The Center for South Asia (CSA) was invited by the U.S. Department of Education to host the 2009 Fulbright Seminar to India’s Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO).
CSA organized a three-day program for 16 elementary and middle school teachers from across the U.S. This summer’s five-week program in India, aimed to internationalize K-12 curriculum, is coordinated by the U.S.-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) in New Delhi.
The teachers arrived in Madison on June 31st for an intensive program of lectures, cultural discussions and musical performance.
CSA Director Mark Kenoyer and USIEF Executive Director Adam Grotsky (also a UW-Madison alumnus) presided. CSA faculty associates Lalita du Perron, Donald Davis, Maya Lea, Mitra Sharafi and Aseema Sinha presented lectures on Hindi Language, Religions, Art & Architecture, Colonial History, and Political Economy.
Madison-based writer Kashmira Sheth also discussed her award-winning books Blue Jasmine and Monsoon Afternoon.
Rachel Weiss will assist the teachers with developing their teaching modules.
This collaboration offers CSA, a Title VI National Resource Center, an outstanding opportunity to partner with top-notch educators, insure that their lessons on the region are balanced and dynamic, and extend our K-12 outreach nationally.
Two of the teachers are blogging their way through India, take a look at: http://www.indiabxv.blogspot.com/ and http://hundleyjane.wordpress.com/