Global civil society has been referred to as the “second superpower.” How is it that civil society groups have been able to challenge the dominance of the world’s military and financial powers? How have they intervened in the global arena to affect global politics? Jackie Smith, a scholar of transnational social movements, and professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh will report on the history of civil society groups’ engagement in the United Nations and how this has shaped the kind of political activism we’re seeing today in the Arab Spring and in the U.S. Occupy Wall Street movement. This workshop is being offered for three (3) ACT 48 continuing education credits.

A light dinner and parking will be provided. In order to receive parking, teachers must register before Friday, February 10, 2012. Registration will remain open after that date, but validated parking will no longer be offered