- Jamie Shea, deputy assistant secretary general for emergency security challenges at NATO
- Jerome Sheridan, director of Brussels Center and adjunct professor of international relations, American University
12:30 p.m.
Buffet lunch
1:50 p.m.
Introduction to the Afternoon Sessions
By Elif Babül, assistant professor of anthropology, Mount Holyoke College
2:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion III: Women and the Power of Cultural Forces
Moderated by: Elif Babül, assistant professor of anthropology, Mount Holyoke College
Featuring:
- Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels, lecturer in migration and politics, Brussels School of International Studies
- Erica Lutes ’02, executive director, Fulbright Belgium
- Rebecca Vandenbroucke, Belgian politician and lawyer
- Graham Wilkie, policy officer, education and culture at the European Commission
3:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion IV: Can the European Union Continue to be Inspirational?
This panel will examine the ongoing capacity of the European Union to influence new member states and effectively integrate them into the project. The panel will examine the requirements and expectations imposed on putative member states, explore some real world examples such as Turkey and Georgia, and look at the larger challenges that the EU faces as it grows and elaborates on its central purposes and common practices.
Moderated by: Elif Babül, assistant professor of anthropology, Mount Holyoke College
Featuring:
- Elif Babül, assistant professor of anthropology, Mount Holyoke College
- Natalie Sabanadze ’97, Georgian ambassador to Belgium/Luxemburg and head of the Georgian Mission to the European Union
- Graham Wilkie, policy officer, education and culture at the European Commission
4:00 p.m.
Coffee Break
4:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion V: Europe and the USA: who is influencing whom?
The idea of this panel is to explore the complex and long-standing relationship between Europe and the United States, assessing the various ways that one influences the other, through an historical and contemporary evaluation of some key social issues, including, but not limited to, the arts, social justice, political philosophy, and academic relations.
Featuring:
- Michael Davis, professor of art, Mount Holyoke College
- Claude de Renty du Granrut ’48, retired magistrate, former deputy mayor of Senlis and appointed member of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union
- Erica Lutes ’02, executive director, Fulbright Belgium
- Vincent Ferraro, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics, Mount Holyoke College
5:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Salon Georges
(Hogeschoolplien 14, 3000 Leuven)
7:30 p.m.
Champagne reception
8:00 p.m.
Gala Dinner and Remarks
By Lynn Pasquerella ’80, president, Mount Holyoke College and Marcia Brumit Kropf ’67, president, Mount Holyoke Alumnae Association
Sunday, 4 October 2015
KU Leuven University Library
All Sunday events will take place at the KU Leuven University Library
9:00 a.m.
Alumnae-led Workshops (for alumnae only)
- The power of connectivity: social media for everyone, Zosia Brown ‘95
- Heels in the lab: women in science, Evelyn Kapusta ‘05
- Balancing a family and a career in a foreign land, Brooke Fokker ‘09
- Networking beyond borders, Erica Lutes ’02 & Jeneva Patterson ‘89
- The art of growing older, Moderator TBC
10:30–11:00 a.m.
Coffee Break
11:00 a.m.
Art Nouveau in Brussels: architecture for the modern life
This session will examine how art nouveau created a language for architecture that expressed the sensibilities of modern life. Combining elements of industrial design with natural influences and adding some interesting historical features, the art nouveau movement allowed architects like Victor Horta, Paul Hankar, and Joseph Hoffmann to design and create houses, work places, and public buildings that emphasized freedom and individuality and encouraged the activities of a new and modern society.
Speaker and Presenter: Michael Davis, professor of art, Mount Holyoke College
12:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks
1:00 p.m.
Optional Tour of Bruges
1:00 p.m.: Bus leaves from KU Leuven University Library
2:30 p.m.: Arrive in Bruges and embark on a walking tour.
5:00 p.m.: Bus departs from Bruges
Cost: TBD
March 27, 2015
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