Do you love traveling and experiencing new cultures? Have you considered teaching abroad? Join Pitt alumni Thea Berthoff (TAPIF, France), Matthew Eppley (Peace Corps , Ukraine), and Dr. Katy Carlitz (Asian Studies Center) as they discuss their international experience and share tips on how to prepare yourself to teach English in a foreign country.

As more faculty and students become involved in international research, the need for understanding and complying with regulatory and legal issues increases. This program will provide specific information for faculty and students who are planning to conduct international research now or in the future with university or external grant support. It is also highly recommended that faculty mentors who will be advising students going abroad attend this session. Topics that will be discussed include requirements related to the IRB as well as legal/financial matters.

In 2013, governments across the European Union (EU) gave the European Commission a mandate to negotiate the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the United States. Since July 2013, the two sides have held seven rounds of negotiations, but they have not yet reached an agreement. A motivating factor of TTIP is “regulatory convergence”, bringing American and European standards closer together to facilitate trade. One potential obstacle is the subject of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the context of food safety regulation.

In light of Greece’s parliament elections on January 25th, Political Science Professor, Dr. Despina Alexiadou, will introduce the actors and issues involved, and will weigh in on what the results of the victory of the leftist Syriza party mean for Greece, for other possible austerity programs, and for Europe’s changing landscape.

This panel will lead a discussion on the recent terror attacks in Paris, France. Professor Michael Kenney of GSPIA, Visiting Professor Luke Peterson of Global Studies and EUCE/ESC Associate Director Allyson Delnore will offer perspectives on the social, political and historical aspects of these events. Public, faculty and class participation is welcome.

The Muslims in the Global Context series offers the opportunity to examine the factors and trends that are having major impacts on these diverse regions and their relationships with other world regions and countries. The mini-courses consist of presentations on topics of critical importance to the understanding of Muslims in diverse regions of the world. In addition to attendance at all lectures, students enrolled for credit are required to develop and write a research paper on one of the themes of the mini-course and answer reflection prompts during the course.

In our first Conversation on Europe for 2015, panelists will consider the demands on and capabilities of the European Union as a major global actor. Panelists will use a Carnegie Europe “Memo to the European Union Foreign Policy Chief” as a starting point.

Are you looking for travel opportunities and a chance to get “real world experience” before facing the job market? Join us at the Global Gap Year Panel, where representatives from the Peace Corps, Hekima Place, PULSE Pittsburgh, Fulbright Fellowship Program, and others will talk about what they gained from their “Gap Year”.

Panelists include:
Abraham Kim, Peace Corps (Zambia)
Jessa Darwin, Hekima Place (Kenya)
Jenna Baron, PULSE, United Way, Fulbright Scholar (Pittsburgh, PA & Kenya)
Holly Hickling, FORGE (Paris & Zambia)

Mark De Vos holds a Licentiate and Doctorate in Law (Universiteit Gent), a Master in Social Law (Université Libre de Bruxelles), and a Master of Laws (Harvard University). He teaches employment and labor law, EU-law, and the rule of law at Ghent University and the University of Brussels. He is the director of the Itinera Institute, an independent policy think-tank based in Brussels.

A part of the 25 Years – Fall of the Berlin Wall Series, this exhibit is free and open to the public. It was curated by the Special Collections Department, with grateful assistance from the Archives Service Center, the Digital Research Library, Web Services, and the Hillman Library Journal and General Map collections.