Maja Lynn, a senior majoring in anthropology and museum studies, has been awarded the 2022 Marshall Scholarship. She will be studying Conflict Transformation and Social Justice at Queens University Belfast, continuing the research she started with her BPhil. Learn more about Maja and the Marshall Scholarship here.

Dr. María Lis Baiocchi, department of Anthropology at Pitt, has published an article on the Essential Labor Forum in Exertions, the short-form web publication of the Society for the Anthropology of Work. The article is entitled "The Essential Activism of Migrant Women Household Workers’ Rights Advocates." In it Biaocchi documents migrant women's labor activism during the pandemic in Argentina, regionally in Latin America and globally. She does so through the experiences of AMUMRA and IMA, the organizations whose leaders were the speakers at the event on Global Migration and Labor Activism sponsored by Global Studies in 2019.

The Global Studies Center is honored to announce our December 2021 graduates.

Global Health Certificate

Global Studies Certificate

Congratulations to Veronica Dristas, the Global Studies Center's Associate Director, for receiving the Bringing the World to Pennsylvania: Collaboration Award from the Pennsylvania Council for International Education (PACIE)! The award is given to individuals who give support and visibility to international and multicultural collaborative projects between K-12 and higher education institutions in Pennsylvania. Veronica has long spearheaded programs to connect K-12 teachers and students during her time in GSC. This includes the 3-day "Interdisciplinary Global Educators Working Group" summer workshops, the Global Issues through Literature series, the International Marketing Competition, along with her commitment to the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for Global and International Studies. Because of her incredible work, teachers from various disciplines are infusing global perspectives into their teaching with a very hands-on and real-life approach. Congratulations, Veronica!

We hope you consider joining us on Pitt Day of Giving, February 22nd, 2022, to make a donation. Support from our community members like you help us make opportunities like events and professional development workshops possible!

Jorge Olivera Castillo is a Cuban poet, writer, television editor, journalist, and songwriter. He is a well-known dissident, and his work has been banned in Cuba. Olivera Castillo has published six books of poetry and two short story collections. His works have been translated into several languages, including Czech, English, Italian, and Polish. Jorge recently finished two books: a book of poetry and his third collection of short stories, based on his experiences as a soldier in the jungle during the Angolan Civil War. He is a writer-in-residence at City of Asylum and a Research Scholar at the Global Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh. He is joined by his spouse Nancy Alfaya Hernandez, a Cuban human rights and women’s rights activist.

Dr. Omar Sadr is a Research Fellow at the Center for Governance and Markets (CGM) in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) at the University of Pittsburgh where he leads Afghanistan Policy Project. Previously, he worked as a Senior Researcher at Afghanistan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS) and as a Researcher at the Department of Peace Studies, the National Centre for Policy Research (NCPR), Kabul University. His primary research interests include political theory, governance of cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and multiculturalism, democratic governance, as well as political history of Afghanistan. His most recent book, Negotiating Cultural Diversity in Afghanistan, was published in 2020 by Routledge.

Aunel Arneth is a pro-democracy activist, journalist, producer and documentary filmmaker whose work explores human rights, democracy and African political history. He was trained in writing, producing and directing documentaries at the Gaston Berger University of Saint-Louis in Senegal as well as in residencies with a number of renowned filmmakers in Congo and France. Aunel has also worked as a producer, editor and journalist for, Human Rights Television, Africa24 and MNTV.

Dr. Shalini Puri has been selected selected as the 2021-22 GSC Faculty Fellow. Dr. Puri, Professor of English and recipient of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, works on postcolonial and cultural studies of the global south with a focus on the Caribbean. Her research spans memory studies, environmental humanities, feminism, marxism, nationalism, indentureship and slavery, fieldwork, the arts, and everyday cultural practices. Puri is also a co-founder of the Pitt Prison Education Project. Her current project, “Writing on Water: Postcards from the Caribbean Anthropocene,” explores the representations and silences of the Caribbean water crisis. It tries to shift discourses of human rights and the Anthropocene by drawing on the sensory and embodied approaches of the arts.

Dr. Caitlin Bruce, Assistant Professor of Communications, has been awarded a GAP grant for her project Global Creative Cities: Exploring Transnational Youth and Graffiti Cultures. Dr. Bruce will be organizing a workshop March 24-27, 2022 to develop an international dialogue around the themes of creative cities, youth, and graffiti practice within a global frame.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Horror Studies Working Group (HSWG), directed by GAP grant recipient Dr. Adam Lowenstein, is the umbrella organization that works to link horror studies initiatives unfolding in four different sectors: the Global Studies Center (home of the Global Horror Studies and Archival and Research Network); the University Library System (home of the George A. Romero Collection and the Horror Studies Archive); the University Honors College (home of the “Horror Genre as Social Force” scholar community); and the George A. Romero Foundation (home of vital partnerships and collaborations related to all of these sectors).

The Global Academic Partnership (GAP) grant provides $40,000 over two years to help Pitt scholars build and sustain meaningful global partnerships, to enrich the intellectual environment at Pitt through bringing innovative events and programming to campus, and to support and amplify the priorities of the Global Studies Center (applications due March 1).

The Global Studies Center is pleased to announce the fourth iteration of Global Across the Curriculum (GXC), an interdisciplinary seminar intended to help faculty incorporate global perspectives into their undergraduate courses. The seminar, which will take place in spring 2022, is open to full-time faculty members at the University of Pittsburgh’s main and regional campuses. We aim to bring together people with varied disciplinary backgrounds and teaching experience. Faculty who are new to college teaching are particularly encouraged to apply. The seminar will meet online on Fridays at 1pm from February 4-March 25.

For more information visit our website.

New this year, we will provide small groups of faculty members with up to $4,000 to support new and early collaborations oriented to applications for internal or external funding in the future. These collaborative grants are intended to facilitate interdisciplinary global scholarship. The application will be simple and straightforward, and the award will include basic administrative and logistical support of the kind that can be crucial in the early stages of new collaborations. We will also provide small grants up to $2,000 for faculty members to support innovative projects for engaged student learning. Details and deadline forthcoming.

Finally, we will continue to award small research and travel grants this year – though with the caveat that we must follow the University’s guidance on travel. A limited number of grants will be available on a rolling basis.

Born and raised in Kathmandu of Nepal, Aditi Upadhyaya is a graduate of Development Studies from Kathmandu University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in International Development at GSPIA. She worked in the media and communications sector as a correspondent and coordinator for a few years during her undergraduate degree and after her graduation. She represented her country in the 9th Asia Pacific Youth Exchange in the Philippines in January 2020 and has participated and received awards in other national and international programs and competitions throughout her journey. She has volunteering and internship experiences with various development organizations in Nepal and has also served as a mentor and leader in many fronts including fellowships, events, and leadership positions during her educational career. She is ambitious, energetic, and eager to grow through practice and experience. She can communicate and express effectively and is interested in learning with a humble and pragmatic approach. She has developed an interest in research and applied research; incorporating this with her passion for reading, writing, and traveling, she deeply aspires to make a difference in the world, especially among less privileged people and communities.

ARTSC 1000-1010

Contact Angela Illig [email protected]

This Spring series offers students programming and support for submitting competitive applications to graduate programs, networking with professionals working in variety of fields, and presenting oneself professionally.

January 25th join Dr. Priya Sirohi as she discusses her career as professor, writer, researcher, and scholar of cultural rhetoric. Her research conducts case studies between the English East India Company and Mughal India, to illuminate the significance of Early Modern economics that continue to define contemporary globalization. She holds a doctorate from Purdue University with secondary concentrations in Public Rhetoric and Cultural Rhetoric. Register here.

Read the application instructions here and direct any questions to [email protected].

The Global Studies Center welcomes opportunities to support student driven campus events that align with our mission and our certificate concentrations (world ecologies, cultural dynamics, politics and economy, health and wellbeing, global health, peace conflict and security). Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Our limited budget permits us to match funds (typically up to $200) for events that complement and amplify our existing programming. Requests for support should briefly explain the event’s connection to GSC’s mission and global concentrations, its anticipated audience and impact, and the proposed schedule. We will respond to all requests within one week of receipt. Recipients will be required to submit a small report including participation audience and numbers. Apply here.

We rely on you to keep us up-to-date with information about your career, accomplishments, and further education. This information constitutes critical feedback for the ongoing development of GSC.  As an alumnus, you can also provide valuable perspectives and help current Global Studies students through mentorship and connecting them to volunteer opportunities, internships and jobs in your network. By providing this information, you will help to ensure the quality and growth of the GSC for years to come. Take the survey here.

The 2022 CCA International Marketing Competition is open to all high school students who are currently studying a world language. Teams of 5 will work on their project throughout the year before the competition: a 12-minute presentation of marketing strategy scheduled to take place in May 2022 via Zoom. This year’s target market is Mexico and the product to market is GNC Beyond Raw Precision BCAA. To register and for more information visit the website.

Co-sponsored by The Center for African Studies. Facilitated by Dr. John Spurlock, Professor of History, Emeritus, at Seton Hill University. 20 copies of book are available to participants.

Get more information here and register here.

This reading group for K-12 educators explores literary texts from a global perspective. Content specialists present the work and its context and with participants brainstorm innovative pedagogical practices for incorporating the text and its themes into the curriculum. Sessions will continue to take place on Thursday evenings from 5:00-8:00 PM. Act 48 credit hours are provided free of charge. 

Register here for these sessions:

To apply, please send Resume, Cover Letter and 1 Letter of Recommendation to: Veronica Dristas, Associate Director, Global Studies Center, [email protected].