July 3, 2011
Penn State Greater Allegheny focuses on a region of the world each academic year, to provide a common inspiration for teaching and scholarship. The Teaching International Program, which began in 2004, added a theme to the regional emphasis in 2008.
For the 2011-2012 academic year, the campus will study the Middle East, with a theme of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
The regions and themes are chosen by a vote of faculty and staff. After a region is chosen, participating faculty and staff discuss the definition of the region. In some cases, there is consensus on what constitutes a particular region, whereas in other cases, such as with the Middle East, there is much less agreement.
For information on the countries to be studied, the Millennium Development Goals, and resources and events, consult the Teaching The Middle East web page.