The first in a series of six workshops focusing on different global issues and how educators can use literature to further explore the topic. The first workshop will focus on Europe and the topic of immigration. Dr. Bernard Hagerty will discuss the novel Bruno, Chief of Police, by the journalist Martin Walker. It is a remarkable portrayal of the new, multicultural French countryside. North African immigrants are central to the plot and are portrayed in an evenhanded and nuanced way, and rural people themselves appear as a pressured minority. History matters, and the EU is omnipresent.

A continuation of the conversation begun by PICT Theatre's production of Tadeusz Slobodzianek's play Our Class,/i>, and featuring noted Princeton historian Dr. Jan T. Gross, whose book Neighbors inspired the play. Join us for a compelling discussion.

Haven't seen the play? Our Class runs through May 4th. Use code PANEL55 for Buy-One-Get-One-Free tickets at picttheatre.org or call 412-561-6000.

RSVP requested: https://picttheatre.secure.force.com/ticket/

We are honored to have Dr. Erwin H. Epstein as our guest speaker. He is one of the most famous educational historians in Comparative Education. The lecture will take place on 17 April, 12:00-1:30 p.m., Room 5604 Posvar Hall (Colloquium Room).

This is a brown bag lecture, so feel free to bring lunch to the lecture.

On 4 April, Dr. Maureen McClure will present on “Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): A Gamechanger or Not?” It will take place at 12:15-1:30 PM in 4130 WWPH. For more information, please visit the Symposium Series website at http://iise.pitt.edu/symposium2013. This is a brown bag lecture, so feel free to bring lunch to the lecture. This event is sponsored by the School of Education.

In February President Obama announced the beginning of negotiations designed to produce a US-EU Free Trade Agreement. Mutual tariffs are already low and trade high; business and labor constituents seem supportive, and officials are eager to conclude this agreement “on one tank of gas,” i.e., quickly. But significant issues will be in play, including: opening markets for agriculture products, trade in services, and access to public contracts.

Student presentation as part of research defense for a Bachelor of Philosophy -International and Area Studies/Global Studies track.

On Thursday, March 28, the film Postales de Leningrado / Postcards from Leningrad will be shown in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at 6:30 PM. For the young narrator of Postales de Leningrado, being born into a socialist uprising in 1960s Venezuela wasn’t easy. She and her cousin Teo have learned how to live a clandestine life, making an ongoing game out of survival, with everything from code names and creative disguises to making themselves invisible.