Opening the 2026–2027 Academic Year
Orientation Week & Official Opening · September 14–22
The MGIS community returns to Salamanca for orientation,
academic encounters and the official opening of
a new academic year at the University of Salamanca.
Orientation Week introduces students to the program,
the University of Salamanca, life in the city,
administrative procedures,
and members of the MGIS academic community.
2026–2027 Orientation Week
M.A. Global and International Studies
Orientation Week schedule:
September 14, 2026
Orientation Session with the Program Director:
Prof. Fernando López-Alves
Faculty of Law
Room 010B
4:00 pm
September 15, 2026
Orientation Session
“Life in Salamanca and the USAL”
Martín Orloff
Faculty of Law
Room 010B
4:00 pm
September 16, 2026
Orientation Session with the Program’s Institutional Relations Representative
Prof. Javier Sierra
Online
4:00 pm — Spanish time
September 17, 2026
Orientation Session “Visa Process and Registration in Spain”
Andrea Paola Escalera
Faculty of Law
Room 010B
4:00 pm
September 18, 2026
Sightseeing
Tour of Salamanca
Carmen Ingelmo
Casa de las Conchas 6:30 pm
September 21, 2026 — Official Opening
Opening Conference
Mikhail A. Molchanov
“Geopolitics Resurrected: Rivalry and Reach”
Faculty of Law
Room 014 — Salón de Grados
5:00 pm
Dr. Mikhail A. Molchanov is a prominent Canadian political scientist and international relations scholar, currently working as a Senior Policy Advisor with the Government of British Columbia, Canada. He has a distinguished career spanning academia and public policy, having served as a professor of political science at several Canadian universities, including as Chair of the Department of Political Science at St. Thomas University, and as a senior policy analyst for the Government of Canada.
His research focuses on the international relations of Eurasia and the international political economy of regional integration. Dr. Molchanov's expertise is recognized globally through visiting appointments at the American University of Sharjah; Aoyama Gakuin University and Waseda University in Japan; Al-Farabi Kazakh National University; United Nations University and the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies; and the University of Salamanca. He is an elected Foreign Member of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine.
Dr. Molchanov’s research was supported by United Nations University, United States Institute of Peace, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Japan Foundation, and NATO-EAPC. A prolific author, he has written seven books and nearly 150 articles and book chapters on Eurasian international relations, globalization and regional integration, political leadership, the political cultures and contested identities of Russia and Ukraine, and the influence of nationalism on foreign policy.
He has held leadership roles in the Interdisciplinary Studies and Postcommunist Systems in International Politics Sections of the International Studies Association (ISA) and convened the Working Group on International Political Sociology of the International Political Science Association.
Featured Event
September 22
September 22, 2026 — Official Opening
Screening of “Lebanon the Darkest Hour”
Screening of “Lebanon the Darkest Hour” and discussion with the director Daizy Gedeon.
The symposium will be moderated by Prof. Sergio Jalil.
Faculty of Law
Room 014 — Salón de Grados
6:00 pm
The eyes of the world have been forced to turn their gaze upon Lebanon, not only because of the Beirut Port explosion that devastated this ancient city on 4th August 2020, but also because, sadly, Lebanon stands as an allegory for kleptocratic regimes and their catastrophic impact that have seen a resurgence across the globe.
Before the explosion, the country was already cowering under the weight of
decades of civil conflict, unrelenting regional turmoil but mostly from endemic,
systemic corruption and pure greed.
Filmmaker and journalist Daizy Gedeon leads us on a powerful and personal
journey behind the mask of lies and deception and into the heart of Lebanon,
deep into the historic and psychological causes behind the erosion and
destruction of Lebanon, once a battleground and breeding ground for terrorists
and violent militias, and still a focal point of controversy in the tumultuous
Middle East.
The film addresses the revolution and the global social justice movement that
was triggered in 2019 among the diaspora who rallied to support their families
and friends back home. It provides a powerful insight into the complex
traditional and emotional loyalties among the people that still threaten any
chance for change.
Directed by Daizy Gedeon
A multi-award-winning filmmaker, journalist
and entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of GDR
Media Group and Dream Creations International and has
produced, written and directed two multi-award winning
films.
