Outreach

As a National Resource Center, ASC is devoted to public service and understanding on Africa. ASC is plays an active role in the development of a diverse and informed public constituency for Africa in Southern California. Many of the Coleman Center's public outreach events and initiatives are co-sponsored by other units at UCLA; a situation that promotes active multidisciplinary research and teaching networks across campus.

K-12 Outreach

Teachers' Summer Institute on Africa

Teachers' Institute on Africa, an Institute designed for intermediate and secondary school humanities, social science, and language arts teachers who are interested in strengthening and enriching their course content on Africa. Each summer, twelve to twenty teachers complete our course and go on to incorporate Africa related content into their classes. An exciting offshoot of this program involves the planning and development of an on-line compendium of the participants' most successful lesson plans.

Programs

• Winter 2008 Seminar for Teachers- Enduring Legacies: African Influence in the Artistic Expressions of the Americas
  Winter 2008 Seminar for K-12 Teachers will examine the African heritage in the development of Latin American music, dance and visual art.

Teachers as Scholars

Teachers as Scholars, a special certification program for teachers who have undertaken 3 or more summer area institutes at UCLA. Certified individuals will become important mentors in developing the K-12 international studies domain.

• The End of Childhood: African Perspectives
• The Culture and Literature of Francophone Africa

Africa in the Classroom

ASC in line with its commitment to education and leadership, is proud to introduce Africa in the Classroom to its host of many outreach programs. Africa in the Classroom intends to expose the greater Los Angeles community to the culture and heritage of Africa and the African Diaspora. The Program will link UCLA students and organizations dedicated to education and community outreach to schools, community organizations, and public institutions.

Africa in the Classroom is comprised of two sections: Performing Arts and Academic Presentations. The Performing Arts section consists of students specializing in African art or dance. Students are able to provide a combination of brief presentations and live performances. The Academic Presentations section is an ensemble of African Studies M.A. and Ph.D students who specialize in a variety of disciplines. Students can provide 30 to 60 minute presentations.

Public lectures

ASC also places great emphasis on public education through seminars, symposia, and conferences on Africa. Each academic quarter, the Center coordinates a lecture series in which distinguished speakers from the region, the nation, and abroad, particularly speakers from the African continent, make presentations to audiences comprised of members of the campus community, as well as participants from the greater LA community. These programs encourage debate and discussion on emerging themes in African studies, as well as on current events and developments in Africa, the Center organizes periodic research and policy symposia. Past programs have addressed such topics as ethnic conflict, Health and Islam in the Muslim world, gender and power in African contexts, and gender and the environment. Please explore our public calendar to learn more.