Each presenter will discuss his/her particular country and share the geographic location, the landmarks, government, culture, homes, food, and transportation of that country. The worldview of your students will expand as they learn more about different cultures.
Lesson plans and/or descriptions are available online for each topic!
REGISTER online for videoconferences: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool/registration.htm
Target audience: students in grades 5 -12
Times: 9:00 - 9:45 and 10:00 - 10:45 AM (CENTRAL time zone)
Format: 45-minutes formatted into 30-minute presentation, and then
15-20 minute Q & A
Cost: $75 per site
Questions: Chandra Allison, at (615) 322-6511 or email chandra.allison@vanderbilt.edu
1) THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 – KURDISTAN in Northern IRAQ
Presenter: Charmaine Jamieson
The people of Iraqi-Kurdistan invite you to discover their peaceful region, a place that has practiced democracy for over a decade, a place where the universities, markets, cafes and fair grounds buzz with progress and prosperity, and where the people are sowing the seeds of a brighter future. With a population of nearly 5 million, the three governorates of Duhok, Erbil and Suleimani cover four times the area of Lebanon and larger than that of The Netherlands.
Nashville, TN boasts a huge immigrant population, and many of these are political refugees. One particularly significant group, especially considering the current Iraq War, is the local Kurdish population. Many Kurds come to Nashville to escape persecution in the Middle East. The best-known example of this dates to 1988, when Saddam Hussein waged genocide against Iraqi Kurds. Thousands of Kurds were killed by chemical warfare and mass destruction, and even more simply disappeared. This, however, was only the culmination of past persecution and violence against the Kurds in Iraq and elsewhere.
4) WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2010 - “HAITI”
Presenters: Colin Dayan and Jane Landers
Presenter Jane Landers will discuss how French Saint Domingue (HAITI) became the richest sugar colony in the world and how its oppressed slaves accomplished the revolt that led to Haitian independence.
Presenter Colin Dayan will discuss current events in Haiti and discuss what is needed to provide real help to Haiti. On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti and devastated the capital city, Port-au-Prince. Colin says the best aid for the earthquake-ravaged nation of HAITI is to empower the Haitian people.
Haiti, in the West Indies, occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. About the size of Maryland, Haiti is two-thirds mountainous, with the rest of the country marked by great valleys, extensive plateaus, and small plains.
Haiti was the first independent nation in Latin America and the first independent black-led republic in the world when it gained independence as part of a successful slave rebellion in 1804. Despite having common cultural links with its Hispano-Caribbean neighbors, Haiti is the only predominantly French-speaking independent nation in the Americas. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas.
Register quickly! These will fill up fast!
Patsy
Patsy Partin, M.Ed
Director, Virtual School
Vanderbilt University
2007 Terrace Place
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 322-6384
www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool
