The GSC sponsors a variety of professional development activities for those who wish to improve their teaching/practice and understanding of crucial global issues. Opportunities include day-long and evening educator workshops for continuing education credit, Global Issues Through Literature Series (GILS), Global Literary Encounters book discussions; micro-courses, Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies (CERIS) book discussions, the new Global Studies Educator Certificate, and various funding opportunities. If you have questions about educator programming, please contact Program Manager Maja Konitzer.
Current Opportunities
K-12 Educators' Certificate in Global Studies is a certificate that will equip K-12 educators with content and pedagogical methods and skills to engage with global studies in their classrooms. Participants will explore global and transnational processes while fulfilling continuing education credit hours. The combination of core and elective courses available will allow participants to gain in-depth knowledge through the well-rounded and cohesive theme of global studies.
Check out our upcoming professional development workshops that focus on curriculum development and teaching/practice improvement.
Global Issues Through Literature Series (GILS) is a reading group for K-12 educators that explores literary texts from a global perspective. This year’s theme is Marginalized Voices in Global Context: Centering Overlooked Narratives in Literature. Content specialists present the work and its context, and participants brainstorm innovative pedagogical practices for incorporating the text and its themes into the curriculum. Books and three Act 48 credit hours for each session are provided.
Global Literary Encounters Book Discussions are pre-lecture discussions that align with the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures “Ten Evenings” series. Global Literary Encounters put prominent world authors and their work in global perspective in order to provide additional insight on writers and engaging issues.
Micro-Courses are offered each semester by the Center, in partnership with Carnegie Melon University, to provide in-depth learning experiences on specific topic over the course of a weekend. Interested students from Pitt or CMU can enroll and receive 1 academic credit, and K-12 educators can enroll and receive Act 48 credits. Previous topics include “Cities and Social Justice,” “Muslims and Migration,” and “Global Health and Climate Change.” The upcoming Fall 2023 micro-course is titled Technology, Humanity, and Social Justice. Educators may register until October 27th, 2023.
Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies (CERIS) is a collaboration of academic, non-profit, and religious organizations in the tri-state area (Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). CERIS facilitates program development and disseminates information on Islamic Studies to students, faculty, and communities at large. Programming includes conferences and book discussions, including the upcoming CERIS Fall 2023 Book Discussion on “Slavery and Islam,” written by Jonathan A.C. Brown and facilitated by Dr. Eve M Troutt Powell.