This annual event informs Pittsburgh-area high school students from underrepresented minority groups of international studies, study abroad, and internationally oriented career opportunities through panel presentations and small group discussions with African-American Pitt alumni and other international studies professionals.

Biography: Leslie Sklair is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the London School of Economics and is affiliated with the Centre for the Study of Human Rights. A pioneer in the sub-field of global and transnational sociology, Sklair is author of many books and articles including The Transnational Capitalist Class (2001 Blackwell) and Globalization: Capitalism and its Alternatives (Oxford University Press). His most recent research has focused on iconic architecture and its relationship to global capitalist practices.

A knowledge-based competition for local high school students with questions focusing on international affairs, current events, the global economy, geography, world history, and general knowledge about the world.

Teams from the high schools competing in the 2012 CCA Marketing Competition participated in a workshop with undergraduate and graduate business students who serve as their mentors throughout the competition. Katz professor James Craft spoke about Brazil with the students via video call and Diana Kamyk of Bayer spoke about the company's initiative in Brazil.

Dr. Christian Burgsmuller, a career EU diplomat with the European External Action Service (EEAS) and current Counselor at the EU Delegation to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. gave a lecture about transatlantic energy challenges facing the world today.

Oonya Kempadoo is the author of Buxton Spice and Tide Running (for which she has recently completed a screenplay).
She has won the Casa de las Américas Prize, and was named a "Great Talent for the 21st Century" by the Orange Prize judges.
She was a fellow at the International Writer's Program at the University of Iowa in 2011.

Graduate and undergraduate students graduating this spring will showcase their capstone research and highlight how their classroom, co-curricular and/or study abroad, helped shape their understanding of critical global issues. We invite you to join us for lunch, view their displays, and congratulate them on their success. We will also present certificates to our students who have successfully completed the program.

Dr. Christian Burgsmüller is a career EU diplomat currently with the European External Action Service (EEAS), serving as Counselor at the EU Delegation to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. Dr. Burgsmüller studied law in Freiburg i.Br., Geneva and Cologne and worked as a trainee solicitor in Düsseldorf, Brussels, Cologne and Buenos Aires before passing the German Bar Exam in 2000 and subsequently joining the European Commission in Brussels as a career official.

An International Conference at the University of Pittsburgh

Thursday, March 29
Welcoming Reception: 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Session I: Revolutionary Dynamics (6:00pm - 8:00pm)
Asef Bayat (University of Illinois): "Revolution without Movement, Movement without Revolution -- Again"
Samer Shehata (Georgetown University): "Too Little, Too Late: The Mubarak Regime's Response to Dynamic Protest"
Mohammed Bamyeh (University of Pittsburgh): "On Spontaneity and Organization"

Friday, March 30
Breakfast: 9:00am - 10:00am