Professional Development Workshops | Global Studies Center

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.

Upcoming Workshops

Bringing Global Studies and World History into Your Classroom: Working with H21 Course Content

March 20, April 10, and May 1, 2024 6:00pm - 8:00pm (ET)

Virtual

The University of Pittsburgh’s Alliance for Learning in World History and Global Studies Center will host a series of three virtual workshops for educators about using History for the 21st Century (H21) modules in the classroom. Each session will explore one peer-reviewed module created for the H21 website, facilitated by its creator. The H21 project offers complete modules for introductory world history classrooms that include student readings and primary sources, lesson plans, instructor guides, and discussion, activity, and assessments suggestions.

The sessions can be counted as an elective for the Global Studies Center’s K-12 Educator’s Certificate in Global Studies. Educators can also receive up to six (2 hours per session) of Act 48 credit hours for attending all three sessions. Participation in all three events in the series is not required but encouraged. For more information, contact Maja Konitzer (majab@pitt.edu).

Pirates and Bandits: Teaching the Myths and Realities in the K-12 Classroom

An NCTA & Global Studies Center Mini-Course

May 17 & May 18, 2024

Hybrid Mini-Course (In-Person at the University of Pittsburgh with Online Zoom Option)

ARRGH, Avast Ye Swabs! (or so pirates are supposed to say...)

Join us for a swashbuckling mini-course on historical bandits and pirates around the world. What are the myths? What are the facts? Faculty experts will discuss global piracy, representations of pirates in the media, piracy in the Atlantic world, and bandits in East Asia. We will also discuss curricular applications of pirates and bandits for the K-12 classroom. This two day mini-course is particularly applicable for teachers of World History, U.S. History, East Asia studies, Global Studies, Film Studies and World Cultures.

We strongly encourage in-person attendance, but the program will be hybrid, and you may choose to attend online or in person. All participants will receive Globalization: A Very Short Introduction; in-person participants will receive an extra book. Benefits also include a Certificate of Completion and some travel reimbursement subsidies available for in-person attendees who live at least one hour outside of the Pittsburgh area. Pennsylvania teachers will also receive Act 48 hours.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. James E. Wadsworth, Latin American and Comparative World History

Click here for more information, a detailed schedule, and to register for this Mini-Course

Truth, Misinformation, and Technology in World History

Saturday, June 1, 2024 10:30 AM - 4:00PM

Virtual on Zoom

Accepted participants will receive a $200 stipend

Apply Here by April 1!

These days, educators at all levels are worried about technology in their classrooms. How can we help our students use it responsibly? How can we, as teachers, incorporate technology in our classrooms in ways that help students think about truth claims and the link between information and power?

While AI and ChatGPT dominate today’s discussions around these issues, concern about technology, authenticity, and authority have a long and global history. In this one-day virtual professional development workshop for educators at all levels, our three speakers will explore 500 years of “big data”, technology and political disinformation, and people’s fascination with the idea of “automatic writing.” Apply here by uploading a resume, short letter of interest, and a sample assignment.

Learn More Here

Past Workshops

Africa-China Relationship and its Global Impact: A K-12 Educator Workshop

November 1st, 2023 5:30-6:30pm EST

Zoom

This FREE online K-12 educator workshop that examined the history, current status, and future of Africa and China's relationship and offered strategies and resources for classroom use. Act 48 hours and classroom materials were provided for participants.

This event was hosted by the Asian Studies Center and co-sponsored by the Global Studies Center.