We are pleased to invite you to a discussion around Stany Podzielone Ameryki with:

dr Łukasz Pawłowski, the author of the book and the co-host of “Podcast Amerykański”

dr hab. Agnieszka Graff, prof. UW (American Studies Center)

dr Jan Smoleński (American Studies Center)

Thursday, October 24, 2024
5 PM

Attendees will be granted 3 OZN points.

Where?

Dobra 55, room: 2.118
(the building features some mobility accommodations: ramp and lift)

Facebook event

What?

Republican Senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham announced on Fox News that “there would be riots in the streets” if Donald Trump is convicted in one of his criminal trials. Mike Huckabee, Republican governor of Arkansas, said that the 2024 elections will be the last to be “decided by ballots rather than bullets” if Trump loses his presidential bid due to the legal problems. In his appearance at now-defunct Infowars, former National Security Adviser to President Donald Trump general Michael Flynn said: “we’re moving towards the sound of the guns here, folks. And the sound of the guns is freedom.” Ironically, the sound of guns we’ve heard were the ones aimed at his former boss during two assassination attempts by—even more ironically—people who at least until recently identified with the Republican Party.

Should ubiquitous warnings about possible political violence in the US be taken seriously? How do deepening divisions affect the political landscape and the political process in the US? What are the sources of polarization? And what are the stakes of the upcoming elections in polarized America?

Who?

dr Łukasz Pawłowski is a psychologist and sociologist currently working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Acting Director at the Department of Strategy. He is the co-host of the  award-winning weekly podcast on American politics and society “Podkast amerykański” (American podcast) and the author of Druga fala prywatyzacji (The Second Wave of Privatization”, 2020) and Stany podzielone Ameryki (“Divided States of America, 2024) as well as numerous articles in Polish and foreign media including: “Gazeta Wyborcza”, “Onet”, “Polityka” and “Financial Times”.

Year 2024/2025

February 18: Solidarity in Struggle – A Conversation with Sarah Schulman

February 13, 2025

We invite you to a meeting with the author of “The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity,” Sarah Schulman, hosted by MA student at the ASC Julia Wajdziak. Together, we will look at the role of solidarity in contemporary activism, the challenges it faces, and the opportunities it creates for transnational alliances.

News

Office hours of Dr. Gajda-Łaszewska during the exam session

January 28, 2025

Office hours during the exam session: Thursday, 30 January 2025, 12:30-14:00; Friday, 07 February 2025, 10:30-12:00. Online office hours remain the same.  No office hours in the week of 10-15 February 2025.

News

Dołącz do Akademii Młodych Polskich Innowatorów i wygraj płatny staż!

January 23, 2025

Chcesz wziąć udział w stażu w amerykańskiej firmie? Masz 18–26 lat? Interesujesz się przedsiębiorczością, mediami lub sprawami publicznymi? Chcesz zdobyć wiedzę i doświadczenie od ekspertów z USA i Polski, a także pracować nad innowacyjnym projektem, który odpowie na aktualne wyzwania gospodarcze i społeczne dla Polski? Jesteś z Warszawy lub jesteś gotowy/a dojeżdżać do stolicy na warsztaty i staż? Jeżeli na powyższe pytania odpowiedź brzmi TAK!, to dołącz do programu „Pathfinders of Tomorrow: Akademia Młodych Polskich Innowatorów”, który łączy młodych liderów z praktykami, by wspólnie tworzyć nowatorskie rozwiązania.

Year 2024/2025

January 23: „I’m weird. I’m a weirdo.” The Allure of Unhinged Teen Television Drama Series Riverdale (2017-2023)

January 23, 2025

Join us for the second Weird TV lecture in 2025! Teen TV programming by The CW Television Network in the last 20 years has been a wildly successful blend of soap opera, generational saga, crime, the paranormal, and erotica. This paper argues that the drama series Riverdale (2017-2023) is the last show of this kind due to its week-to-week broadcasting format, as well as its convoluted, absurd, weird, and addictive storytelling. In the span of 6 years and 7 seasons, Riverdale explored various themes and topics: serial killers, occultism, time traveling, parallel universes, superpowers, folk tales, witchcraft, and many, many more. On a purely visual level, the show does take its inspiration from the grand tradition of horror/thriller genre storytelling, BUT is it camp, pastiche, or pure kitsch? This paper attempts to situate Riverdale within a broader context of both cult cinema/TV, and teen film studies. Finally, Riverdale’s weirdness and ridiculousness would be nothing without the show’s internet discourse, fandom, and critical reception, which are part of this analysis.

Year 2024/2025

January 21: “Women Against the Law” – Screening and Discussion of Estado de Proibição!

January 21, 2025

Join us for our first 2025 event, “Women Against the Law” – Screening and discussion of Estado de Proibição!” The screening and discussion will be conducted by doctoral student Thany Sacnhes. Estado de Proibição shares the stories of women who break the law to care for their children and of those who have lost their children to state violence connected to drug prohibition. The film, created by Plataforma Brasileira de Política de Drogas in collaboration with Panamá Filmes and supported by the Open Society Foundations, was filmed in São Paulo, Recife, and Rio de Janeiro. It aims to raise public awareness of the consequences of drug prohibition, which affect both drug users and non-users. The documentary highlights the intersections between the social and therapeutic use of drugs and examines how prohibitionist policies lead to the criminalization of communities and increased police violence.