Talk on conflict in Northern Ireland

TONY NOVOSEL, SENIOR LECTURER OF HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
"From Civil Rights to Civil War and Back: Northern Ireland 1967-1994"
Noon, Monday, Nov. 12, Conference Center

The conflict in Northern Ireland is the topic of a talk at noon, Monday, Nov. 12, in the Conference Center at Penn State New Kensington.

Tony Novosel, senior lecturer of history at the University of Pittsburgh, will discuss "From Civil Rights to Civil War and Back: Northern Ireland 1967-1994" and focus on the violence and the peace process. Novosel has traveled extensively in Northern Ireland since 1974, and teaches a class at the University of Pittsburgh about the history of Northern Ireland.  Novosel holds a doctorate in Soviet History from Pittsburgh, where he has taught history since 1990.

The discussion is a part of "Countries of Focus: Ireland and Great Britain," the year-long, campus celebration of international cultures. The talk is free to the public.

For the past six years, the campus has embarked on the promotion of greater awareness and understanding of world issues, international trends and global policy debates. Each year, the campus adopts a country or region of the world to inspire teaching and scholarship. Students, faculty and staff will explore and reflect on various aspects of Ireland's and Great Britain's history, culture and economic, social and political reality. During the 2013 spring break, the campus is sponsoring a weeklong trip to Ireland The itinerary, March 2 to 9, features visits to the cities of Dublin, Killarney, Cork, and Kilkenney in the Republic of Ireland, and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

“The trip to Ireland is a great opportunity for students who have not traveled internationally before,” said Amy Rustic, reference librarian at the campus’ Blissell Library and a member of the International Trip Committee. “The trip will include many interesting stops and will be a great introduction to the culture of Ireland.”

Since 2004, more than 130 campus students have traveled to Spain, France, Italy, China, Greece, Peru and the Galapagos Islands. In conjunction with the trips, students are required to take a related course that enriches their understanding of the destination and its culture. Upon return, participants present their experiences through narratives and slideshows to the entire campus community. These presentations both enable others to share in the immediate travel experience and help to generate excitement in students, as well as faculty and staff, to become involved in future trips.

For more on the country of focus program, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Academics/InternationalPrograms/43845.htm online.