Outreach to Higher Education
The African Studies Center has a rich tradition of outreach to colleagues at four year institutions. In 1985 the Center collaborated with the MSU Center for Advanced Study of International Development (CASID) in establishing a two-week summer institute for college faculty that focused on issues of development. The summer institute was offered annually until 1993 when it was replaced by institutes sponsored by the MSU founded Michigan International Development Education Outreach Network (MIDEON) a consortium of 21 two and four year colleges in Michigan.
In 1990 in a separate initiative on the Center began providing African studies resources for 44 Colleges and Universities through the MSU led Consortium for Inter-Institutional Cooperation in African and Latin American Studies (CICALS):
CICALS provides systematic study of African (and Latin American) languages, cultures, and history for faculty and students associated with The Great Lakes Association of Colleges, the Historic Black Colleges and Universities, and the Associated Colleges of the Midwest through summer intensive study of Shona (1990, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001), Amharic (1989, 1993, 1996, 1999) and Swahili (1991, 1994, 1997, 2000) language, culture and history. Participating faculty receive further language and cultural study in Africa the following summer.
Between 1997 and 1999 the Africa Media Program collaborated with CICALS in developing four national workshops on using African films and documentaries in the undergraduate classroom. The first workshop in October 1997 focused on integrating African films into the humanities (hosted at MSU). The second national workshop, March 1998, focused on the use of African film in teaching foreign languages (French and Swahili) in the classroom (hosted by CICALS affiliated HBCUs in New Orleans). The third national workshop, March 1999, focused on using African films in teaching environmental studies (hosted by MSU). The final national workshop, October 1999, focused on using African film in the social science classroom (hosted by four HBCUs in Atlanta).
If you would like to view or download materials prepared for these workshops please link to the Africa Media Program website. Colleges Affiliated With CICALS.
Building on this tradition, in 2004 the Center, as a project of national outreach, is cooperating with the MSU Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) and a consortium of other CIBERs headquartered at the University of Memphis to provide curricular information about and experience in Africa for business faculty at number of HBCUs. The Center is playing a central role in developing and African area studies seminars (in the U.S.) and business study tours to Africa for business faculty from participating HBCUs. Study tours to Botswana and South Africa are scheduled for summer 2005 and 2006.
Integrating African Studies into the Community College Curriculum
Beginning in 1987 the Center began developing special relationships with two consortia of Michigan community colleges: the Michigan Global Awareness Consortium (8 rural community colleges) and Michigan Community Colleges for Global Education (29 member institutions), and more recently, the Mid-West Institute for International and Intercultural Education-MIIIE, (80 members in seven states), Working with these consortia the Outreach Program provides workshops, faculty development opportunities at MSU, participates in consortia conferences, and provides material support for the development of Africa-related curricular units across the curriculum.
The MSU collaborative initiative with the MGAC was funded originally by a grant from the Kellogg Foundation to MSU. The project is administered through the African Studies Center Outreach Program.
In summer 2005 the Center in collabortion with the Center for Advanced Study in Internaitonal Development and the MIIIE is sponsoring a five-week Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad in Ghana for community college faculty. For more information on this program contact John Metzler, metzler@msu.edu.
Internationalizing Teacher Education
To reach the next generation of K-12 educators, beginning in 2004 the ASC and three other MSU National Resource Centers are collaborating with the MSU Department of Teacher Education/College of Education in developing international materials and content for infusion in TE 250 Human Diversity, Power, and Opportunity in Social Institutions, one of only four compulsory COE undergraduate courses in teacher education. This unique project addresses a long-time gap in the efforts of National Resource Centers to reach perspective teachers. This initiative when completed in 2005-2006 will provide the first internationalized compulsory course of teacher trainees offered by a major college of education in the U.S. Upon completion of the project the collaborating Centers will disseminate course materials and syllabi to peer institutions nation-wide.
Africa Media in the College/University Classroom
African Media Program — We have re-launched the MSU African Media Program with its searchable data-base of films and videos on Africa. The Program website allows viewers to access the unique database of more than 10,000 films and videos on Africa. Users are able to access a wide variety of data on each film/video, including reviews, recommendations on viewing audiences (including use K-16 education), and distributor information. The searchable data-base is particularly helpful for college professors seeking appropriate films to show in their humanities, social science, and natural science courses.
Collaborative Study Abroad Initiatives
In addition to the sponsoring the National Consortium for Study in Africa beginning in 2000 the Center along with the MSU Office of Study Abroad initiated a collaborative study aboard project with the Council of Opportunity in Education. The Washington DC based COE is the national consortium of TRIO programs which serve students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds on more than 1,000 campuses throughout the U.S. This collaboration provides opportunity for TRIO students nation-wide to participate in MSU summer and semester programs in Africa. In 2003, and again in spring semester 2005, we were awarded Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad funding to sponsor 30 TRIO students from approximately 20 colleges/universities to study for an entire semester in MSUs semester programs in either Durban, South Africa or Dakar, Senegal.
Conferences and Colloquia for Scholars
The Center offers a number of lectures, colloquia, conferences, and seminars each year. For current and forthcoming events at MSU and in other institutions, read the Center's weekly Tuesday Bulletin.
