University of Pittsburgh Offering Free Weekend Course, “Muslims in Global Context: Afghanistan, Pakistan & India,” Nov. 16-18

The University of Pittsburgh’s Global Studies Center will host a free minicourse titled “Muslims in a Global Context: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India” from Nov. 16-18 in Room 2400 of Pitt’s Sennott Square, 210 S. Bouquet St., Oakland.

Designed to provide an opportunity for the public and students to better understand culture and politics in Central Asia, a region that is critical to U.S. national security, the weekend minicourse will consist of a series of lectures on the factors and trends that continue to shape the countries of Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan.

The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 16 with a lecture titled “Why Does It Matter: A View from the East and West” presented by Muqtedar Khan, professor of political science and international relations at the University of Delaware and founding director of that school’s Islamic Studies Program.

Other lectures will include “Governance and State in Afghanistan” presented at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 17 by Jennifer Murtazashvili, Pitt assistant professor of public and international affairs, and “Education and Youth in South Asia,” presented at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 17 by Mohammed Shafiq, associate professor of administrative and policy studies in Pitt’s School of Education.

A complete agenda and registration forms are available at www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/mini-course/536. The deadline to register is Nov. 14.

Pitt and Carnegie Mellon students may register to receive one credit for the course; teachers may receive ACT 48 credit; and the general public may attend any of the minicourse lectures for a noncredit learning experience.

The minicourse is co-sponsored by Pitt’s Global Studies Center within the University Center for International Studies as well as by Carnegie Mellon University’s Office of the Provost and Division of Student Affairs.