Past Events

There has been a resurgence of the Left since the 2008 Great Recession. A class-based politics, dormant for so long, has finally returned to mainstream political discourse. But what is this Left? What are its goals, possibilities and limitations? How will it organize itself for the politics of the 21st century? This live interview with Jodi Dean will discuss her book trilogy that provokes us to rethink and even revisit the Left with a renewed vision of communism, a efficacy of the political party, and the ethics and spirit of comradeship.
This event is part of the Socialism: Past, Present, and Future Pop-Up Course.

Due to economic development and globalization, cities continue to grow with predictions that 70 of the
world’s population will live in urban areas by the year 2050. This course, then, will view cities as hubs
where patterns, connections, discussions, and the processes shape such issues as social justice, economic
development, technology, migration, the environment among others. By examining cities as a lens, this
sequence of weekend courses encourages students to examine cities as a system for discussing social
processes being built and rebuilt. With an interdisciplinary focus, the course invites experts from the
University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, and relevant fields more broadly.
This iteration of the course will explore such topics as: the influence of multinational corporations on
cities; the rise of privacy issues in relation to adoption of technology within cities and homes; the
replacement of human labor and access to employment; the role of technology on urban planning,
among others.
One-credit for PITT students / 3 units

Due to economic development and globalization, cities continue to grow with predictions that 70 of the world’s population will live in urban areas by the year 2050. This course, then, will view cities as hubs where patterns, connections, discussions, and the processes shape such issues as social justice, economic development, technology, migration, the environment among others. By examining cities as a lens, this sequence of weekend courses encourages students to examine cities as a system for discussing social processes being built and rebuilt. With an interdisciplinary focus, the course invites experts from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, and relevant fields more broadly.

DUE TO CONCERNS SURROUNDING COVID-19, NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH HAVE DECIDED TO POSTPONE THIS EVENT. AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE NEW DATES WILL BE MADE WHEN AVAILABLE.
An Initiative of the International Place-Based University Network
International Place-Based University Network: Academically Based, Globally Minded Community Engagement
Post-industrial cities are crucibles of reinvention and innovation. Those that have successfully navigated the sunsetting of industrial production have creatively reoriented to intellectual technology, advanced manufacturing, business services, and life science innovations. And yet, the challenges that followed industrial decline—loss of population, unemployment, and destructive urban redevelopment strategies—continue to reverberate.
As the founding members of the International Place-Based University Network, Newcastle University and the University of Pittsburgh are hosting this conference. The goal is to share best practices for community and civic engagement as well as to explore potential international collaborations for academically based community engagement.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
University Club | Ballroom A, First Floor | University of Pittsburgh
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Community Engagement Center of Homewood
For the agenda or to register, go to
pi.tt/InPlace2020

The Global Studies Center looks forward to beginning a monthly, informal social hour - hosted by Global Studies Ambassadors and fellow GSC students Mark, Sarah and Destiny - as a way to get to know other like-minded Global Studies students.

José-Alain Sahel is the chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, director of the UPMC Eye Center, and the Eye and Ear Foundation Chair of Ophthalmology. Dr. Sahel is known worldwide for his expertise in vision restoration techniques. He has developed several interventions— including stem cell implantation, gene therapy, innovative pharmacologic approaches, and the artificial retina—for retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration, vascular eye disease, and other vision impairments that currently are untreatable. Over the past decade he has led pioneering efforts in optogenetic vision restoration, a technique in which cells in the retina are genetically modified to express light sensitive proteins. This therapeutic technique has the potential to help patients who are blind or visually impaired as a result of a genetic defect. Sahel, who was born in Algeria, studied medicine at Strasbourg University and in Lariboisière, Saint-Louis. He received his medical degree with a Medal of the Faculty of Paris and obtained his specialty certification in ophthalmology. He completed a residency in neurology and neurosurgery at the Louis Pasteur University Hospital in Strasbourg. He also was a research fellow at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and a visiting scholar in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. Dr. Sahel is the founder and director of the Vision Institute in Paris and currently a professor at the Sorbonne’s medical school Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie.