High school students across Pennsylvania have the opportunity to apply to the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for Global and International Studies - a free, four-week program at the University of Pittsburgh that introduces young people to the study of international affairs.

Applications may be submitted to the Global Studies Center, University of Pittsburgh, 4100 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, Pittsburgh, 15260, and postmarked no later than March 1.

The program, which will run June 19 through July 14, is for highly motivated high school sophomores and juniors, who will live on the Pitt campus for four weeks attending classes and participating in co-curricular activities.

“The Governor’s School will appeal to high school students ready for a rigorous approach to thinking globally,” said Michael Goodhart, director of Pitt’s Global Studies Center. “This is a fun and stimulating way to spend part of their summer. Students can expect to acquire analytic tools to help them understand the processes shaping our world as well as communication skills they will need to relate their insights to others.”

The program schedule includes morning classes in three languages: Chinese, Arabic and Portuguese. A core global issues course addresses thematic issues and provides students with an intellectual framework for making sense of a complex and interdependent world. Afternoons will be dedicated to experiential learning activities ranging from team projects and simulation games to discussions with Pitt faculty, guest authors and policy experts.

In the evenings, students will be exposed to topical films and literature, as well as food, music and dance from around the world. Each week will conclude with a capstone symposium that puts the Governor’s School themes in a regional perspective.

The Governor’s School was founded at Pitt in 1985. The program is developed and operated by the Global Studies Center, in partnership with the University Center for International Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.