Integrating West African Perspectives and Voices into the Curriculum

1600 Golf Road,Des Plaines IL 60016

14 April, 2022

Description

Our focus will be how to include the voices, histories, cultural contributions, and perspectives of the peoples of West Africa in curricula. Image: "Independence Arch - Accra, Ghana" by George Appiah is licensed under CC BY 2.0 We invite proposals of individual papers, panels or round-table discussion groups for an interdisciplinary conference. Papers focusing on art, anthropology, environmental science, gender, history, language & literature, music, philosophy, politics, as well as other disciplines are encouraged. Our primary focus will be how to include the voices, histories, cultural contributions, and perspectives of the peoples of West Africa in the high school and college / university curriculum. We are aware of the colonial legacies that structure the very study of African people as an academic subject, as well as the many challenges posed by the rapidly changing global political context in which we work. While keeping in mind the ways that learning African culture and history can help U. S. students develop critical perspectives on western history and cultural hegemony, we also see the need to critically address contemporary contradictions and issues within African Studies. We especially invite proposals on: Theoretical approaches to West African cultures that have practical implications for teaching, and comparative approaches to culture, art, religion or politics; The efforts to theoretically and practically engage with real movements of West African peoples to preserve languages, protect biodiversity, and develop mechanisms of governance based on their indigenous heritage; Discipline and/or topic-specific pedagogical strategies, for example papers that explore the possibility of presenting this material in courses on environmental science, women and gender studies, and philosophy. Time and Place: Thursday, April 14, 2022, 1:00 - 5:00 pm (CDT) Friday, April 15, 2022, 9 :00 – 4:00 pm (CDT) Oakton Community College Rm. 1610 1600 E. Golf Rd. Des Plaines, IL 60016 Please note: Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination will be required at registration desk check-in. At this time masking is required throughout the conference, in accordance with Illinois state mandate.Schedule-at-a-Glance: Thursday, April 14, 2002 1:00 pm - Welcome and Keynote Address 2:45 pm - Break-out Session 4:00 pm - Roundtable Discussions Friday, April 15, 2002 9:00 am - Plenary Address 10:30 am - Break-out Session 11:45 am - Lunch 12:30 pm - African Dance Performance and Discussion 1:45 pm - Break-out Session 3:00 pm - Roundtable Discussions RegistrationRegistration due: March 15, 2022. Sponsored byGlobal Studies Program, Oakton Community College Generous support provided by the Oakton Community College Foundation.