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  1. Featured Global Partnerships
  2. Regional Expertise and Offerings

Regional Expertise and Offerings

From regional studies centers to language courses and global studies, global education is woven through the fabric of the entire University of Pittsburgh. PittGlobal strives to offer a global education to all interested students, faculty and staff with resources that go beyond the classroom brining the world to Pitt and Pitt to the world.

Global Education Centers and Resources

Opened in 2021, the Center for Ethnic Studies Research strives to advance rigorous, innovative, multidisciplinary and collaborative research to offer local, regional, national, comparative and transnational perspectives on the histories, experiences and current issues in U.S.-based ethnic communities of color, including Latinxs, Asian Americans, Native Americans and African Americans.

 

Contact: Associate Director, Zuly Inirio, zulyinirio@pitt.edu

The Global Distinction credential is obtained by completing course work across disciplines and participating in global activities and experiences at home or abroad both enriches the student experience and demonstrates cross-cultural exposure and awareness to potential employers.

 

Website: www.personaled.pitt.edu/global-distinction

Formerly known as the Study Abroad Office, PittGEO offers students opportunities for global education though international, domestic, in-person, and virtual experiences in numerous regions and spanning all areas of study.

 

Website: www.globalexperiences.pitt.edu

Contact: Director, Hillary Koller, hkoller@pitt.edu

The Global Studies Center promotes critical thinking and practical engagement with the world through the interdisciplinary study of globalization -- of transnational processes and the connections, divisions, disruptions, inequalities, and productive possibilities these processes engender across time and space.

 

Website: www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/home

Contact: Associate Director, Veronica Dristas, dristas@pitt.edu

 

Certificates and Credentials Offered:

  • Undergraduate Global Studies Certificate
  • Undergraduate Global Health Certificate
  • Undergraduate Human Rights and Social Justice Certificate
  • Bachelor of Philosophy in International and Area Studies
  • Graduate Certificate in Global Studies

The University of Pittsburgh's renowned Nationality Rooms are gifts from the ethnic communities who helped to build Pittsburgh. A total of 30 rooms commemorate the cultural heritages of the communities who supported and planned their construction. The Nationality and Heritage Rooms and their associated committees represent Pitt’s early commitment and ongoing efforts to advance diversity and community engaged learning. The associated Nationality and Heritage Room Committees comprised of active and dynamic community volunteers support global and intercultural learning experiences through offering scholarships and cultural programming.

Regional Centers, Resources, and Offerings

Learn more about our offerings by region including: resource centers, certificates and programs of study, language courses, and more!

Center for African Studies

The Center for African Studies at the University of Pittsburgh promotes the interdisciplinary study and research of Africa. Our diverse educational activities promote greater understanding and appreciation of Africa and African experiences. We offer opportunities for the study of the continent’s history, demographics, cultures, politics, economies, languages, religions, and development. We also promote the study of Africa in global perspective by cooperating with the other area-studies centers, international centers, professional schools, and departments at Pitt.  Undergraduates and graduate students interested in African studies can take advantage of our wide range of courses, pursue international credentials, and get involved in learning outside the classroom to enrich their knowledge of Africa. Local educators can also get involved through community outreach programs and curriculum development opportunities.

 

Website: www.ucis.pitt.edu/africa

Contact: Associate Director, Macrina Chelagat Lelei, macrina@pitt.edu

 

Certificates and Credentials Offered:

Undergraduate certificates

  • Certificate in African Studies
  • Certificate in Mediterranean Studies
  • Certificate in Arabic
  • Major in Africana Studies
  • Major in BPHIL
  • Minor in Africana Studies
  • Minor in Swahili

Graduate Certificates

  • Certificate in African Studies
  • Certificate in Advanced African Studies
  • Certificate in Mediterranean Studies
  • Certificate in Advanced Mediterranean Studies

 

Languages Offered:

 

Featured resources for African and Middle Eastern Studies include:

 

Additional programs and area studies span:

  • Anthropology
  • Business
  • History
  • Law
  • Medicine
  • Political Science
  • Sociology
  • Univeristy Honors College
  • Women’s and Gender Studies Program
  • And more

 

Nationality Rooms and International Exchange Programs

Relevant Nationality Rooms in this region include:

Asian Studies Center (ASC)

The Asian Studies Center is a global resource for research and education about Asia, as well as a regional center for building Asian connections. In partnership with over 100 affiliated faculty from across the university, we develop innovative research, foster community engagement, and create rigorous academic programming. Founded in 1969, the Center is widely recognized as one of the most comprehensive programs in Asian studies, with a focus on regional, transnational, and interdisciplinary scholarship.

 

Website: www.ucis.pitt.edu/asc/home

Contact: Associate Director, James A. Cook, jacook@pitt.edu

 

Certificates and Credentials Offered:

  • Asian Studies Undergraduate, Graduate, and Advanced Certificates
  • Transnational Asia Undergraduate and Graduate Certificates
  • B.Phil International Studies—Asian Studies Track
  • Majors in Chinese and Japanese
  • Minors in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Persian, Turkish, and Vietnamese

 

Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES)

REEES is an interdisciplinary center focused on Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Eurasia, including the successor states of the Soviet Union. As a Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) funded by the US Department of Education, REEES plays a critical role in promoting regionally focused scholarship and teaching on Pitt’s campus and raising knowledge and awareness among wider communities in the Pittsburgh area and beyond. REEES both facilitates scholarship in the region and develops and supports student programs focused on foreign language acquisition, cultural immersion, and interdisciplinary area studies certificates to complement traditional disciplinary degrees. 

 

Website: www.ucis.pitt.edu/creees

Contact: Associate Director, Zsuzsánna Magdó, zsuzsannamagdo@pitt.edu

 

Certificates and Credentials Offered:

Undergraduate certificates

  • Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
  • Mediterranean Studies (in conjunction with REEES)
  • Central European Studies (in conjunction with REEES)
  • European and Eurasian Studies (in conjunction with REEES)

 

Graduate Certificates

  • Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
  • Mediterranean Studies (in conjunction with REEES)
  • Bachelor of Philosophy: REEES track BPhil REEES track

 

Languages Offered:

Featured resources for Asian Studies include:

 

Additional programs and area studies span:

  • Anthropology
  • Business
  • History
  • Law
  • Medicine
  • Music
  • Political Science
  • Religious Studies
  • Sociology
  • Univeristy Honors College
  • And more

 

Nationality Rooms and International Exchange Programs

Relevant Nationality Rooms in this region include:

Asian Studies Center (ASC)

The Asian Studies Center is a global resource for research and education about Asia, as well as a regional center for building Asian connections. In partnership with over 100 affiliated faculty from across the university, we develop innovative research, foster community engagement, and create rigorous academic programming. Founded in 1969, the Center is widely recognized as one of the most comprehensive programs in Asian studies, with a focus on regional, transnational, and interdisciplinary scholarship.

 

Website: www.ucis.pitt.edu/asc/home

Contact: Associate Director, James A. Cook, jacook@pitt.edu

 

Certificates and Credentials Offered:

  • Asian Studies Undergraduate, Graduate, and Advanced Certificates
  • Transnational Asia Undergraduate and Graduate Certificates
  • B.Phil International Studies—Asian Studies Track
  • Majors in Chinese and Japanese
  • Minors in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Persian, Turkish, and Vietnamese

 

Languages Offered:

 

Featured resources for Oceania include:

 

Additional programs and area studies span:

  • Anthropology
  • Business
  • History
  • Law
  • Medicine
  • Music
  • Political Science
  • Religious Studies
  • Sociology
  • Univeristy Honors College
  • And more

European Studies Center (ESC)

The European Studies Center coordinates and develops scholarship, teaching, and community events related to Europe and the European Union in cooperation with academic departments, schools, and research units throughout the University. The ESC supports the development of new courses, sponsors lectures, symposia, and conferences with international participants, offers faculty and graduate student grants, and provides an intellectual community for students and faculty studying all aspects of contemporary and historical Europe and the European Union.  ESC has been designated a National Resource Center for European Studies by the U.S. Department of Education (under Title VI of the Higher Education Act) and a Jean Monnet Center of Excellence by the European Commission.

 

Website: www.ucis.pitt.edu/esc

Contact: Associate Director, Pawel Lewicki, pawel.lweicki@pitt.edu

 

Certificates and Credentials Offered:

Undergraduate certificates

  • Western European Studies
  • European Union Studies
  • Transatlantic Studies
  • Mediterranean Studies (in conjunction with REEES)
  • Central European Studies (in conjunction with REEES)
  • European and Eurasian Studies (in conjunction with REEES)

Postgraduate certificates

  • Western European Studies
  • European Union Studies
  • Transatlantic Studies
  • Mediterranean Studies (in conjunction with REEES)

 

Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES)

REEES is an interdisciplinary center focused on Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Eurasia, including the successor states of the Soviet Union. As a Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) funded by the US Department of Education, REEES plays a critical role in promoting regionally focused scholarship and teaching on Pitt’s campus and raising knowledge and awareness among wider communities in the Pittsburgh area and beyond. REEES both facilitates scholarship in the region and develops and supports student programs focused on foreign language acquisition, cultural immersion, and interdisciplinary area studies certificates to complement traditional disciplinary degrees. 

 

Website: www.ucis.pitt.edu/creees

Contact: Associate Director, Zsuzsánna Magdó, zsuzsannamagdo@pitt.edu

 

Certificates and Credentials Offered:

Undergraduate certificates

  • Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
  • Mediterranean Studies (in conjunction with REEES)
  • Central European Studies (in conjunction with REEES)
  • European and Eurasian Studies (in conjunction with REEES)

Graduate Certificates

  • Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
  • Mediterranean Studies (in conjunction with REEES)
  • Bachelor of Philosophy: REEES track BPhil REEES track

 

Languages Offered:

 

Featured resources for European Studies include:

 

Additional programs and area studies span:

  • Anthropology
  • Business
  • History
  • History of Art and Architecture
  • Law
  • Medicine
  • Political Science
  • Religious Studies
  • Sociology
  • Univeristy Honors College
  • Women's and Gender Studies Program
  • And more

 

Nationality Rooms and International Exchange Programs

Relevant Nationality Rooms in this region include:

Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS)

The Center for Latin American Studies promotes global understanding through support for teaching, learning, & research in and on Latin America, the Caribbean, and the diverse diasporic communities of Latin American and Caribbean origin. CLAS provides faculty with the resources and intellectual environment to realize cutting-edge research, and students with unequaled educational experience and a solid path to a successful career. Through its community engagement programs, the center shares its resources regionally, nationally, & internationally.

 

Website: www.ucis.pitt.edu/clas

Contact: Associate Director, Manuel Roman-Lacayo, Manuel.Roman@pitt.edu

 

Certificates and Credentials Offered:

Undergraduate certificates

  • Certificate in Latin American Studies
  • Related Concentration in Latin American Studies

Postgraduate certificates

  • Certificate in Latin American Studies
  • Graduate Certificate in Latin American Social and Public Policy

 

Languages Offered:

 

Featured resources for Latin American and studies spanning the Americas include:

 

Additional programs and area studies span:

  • Anthropology
  • Business
  • History
  • History of Art and Architecture
  • Law
  • Medicine
  • Political Science
  • Religious Studies
  • Sociology
  • Univeristy Honors College
  • Women's and Gender Studies Program
  • And more