This is an information session for those interested in community service opportunities after graduation in the United States and abroad. There will be representatives and alumni from organizations including PULSE, the Peace Corps, City Year, and Omprakash who will share their experiences and present on how to apply and what to expect.

Annunziata (Ann) Ugas, a visiting MA-level student from the University of Cagliari in Italy (Sardegna) and Center Associate within the European Union Center of Excellence, has been working on her translation studies while at the University of Pittsburgh. She will offer a talk based on her research. She will discuss the challenges of translating a parodic text (Barry Trotter and the Unauthorized Parody), and Professor Dennis Looney (French & Italian) and Professor Carol Bové (English) will respond to Ann’s presentation.

Mental Illness is one of the top public health challenges in Europe as measured by prevalence, burden of disease and disability. It is estimated that mental disorders affect more than a third of the population every year, the most common being depression and anxiety. Featuring experts from Scotland, this presentation aims to describe how the Scottish government is tackling mental health and related issues, as understanding grows and the stigma of mental illness is decreasing.

This talk examines this process of global diffusion, highlighting the specific role played by European activists. Given the diversity of countries where same-sex marriage is currently under discussion, structural causes once put forward to explain the emergence of same-sex marriage in Western societies must now be challenged.

In many ways, the EU appears to be in a period of transition: recovering from the financial crisis, continuing to implement the Lisbon Treaty’s provisions, and awaiting a new set of European elections. Have these developments produced change in the EU’s politics and policies, or has it been Brussels as usual? The Organizing Committee of the Ninth Annual Graduate Student Conference on the European Union welcomes graduate students from around the world to contribute to the theme of the conference, as well as others related to the EU.

This conference features keynote speaker Ambassador Peter Tomsen (GSPIA ’64), Former U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Author of "The Wars of Afghanistan". An R.S.V.P. is required. To attend, please email Beverly Brizzi by Monday, December 2nd, to confirm your registration.

Teams of high school students from throughout the Pittsburgh region participate in the annual Pitt Model United Nations simulation.