Center for Latin American Studies

Cátedra Argentina’s First Year to Include Events, Essay Prize
Research Forum Takes Shape after President Kirchner’s Address at Georgetown

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2012 – Ambassador of Argentina to the U.S. Jorge Argüello and Erick Langer, Director of Georgetown University’s Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), today announced details for the first year of Georgetown’s Cátedra Argentina forum. President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner inaugurated the series in a September address at Georgetown.

A new award, the Cátedra Argentina Essay Prize, will be one important component. U.S. graduate students will be invited to present a policy paper on bilateral relations between the United States and Argentina. A jury composed of prominent academics of both nationalities will evaluate the essays and determine the winner, who will receive an honorarium as well as a study tour of Argentina that will present the opportunity to meet with government officials, academics, business and opinion leaders and representatives of civil society. Formal requirements will be posted at clas.georgetown.edu.

Five academic events are planned for the remainder of the academic year, intended to increase debate and knowledge on Argentina across the Georgetown academic community and the wider Washington academic and policy universe. Additional details on each event can be found at clas.georgetown.edu.

• The Federal State: Between Globalization and Regional Integration, featuring panel discussions with some of Argentina’s regional governors as well as scholars of the U.S. and Argentina
• Science and Technology in Argentina, featuring the Minister of Science and Technology of Argentina, Lino Barañao
• A Lecture by Ricardo Lorenzetti, President of the Supreme Court of Justice of Argentina
• The Influence of Jorge Luis Borges in the Literature of the United States, reviewing the impact of Borges’ texts on science fiction in the 20th and 21st centuries
• Leadership in Biotechnology Development and Food Security in Argentina and the LAC Region, examining the role of Argentina’s National Research Institution and the private sector in agricultural biotechnology research

“The Cátedra Argentina will be an important contribution to enhance the bilateral relations between the United States and Argentina,” Langer said.

For more information, contact Gabriela Arguello at CLAS, ga413@georgetown.edu.

One of the world’s leading centers for the study of the Western Hemisphere, CLAS focuses on democratic consolidation and governance, economic development and trade, poverty and inequality, indigenous peoples, culture and society, inter-American affairs and other subjects through interdisciplinary teaching, research, and outreach activities.

CLAS is part of Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. SFS, founded in 1919, is a premier school of international affairs. At Georgetown University’s Washington, D.C. and Qatar campuses, SFS provides a rigorous education combining theory and practice and instills the values of service.

For a copy of the official press release, click here.