Events in UCIS

Sunday, February 1

5:00 pm Festival
EU Film Festival: Petra Kelly, Act Now! (Germany)
Location:
Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Avenue
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
See Details

2026 EU Film Festival: Democracy, Community and (Space) Aliens!

Germany
2024
Director: Doris Metz
Documentary, 104 MIN

Looking for a politician of stature in a moment of dramatic political change? As a founding member of the Green Party, Petra Kelly played a decisive part in shaping political discourse in West Germany in the 1980s.

*Free Admission with University and College ID
*Free to Pitt ID for Faculty and Staff

7:30 pm Festival
EU Film Festival: Elfogy a llevegõ/Without Air (Hungary)
Location:
Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Avenue
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Harris Theater
See Details

2026 European Film Festival (EUFF): Democracy, Community and (Space) Aliens!

Hungary
2023
Director: Katalin Moldovia
Drama, 105 MIN

A Hungarian literature teacher faces a moral and political firestorm after recommending a film about queer poets. This timely drama captures the pressure of censorship, fear, and courage in a community on edge.

*Free Admission with University and College ID
*Free to Pitt ID for Faculty and Staff

Monday, February 2

1:30 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Suchitra: Hindi Reading Club
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center and Global Hub along with Less-Commonly-Taught-Languages Center
See Details

Join Hindi instructor Vibha Shetiya from the Less-Commonly-Taught-Languages Center to discuss Hindi language books.

Hosted by the Less-Commonly-Taught-Languages Center

4:30 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Bate-Papo Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies and Global Hub along with Brazil Nuts
See Details

Join Brazil Nuts in the Global Hub for weekly Bate-Papo Conversation Hours to meet other students and to practice Portuguese of all levels!

Bate-Papo Conversation Hours are every Monday during Spring semester, starting January 26 and ending April 20.

Hosted by Brazil Nuts

UPDATE: Bate-Papo's meeting on January 26 has been postponed due to weather.

5:30 pm Language Table
2026 Spring German Speaking Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with German Club
See Details

Join the German Club for weekly meetings on Mondays in the Global Hub to practice German and share about German culture! 

Hosted by the German Club

Tuesday, February 3

10:00 am Information Session
AIFS Advising Hours
Location:
810 William Pitt Union
Sponsored by:
Global Experiences Office
See Details

Are you interested in a Pitt-Recognized Program this summer? Come by the Global Experiences Office to meet with a representative from AIFS and ask all your questions about their programs!

3:00 pm Information Session
Spring 2026 Global Distinction Drop-In Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for Ethnic Studies Research, Center for African Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, Global Studies Center, Global Hub, Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs, Office of International Services and Global Experiences Office
See Details

Join us for our weekly Global Distinction Drop-In Hours on Tuesdays from 3-4 pm in the Global Hub! Come learn how to gain experience that will help prepare you for a globally-connected job market, get the Global Distinction added to your academic transcript, receive special recognition at graduation, and stand out to prospective employers.

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 French Club Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with French Club
See Details

Join the French Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6-7 pm during Spring semester for conversational meetings and to practice French speaking and listening skills and create a francophone community on campus!

Hosted by the French Club

6:30 pm Teacher Training--Area Studies
Power, Protest, and Daringness: Snapshots from a Century of Russian and East European Theater
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies along with “Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University”, “Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia, University of Wisconsin-Madison”, “Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies, University of Kansas”, “Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies, The Ohio State University”, Eurasian and Eastern European Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill”, “Robert F. Byrnes Russian and East European Institute, Indiana University”, “Russian, and Eurasian Center, University of Illinois and Urbana-Champaign”
See Details

This webinar is the fifth in a six-part series, The Arts of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, designed to help K-14 educators integrate Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European arts into their classrooms. It explores the influential and enduring role of theater in this region, where theatergoing remains an ordinary, affordable, and deeply valued cultural practice. From the collapse of empires during World War I to the repressions of the Communist era, and from the transformations of a globalized Europe to Russia’s ongoing war against a NATO- and EU-aligned neighbor, theater has consistently served as a resilient artistic and political force. Led by Dr. Alisa Ballard Lin, the session highlights several theatrical productions that reveal the dynamic intersection of art and politics over the past century. Each production has been selected for its accessibility and pedagogical value, with translated plays, photographs, video materials, and scholarly commentary readily available for classroom use.

Please join us for an engaging and practical session filled with insights, resources, and inspiration for bringing the rich theatrical traditions of Eastern Europe into your teaching.

Wednesday, February 4

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 French Club Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with French Club
See Details

Join the French Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6-7 pm during Spring semester for conversational meetings and to practice French speaking and listening skills and create a francophone community on campus!

Hosted by the French Club

8:00 pm Language Table
Ukrainian Culture Club Meeting
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies and Global Hub along with Ukrainian Culture Club
See Details

Join the Ukrainian Culture Club for a meeting in the Global Hub as they welcome new members and invite fellow students to join the club and embrace Ukrainian culture, language, and advocacy!

Thursday, February 5

6:00 pm Festival
EU Film Festival: Desktop Documentary Films by: Lého Galibert-Laîné (France)
Location:
University of Pittsburgh, Public Health G23
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Film and Media Studies
See Details

2026 EU Film Festival: Democracy, Community and (Space) Aliens!

A bold selection of experimental works exploring how cinema, the internet, and memory collide. These shorts push the boundaries of the video essay form, inviting viewers into an inventive new mode of storytelling.

About the Director: https://lehogalibertlaine.com/

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Kya Baat Hai General Board Meetings
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center and Global Hub along with Kya Baat Hai!
See Details

Pitt students: Join Kya Baat Hai, a Hindi-Urdu conversational club that practices language and celebrates South Asian culture, for weekly conversation hours!

Friday, February 6 until Saturday, February 7

8:00 am Symposium
Revolutions in Sound: Auditory Cultures of Global Socialism
Location:
TBD
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for African Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and Global Studies Center
3:30 pm Symposium
Auditory Cultures of World Socialism
Location:
Cathedral of Learning 208
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for African Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and Global Studies Center along with Department of Music, Department of History, Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures, World History Center, Department of History of Art & Architecture and Department of English
See Details

This two-day symposium will forge new lines of inquiry and dialogue in the study of sound and society under state socialism. Scholars from history, music, literature, film, and media studies will share recent work on regions of the globe from the Caribbean to East Asia where the revolutionary reshaping of political and social relations has had far-reaching effects on the way people hear the world around them. In the course of the conference, we will ask: how are political ideologies made audible? What are the material conditions, media networks, and sensory attunements that underpin state control of the means of sound production? And what might a “socialist sound studies” look or sound like? 

Recent decades have witnessed a “sonic turn” across the humanities and social sciences, as sound is increasingly recognized as a generative resource for historical, aesthetic, and ethnographic research. In keeping with sound’s unruly capacity for bleeding through walls and bridging distances between people and places, this gathering will encourage conversations across regional and disciplinary boundaries. While the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China continue to play outsize roles in our understanding of state-socialist political formations, there is much to be heard in the transnational, peripheral, and intermedial spaces in which socialist ideas have flourished. 

The symposium will include panels featuring eight invited speakers, commentary from University of Pittsburgh faculty, and a keynote address by Andrea Bohlman, Associate Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Co-sponsored by:

Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies | Department of Music | Department of History | Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures | World History Center | European Studies Center | Global Studies Center | Asian Studies Center | Center for African Studies | Department of History of Art & Architecture | Department of English

Friday, February 6

6:00 pm Festival
EU Film Festival: Dahomey (France, Benin, and Senegal)
Location:
University of Pittsburgh, Public Health, G23
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence along with Africana Studies
See Details

2026 EU Film Festival: Democracy, Community and (Space) Aliens!

France, Benin, and Senegal
2024
Director: Mati Diop
Documentary, 68 MIN

As 26 stolen royal treasures finally return home from France to Benin, the objects themselves narrate a story of colonialism and reclamation. Mati Diop’s Golden Bear–winning documentary sparks a vibrant debate about history, democracy, and the future of cultural memory.

Group Discussion to follow the screening of the film.

Saturday, February 7

4:00 pm Lecture
Keynote Address — Socialisms' Audible Glitches
Location:
208 Cathedral of Learning
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for African Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and Global Studies Center along with Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, Department of English, Department of History, Department of History of Art & Architecture, Department of Music, Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures and World History Center
See Details

Keynote Address for Auditory Cultures of World Socialism Symposium

Festivals of international friendship with their eroticized and racialized soundscapes, bootleg recordings of music from abroad, oral histories and testimonies—these are canonic sites for socialist worldmaking through sound, familiar vehicles for articulating or contesting visions of global collectivity. Yet they all cast listening and sound as vectors of thinking big. In this talk, I turn to the sound archives of world socialism with an ear for the intimate, small-scale, and particular. How can we attune ourselves to the global inequalities, insurgencies of class politics, and moments of transnational (im)mobility that complicate the media narratives inherited from the Cold War? Drawing on anthropologist Marina Peterson’s “glitch methodology” for the study of audio recording, I suggest modes for thinking of literal broken records, erased tapes, and quiet in the archive as constitutive elements of world socialisms’ sonic commons.

An associate professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Andrea Bohlman studies the political stakes of music making and sound in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Much of Bohlman’s work builds on her expertise in music in East Central Europe, cultures of protest, and everyday histories of sound recording. Her 2020 monograph, Musical Solidarities: Political Action and Music in Late Twentieth-Century Poland, grows out of a decade of research on the work of sound and music for the opposition to state socialism in Poland. Bohlman is currently writing a book, provisionally titled Rewind: Tape Recording, Sound Knowledge, and the Threads of History, 2020–1936, that is in many senses a backwards history of tape recording. The book unspools a constellation of tape archives to query histories of unstable listening.

6:00 pm Festival
EU Film Festival: Kyiv Theater, Island of Hope (Ukraine/France)
Location:
University of Pittsburgh, 121 David Lawrence Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
See Details

Final Day of the 2026 EU Film Festival: Democracy, Community and [Space] Aliens!

First Film:
Teen Angst
Ukraine
2025
Director: Inga Pylypchuk
Documentary, 37 MIN
Nine young Ukrainian women document life in a war zone with honesty, humor, fear, and resilience. Their collaborative desktop film captures what coming-of-age looks like when the world is on fire.

2nd Film: Kyiv Theater, Island of Hope
France/Ukraine
2024
Director: Duccio Bellugi-Vannuccini & Thomas Briat
Documentary, 110 MIN

A legendary French theater director brings a workshop to wartime Kyiv, igniting a creative refuge amid destruction. The film celebrates the power of performance and the unshakeable spirit of Ukrainian artists.

6:00 pm Festival
EU Film Festival: Teen Angst (and Kyiv Theater, Island of Hope) (Ukraine/Germany)
Location:
University of Pittsburgh, 121 David Lawrence Hall
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center and European Union Center of Excellence
See Details

Final Day of the 2026 EU Film Festival: Democracy, Community and [Space] Aliens!

Teen Angst
Ukraine/Germany
2025
Director: Inga Pylypchuk
Documentary, 37 MIN
Nine young Ukrainian women document life in a war zone with honesty, humor, fear, and resilience. Their collaborative desktop film captures what coming-of-age looks like when the world is on fire.

2nd Film: Kyiv Theater, Island of Hope
France/Ukraine
2024
Director: Duccio Bellugi-Vannuccini & Thomas Briat
Documentary, 110 MIN

A legendary French theater director brings a workshop to wartime Kyiv, igniting a creative refuge amid destruction. The film celebrates the power of performance and the unshakeable spirit of Ukrainian artists.

Monday, February 9

4:30 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Bate-Papo Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies and Global Hub along with Brazil Nuts
See Details

Join Brazil Nuts in the Global Hub for weekly Bate-Papo Conversation Hours to meet other students and to practice Portuguese of all levels!

Bate-Papo Conversation Hours are every Monday during Spring semester, starting January 26 and ending April 20.

Hosted by Brazil Nuts

UPDATE: Bate-Papo's meeting on January 26 has been postponed due to weather.

5:30 pm Language Table
2026 Spring German Speaking Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with German Club
See Details

Join the German Club for weekly meetings on Mondays in the Global Hub to practice German and share about German culture! 

Hosted by the German Club

7:00 pm Student Club Activity
Persian Table Play & Chat
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Global Hub along with Less-Commonly-Taught-Languages Center
See Details

Join the Persian Table for a game night in the Global Hub!

Tuesday, February 10

2:00 pm Lecture
“Give Back Our Brows”: Monastic Youths and the Politics of Ungovernability in Thailand
Location:
Posvar Hall 4130
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center
See Details

In 2020, a wave of protests broke out in Thailand. Calling for political and royal reform, the youth-led movements challenged the status quo with open criticism of the monarchy and popular mobilization against the military-backed government. Among the masses of protesters, saffron robes became a distinct part of the movement as monks and novices, lovingly dubbed the "carrot gang", joined the rallies, raising a defiant slogan “Give Back Our Brows” to critique state and social interference into the code of monastic discipline. In doing so, the carrot gang made a case that political and monastic reform are inseparable, breaking with longstanding expectations that position monastics above the “polluted” realm of politics. This talk attends to the political participation and practices of these monastic youths, exploring the tension between institutional demands for obedience and emerging monastic political consciousness, the ways these young monastics resisted mechanisms of both religious and state control, and the state's response to their transgression of expected political neutrality. I argue that the activism undertaken by monastic youths is not an isolated moment of defiance but an instance of monastic ungovernability, the persistent forms of resistance that challenge state control over the sangha in Thailand. While the sangha has been subordinated under state control through legal and political mechanisms since the early twentieth century, there remains enduring political consciousness and spaces of disobedience within the sangha regarding questions of autonomy, status, and representation. By examining this youth activism as a form of monastic ungovernability, this talk demonstrates how the sangha has always been a contested site of political authority rather than a sphere insulated from political struggle. Such attention reveals a longer history of politically engaged Thai Buddhism that disrupts assumptions framing Buddhism as inherently apolitical and rigidly separating the worldly from the otherworldly.

Biography: Prakirati Satasut is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Thammasat University, where he specializes in anthropology of religion and Thai politics. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2019), where his dissertation examined monastic activism and state-sangha relations in post-coup Thailand. His research explores how Buddhism intersects with law, politics, and state power, with particular attention to questions of religious authority, political participation, and legal control of the sangha. As a 2025-2026 Visiting Scholar at the Harvard-Yenching Institute, he is conducting research on Buddhist protectionism in Thailand, tracing its historical development and analyzing its contemporary expressions through debates over monastic autonomy and whose responsibility it is to safeguard Buddhism, as well as through ethnographic fieldwork on monastic political mobilization.

3:00 pm Information Session
Spring 2026 Global Distinction Drop-In Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for Ethnic Studies Research, Center for African Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, Global Studies Center, Global Hub, Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs, Office of International Services and Global Experiences Office
See Details

Join us for our weekly Global Distinction Drop-In Hours on Tuesdays from 3-4 pm in the Global Hub! Come learn how to gain experience that will help prepare you for a globally-connected job market, get the Global Distinction added to your academic transcript, receive special recognition at graduation, and stand out to prospective employers.

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 French Club Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with French Club
See Details

Join the French Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6-7 pm during Spring semester for conversational meetings and to practice French speaking and listening skills and create a francophone community on campus!

Hosted by the French Club

Wednesday, February 11

12:30 pm Information Session
National Taiwan Normal University Study Abroad Info Session
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center and Global Hub along with Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures
See Details

Join the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures for an information session about scholarship opportunities to support Pitt undergraduate students' study abroad at NTNU.

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 French Club Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with French Club
See Details

Join the French Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6-7 pm during Spring semester for conversational meetings and to practice French speaking and listening skills and create a francophone community on campus!

Hosted by the French Club

8:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Arabic Club Conversation Table
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center and Global Hub along with Arabic Club
See Details

Join the Arabic Club in the Global Hub every other Wednesday during Spring semester, starting January 28, to practice Arabic language, structured by varying geographic dialects and level of speaker proficiency!

Hosted by the Arabic Club

Thursday, February 12

1:00 pm Language Table
Swahili Conversational Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies and Global Hub along with Less-Commonly-Taught-Languages Center
See Details

Join the Center for African Studies on Thursdays to practice conversational Swahili in a social environment.

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Kya Baat Hai General Board Meetings
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center and Global Hub along with Kya Baat Hai!
See Details

Pitt students: Join Kya Baat Hai, a Hindi-Urdu conversational club that practices language and celebrates South Asian culture, for weekly conversation hours!

Friday, February 13

12:00 pm Cultural Event
Douglass Day at Pitt
Location:
Digital Scholarship Lab (Hillman Library G30)
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies and Global Hub along with Department of English, University of Pittsburgh Library System, Center for Black Digital Research and Zooniverse
See Details

Black history? A bake off? What could be better!? Join us for Douglass Day at the University of Pittsburgh on Friday, February 13th from 12-4 PM in the Digital Scholarship Lab (Hillman Library G30). Douglass Day celebrates Frederick Douglass’s chosen birthday (Valentine’s Day) and represents an opportunity to discover and contribute to Black history by transcribing historical documents. This year, we will virtually join the national Douglass Day broadcast from and collaborate to transcribe material from the Colored Conventions Project!

All materials necessary for transcription will be provided by Pitt’s Douglass Day, though you are welcome to bring your own laptop!

If you wish to compete in the Douglass Day Bake Off, bring sweets to share or post a photo on social media using #DouglassDay! Ultimately, Douglass Day serves as a reminder that Black history is American history, so join us on February 13th to transcribe documents, learn about our history, and become part of it by participating in Douglass Day at Pitt!

For more information on Douglass Day or to participate virtually, visit douglassday.org

12:00 pm Cultural Event
Asian Studies Center Lunar New Year Celebration
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center
See Details

Join Pitt's Asian Studies Center in celebrating the Lunar New Year! We will welcome in the year of the Fire Horse with dumplings and a thematic craft! All are welcome and we hope to see you there!

Sunday, February 15

2:00 pm Seminar
Light From Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki
Location:
Posvar Hall 4130
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center
See Details

Ryka Aoki, author of Hugo Award nominated Light from Uncommon Stars, is a Japanese American writer and teacher from Southern California. Her works also include poetry collections like Seasonal Velocities and Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul. With a degree in chemistry, Aoki spent a year working in a lab before pursuing her master's degree in creative writing at Cornell University. As a transgender woman she is also an incredible advocate, often engaging in activities to create safe spaces within the performance arts for transgender people.

She will be joining Aquarias on Feburary 15th to answer questions and talk about her experiences in writing and in life! This event is co-sponsored with the Asian Studies Center and the University Library System.

Monday, February 16

1:30 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Suchitra: Hindi Reading Club
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center and Global Hub along with Less-Commonly-Taught-Languages Center
See Details

Join Hindi instructor Vibha Shetiya from the Less-Commonly-Taught-Languages Center to discuss Hindi language books.

Hosted by the Less-Commonly-Taught-Languages Center

4:30 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Bate-Papo Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies and Global Hub along with Brazil Nuts
See Details

Join Brazil Nuts in the Global Hub for weekly Bate-Papo Conversation Hours to meet other students and to practice Portuguese of all levels!

Bate-Papo Conversation Hours are every Monday during Spring semester, starting January 26 and ending April 20.

Hosted by Brazil Nuts

UPDATE: Bate-Papo's meeting on January 26 has been postponed due to weather.

5:30 pm Language Table
2026 Spring German Speaking Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with German Club
See Details

Join the German Club for weekly meetings on Mondays in the Global Hub to practice German and share about German culture! 

Hosted by the German Club

Tuesday, February 17

3:00 pm Information Session
Spring 2026 Global Distinction Drop-In Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for Ethnic Studies Research, Center for African Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, Global Studies Center, Global Hub, Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs, Office of International Services and Global Experiences Office
See Details

Join us for our weekly Global Distinction Drop-In Hours on Tuesdays from 3-4 pm in the Global Hub! Come learn how to gain experience that will help prepare you for a globally-connected job market, get the Global Distinction added to your academic transcript, receive special recognition at graduation, and stand out to prospective employers.

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 French Club Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with French Club
See Details

Join the French Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6-7 pm during Spring semester for conversational meetings and to practice French speaking and listening skills and create a francophone community on campus!

Hosted by the French Club

Wednesday, February 18

1:30 pm Reading Group
Global Appalachia Reading Group:
Location:
4217 Posvar Hall or via Teams
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center
See Details

The Global Appalachian Reading Group for Spring 2026 examines the complex intersections of regional identity, connectedness and disconnectedness to lived spaces, and environmental justice as they pertain to Appalachia and its connections to the wider world. Through thoughtful engagement with The Appalachian Trail by Philip D'Anieri, No Last Place to Rest by Dineo Skosana, and Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver, participants will explore the spaces that comprise and define Appalachia, reflect on the theme of dispossession within the context of Appalachia, and discuss global climate change through displaced species that find a home in Appalachia. This reading group invites participants to connect local narratives with global contexts, fostering deeper understanding and critical conversations about place, space, identity, sustainability, and the future of Appalachian communities.

The series theme is Spaces. Participation in all three events in the series is not required but encouraged. All events will take place from (please see dates below) 1:30-3:00pm (EST) in 4217 Posvar Hall. Copies of the books will be available in the Global Studies Center for local registrants to pick up. Please contact Veronica Dristas at dristas@pitt.edu with questions.

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 French Club Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with French Club
See Details

Join the French Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6-7 pm during Spring semester for conversational meetings and to practice French speaking and listening skills and create a francophone community on campus!

Hosted by the French Club

8:00 pm Language Table
Ukrainian Culture Club Meeting
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies and Global Hub along with Ukrainian Culture Club
See Details

Join the Ukrainian Culture Club for a meeting in the Global Hub as they welcome new members and invite fellow students to join the club and embrace Ukrainian culture, language, and advocacy!

Thursday, February 19 until Sunday, February 22

11:00 am Conference
2026 International Model African Union Conference
Location:
Washington Plaza Hotel, Washington, DC
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies, Director's Office and Global Hub along with Student Government Board
See Details

Ten Pitt Model African Union members will represent Algeria at the 2026 International Model African Union conference and visit the Embassies of Algeria and Mozambique in Washington, DC.

Thursday, February 19

12:30 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Tavola Italiana
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with Department of French and Italian
See Details

Mangia con noi! Bring your lunch to the Global Hub every Thursday to chat with the Department of French and Italian and practice Italian!

Tavola Italiana will meet every Thursday during Spring semester, from January 15 to April 23, EXCEPT on January 29, February 5, February 12, and March 12.

Hosted by the Department of French and Italian

1:00 pm Language Table
Swahili Conversational Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies and Global Hub along with Less-Commonly-Taught-Languages Center
See Details

Join the Center for African Studies on Thursdays to practice conversational Swahili in a social environment.

2:00 pm Panel Discussion
Intercultural Understanding and Global Connections: Education, Research, and Internships
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for Ethnic Studies Research, Center for African Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, Director's Office, European Studies Center, Global Studies Center, Global Hub, Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs, Office of International Services and Global Experiences Office along with Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation and Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
See Details

**This event was originally scheduled for January 29, but it has been postponed to February 19 due to weather.**

Join us for a conversation with Pitt students who have participated in diverse experiential learning opportunities. Hear what inspired them, how these experiences helped internationalize their degrees, and the impact on their personal, academic, and professional growth. Facilitated by Dr. Abdesalam Soudi, this session will include audience engagement to share experiences and explore ways to get involved. Students, faculty, and administrators alike are invited to contribute to this dialogue on enriching experiential global learning.

Pitt undergraduate students can earn Global Distinction credit for attending.

A light lunch will be served. Attendees are encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle.

Moderator:
- Dr. Abdesalam Soudi - Teaching Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics; Dean's Fellow for Experiential Learning (ExL @ Pitt), Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences

Panelists:
- Leyla Ahmadova - Undergraduate student double majoring in Economics and Statistics, Global Studies Certificate in Politics and Economy
- Isabella Cicco - Ph.D. student, Civil Engineering
- Alison Gibbons - B.S., Public Health, Class of 2025
- Avni Prabhu - Undergraduate student double majoring in Microbiology and Economics, Chemistry minor

Co-Sponsors:
- University Center for International Studies
- Pitt Global Hub
- Pitt Global Studies Center
- Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation
- Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences

4:00 pm Seminar
Yiddish Place-Making
Location:
Baker/Porter Hall 246A, Carnegie Mellon University
Sponsored by:
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies along with Carnegie Mellon University Department of History
See Details

Part of the Socialist Studies Seminar series 

Hirsh Reles, the "last native Yiddish-writer in Belarus," produced a large oeuvre in Yiddish, Belarusian, and Russian. His Yiddish-language works give vivid accounts of the remnants of Jewish life and cutlure in postwar Belarus. Reles tells the stories of those who survived genocide and war and live in a region—the former Pale of Jewish Settlement—that has been shaped by imperial and Soviet natioanlity policies, moderniztaion, and postwar efforts to rebuild. This paper, part of a book project on the legacies of World War II and the Holocaust in Belarus, introduces Reles' work and proposes a reading attentive to the temporal and spatial dimensions of literary production and historical memory. 

The Socialist Studies Seminar is co-sponsored by the Carnegie Mellon University Department of History and the University of Pittsburgh Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. For further information, contact Wendy Goldman (goldman@andrew.cmu.edu) or Alissa Klots (alissaklots@pitt.edu).

6:00 pm Teacher Training
Global Issues Through Literature: The U.S. in the World
Location:
via Zoom
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center and Global Studies Center
See Details

This professional development workshop series is designed for K-12 educators seeking to deepen their understanding of global issues through literature. This year, we will explore the theme of “The U.S. in the World.” Through global and regional perspectives, we will discuss narratives of a “Global United States,” where the U.S. role in the world and its relationship with other countries and regions is informed by transnational narratives and dialogues shaped by global trends such as migration, environmental issues, human rights, and human conditions. By exploring compelling stories from diverse cultural perspectives, educators will gain insights into the complexities of this theme, its impact on individuals and communities, and how to engage students in meaningful discussions around these topics.

Each session features a carefully selected book, paired with historically contextualized presentations, interactive discussions, teaching strategies, and cross-disciplinary activities to inspire classroom implementation.

The workshop for February 19, 2026 will focus on the book, "Messy Roots," by Laura Gao.

Sessions this year will take place virtually on Thursday evenings from 6:00-7:30 p.m. (ET). Three Act 48 credit hours (for PA educators) and a copy of the book are provided for each session.

For more information and to register, please go to: https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/GILS

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Kya Baat Hai General Board Meetings
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center and Global Hub along with Kya Baat Hai!
See Details

Pitt students: Join Kya Baat Hai, a Hindi-Urdu conversational club that practices language and celebrates South Asian culture, for weekly conversation hours!

Monday, February 23

4:30 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Bate-Papo Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies and Global Hub along with Brazil Nuts
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Join Brazil Nuts in the Global Hub for weekly Bate-Papo Conversation Hours to meet other students and to practice Portuguese of all levels!

Bate-Papo Conversation Hours are every Monday during Spring semester, starting January 26 and ending April 20.

Hosted by Brazil Nuts

UPDATE: Bate-Papo's meeting on January 26 has been postponed due to weather.

4:30 pm Lecture
Tourism Goes Digital
Location:
4130 Posvar Hall
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence and Global Studies Center along with Department of Communication and Department of French and Italian
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Join Dr. Maci as she examines live virtual guided tours as an emerging communicative practice in tourism, showing how language and digital technologies intersect to foster interaction, craft compelling storytelling, and engage audiences in new and dynamic ways.

About the speaker:
Dr. Stefania Maci is a full professor of English Language, Linguistics and Translation at the University of Bergamo, where she is also chair of the Master's Degree Course in Text Science and Culture Enhancement in the Digital Age.
Her research focuses on the analysis of English used in academic settings, with particular emphasis on English for tourism, medical English and the construction of (professional) identity in national, international and professional contexts. She also works on AI and LLMs, with an approach based on Corpus Linguistics and Critical Discourse Studies.
Her most recent publications are The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Communication (2022), The Routledge Handbook of Discourse and Disinformation (2023), and Translating Tourism (2025)

This event is part of the SPRING 2026: Transformation of Place

5:30 pm Language Table
2026 Spring German Speaking Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with German Club
See Details

Join the German Club for weekly meetings on Mondays in the Global Hub to practice German and share about German culture! 

Hosted by the German Club

Tuesday, February 24

2:00 pm Lecture
Toshiko Akiyoshi’s ‘Kogun’: Narrating a Lone Soldier’s Experience in Nō Jazz
Location:
Posvar Hall 4130
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center along with Department of Music
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In March 1974, Lt. Onoda Hiroo emerged from the jungle on the Philippine island of Lubang, where he had been hiding for almost three decades after the end of the Pacific War. He immediately became a worldwide media sensation as an exemplar of samurai-like devotion to duty. Moved by his story and the tragedy of a life wasted for a fruitless war, jazz composer Toshiko Akiyoshi dedicated a composition to him. Entitled “Kogun” (lone soldier), the piece drew on thematic and narrative elements of medieval nō theater, situated within a jazz orchestral setting, to highlight this tragedy, thereby bringing to fruition her desire to create a seamless “blend” (yūgō) of Japanese music and the jazz idiom. This presentation also blends conventional cultural historical and musical analysis to argue for the landmark status of “Kogun” within jazz history.

E. Taylor Atkins is Distinguished Teaching Professor of History at Northern Illinois University. His major publications include Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band’s Kogun (2024); A History of Popular Culture in Japan, From the Seventeenth Century to the Present (second edition, 2022); Primitive Selves: Koreana in the Japanese Colonial Gaze, 1910-1945 (2010); Jazz Planet (editor, 2003); and Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz in Japan (2001), winner of the Association for Asian Studies’ John Whitney Hall Prize. He also plays bass for the Jazz in Progress Big Band and the Wild Blue Ukulele Orchestra and produces and hosts House of Funk on Hot Rocks Radio.

3:00 pm Information Session
Spring 2026 Global Distinction Drop-In Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Asian Studies Center, Center for Ethnic Studies Research, Center for African Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, European Studies Center, Global Studies Center, Global Hub, Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs, Office of International Services and Global Experiences Office
See Details

Join us for our weekly Global Distinction Drop-In Hours on Tuesdays from 3-4 pm in the Global Hub! Come learn how to gain experience that will help prepare you for a globally-connected job market, get the Global Distinction added to your academic transcript, receive special recognition at graduation, and stand out to prospective employers.

3:00 pm Cultural Event
SECOND ANNUAL ALBERT C. LABRIOLA SYMPOSIUM IN THE HUMANITIES
Location:
Duquesne University Power Center Ballroom
Sponsored by:
Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs
See Details

A lively conversation capped off with a Pittsburgh‑style food fest!
Pittsburgh has long been a “melting pot” city. The people who
powered the steel mills also filled the city with music, food,
dance, and rich traditions.
Celebrate the city’s heritage – and keep those traditions alive!
• Catch the energy of Greek dance performers
• Watch ethnic craft traditions come to life
• Discover Pittsburgh’s legacy as a jazz capital
• Learn about, and snack on, iconic Pittsburgh foods

Registration is appreciated but not required: www.duq.edu/Labriola

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 French Club Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with French Club
See Details

Join the French Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6-7 pm during Spring semester for conversational meetings and to practice French speaking and listening skills and create a francophone community on campus!

Hosted by the French Club

Wednesday, February 25

10:00 am Information Session
WorldStrides Advising Hours
Location:
810 William Pitt Union
Sponsored by:
Global Experiences Office
See Details

Are you interested in participating in a WorldStrides study abroad program? Come by the Global Experiences Office on 2/25 between 10am - 3pm to meet with a representative from WorldStrides and ask your questions!

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 French Club Conversation Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with French Club
See Details

Join the French Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6-7 pm during Spring semester for conversational meetings and to practice French speaking and listening skills and create a francophone community on campus!

Hosted by the French Club

8:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Arabic Club Conversation Table
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center and Global Hub along with Arabic Club
See Details

Join the Arabic Club in the Global Hub every other Wednesday during Spring semester, starting January 28, to practice Arabic language, structured by varying geographic dialects and level of speaker proficiency!

Hosted by the Arabic Club

Thursday, February 26

12:30 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Tavola Italiana
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center and Global Hub along with Department of French and Italian
See Details

Mangia con noi! Bring your lunch to the Global Hub every Thursday to chat with the Department of French and Italian and practice Italian!

Tavola Italiana will meet every Thursday during Spring semester, from January 15 to April 23, EXCEPT on January 29, February 5, February 12, and March 12.

Hosted by the Department of French and Italian

1:00 pm Language Table
Swahili Conversational Hours
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies and Global Hub along with Less-Commonly-Taught-Languages Center
See Details

Join the Center for African Studies on Thursdays to practice conversational Swahili in a social environment.

5:00 pm Reception
Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs Centennial Archives & Special Collections Exhibits Opening Reception
Location:
Hillman Library, The Hyland Gallery, Hillman Library, Third Floor
Sponsored by:
Global Hub and Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs along with University Archives and Special Collections and Department of French and Italian
See Details

Celebrate 100 years of the University of Pittsburgh’s Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Program (NRIEP) with the grand opening of two new exhibits at the University of Pittsburgh Library System’s Hillman Library!

Read the Room! Uncovering the Italian Room's Transnational Traces, curated by Dr. Lina Insana, Associate Professor in the Department of French and Italian, and students in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences.

The Women Behind the Walls, curated by Joanna Conings, PhD candidate in the Department of French and Italian.

This milestone event honors a century of global understanding and cultural exchange fostered by the NRIEP at the University of Pittsburgh. Hear remarks from key partners in NRIEP and the University Library System (ULS) and explore rare and unique materials in ULS’s University Archives that document the history of these iconic rooms.

Visit the exhibits in the Hyland Gallery from February 2026- September 2026. For more details about these displays, visit https://www.nationalityrooms.pitt.edu/events/history-program-archives-sp... and https://library.pitt.edu/asc-exhibits.

For more information about the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs Centennial celebration and related events across the University, visit https://www.nationalityrooms.pitt.edu/100years.

Hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Program and University Library System.

Please let us know if you require an accommodation in order to participate in this event. Accommodations may include live captioning, ASL interpreters, and/or captioned media and accessible documents from recorded events. At least 5 days in advance is recommended.

6:00 pm Language Table
Spring 2026 Kya Baat Hai General Board Meetings
Location:
Global Hub
Sponsored by:
Global Studies Center and Global Hub along with Kya Baat Hai!
See Details

Pitt students: Join Kya Baat Hai, a Hindi-Urdu conversational club that practices language and celebrates South Asian culture, for weekly conversation hours!

Friday, February 27

10:00 am Presentation
First-Time Travelers Workshop
Location:
810 William Pitt Union
Sponsored by:
Global Experiences Office
See Details

Are you planning to study abroad? Are you a first time traveler? Come by 810 William Pitt Union to hear from Pitt GEO Staff members about helpful tips when preparing for your program!