Indiana University's Institute for Advanced Study has appointed Fritz Breithaupt, professor of Germanic Studies at IU Bloomington, as Henry H.H. Remak Distinguished Scholar for 2009-10. The award was created in 1994 to honor Remak, who served Indiana University with distinction for more than 65 years as a scholar, teacher and administrator.

This issue of Lecture Notes features talks at IU Bloomington from Sept. 25 through Oct. 10. Lectures include a special evening with journalist Christopher Hitchens, and a lecture about Herman B. Wells.

Indiana University Bloomington and the Robert A. and Sandra S. Borns Jewish Studies Program will host a landmark conference, "The Writer Uprooted: Contemporary Jewish Exile Literature," March 22-24, featuring presentations by 11 immigrant authors and scholars now living and writing in the United States. It is believed to be the first sizable gathering of such writers ever held in the nation. Renowned Romanian author Norman Manea will deliver the keynote address on March 22 and join his fellow writers as they reflect on the ties between exile and creativity.

The Delegation of the European Commission in Washington, D.C., has selected Indiana University Bloomington as one of 10 sites in the United States where it is establishing European Union Centers of Excellence. The network of centers will promote the study of the 25-nation European Union, its institutions and policies, and EU relations with the United States through teaching programs, scholarly research and outreach activities.

The first conference to explore the relationship between Western nations and their growing Muslim minority populations will be held Sept. 22-24 at Indiana University Bloomington. A group of 14 scholars from both sides of the Atlantic will participate in the "Muslims in Western Politics" conference. Their challenge: to produce policy recommendations to improve the civil rights and treatment of Muslims while addressing salient security concerns.

What does "America" mean to people of different cultures? How can we explain both the fascination with and the contestation of the "American myth" throughout Europe? These questions and others will be addressed at an international conference, "America Seen Through Foreign Eyes," which will be held Friday through Sunday (March 25-27) at Indiana University Bloomington.

On the eve of the accession of 10 new countries to the European Union, public opinion in support of a united and economically integrated Europe may be wavering, according to Robert Rohrschneider, professor of political science and acting director of West European Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. That could spell trouble for the stability of the union, which is about to undergo a massive transformation.