Alworth Institute for International Studies

The Alworth Institute was established in 1987 by the Alworth family to  commemorate the life and interests of Royal D. Alworth, Jr. The Institute aims to engage students, staff and the wider public in open discussion, for educational,  social and democratic  purposes, of a wide range of international issues and of their domestic implications.

The objectives of the Alworth Institute are to:

  • promote knowledge and understanding of topical and enduring international and global issues among students, staff and the community served by UMD;
  • provide accessible seminars, public lectures and conferences on international issues in ways likely to promote international understanding, enhance democratic discussion, negotiation and reconciliation;
  • articulate international issues and any domestic implications in ways that help further discussion nationally and locally;
  • act as a shared community resource on issues relating to international studies.

Visit the Program Summary page or pages for the specific categories of events for information about Spring 2023 programs. All events are in person at UMD unless indicated otherwise. 

You can now watch recordings of many of the 2022-2023 Alworth Institute lectures and brown bag talks on the UMD Alworth Institute YouTube channel. Links for available recordings follow: 

Irreconcilable Differences: Russia’s War Against Ukraine and the Question of Sovereignty 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuZMLBJ6RAo&t=6s

The lecture was presented at UMD on September 29, 2022, by Markian Dobczansky, Associate Director of the European Union Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an associate of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI).

_____

Public Humanities and Placemaking in Contemporary Spain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOxRg1TKf-A

Dr. Jennifer Brady, Associate Professor of Spanish in the UMD Department of World Languages and Cultures presented this International Brown Bag talk on October 6, 2022. 

_____

Weapon of Choice: US Sanctions and the Future of the Global Economy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORPA7Wk8ssI

Thomas Hanson, retired Foreign Service Officer for the US State Department and the Alworth Institute Diplomat in Residence, presented on October 17, 2022.

_____

Elizabeth Truss (Former UK Prime Minister): How the Wheels Came Off! 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-bwTp7icUWqTksTK9h_HHw

Presented by Dr. William Henderson, Alworth Institute International Associate and former director on November 15, 2022.

_____

Riga: A Modern, Vibrant City Grappling with a Complicated Wartime Past

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRkQfGkmlj0&t=1s

This International Brown Bag talk was given by Dr. Natalie Belsky,  Assistant Professor of History in the UMD Department of History, Political Science and International Studies.