PIER-African Studies Summer Institute 2009
"The Teaching of Africa" [July 5-17, 2009]

Agenda: “The Teaching of Africa” is designed to help college and K-12 faculty to develop enlightening curricula, to transform other professionals’ perspectives about the African continent, and to enable participants to identify and access unique resources about Africa. The program includes a variety of learning formats designed to enhance the overall experience, and to challenge participants to expand their own learning and teaching styles.
    Participants attend lectures and films, and receive instruction about how to use interdisciplinary teaching methods for the study of Africa. Several “hands-on” cultural activities and artistic projects are complemented by a full-day trip to cultural sites in New York City.
    The program also provides an extensive packet of resource and teaching materials, as well as the opportunity to meet scholars from a wide range of disciplines who concentrate on Africa.

Overview: Teaching about Africa is a challenge in the classroom today. Educators and other professionals face a new and often daunting task of knowing how to learn and/or to teach about Africa.
    Where in the curriculum does Africa belong? What should I teach at different levels? Where do I find resources? How can I evaluate the resources - are they valid, adaptable, unbiased, proven? Is doing business in Africa viable? How can I better understand media coverage of events in Africa?
    If you are an educator, curriculum specialist, librarian or a business or media professional, this is a course that will transform your perspective and equip you with ideas and practical approaches to the teaching and understanding of Africa.
    This intensive introductory course in African Studies is designed to help teachers learn about Africa in a way that will enable them to teach confidently about its peoples, civilizations and cultures. The course content covers traditional and contemporary civilizations; environmental, political, economic, family, and religious systems; peoples, histories, and social problems; and popular cultures, art, and literary works.

Requirements: Participants are required to complete a project in the form of course development for college faculty, and lesson plans for K-12 educators to be developed into a publishable resource notebook for loan to other educators from the PIER Resource Center and the PIER website.

Eligibility: This intensive two-week course is open to college and K-12 educators, administrators and support staff, librarians, curriculum specialists, and to members of the business and media communities

Faculty: Instructors are leading scholars and experts from Yale University and other institutions.

Schedule:

Daily meetings: 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
African films with discussion: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights

Registration: Sunday, July 5 at 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Visiting museums of African culture in NYC: Saturday, July 11 (whole day)

The program includes a required four Saturday follow-up sessions at Yale University (encouraged but optional to some out-of-state participants) to complete projects.

General Daily Schedule Outline
8:15 - 8: 55 am                               Coffee & pastries
9:00 - 10:30 am                 Session 1: seminar/lecture
10:45 am - 12:15 pm           Session 2: seminar/lecture
12:15 - 1:25 pm                                      Lunch break
1:30 - 3:00 pm                   Session 3: seminar/lecture
3:15 - 5:00 pm                   Session 4: seminar/lecture
5:00 - 6:25 pm                                       Dinner break
6:30 - 9:30 pm                         Films (with discussion)

Follow-up Schedule
October 17, 2009:             9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
December 12, 2009:         9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
February 13, 2010:           9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
March 13, 2010:                            Projects due

Registration fee: $250 including texts and materials. Housing, meals and parking are extra. Fees may be required to cover meals on field trip and/or special events.
Housing: Various housing plans are available at local hotels at reduced rates, single or double occupancy, or in Yale campus housing. Housing request forms can be downloaded at <http://www.yale.edu/macmillan/pier/institutes.htm>.
Meals: Yale caféteria meal plans are available. (Prices available upon request)
CEUs: The Institute is designed in accordance with nationwide Continuing Education Units standards. Yale will award up to 9 CEUs upon successful completion of the program.

Sponsors:

PIER-African Studies
Council on African Studies
The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for
International and Area Studies
U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant

Please contact Maxwell Amoh, PIER Director, for more information at 203-432-3438; maxwell.amoh@yale.edu

The Application Deadline is June 1, 2009
Brochure/Application