Join Einaudi Center experts for World in Focus Talks on global events in the news and on your mind. Our faculty's research and policy insights put the world in focus.

This year we’re hosting informal campus discussions on many Tuesday afternoons. This week’s topic:

In the United States and around the world, strict immigration enforcement and violence are being wielded as political tools. Recent U.S. actions include surveillance of communities, indiscriminate detainment, and violence against protestors. Despite being framed as necessary for the safety of citizens, these tactics are rooted in histories of slavery, the prison industrial complex, and xenophobia.

Does this type of enforcement infringe on rights? How can we understand current events through the lens of global and historical contexts? Do present-day immigration policies make communities safer?

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Featured Faculty

Shannon Gleeson (Migrations) | Industrial and Labor RelationsTristan Ivory (EAP, IAD) | International and Comparative LaborJaclyn Kelley-Widmer | LawNatasha Raheja (SAP) | AnthropologyIan Kysel | Law

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Conversations Matter at Einaudi

This conversation is hosted by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and its regional and thematic programs. Find out what's in store for students at Einaudi!

Rule Breakers tells the true story of Roya Mahboob, a visionary Afghan entrepreneur and advocate for girls’ education who defies rigid societal norms in her country. In a place where educating girls is treated like rebellion, Roya forms the first all-girls robotics team in Afghanistan and guides them to pursue their dreams in science and technology. As the team’s innovation and success draw international attention, they face mounting opposition, cultural resistance, and real threats, yet their courage, unity, and determination spark a broader movement that has the potential to change their nation forever.

The film focuses on themes of female empowerment, resilience, teamwork, and the transformative power of education. It follows the girls as they overcome personal and political obstacles, travel to competitions, and challenge deep-seated gender barriers in pursuit of their shared goals.

Following the screening, join filmmakers Roya Mahboob and Elaha Mahboob, along with Cornell faculty for a conversation on the film, their work, and the current context for Afghan communities in the U.S. today. The discussion will be followed by audience Q&A.

Free admission! This event is co-sponsored by Cornell Law School’s Migration and Human Rights Program, Berger International Speaker Series, Immigration Law & Advocacy Clinic, Gender Justice Clinic, Dorothea S. Clarke Program, and the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program supports U.S. citizens to study, conduct research in any field, or teach English in more than 150 countries. The program is open to graduate students, recent graduates, and young professionals. Undergraduate students who wish to begin the program immediately after graduation are encouraged to start the process in their junior year. Recent graduates are welcome to apply through Cornell.

The Fulbright program at Cornell is administered by the Mario Einaudi Center for International studies. Applicants are supported through all stages of the application and are encouraged to start early by contacting fulbright@einaudi.cornell.edu.

Register for the virtual session.

Can’t attend? Contact fulbright@einaudi.cornell.edu.