Friday April 3: Stuart Clark Lecture at CMU

Click on the poster to enlarge.

Hail and Farewell to Judy Macey

Judy Macey, our Department Administrator, will retire on March 31 after a long career with the University of Pittsburgh. Please stop by the office in the next few days to wish her well.

Undergraduate Advisor Office Hours

For various reasons, I need to cancel my walk-in office hours on Wednesday April 1 and Wednesday April 8.

Please e-mail for an appointment if you were planning to come then.

Summer Program: Jewish Uruguay

HILLEL URUGUAY
SPANISH PROGRAM 2009


HILLEL URUGUAY IS OFFERING A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CHANCE FOR STUDENTS TO COME—AS A GROUP OR INDIVIDUALLY—TO…

 Learn Spanish in the most welcoming country and Jewish community of South America!
 Meet Jewish students and young professionals from Uruguay, your Hillel, and other countries
 Immerse in a new culture and Jewish community
 Get academic credits
 Participate in a Tzedek-intensive curriculum
 Work in an internship
 Optional travel excursions
 And have fun!


THE MONTH-LONG PROGRAM INCLUDES

 AUDELE Spanish classes and all required materials
 Four star accommodations
 One kosher meal a day
 Transportation to and from the airport
 Participation in Hillel Uruguay activities
 Trips to:
 Buenos Aires, Argentina
 Historic Quarter of the city of Colonia del Sacramento, declared a Cultural World Heritage Site by UNESCO


IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Date
Monday, June 8, 2009 through Tuesday, July 7, 2009.

Price
$2,300 (U.S. dollars) per person, airfare not included.

Offered to
Groups and individuals.

How can you take advantage of this opportunity?
If you are a Hillel professional, offer your students this amazing chance to come individually or organize a group from your Hillel to come down! If you are an individual student or professional between the ages of 17 and 30, just decide to come down!

Limited spots are available

Friday April 17: Pizza and Research Talks for/from Majors

Come celebrate the end of the semester with
FREE PIZZA
and three short talks by the spring-term Religious Studies 1903 students on their research projects: Kara Birchard, Timothy Jackson, Candice Roberson. All majors are invited to eat, meet other Religious Studies undergraduates, and get a preview of the kind of research you will do as a senior in Religious Studies 1903.

Friday April 17, 2009
12 noon-1 pm
2628 Cathedral of Learning
Questions and rsvp: ashear@pitt.edu

April 8: Department Colloquium

The Department of Religious Studies
Brown Bag Lunch Colloquium Series
University of Pittsburgh
presents

Paul J. Nelson

Associate Professor of International Development, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs

University of Pittsburgh


“Religion and Civil Society Actors in International Development:

A Report on the Early Stages of a Project on Religion, Political Voice, and Accountability”

Wednesday, April 8, 2009
12:00 noon- 1 pm
2628 Cathedral of Learning
Coffee and cookies provided

Paul Nelson's research interests include non-governmental organizations; transparency in international organizations; religion and civil society; and human rights and development. Coauthor of New Rights Advocacy: Changing Strategies of Development and Human Rights NGOs [with Ellen Dorsey] (Georgetown University Press, 2008), Dr. Nelson is currently working on a "Religious Institutions and Voices in International Development," funded by the Henry Luce Foundation (2008-2011).

Junior Year 500

Religious Studies 1903 AY 2009-2010

Given the increase in majors in the department, we are currently contemplating offering a section of the capstone course (Religious Studies 1903) in the spring term next year (in addition to the usual fall term course). If you have not already spoken to me about this and you would be interested in taking the capstone (Religious Studies 1903, Directed Research) next spring, please e-mail me (ashear@pitt.edu) as soon as possible. We need to have a count of how many students we might expect for the spring term in order to plan faculty and course assignments.

Youth Minister job in Cranberry, PA

Hope Lutheran Church (Cranberry Township, PA) is seeking a student to help with our youth ministry program beginning in the fall for a period of one year, with the possibility of continuing beyond. We offer a small stipend for the students services/ministry. Much, if not all, of the work takes place on Sundays.

Sincerely,
Rev. Richard J. Leseganich
Hope Lutheran Church (ELCA)
8070 Rowan Road
Cranberry Township, PA 16066
724-776-3141 Ext. 203
www.hopelutherancranberry.org

Job Shadowing Program at Career Services

Get a Competitive Edge to Prepare for Your Job of the Future
Learn about a field and gain contacts too.
An Invitation to participate in Job Shadowing with a Pitt Alum
Student Application Procedure and Timeline

Job shadowing is a one day observation experience where you go to the workplace of an alum and follow them through their day at an agreed upon date during spring break. The application process will be electronic through the Career Development web site, www.careers.pitt.edu. You will review the alumni by fields and select up to 3 in rank order that match your interest.

You should submit a resume and a (cover letter) stating the numbers of the placements
for which you would like to be considered (up to 3 in rank order) and a statement of why you are interested to the email link on the site. Transportation to the shadow site is the responsibility of the student.

The procedure will follow the timeline below. In order to participate, you will be required to attend a preparation session. When selected you will be notified by email. Alumni are asked to email you if you have been selected for the experience to arrange details. If you do not hear from an alum, contact the Career Development Office at imentor@pitt.edu.

The alumni will then telephone you to discuss what you hope to learn and to finalize the details. Give this some thought because they will be seeking your guidance on what you want to learn.
When the program is over we will ask you to complete an evaluation of the program, and of course, ask you to send a thank you note to the alum sponsor along with a copy to Career Development either by email imentor@pitt.edu or to Career Development, University of Pittsburgh, 224 WPU, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.

Timeline
March 24 – Opportunities are posted on the Career Development web site for students to review.
April 3 – Application submission deadline for students
April 10 - Deadline for matching (You will be notified if matched or not.)
April 10, April 13, or April 14, 12:00 pm Attend one Mandatory Preparation session
April 18 – Deadline for alumni to contact students to arrange the dates of the experience. (We are recommending between May 5 and May 16 if convenient for each of you.)

PANTHER’S SHADOW APPLICATION PROCEDURES

1. Visit the Career Development website at www.careers.pitt.edu and click on “Panthers Shadow for students” between March 24 and April 3.
2. Click “List of opportunities”
3. Review the list of opportunities and then prepare to submit your application.
4. Click the email address link and type your 2 to 3 paragraph statement of interest in the email or attach one that you have done on MSWord. Indicate the specific number of the placement(s) [up to 3] Attach your resume to your email and submit the application to the link on the site.
5. Once the applications have been reviewed you will be notified if you were matched and with whom.