Reconfiguring Representations of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia
A Teachers Symposium and Workshop
Presented by the Middle East Institute, South Asia Institute, and Teachers College Program in Social Studies Education
Teacher’s College, Columbia University
Thursday, June 15, 2017
5PM-9PM
You can find a video of the event here
Media sources have constructed problematic images about the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA). Through this symposium, we hope to begin conversations about representations within curriculum and teaching, and cultivate culturally relevant pedagogy when teaching students from these regions.
This symposium reviews problematic representations of the people in and from the MENASA region in Humanities (English Language Arts/Social Studies) curriculum. With the resurgence of Orientalist discourses about MENASA in the media and other mediums, this symposium will present a critical perspective in deconstructing the representations educators and students encounter everyday. Participants will learn how to facilitate learning experiences that will enable their students to question and think critically about English/Language Arts and Social Studies curriculum concerned with the populations in and from MENASA. The purpose is not to simply incorporate content knowledge of these regions in this session, but to examine and unpack the power relations, knowledge construction and orientalist views that consume the dominant narratives with Humanities curriculum.
We invite you to participate in this teachers symposium and workshop featuring a panel of educators, practitioners, and scholars:
Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher, Ed.D, Senior Lecturer; Literacy, Culture and International Education Division at the University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Debbie Almontaser, CEO/Founder of Bridging Cultures Group Inc. and Board President of MCN, Muslim Community Network
Maria Hantzopoulos, Ed.D, Associate Professor of Education at Vassar College
Roozbeh Shirazi, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Program in Comparative and International Development Education at the University of Minnesota
Sa'ed Atshan, Ph.D, Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College
We welcome participation from public, private, and charter school teachers, general educators, as well as, college-level instructors.
Location: Teachers College
Columbia University
525 W 120th Street
New York, NY 10027
Registration fee: $15 (paid online)
*Iftar will be served at 8:30PM in observance of Ramadan
Registration is required.
Register here.
E-mail Dahlia El Zein de2304@columbia.edu with any questions.
Next event in the MEI Summer Workshop Series:
Citizenship and Nationality in Israel/Palestine
A Teachers Workshop
Saturday, June 24, 2017: 9 AM-4PM
Columbia University