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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Model African Union (MAU) offers high school students an exceptional opportunity to develop critical 21st-century skills through experiential learning. In this interactive simulation, students represent African countries and engage with real issues facing the continent. Unlike traditional debate formats, MAU emphasizes diplomacy and consensus-building, preparing students for collaborative problem-solving in our interconnected world.

Want to get involved? Volunteer with us!

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.

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

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.

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

Save the Date!

The LatinxConnect Conference is back for 2026. More details to come!

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

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

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

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

In honor of Swiss Albert Gallatin and his important role in the founding generation of the USA, and the 100th anniversary of the NRIEP, the Swiss Nationality Room Committee and the NRIEP are pleased to present famed biographer Greg May, the leading biographer of Albert Gallatin, Saturday April 18, 2026 at 5pm in CL 332 at 5pm. Emigrating to the US at age 20, Albert Gallatin set up local western Pennsylvania roots near Uniontown, PA with his Friendship Hill estate and became a PA Congressman and Senator, was the first Ways and Means Committee Chairman, and served as Secretary of the Treasury under Jefferson that shepherded the Louisiana Purchase to completion. Gallatin funded the Lewis and Clark expedition and the National Road, serving under multiple presidents. He helped end the War of 1812 on the negotiation team and was ambassador to both France and England. Later in life, Gallatin founded the First National Bank of New York and NYU and became the leading ethnologist of the Native-American tribes.

With the topic of our growing national debt taking renewed interest in the current political climate, it is worthwhile to examine Gallatin's urgent message to run the new national government with frugality-not incurring huge debt, as his rival Alexander Hamilton wished. Greg May's talk will focus on this philosophical and financial debate of those times and will include many anecdotes of other aspects of this 'Swiss Founding Father's' life.

Greg May will be available to sell and sign his Gallatin book at the reception to follow in the Croghan-Schenley Room at 6pm. Gallatin re-enactor Ron Duquette will also be present in attendance at the event!

The Swiss Nationality Room Committee and the NRIEP feel this presentation will appeal greatly to: history profs and students, business and finance profs and students, French and German language majors, and all who have a sincere interest in the Founding Generation and unfolding of the American experiment between 1790 and 1840.

Speaker bio:
Gregory May is a historian who writes about the early American republic. He graduated from the College of William and Mary and the Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

After serving as a law clerk for Justice Lewis Powell on the United States Supreme Court, he practiced law in Washington, DC, and New York for over thirty years.

He is the author of Jefferson’s Treasure: How Albert Gallatin Saved the New Nation from Debt and A Madman’s Will: John Randolph, Four Hundred Slaves, and the Mirage of Freedom. He is now completing a book about the legacy of slavery that George Washington left to his heirs.

The underwater world, the forest with the Tree of Violence growing in its centre, revived monuments, bouquets of generations—these and other symbols of the post-Soviet space appear in Victoria Lomasko’smonumental works. Lomasko became internationally recognised as a graphic journalist telling stories about socially vulnerable groups and protests. Gradually, images from reality began to transform into poetic symbols and to change scale: from sketchbook pages to multi-meter murals and panels.

The pandemic, participation in the Belarusian revolution, the war in Ukraine, and emigration made this transformation irreversible—Lomasko believes that in times of historical change, artists must speak not about particular issues, as journalists do, but about a global process, as a visionary. Studying reality with a pencil in hand, participating in historical events, and transforming the knowledge gathered into symbols of one's time—this is a process many 20th-century artists used. Through their works and her own, Lomasko will show the logic of the changing artist’s role.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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 April 23, 2026 workshop will focus on the book, "Grenade," by Alan Gratz.

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 .

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

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