Upcoming Events
Thursday, September 12
ASP Welcome Reception
Join the African Studies Program as we welcome in the new academic year with our annual welcome reception! Meet staff, affiliated faculty and fellow students and discuss the program, events for the year and opportunities for engagement!
4130 Posvar Hall
Thursday, September 19
Pittsburgh Youth Global Town Hall: Climate, Gender, and Sustainability
On the eve of the Pittsburgh Global Town Hall hosted by the University of Pittsburgh, Global Voice, World Workable Trust, and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the University Center for International Studies will host a workshop and town hall discussion specifically for area middle and high school students. The goal is to focus on the concerns of the next generation of globally-minded citizens, while exploring avenues for climate activism. How do you turn local activism into global reform? What role do the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) play in these discussions? How are gender equality and climate action related?
In activities throughout the day, students will explore models of activism and engagement. A town hall discussion at the end will direct discussions toward next steps, which will then be presented the next day at a live-streamed Global Town Hall on Pitt's campus. Join us and make your voice heard in time for the high-level climate summit in New York City on September 23rd.
Participation in the event is free and open to students and teachers grades 6-12. Pre-registration is required. Participants are encouraged to bring their own brown bag lunch, as only light snacks will be provided.
Schedule:
Youth Town Hall and Workshop (open only to pre-registered students and teachers, grades 6-12)
9:30 am - arrival and check-in
10:00am – Welcome from hosts with introductory messages from Wanjira Mathai, global activist, and Leandra Mira, local youth activist
10:15am – Workshop on Climate Education and Advocacy
12:00pm – working lunch (brownbag) with activities
1:00 pm – Local Town Hall for students (Discussion)
2:45 pm – wrap up
Film Screening (Connelly ballroom) - open to public
3:00 - 5 pm – Screening of documentary about Wangari Mathaai: Taking Root (80 min) - followed by a discussion of the film led by Wanjira Mathai (the daughter of the film's subject).
Posvar Hall, 2nd Floor (Provost Suites), University of Pittsburgh
Thursday, September 19 to Friday, September 20
GLOBAL TOWN HALL Climate, Gender, and Sustainability: Local to Global
The European Studies Center, the Global Studies Center, and the University Center for International Studies, with the support of the Office of the Provost and the Year of Pitt Global Initiative at the University of Pittsburgh, in partnership with Global Voice and the Workable World Trust, will host the Second Annual Global Town Hall Meeting on UN and Global Governance Reform on Thursday 19 September to Friday 20 September 2019.
The theme for the discussion will be “Climate, Gender, and Sustainable Development: Local to Global”.
In this two-day event, discussions will focus on the need to think synthetically about climate change, gender equity, and sustainable development in reimagining an agenda for global governance reform and reconfiguring citizen activism for social justice.
Schedule:
Thursday, 19 September 2019: Opening Lecture for Global Town Hall - Humanities Center, Cathedral of Learning
5:30 pm –Paulo Magalhães, “Common Home of Humanity: Creating the Legal Environment to Meet Climate and Nature Emergencies”
Friday, 20 September 2019 – Connelly Ballroom, Alumni Hall
8:30 am - check-in - vegan muffins and coffee
9:00am – Welcome
9:30am – Overview: The Road to 2020 – Earl James, Global Voice
10:00am – Expert Panel Plenary: Gender, Climate Change, and Sustainable Development (moderated by Ariel Armony, Vice Provost for Global Affairs, Pitt) - Livestreamed
· Paulo Magalhães, Common Home of Humanity
· anupama jain, City of Pittsburgh Gender Equity Commission
· Katharina Schulze, Green Party Member, State Parliament, Bavaria, Germany
· Raquel Lagunas, Gender Mainstreaming Advisor in the Gender Team in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, United Nations Development Program
12:00pm – Lunch (free to the first 100 people to register)
1:00 pm - Keynote Address : Wanjira Mathai, wPower and Green Belt Movement (Livestreamed)
2:00pm – Breakout Sessions
· Economics of Sustainability with Paulo Magalhães, Aurora Sharrard (Director of Sustainability, University of Pittsburgh), moderator: Michaël Aklin
· Security with Richard Ponzio (Stimson Center), Grant Ervin (Chief Resilience Officer, City of Pittsburgh), moderator: Burcu Savun
· Gender and Development with Raquel Lagunas and anupama jain; moderator: Muge Finkel
· Climate Action and Social Justice with Nora Löhle (Program Director, Energy and Environment, Heinrich Böll Foundation) and Katharina Schulze, moderator: Michael Goodhart
3:30pm – Break - coffee and vegan cookies
4:00pm – Global Town Hall and Public Discussion of Next Steps (Connelly Ballroom and via Livestream)
Co-sponsors:
Heinrich-Böll Stiftung
Department of Political Science
Center for International Legal Education
African Studies Program
Department of Geology
GSPIA
Office of the Provost
Gender, Sexuality, and Women Studies Program
Alumni Hall, University of Pittsburgh
Friday, September 20
Let's Talk Africa: African Languages in Colleges and Universities
Professor Antonia Schleicher serves as the Executive Director of both the National Council of Less-Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL) and the African Language Teachers Association (ALTA) at Kansas University. She is a Board Member of JNCL (Joint National Committee for Languages). She was awarded the United States President's Gold Level Volunteer Service Award for over 500-hours-a-year of devoted and unpaid service to the cause of promoting less-commonly taught languages and cultures in the U.S. She served on the ACTFL Board of Directors for three years. She is on the Board of Trustees of Center for Applied Linguistics and is also the current President of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Association (NFMLTA). She will be a guest of the African Studies Program evaluating our UISFL grant accomplishments. She will also give a lecture presentation on the current state of Less Commonly Taught Languages education in the United States including their emerging importance in the global context. “Less Commonly Taught Languages in the United States: African languages in colleges and universities.”
4130 Posvar Hall
Wednesday, October 16
Let's Talk Africa: ASP Student Panel on Summer Experiences in Africa
Join the African Studies Program students as they share their summer abroad experiences while in Africa! We will hold a round-table discussion at the event. This is a great opportunity for students who may be considering studying abroad in Africa this summer!
4217 Posvar Hall
Friday, November 1
Let's Talk Africa: Role of Ethics in Ghanaian Women's Business Leadership Development
Dr. Jennifer Petrie will be presenting on the Role of Ethics in Ghanaian Women’s Business Leadership Development. She describes the findings from her mixed methods research study on local business owners and business educators in Ghana. While previous research examines the role of small business entrepreneurs and the glass-ceiling challenges confronting women’s leadership development in Africa, this study examined the important role of ethics in women’s leadership development. This study also seeks to identify educational practices targeting women in business ethics and leadership and describe next steps required to improve ethical leadership development in Ghana and Africa. Dr. Petrie has been conducting research on education, leadership, and women in Ghana since 2010.
4130 Posvar Hall