News & Updates
Hamid Mir & The Beauty of Journalism
Hamid Mir is an intrepid journalist who believes in the power and the right of free speech. This belief has awarded him a life of bullets and bombs, yet his conviction is strong. He speaks on the situation in Pakistan, his familial connection to writing and...
Jailed journalist speaks out on opening of European Games
The eyes of the world are on my country, my beloved Azerbaijan, as it hosts the inaugural European Games this month. The tourists and athletes are enjoying the spectacle of the opening ceremony while the international public watches from their televisions at home. But...
Xavier Bonilla & How to Infuriate the President By Drawing a Cartoon
Xavier Bonilla, who draws for the Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo under the pen name Mr. Bonil, was called "sick," "cowardly," and an "ink assassin" by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa in January 2014. In this episode, he sits down with Crossings reporters Emerson...
UNESCO Chair Steven Shankman’s Work in India
As UNESCO Chair in Transcultural Studies, Interreligious Dialogue, and Peace, I helped establish a new research committee of the International Comparative Literature Association on ethics, religion, and literature. The Comparative Literature Association of India...
Azerbaijan not as free as its leader proclaims
I recently flew to Azerbaijan — the country wedged between Russia and Iran — as a researcher with the University of Oregon-UNESCO Crossings Institute, which examines issues related to reporting on conflict and intercultural dialogue. I found that once-disparate...
The danger of uncritical nostalgia
Recalling those good old days — whenever they may have been — is human nature. I work with young University of Oregon journalism students who speak with nostalgic glee about coming home from kindergarten to watch Steve Irwin's adventures on "The Crocodile Hunter" —...
Andris Razāns, Latvian ambassador to the U.S. visits Oregon
Just a few days before four University of Oregon students fly out of Eugene to attend World Press Freedom Day in Riga, Latvia, Andris Razāns, the Latvian ambassador to the United States visited Oregon to deliver an address at Portland State University. Crossings...
George Papagiannis at ‘What Is Journalism?’ conference
George Papagiannis is the head of the UNESCO External Relations and Information liaison office. He previously served as the Director of the UNESCO office in Baghdad. In 2006, Papagiannis lived on the border between Chad and Sudan, where he built a 3-station community...
Dr. Christopher Chávez & The Charlie Hebdo attack
Following the January 7 attack on the newsroom of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, 12 people were killed. The attack, instigated by the magazine’s cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, raised numerous questions: what limits should be placed on the press’s...
UNESCO head Fernando Brugman: Heritage, Distractions and a ’61 Ford Fairlane in Havana, Cuba
In the second installment of Covering Cuba, Casey Minter, Reuben Unrau, and Dr. Peter Laufer speak with Fernando Brugman, the head of UNESCO's activities in Havana, Cuba. We share stories about Cuba's unique relationship with UNESCO and the history of its...
What is Crossings Radio?
Broadcast from the University of Oregon, Crossings Radio is a venue for conflict-sensitive reporting and intercultural dialogue. Students serve as foreign correspondents and report stories from around the world, including Tunisia, France, Costa Rica, Cuba, Azerbaijan,...
Ten years after 9/11: Retracing the journey
Shortly after the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center on 9/11, Dr. Peter Laufer drove across the country documenting reactions from people of all persuasions. Ten years after the attacks, he recreated the journey. Take a look at the story,...
UNESCO World Press Freedom Day in Riga
The Crossings Institute is traveling to Riga in May with four University of Oregon students who will produce podcasts of World Press Freedom Day events there and post them on the Crossings site. Headquarters for the conference is the new National Library in Riga:...
This Weekend: Podcasting Workshops
The Crossings Institute, which is developing podcasts as its primary outreach tool, is hosting podcaster Peter B. Collins at the SOJC this Friday and Saturday (February 6 & 7, 2015) for seminars and workshops. Collins will discuss his transition from broadcast...
Inside-Out Course Coming Winter 2015
This coming Winter 2015, Professor Shankman will be teaching the first "Inside-Out" graduate course offered at the University of Oregon. The course is under the English Department, but other interested graduate students are encouraged to apply or to get into contact...
World Press Freedom Day 2014
Since its creation by the United Nations in 1993, the UNESCO community has celebrated World Press Freedom Day annually as an occasion to celebrate free press and to critically examine the ways and places in which there is still work to be done. This year's annual...
Slow News
In this age of mass television consumption, Professor Peter Laufer offers consumers a number of simple rules for how to more thoughtfully view and take in today's news in his new book. Slow News offers an engaging analysis, suggesting that to become better informed...
Inside-Out Prison Exchange 2012
SPRING 2012 INFORMATION SESSION Wednesday, February 8th in the Honors College Library (Chapman 301) at 4:00. Applications must be turned in by 5:00 on Friday, February 10th. Applications must be turned in hard copy to the Center for Intercultural Dialogue at 110...