Jack Snyder is Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Relations at Columbia University. His books include Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War, co-authored with Edward D. Mansfield; From Voting to Violence: Democratization and Nationalist Conflict; Myths of Empire: Domestic Politics and International Ambition; The Ideology of the Offensive: Military Decision Making and the Disasters of 1914; and Religion and International Relations Theory. In this presentation, Snyder will discuss how democracies can remedy the push toward populist nationalism by embedding markets in democratically accountable institutions. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/snyderj

Tana Johnson is assistant professor of public policy and political science at Duke University. Her book Organizational Progeny: Why Governments are Losing Control over the Proliferating Structures of Global Governance (Oxford University Press, 2014) shows that in a variety of policy areas, global governance structures are getting harder for national governments to control -- not only because the quantity and staffing of international organizations has mushroomed, but also because the people working in these organizations try to insulate any new organizations against governments' interference. In this presentation, Johnson will discuss which types of NGOs have the most input at the United Nations and other intergovernmental organizations. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/johnsont

The International Conference on Conflict Resolution Education (CRE) is an opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and research. Presentations will focus on innovations in conflict resolution that are making broad impacts on social entrepreneurship and peacebuilding in the local to global community. The conference is intended for educators, staff and administration in primary, secondary and higher education, as well as members of the business community, policymakers, researchers, non-profit leaders, media groups, philanthropists, and anyone wishing to make positive change in their communities. Participants will exchange best practices, evaluation methodology, creation of policy implementation structures, consideration of obstacles to success, and new and innovative use of training, resources and technology. Read more and register at u.osu.edu/cre2017

Steve Liang is a researcher, teacher and entrepreneur. An associate professor at the University of Calgary and director of the GeoSensorWeb Laboratory, Steve's goal is to disrupt the silos of the Internet of Things and to empower anyone to build connected applications by using the information generated from the world around them. In this talk, Liang will present the opportunities and challenges of building smart cities with the Internet of Things, a future in which everyday objects or devices can sense their environment, collect information, and communicate and interact with each other. Read more

We may think of magic and witchcraft beliefs as relics of some bygone dark age. In this discussion we will learn that magical ideas flourished with particular success precisely at the dawn of modern times. We will also see that the European and American witch hunts did not occur in the middle ages but precisely during the scientific revolution. Why might that have been the case? And why should we still be paying close attention to occult mentalities in our own time? Matt Goldish is the Samuel M. and Esther Melton Chair in Jewish History. He is author of  Jewish Questions: Responsa on Sephardic Life in the Early Modern Period  (Princeton, 2008);  The Sabbatean Prophets  (Harvard, 2004); and  Judaism in the Theology of Sir Isaac Newton  (Kluwer, 1998).  Read more

What is Islamophobia and what does its existence mean for our communities? How can we reconcile the current debate over immigration policy against the backdrop of our country's history as a nation of immigrants? How do we balance the need to protect a country's citizens from the threat of terrorism with the need to sustain an immigration program that keeps our economy healthy and that promotes values of diversity and openness? What explains the surge of xenophobia in the United States at particular times in our history? To help us put these critical topics into context, we welcome Angie Plummer (left), executive director of Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS), a non-profit organization serving refugees and immigrants in Central Ohio, and Imran Malik executive president of the NOOR Islamic Center, which since 2006 has served the Muslim community of central Ohio and the community at large. Read more and register