South Asia in Curricula: Teaching Key Issues and What We Take Back to Our Schools and Colleges Vincent Melomo, Ph.D. Director of the Adventures Program Assistant Professor of Anthropology
What You Might Take Back Why this conference is so important. What most basically I hope you got out of the conference. How you should be careful in teaching about South Asia. How you might effectively include South Asia in your curricula. What resources are available to help you in teaching about South Asia. Whatever I have left out
Who Am I? Cultural Anthropologist Director of the Adventures Program Researcher of South Asian America I am someone deeply committed to educating students about the world, and recognize the challenges that are involved.
Why Is this World View Conference So Important? 2006 National Geographic Roper Survey of Geographic Literacy 60% of young Americans don't speak a foreign language fluently. Only 37% of young Americans can find Iraq on a map Only 12% of young Americans can find Afghanistan on a map 48% of young Americans believe the majority population in India is Muslim. 80% of Americans did not know that India is the world s s largest democracy. Asia in the Schools: Preparing Young Americans for Today's Interconnected World,, (New York: Asia Society, 2001), p. 22
Why Is this World View Conference So Important? Results from BBC World Service Poll (http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/)
Why Is this World View Conference So Important? In June 2001, the National Commission on Asia in the Schools, released a report that said that young Americans are dangerously uninformed about international matters and that this knowledge deficit is particularly glaring in the case of Asia, home to more than 60% of the world s s population. Preparing Our Students for Work and Citizenship in the Global Age, By John M. Engler and James B. Hunt, Jr. (http://internationaled.org/pdkhuntengler.htm internationaled.org/pdkhuntengler.htm)
Why Is this World View Conference So Important? Teachers cannot teach what they do not know. Most teachers are not being trained in world affairs, history and cultures. For example, of the top 50 U.S. colleges and universities that train teachers, only a handful require any coursework in non- Western history for their students preparing to teach history. Asia in the Schools: Preparing Young Americans for Today's Interconnected World, (New York: Asia Society, 2001) (http://internationaled.org/issues.htm internationaled.org/issues.htm)
Why Is This Lack of Global Awareness a Problem? Our future, and the future of our children, is inextricably linked to the complex challenges of the global community. Rod Paige U.S. Secretary of Education The compelling changes in our economy, the dawning of the Information Age, and the horrible events of September 11, 2001 and their aftermath, have created an unprecedented need to focus on international knowledge and skills. To solve most of the major problems facing our country today from wiping out terrorism to minimizing global environmental problems to eliminating the scourge of AIDS will require every young person to learn more about other regions, cultures, and languages. Colin Powell U.S. Secretary of State
Why Is This Lack of Global Awareness a Problem? We live in an increasingly global world, where events and experiences here are tied to those there. there. Global Economy The economies of the U.S. and South Asia are increasingly connected. Global Politics The politics and security of South Asia and the U.S. are increasingly connected.
Why Is This Lack of Global Awareness a Problem? Global Issues and Global Problems The problems of inequality, environmental degradation, terrorism, HIV/AIDS, etc. have global dimensions, shared by people in South Asia and the U.S. Global Culture and Global Diversity South Asian people and their culture are increasingly in the U.S. and American people and their culture are increasingly in South Asia.
The Good News We Can Make a Difference Studying other countries and cultures will help empower our young people to succeed in the marketplace. It will also help them contribute to the marketplace of ideas at a time when absolutist ideologies seek to destroy the very notion of competing ideas. In an interconnected world, understanding other nations and regions is a cornerstone of democratic citizenship. This aspect of education deserves our swift and lasting attention. Preparing Our Students for Work and Citizenship in the Global Age, By John M. Engler and James B. Hunt, Jr. (http://internationaled.org/pdkhuntengler.htm internationaled.org/pdkhuntengler.htm)
The Good News Young People Want to Learn Nine out of ten students want to know more about the rest of the world and believe it will be important to their futures. More than 7 in 10 students said they wanted to learn more about a wide range of Asia related topics. Asia in the Schools: Preparing Young Americans for Today's Interconnected World, (New York: Asia Society, 2001)
What Is Our Job? Educate Overcome Ignorance And, Engage Overcome Apathy
How to Educate and Engage Teach Against Stereotypes Teach Historic Connections Teach Contemporary Connections Teach Comparatively Teach Relevance Teach Critically!
Teaching Against Stereotypes While students may be largely ignorant about the rest of the world, they nevertheless often have a store of stereotypes about people they don t know. Engage students by starting with what they already know. know. Ask what ideas or images come to mind when they hear South Asia, India, India, Pakistan? Question students about the source of their ideas and images? T.V., church, parents, friends? Begin to educate,, by presenting students with the more complex realities.
Teach Against Stereotypes South Asia is not just a place of swamis and snake charmers child brides and dowry deaths doctors and convenience store owners all Muslims or all Hindus Gandhian pacifists or Islamic terrorists
Teaching Against Stereotypes Can any stereotype really fit 1.5 billion people? Can there really be such a thing as A South Asia or A South Asian?
Teach Against Stereotypes Teach diversity and complexity! Historical National Religious (across and within) Regional / Linguistic Cultural Urban / Rural (Temporal) Caste and Class Gender
Teach Connections: Historic and Contemporary Early European Exploration Where was Columbus going? Shared Colonial Histories Why do many Indians speak English? Early Immigration and Diaspora When do we first see South Asian communities in the U.S.? early 20 th century immigration to California, and the Ghadar Party
Teach Connections: Historic and Contemporary Civil Rights and Independence Movements What do MLK and Gandhi have in common? Recent Immigration and Diaspora Who are the South Asians in the U.S. today? Post 1965 immigration Globalization In what ways are South Asia and the U.S. connected today? Economic, social, cultural, and political dimensions
Teach Comparatively Teach similarities, then explore differences. Some similarities between the U.S. and India: Democracy Secularism Religious Diversity Class/Caste Divisions Minority Rights Others?
Teach Relevance Why do I need to know this? Because of all the connections that we have discussed that are part of our global world Your country s s companies, politicians, celebrities, and military are going there. You may be traveling to or living in South Asia someday. You may be working with/for a South Asian someday. You may be the friend, neighbor, or spouse of a South Asian someday. Your life will be a lot more interesting!
Teach That It s s Not All About U.S. Understand that Pakistan, it s s people, culture, politics, landscape, etc. is not only significant because of its potential role in a War on Terror. Understand that India, it s s people, culture, politics, landscape, etc. is not only important because of the markets and opportunities for capital investment that it provides.
Don t t Fossilize Teach classics as living texts. Teach contemporary issues, as well as ancient, colonial, and national histories. Teach religion as diverse across and within traditions. Teach religion as changing, active, and contested. Teach culture and society as diverse, changing, and contested.
Don t Otherize, Demonize, or Glamorize No matter how different South Asian culture, religion, and experience may sometimes seem, do not make that difference more exotic, and always remind students of our fundamental similarities as humans. Not everyone in India is innately peaceful and spiritual. Not everyone in Pakistan are terrorists. Globalization has not made everyone in India rich. Not everyone in India thinks globalization is good.
Engage Students in Learning Explore South Asian America in NC Explore Internet Resources Hundreds of websites on Indian society and culture at home and abroad. (India( Abroad.com) Use Popular Movies, Music and Literature Bollywood and otherwise. (Bollywood( World.com) South Asian Radio Program, Geet Bazaar South Asian and South Asian American Literature Books by South Asian Writers in English SAWNET List of South Asian Books Explore ALL critically, recognizing the partiality of their constructions and representations of South Asian society and culture.
Explore South Asian America in NC Indian Americans in North Carolina Census Total % of Total Pop. 1970 (no data) (no data) 1980 4,720.08% 1990 9,847.15% 2000 29,283.36% Approximately 40,000 South Asians currently live in N.C., making up about.4% of the total population. Indian Americans are the largest of Asian groups in N.C.
Engage Students in Learning Use Outreach of South Asian Orgs.: University Student Organizations Ektaa (NCState), Sangam (UNC), Diya (Duke) Islamic Association of Raleigh NC Center for South Asia Studies Visit religious and cultural sites Attend cultural programs and events
Visit Sites of South Asian Culture and Community in North Carolina
Attend Cultural Programs of South Asian America Cary Diwali Student Cultural Programs Bharatnatyam Bollywood Bhangra Hybrid Mixes
Teach the Languages of South Asia Whether it be to help in fighting international terrorism, or preventing it by creating greater interactions and understandings, more American students need to be educated in South Asian languages. A Door into Hindi,, Afroz Taj नम त
Engage Students in Learning Integrate South Asia into your school by having a theme day, semester, or year! Make a focus in all classes Invite guest speakers from NCCSAS Invite local South Asian speakers Invite local South Asian performers Invite a Henna artist Watch a popular South Asian movie Do a service project (Heifer Intl.) Make it interesting and make it fun!
Asia 101, Curriculum Principles Learning about Asia should be integrated into existing course content across the curriculum at various levels. All elements of K-12 K education from curriculum frameworks and material resources to teacher pre- and in-service courses and programs - should reflect current scholarship on Asia and Asian American content. There should be a balance between general studies of Asia and in-depth, sustained case studies of selected countries and/or thematic or topical units. Asia in the Schools: Preparing Young Americans for Today's Interconnected World,, (New York: Asia Society, 2001)
Asia 101, Curriculum Principles Teaching and learning should be approached with knowledge, respect, and empathy and should challenge cultural stereotypes. Opportunities for direct student experience of Asian cultures should be created. A focus on contemporary issues and current events must go hand-in in-hand with the study of the past; dynamism, change and the interconnectedness of cultures throughout history should be emphasized. Asia in the Schools: Preparing Young Americans for Today's Interconnected World,, (New York: Asia Society, 2001)
Teaching Resources Project South Asia Teaching South Asia U Penn South Asia Center U Wisconsin Center for South Asia Outreach Columbia U Teaching Resources on South Asia Asia Society s s Ask Asia.org U Chicago, Islam in South Asia Fulbright 1998 Teachers The American Forum for Global Education
Other Resources Culture for Kids Books by South Asian Writers in English SAWNET List of South Asian Books South Asian Literature Listserv
What else? What are you taking back to your school?